Need advice regarding friend who wants to install wood stove in propane insert location

[SciGuy]

I've got a friend who would dearly love to install a wood stove and or insert into the spot where the original owner of the house had installed a propane insert. He's torn out the guts of the propane insert, found a wood stove, cut the legs off said wood stove to allow it o fit into the space formerly occupied by the propane insert but then stopped when confronted with the dilemma of how do I hook this up to the flue. To say the least, I'm incredibly concerned about the whole project!!

1. I assume the flue was designed for gas not wood burning.

2. I assume that construction of the "fireplace" area was appropriate for a propane insert not for a wood burning stove. So there's wood framing way to close in that could get way too hot.

3. The wood stove they're working with and cut the legs off of to fit is a tight fit in the opening and has no effective convective means to remove heat from the sides or behind. This will make things even hotter for the nearby wood framing.

4. Even if the flue was wood burning compatible, there's no easy means to adapt from the stove to the flu.

I've attached a picture of the stove already slid into the position in question as well as the flue install by the original builder/homeowner.

Do you all agree that this project is pure folly?

Thanks for any informed replies.

Hugh

 

[DAKSY]

Looks to me like an air cooled chimney for a Zero Clearance (ZC) wood burning fireplace.
I'm thinking that there might have been a gas log set & not a gas insert, but maybe I'm mistaken.
That flue is not rated for the extreme temperatures of a wood stove, even if your friend could
make a connection to it. I agree with your statement about the wood surround being too close.
Not sure what the least expensive option for this project is, but I'd say he should rethink the feasibility
of a wood stove in there. Too dangerous.

 

[SciGuy]

Looks to me like an air cooled chimney for a Zero Clearance (ZC) wood burning fireplace.
I'm thinking that there might have been a gas log set & not a gas insert, but maybe I'm mistaken.
That flue is not rated for the extreme temperatures of a wood stove, even if your friend could
make a connection to it. I agree with your statement about the wood surround being too close.
Not sure what the least expensive option for this project is, but I'd say he should rethink the feasibility
of a wood stove in there. Too dangerous.

Dansky,

You're way more up to speed on this than me. I see fake logs outside that have been removed so I bet you're correct on it having been a gas log set. Tell me about a Zero clearance wood burning fireplaces? He'd dearly love to have a real fire in this location not necessarily a stove.

Thanks so much for the informed reply!!

Hugh

 

[DAKSY]

ZC fire places are waste of time, effort & fuel. Very similar to having a campfire in your living room.
Stand close & you'll feel warmth, but not heat. The flue system is cooled by air flowing past the
innermost of the chimney pipes. That air is drawn from the inside of the home, and most of it
has already been heated to some point by another heat source. Most people who attempt to get
any heat from burning wood or gas in a ZC box will tell you that their furnace/boiler often fires up
while the fire is burning. That's due to the loss of heated air thru that flue.
There is no insulation in the system & the clearance to combustibles
in this system isn't adequate to prevent pyrolysis in the surrounding framing materials. This venting
needs to be completely removed & replaced if a wood stove is APPROVED by an NFI Certified Tech.
In addition, removing the legs from that old Garrison stove will allow the heat to transfer to the materials
UNDER the stove. Dangerously unsafe in my book....
Others may chime in here...

 

[begreen]

SciGuy, your alarm is justified. This situation sets off all sort of red flags.

It should be noted that there are cheap contractor-grade ZC fireplaces that as noted are chit for heat. Some get fancier and larger, but they all are for show and not for real heating. Then, there are the EPA ZC fireplaces, which are in an entirely separate class. These units are much more efficient and put out real heat and burn much less wood. Many of them take their reliable freestanding EPA woodstove firebox and put them into a ZC cabinet for easier and safe operation. These units require Class A 2100HT chimney pipe and can be several times the cost of a basic contractor-grade ZC fireplace. They are clean burning and heat well.