New member installing flex liner - need some help!

[mojolite]

Hey folks!
New to forum and would like to say that the advice and info here is fantastic. I've learned a lot and have a lot to learn still.
I was hoping to get some feedback on an upcoming chimney reline. Here's the situation:

1. Bought new Jotul Castine in Majolica Brown from local hearth shop that was closing - $1450! YEAH!
2. Going crazy watching it sit in my foyer waiting for install. BOO!!
3. Sometimes I pretend that it's hooked-up. WHAT?
4. Chimney is external. About 27 ft. from bottom of hearth to top. 10 or 12-inch square clay liner (straight-up after mild jog through damper)

The dealer also included:
- Homesaver SS tee (complete)
- 5-ft. oval to round ss flex
- Ventinox damper sealer

I guess he thought I might just direct-vent the stove, but from what I've read from you all, the only decent thing to do is to completely reline - which I'm fine with. Just wondering if I should bother trying to use any (or all) of the parts included, or should I just get a something like the RockFlex kit. In particular, I was thinking it would be nice to utilize the oval pipe so as not to have to tear up the existing damper assembly, although it would require an adaptor or two. Passing thoughts, wild guesses, and strong opinions welcome - THANKS!

 

[BrotherBart]

First, you stole that stove and vent gear! Any liner dealer can sell you a length of round flex, connector, top plate and cap to use with the oval flex that you have for a complete reline. My personal preference is heartshearth.com because you can call them and they will work through what you need with you. And they know their stuff. With a couple of other liner vendors I have dealt with they tried to do my thinking for me without telling me and sent the items they thought I needed, not what I told them I needed. And they got the privilege of fixing the mistake but cost me a lot of time both times. Hart's Hearth is a Homesaver dealer so you could use the same brand from the tee to the top to maintain warranty and UL listing.

 

[pinewoodburner]

Does your stove require a 6" or 8" pipe? A 6" can fit thru some dampers witht the damper being removed. You could see if the 5' section you have will fit, the end that is round. If it will fit, some people can install a flex liner from the bottom up, but you still would have to get up top to install the cap and such. You could also rent a lift fro about $200 a day and install it from the top. Most stoves work better with a liner all the way up. They also have the max area of the flue. If your existing flue is a 10 x 10, that is an area of 100 sq inches and a 6" flue has an area of about 28 sq inches.

 

[oconnor]

Sounds like a great deal! Have you looked at insulating the liner? There are a couple good threads from this week on that subject - worth a read. I am a bit of an "insulate the liner" crusader.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/34151/

If you can afford it, insulating will give you a safer, better performing install IMHO.

Let us know how it turns out (pics too if you can).

 

[cgeiger]

"...1. Bought new Jotul Castine in Majolica Brown from local hearth shop that was closing - $1450! smile YEAH! ..."

soooo jealous. Price is awesome and the Majolica Brown is sweet.

 

[cgeiger]

"...1. Bought new Jotul Castine in Majolica Brown from local hearth shop that was closing - $1450! smile YEAH! ..."

soooo jealous. Price is awesome and the Majolica Brown is sweet.

ok. jealous of your color and price but wouldn't trade my 500 for the world You have a great stove, though! What a steal!

 

[mojolite]

Thanks everyone! I had been looking at an Oslo and a Hearthstone Phoenix (both very nice), but was reeling from sticker shock. Then I saw this stove and couldn't believe it. I certainly feel lucky about the find...I was in the right place at the right time - probably never happen again! Anyways, I do intend to insulate the liner, as I've heard the Castine prefers a strong draft. Can anyone comment on whether I should try to use the oval short pipe through the damper, or just go with a straight 6" round from a kit? Also, if I use the oval, I could use the damper sealing plate I have to seal the chimney space. Or is there benefit to leaving it open (maybe it would gain some temp. from the house = better draft?)? Would piece-mealing the oval section in make cleaning more difficult?

 

[cgeiger]

Reread your initial post past the eye-popping first item.

A complete reline is the right thing to do so you're already off to a good start. I just put in my Oslo a month ago and faced similar questions to the ones you have. With regard to the round to oval to round you may find it easier to just buy a full length of round flex and attach your T with a short length of connector from the collar to the T.

What I would recommend you do is cut out enough of the damper to get a straight shot of round SS flex from bottom to top. This will create less hassle when it comes time to sweep and requires fewer connecting pieces (to convert from oval to round). It's not that hard and can be done in a few hours with the right tools (surprisingly a hacksaw works best) and a bit of elbow grease. If you do consider insulation there is an insulating wrap (probably fine with your flue size) or a mix you pour down on top of your block off plate that sets up relatively solid, I believe.

If you're a bit wary of climbing up top to drop your flex down, consider finding a handyman in your area to help you. I hired a guy for $20 dollars an hour who was very skilled and helped me finish cutting the damper, install and seal my block-off plate, and attach everything in just a couple of hours. Best of all, he went up on the roof with the flex and fed it down to me - affixing the cap when it was all said and done. I didn't have to go up on the roof at all. :D His general knowledge of construction techniques helped me go much faster than I could have on my own.

Are you planning to do the install yourself or was that included in your purchase from the dealer?

 

[Rudyjr]

Brent, Have you ever gotten the problems with your install resolved by your installer? I know you said a while back you were in the process of calling them again. Hope you got something resolved. Blueridgelvr, A buddy here in Ohio just put a liner in his house here this weekend and did something I had not seen. They dropped a rope down from the top of his masonry chimney and uncoiled the flex in the house as they pulled it to the top. I have not tried this but with all of the snow we have it was neater and safer.

 

[gibson]

I relined my chimney with a helper this year. We actually ovalized the 6" round to get thru the damper. We didn't need to ovalize it much. My flue is 8X13 so we were not able to insulate because it was too tight of a fit. It is a two man job as long as you can work comfortably on your roof. I love my Jotul insert...you got a great deal.

 

[mojolite]

Thanks for the advice Blue.
No, no installation included...I think I might have trouble sleeping had they included that as well. ;-P
I'm contemplating doing this myself (sure I could get my neighbor to help). And it has been mentioned that lifts can be rented for about $200. The other Jotul dealer in the area gave me a price of $550 (labor) to install whatever flex liner I decide to get and a free sweep before installation. Overall he gave the best price I could find from the installers I called. By-the-way, you guys still getting ice up there? My yard looks like a sno-cone!

 

[mojolite]

Thanks Mitch,
What liner did you go with and how did you "ovalize" it? With the top plate out of the damper, the opening measures 6" (but on a 45 degree angle) so I might be able to shoe horn it if the liner can be worked without compromising the seams.

 

[Rudyjr]

Mojolite, Some folks use the oval through the damper , some cut away part of the damper throat for the round flex (as I did). Either way I would definitely use a block off plate to keep the heat in the house. Many installers in our area use the oval pipe like you have with a connector and transition to round flex.

 

[mojolite]

Thanks Rudy,
I checked out your installation - very nice. I think that insert is one of the sharpest out there. Curiously, the 2007 Jotul catalogue did not have any inserts spec'd.

 

[Rudyjr]

Mojolite, The dealer in my area did not have any catalogs at all told me they could print me something from their website and the only insert they had was a three year old floor model. They would not move off list so I went with a dealer in Toledo and saved a bunch of money on a stove with a 12/02/08 production date.

 

[gibson]

Thanks Mitch,
What liner did you go with and how did you "ovalize" it? With the top plate out of the damper, the opening measures 6" (but on a 45 degree angle) so I might be able to shoe horn it if the liner can be worked without compromising the seams.

With a 2x3, just squeezed it enough to get it through. As it turned out, in retrospect, we ended up cutting out the damper anyway, so we didnt need to ovalize after all. But it is easy to do...