New poster, old stove, new venting kit, trying to do it right

[chamas]

Hello,

This is my first posting, after studying info on this site for a couple of weeks-- great info & sharing here!

Recently purchased a used Jamestown j2001 insert to install in the fireplace in the center of a 960sf one-story home in the PNW.

Today I ordered a chimney liner kit to include 15' of 3" Z-Flex SS flexpipe, 3" cleanout tee, top flashing, storm collar, and rain cap. Also, the vendor was able to source a suitable length of 2" aluminum flex pipe for my OAK to extend up and out of the chimney top, as per stove mfr installation diagram.

I measured 15 feet from top of chimney flue clay liner to the fireplace floor, and the damper opening (after removing the flap) is 5"d x 29"w. Hoping the liner will snake thru this without trouble.

Also I plan to fab a damper blockoff plate out of galvanized sheet. Is insulation necessary in addition to the blockoff plate?

How clean do I need to get the chimney flue? Fireplace shelf?

Am I on the right track here? Have I forgotten anything? Can anybody suggest improvements?

Sorry, no photos yet, my camera is acting up. Thanks in advance!

 

[DexterDay]

Cant comment on the liner , but like woodburners do with liners, I would make sure the chimney is clean. If the smoke shelf or damper get in the way, there are many threads showing people cutting them out with grinders and the like.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Hopefully someone will be here shortly with more insert experience.

 

[imacman]

....Recently purchased a used Jamestown j1000 insert.......Am I on the right track here? Have I forgotten anything? Can anybody suggest improvements?.....

Welcome to the forum.

I have a suggestion......since this is a used stove, I HIGHLY recommend taking it apart as far as possible (preferably outdoors), and vacuum, blow compressed air, brush, scrape, clean, replace gaskets, scrape, clean, and then clean some more with a leaf blower after the stove is all re-assembled. THEN start it outdoors to double check operation, and THEN install in the house.

Why all this work??? Most pellet stoves are sold by the owners because they didn't keep them clean, but blame the stove because it "just doesn't heat worth a damn", etc, etc.

Not saying this is absolutely the case with the one you bought, but better to do all of this now while stove is easily dismantled.

 

[chamas]

......since this is a used stove, I HIGHLY recommend taking it apart as far as possible (preferably outdoors), and vacuum, blow compressed air, brush, scrape, clean, replace gaskets, scrape, clean, and then clean some more with a leaf blower after the stove is all re-assembled. THEN start it outdoors to double check operation, and THEN install in the house.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have already planned to thoroughly clean the "dirty" side of the stove. The back side of the stove is clean, the fan blades and blower motors are very clean, but the firebox side is dirty. Stove was previously owned by an elderly that grew too frail to deal with bags of pellets, etc. so his son arranged to replace it with a gas insert.

Most difficult part of this process so far was finding a vendor who could supply a long enough section of OAK tubing. Why is it so hard to find?

 

[DexterDay]

......since this is a used stove, I HIGHLY recommend taking it apart as far as possible (preferably outdoors), and vacuum, blow compressed air, brush, scrape, clean, replace gaskets, scrape, clean, and then clean some more with a leaf blower after the stove is all re-assembled. THEN start it outdoors to double check operation, and THEN install in the house.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have already planned to thoroughly clean the "dirty" side of the stove. The back side of the stove is clean, the fan blades and blower motors are very clean, but the firebox side is dirty. Stove was previously owned by an elderly that grew too frail to deal with bags of pellets, etc. so his son arranged to replace it with a gas insert.

Most difficult part of this process so far was finding a vendor who could supply a long enough section of OAK tubing. Why is it so hard to find?

Did you find a place that sells extended lengths? I need to put one on each stove on the basement before the real cold gets here. I looked into bent exhaust (3") for stainless, its pretty pricey. Was gonna go the flex route, but cant find anything over the 8ft mark that doesnt look cheesy.

X2 on the cleaning. Air compressor and a nozzle with some small brushes to go into all the hard to reach channels.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

For OAK tubing try an auto parts store, garage supply business, heating equipment supply business, dynamite buys they sell parts including OAK kits on line, it is just flexible metal tubing.

 

[chamas]

Did you find a place that sells extended lengths? I need to put one on each stove on the basement before the real cold gets here. I looked into bent exhaust (3") for stainless, its pretty pricey. Was gonna go the flex route, but cant find anything over the 8ft mark that doesnt look cheesy.

I finally found aluminum 2" flex tubing, for $2.00/foot at Cinnabar. Hope posting this info is not against forum policy. I'll report on the quality when it arrives.

Got the stove all cleaned up, spent about 2-3 hours taking it apart, scraping, tapping, brushing, vacuuming, and even ran the leaf blower right from the exhaust outlet stub. Now just waiting for the delivery of the vent materials.

For flex vent joint and chimney cap flange sealing, is silicone the right sealant to use? Looking thru some hearth.com archives brought up several opinions: Silicone exterior caulk, silicone hi-temp, red RTV, silicone hi-temp is the same as regular silicone, furnace cement, mill-pac, hi-temp aluminum tape, etc. I pulled off remnants of red sealant from the stove's exhaust outlet stub, remnants of clear sealant from the intake stub. Guess that gives me hints.

 

[chamas]

Wanted to include some photos, had to wait to get a new camera; the screen on my trusty Sony was spazzing out too much and finally became unbearable.

First pic is the top of the chimney, showing the flange siliconed to the top of the clay liner, the storm collar, and rain cap, and the 2" flex aluminum OAK duct exiting and pointing downward.

Second pic shows the Jamestown J2001 stove insert installed in the fireplace opening. Sorry, the tenants are messy. But they are happy at not having to fill the oil tank. They are running the stove 24/7, on low setting, burning a little less than a bag per day. Smoke alarm tests good, and just gave them a new CO alarm. Thermometer on the stove reads approx. 350deg F.

I am pleased with the quality of the aluminum flex tubing for the OAK. Easy to work with, and priced reasonable, at $2/ foot. The exhaust vent rain cap, however, did not want to seat all the way into the 3" SS flex liner; hopefully the replacement they are sending me will fit better.

I'm hooked-- Now, looking for one for me!

 

[St_Earl]

^^best landlord ever!

 

[chamas]

^^best landlord ever!

Probably, but between the escalating cost of heating oil, the complaints about odors (fumes?), and one of them running the lawnmower over the fill pipe, chewing up and spitting out the fill cap and leaving the tank exposed to at least quite a few rainy days, it was time to retire the oil furnace for now. Unrestrained use of electric space heaters brought on images of burnt up electrical wiring (and worse) in my head, so decided this was the best solution. Fire extinguisher is there closeby, just out of frame.