I bought a used St Croix York insert today. It’s three years old and came with almost a ton of New England Pellets, about 15-20 feet of 4” SS flex liner and new spare fan gaskets and door gaskets. It had the control board replaced last year and was professionally cleaned. I was able to watch it run for a little while in the owners driveway and it started up and ran quietly. It looks like it’s in very good condition. The owner said he liked the way the New England pellets burned and they put out good heat in this stove. They are in the clear bags. I have been looking for a used insert to run through this winter to cut down on the oil bill. Last year was mild but I still spent a bunch of $$$$ on oil. I live in a 2300 SF contemporary style house in southern NH. It has a Preway manufactured ZC fireplace that is about as drafty as can be. I was getting frost on the hearth even after my house was Tyvek wrapped and resided.
The existing Preway fireplace flue is 8” inside diameter at the damper. Since the York is built for smaller fireplaces, I think I can leave the fake firebrick refractory in place and still have room for the insert. My house has had bad issues with ice dams, particularly in the living room where the cathedral ceiling is. I had additional insulation baffles installed when I had the siding and soffits redone last year in an attempt to keep the roof deck colder but last year wasn’t a very good test to see if it was successful. When the contractor had the siding off I had him remove some of the sheathing on the flue chase and heat from the flue pipe chase could migrate into the attic space where the roof line met the flue chase. For venting of the new pellet insert I want to run insulated, 4” rigid pellet vent up through my existing Preway flue pipe and pull combustion air down the Preway flue from my OAK to keep the outside of the flue cold. The total length of the flue pipe will be about 20 feet vertical, no bends. This should minimize the amount of heat going into the attic. I am considering putting fiberglass or ceramic pipe insulation around the pellet vent pipe but I don’t think I’ll have enough room if I want to pull outside air down the flue. Fiberglass insulation is rated at 850 deg F.
There is no permit required or inspection in my town. I contacted my insurance company (Vermont Mutual) and they sent me a generic questionnaire to fill out and it specifies some clearances for flue pipe exit. They are asking for 10 feet horizontal clearance from the top of the flue pipe to the nearest part of the building. I’ve not seen that requirement in any pellet appliance installation instruction book and I think it may be because this questionnaire is pretty generic and has sections for gas and wood stoves. To get this clearance, I will have to raise the top of the flue pipe several feet higher than my existing fireplace cap as the corner of the roof for the front bedroom is about four feet away and slightly below the existing cap. I am considering cutting a hole in my existing rain cap and extending the pellet vent up with a new rain cap and putting a rain collar on the pellet vent above the old fireplace cap. I would use the old rain cap to keep water out of the outside combustion air system. Any thoughts or comments on my plans? I have read about people insulating flue pipes before but I’m having trouble finding recommendations or guidelines on how to do it. Direct venting through the wall is not an option. It’s the curb side of the house and it’s ugly enough from that side. It’s also directly above where my vehicles are parked. Sorry about the long post but I don’t know when to shut up. TIA.
The existing Preway fireplace flue is 8” inside diameter at the damper. Since the York is built for smaller fireplaces, I think I can leave the fake firebrick refractory in place and still have room for the insert. My house has had bad issues with ice dams, particularly in the living room where the cathedral ceiling is. I had additional insulation baffles installed when I had the siding and soffits redone last year in an attempt to keep the roof deck colder but last year wasn’t a very good test to see if it was successful. When the contractor had the siding off I had him remove some of the sheathing on the flue chase and heat from the flue pipe chase could migrate into the attic space where the roof line met the flue chase. For venting of the new pellet insert I want to run insulated, 4” rigid pellet vent up through my existing Preway flue pipe and pull combustion air down the Preway flue from my OAK to keep the outside of the flue cold. The total length of the flue pipe will be about 20 feet vertical, no bends. This should minimize the amount of heat going into the attic. I am considering putting fiberglass or ceramic pipe insulation around the pellet vent pipe but I don’t think I’ll have enough room if I want to pull outside air down the flue. Fiberglass insulation is rated at 850 deg F.
There is no permit required or inspection in my town. I contacted my insurance company (Vermont Mutual) and they sent me a generic questionnaire to fill out and it specifies some clearances for flue pipe exit. They are asking for 10 feet horizontal clearance from the top of the flue pipe to the nearest part of the building. I’ve not seen that requirement in any pellet appliance installation instruction book and I think it may be because this questionnaire is pretty generic and has sections for gas and wood stoves. To get this clearance, I will have to raise the top of the flue pipe several feet higher than my existing fireplace cap as the corner of the roof for the front bedroom is about four feet away and slightly below the existing cap. I am considering cutting a hole in my existing rain cap and extending the pellet vent up with a new rain cap and putting a rain collar on the pellet vent above the old fireplace cap. I would use the old rain cap to keep water out of the outside combustion air system. Any thoughts or comments on my plans? I have read about people insulating flue pipes before but I’m having trouble finding recommendations or guidelines on how to do it. Direct venting through the wall is not an option. It’s the curb side of the house and it’s ugly enough from that side. It’s also directly above where my vehicles are parked. Sorry about the long post but I don’t know when to shut up. TIA.
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