Newbie with a few questions

[goofa]

This is my second year burning and Im off to a better start this year with a new 24' x 14' wood shed to keep my wood under cover and I was able to better prepare this year butthe burning season has crept up on us in upstate NY very fast this fall. My first question is for suggestions to line my chimney or not..... i currently have an 8" square flue in a masonry chimney which goes through the center of the house. it seems to be in good shape but I guess i just want peace of mind with the ole' FISHER Papa Bear. The liner system that catches my attention is through www.woodlanddirect.com its the 304L Rigid Liner kit. Any suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated. My next quandry is that I spend too much time being unsociable sitting infront of the stove in the basement so i was interested in gettting another small stove with viewing abilities for the main floor. the question is pre epa or epa? The people at the local stove store are obviously biased about the older stoves. They dont even think I should be using the papa bear... also can i run 2 stoves in the same flue with or without the liner or not at all. or do i need to put in a new s.s.chimney for the smaller stove.

 

[goofa]

well i guess with a little research on here i determined i need to install an additional chimney for a second stove.

 

[begreen]

We have a Fisher forum for questions about running the Fisher safely. If you want to discuss a new chimney and a new stove let us know the plan and we'll try to help.

 

[goofa]

yes i have spoken to coaly last fall about the Fisher and running it and it was very helpful. but Im on the fence about whether i need to line my chimney or not and what to use for a liner if anyone has any experience or insight on the woodlanddirect rigid 304L liner. and yes the plan is to get another stove for everyone to enjoy. but im not sure what route to take with that.

 

[Grisu]

The big advantage with the newer EPA-stoves is that you will need only half as much wood as for your Fisher. Plus, the EPA and/or your local jurisdiction will probably outlaw the older models at some point due to their higher emissions of particulates. If you are thinking of getting a second stove I would think about how much time you are actually spending in the basement. Maybe the new stove on the main floor could become your predominant heat source and the Fisher you would only use when you are actually in the basement. I would suggest before buying anything to think hard about what your heating needs will be several years from now (if you plan on staying in your current home, of course).

 

[begreen]

The best place to start is to define the problem you are trying to solve with the new stove. Warmer upstairs, lower fuel bills, a nice fire view? Then tell us a bit about the area that would be heated by the new stove and what your options are.

 

[goofa]

No not warmer upstairs because our house is only 1400 square feet the stove heats the house very well its just that I love to sit in front of the stove and soak up the heat I'd rather be sociable and sit up stairs in front of a stove with glass doors and be able to watch the fire. The second stove would be primarily for aesthetics not particular for a heating source. Idk this all sounds crazy. now that I'm putting it into writing. the room the stove would go in would be roughly 350 square feet.

 

[begreen]

A Jotul F3?

 

[goofa]

i guess now im questioning whether i should bite the bullet and buy a decent size stove and retire the fisher... but i don't want to put a new stove in the basement but i don't believe a stove in the new family room will heat the house as well as in the basement. and i feel that the secondary stove will be over kill because the house is well insulated. The house is 1400 sq ft ranch with an attached 2 car garage converted into a family room..... thats where the 2nd stove would go ... or be the primary stove. im just skeptical that the basement will get any warmth. if at all. granted the basement is unfinished but our washer and dryer are down there and the stove being down there helps keep it from being damp.plus the floors being warm is very comforting.

 

[Grisu]

You are right, the basement will not get any meaningful heat from a stove that sits upstairs. The question is if you really want to put a second stove plus another chimney in mostly for ambiance. Could be a bit costly.
Other option: If the downstairs Fisher heats your house comfortably you can replace it with a modern stove and save about half of your wood and probably make your neighbors happy due to less smoke.
Or: You can also put a medium size stove (2 to 2.5 cu ft firebox) upstairs and let it handle most of the heating and only fire up the Fisher maybe once or twice a day to keep the basement from freezing. Not an easy choice; maybe something to discuss with the family!?

 

[Ed Williams]

This is my second year burning and Im off to a better start this year with a new 24' x 14' wood shed to keep my wood under cover and I was able to better prepare this year butthe burning season has crept up on us in upstate NY very fast this fall. My first question is for suggestions to line my chimney or not..... i currently have an 8" square flue in a masonry chimney which goes through the center of the house. it seems to be in good shape but I guess i just want peace of mind with the ole' FISHER Papa Bear. The liner system that catches my attention is through www.woodlanddirect.com its the 304L Rigid Liner kit. Any suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated. My next quandry is that I spend too much time being unsociable sitting infront of the stove in the basement so i was interested in gettting another small stove with viewing abilities for the main floor. the question is pre epa or epa? The people at the local stove store are obviously biased about the older stoves. They dont even think I should be using the papa bear... also can i run 2 stoves in the same flue with or without the liner or not at all. or do i need to put in a new s.s.chimney for the smaller stove.

Hi,
Functionally, you could run one or the other at a time. Your insurance folks and finance companies won't buy it though. Their party line is that yes, for an installation from the mid '80s on, you need a liner or intact chimney, and a separate one for each appliance. This has been code since the '80s, and the bureaucrats, the money folks, and the insurance companies insist on this in order to cover their ass(ets)

 

[begreen]

And with good reason. Say you plug up the chimney with creosote from burning green wood. You're stupid and blame it on the stove. Then a cold night comes along so you decide to fire up the furnace. Bad scenario. Insurance companies get tired of paying for stupid asses and firemen don't like pulling bodies out of houses.

 

[Ed Williams]

Yep.

 

[goofa]

so technically you're saying you can functionally put two stoves into the same flue? as long as you only run one at a time ? the thimbles would be about 5-6' different in elevation.....

 

[begreen]

Technically you can run the stove without a flue, but that does not make it code legal or safe. The answer is no. Besides the illustration given, with two holes in the chimney when one stove is running and one is not, the running stove is going to be sucking cooling air from the dormant stove's flue. This is going to cool flue gases which will decrease draft and increase creosote accumulation. Don't do this.

 

[goofa]

thats kind of what i thought. 1 appliance per 1 flue. if running the stove in the basement the upstairs stove could possibly create a down draft situation too correct