Progress Hybrid Install - Photo Documentary

[Coalescent]

Things are finally coming together for the installation of the Progress Hybrid we purchased from Woodstock Soapstone Co.

The stove is going in our new-to-us New England Colonial farmhouse (first built in late 1700s, main home built early 1800s). From what I can tell, the main home never had a fireplace at all--the existing centrally located chimney seems to have been for a wood stove from the beginning. They doubled the number of timbers under the front room area compared to the rest of the home, which may have been to support a wood stove there.

Note: Please bear with the state of things in the photos, we purchased this place this past summer knowing it needed some serious work. We're just beginning here, and one of the first things on the list is to change our main heat source from our Rinnai direct vent propane furnaces to a Progress Hybrid.

Some of you may remember that I started with a strange chimney situation--at some point during the past 50 years, someone installed what was most likely an 8" galvanized pipe liner and poured mortar around it. This chimney had a wood cookstove, a wood stove, and an oil boiler in the basement all hooked to the same flue.

The mortar lent strength to this 200+ year old chimney, but proved a difficult environment to install a 6" liner for the PH. Several sweeps said it would have to be demolished entirely, but after a lot of research, the CSIA sweep we went with was up for the challenge.

I started with this:


I wanted the hearth centered between the chimney and the doorway. Yesterday, the sweep made a hearth for us:



Next, it was time to demolish the old chimney above the roof line. It was beyond any sane attempt at repair.

In the space of about half an hour, this...


Became this...


Next, it was time to see about dropping a liner in. Heavy duty, smooth-wall liner that will have insulation poured in around it due to the irregular nature of the inside of the existing chimney.

After testing the way down and finding some pinch points, the sweep came up with a few creative ways to smooth them out. They were places where they'd put screws through that didn't catch on the inside liner and just dented it in. After much thought and not a small degree of effort, he was able to successfully drop the 6" liner down inside the chimney.

If you're curious, the mortar surrounding the existing 8" liner looks like this (you can see it where they ripped out some of the liner):
With Flash


Without Flash


Before the liner dropped, here's what the opening looked like:


And after:


I have a supply of the antique brick here, and they used that to fill the gaps back in. The mortar is setting now, and I should be taking delivery of the Progress Hybrid tomorrow. I opted for a bluestone chimney cap, so I'll try to get some shots of that, too, when it's ready. They will start rebuilding the chimney above the roofline tomorrow.

 

[JA600L]

Cool setup. Do you know what the total square footage is?

 

[Coalescent]

Cool setup. Do you know what the total square footage is?

Thanks! The home is a 26x28 structure with two ells. We close off most of one of the ells during the winter, but two small rooms adjoining the kitchen stay open. The main structure is two stories plus a finished attic, all of which have been heated this winter by two Rinnai propane furnaces on the first floor. On the coldest nights, we supplement the kids room with a space heater.

I'm not certain what the exact footprint is for each floor with the way the rooms are arranged, but I'd guess it's shy of 2,000 sqft. Standard ceiling heights (except the attic, which has sloping walls and a slightly shorter ceiling.)

We plan to install a smaller wood stove to heat the smaller ell we use all winter, but we have to wait for next year for that project to fit into the budget, most likely. That's currently heated with electric.