Reality Check Woodstove & Chimney Installation

[PolrBear]

Last January we had a Hampton H300 woodstove installed in a corner of our main room, with a new double-wall chimney going straight up through the attic space (it's a single story house). Ran for 2-3 months, around 20 hours a day on average, with no issues other than normal off-gassing of the pipes and one episode of over-firing. The guy who installed this is a general builder, not a stove specialist, and it turns out that some of his other work on the house was really shoddy. (He also doesn't have the best reputation, I discovered later.)

I have attached pics of the installation, inside and out, including the pipe passing through the attic. Does anybody see any red flags, particularly for safety? I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[gthomas785]

Yes the foam in contact with the pipe is an issue. I believe that pipe needs 2" of clearance.

 

[begreen]

Lots of issues there. In addition to the foam contacting the chimney pipe, there is no attic insulation shield on it. The flashing is all wrong. It was not formed to match the seams on the roof. Those large gaps are an invitation to wasps. I can't see the high side, but it look like it is just laying on the roof instead of being slit under the roofing. Also, the chimney pipe does not meet the 10-3-2 rule. It is too short. If this install had been inspected, it would have been called out for a redo.

Nice stove. I've always liked the H300. Too bad it was discontinued.

 

[PolrBear]

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. I'll need to get a chimney guy out here to remediate during the summer.

I did know enough to realize we broke the 10-3-2 rule, but I'm curious as to what difference it makes in this particular case? The stove drafts very well, and the roofing material is metal.

We were fortunate to acquire the stove from a family member's estate. We ran an Englander NC-30 at our old house, and this one is noticeably more efficient with wood. The Englander always had smoke coming out of the chimney, but I seldom see smoke from the Hampton except when we're lighting it or we have let it get too cold.

 

[Turbo89]

Those look like pretty easy to rectify issues if you’re will to get on the roof yourself. This shouldn’t be horribly expensive to fix, even if you sub it out to someone compitent.

Agreed the foam should not be in contact with the pipe, but it looks like the fire rated foam by color… so at least they had some knowledge?

The roof flashing looks rough…I can’t believe it didn’t leak. I won’t comment on violating the 10-3-2 rule, other than a lot of folks do and don’t have problems with draft.

 

[gthomas785]

Agreed the foam should not be in contact with the pipe, but it looks like the fire rated foam by color… so at least they had some knowledge?

Believe it or not, the orange fire-block foam is usually the same as non- fire rated foam. The orange stuff has been through a certification process and is designed to block drafts that can speed the spread of a fire. Fire rated does not mean noncombustible. That stuff WILL burn. The fire rating just means it will block the spread of fire for a certain amount of time.

There is a red foam that is supposedly flame retardant but that is also not the same as noncombustible.

So if you ask me, putting fireblock foam in contact with a class A chimney betrays a complete lack of knowledge about the chimney AND the foam.

 

[PolrBear]

You guys have got me pretty scared about the flashing! I went up in the attic space to verify for myself how things look. Pics are attached. (The other pics are from when the installation was first done.) No sign of water entry, even though we've had a spring of torrential rains, so that's a relief. One big glob of insulation appears to have melted and dripped partway down, and at the bottom of the pipe the insulation is pretty blackened right around the pipe. (When I first lit it, this part gave off a bit of smoke and the builder told me it was normal.) I'm definitely not going to light this setup again until I have a professional up here to make and sign off on any necessary fixes.

 

[begreen]

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

 

[weee123]

Didn’t even try to level out the storm collar either

 

[PolrBear]

Can you go into a little more depth about the storm collar leveling? I'm not sure I understand.

 

[weee123]

Can you go into a little more depth about the storm collar leveling? I'm not sure I understand.

Honestly it’s the least of your problems going on here but it would’ve been the easiest to do right especially since it’s the most visible. On your roof pic, the collar that seals off the flashing is cocked to one side.

Essentially what I was getting at was if the contractor didn’t even do the most simple thing right why would the more complex things be right.

 

[webby3650]

That’s B-Vent pipe! That’s for a gas vent, not a woodstove! That’s why it looks all jacked up at the ceiling box and the storm collar doesn’t fit.

 

[weee123]

That’s B-Vent pipe! That’s for a gas vent, not a woodstove! That’s why it looks all jacked up at the ceiling box and the storm collar doesn’t fit.

You’re right! That’s why that foam melted in that pic!

 

[Whitenuckler]

You’re right! That’s why that foam melted in that pic!

I can't believe this install

 

[bholler]

That’s B-Vent pipe! That’s for a gas vent, not a woodstove! That’s why it looks all jacked up at the ceiling box and the storm collar doesn’t fit.

Wow. Just wow can't believe a "pro" did this.

 

[bholler]

You’re right! That’s why that foam melted in that pic!

The foam would eventually melt with the proper chimney as well. But not that bad that fast

 

[bholler]

Can you go into a little more depth about the storm collar leveling? I'm not sure I understand.

You seriously need to take this guy to court. He really really put your house at risk of a fire.

 

[webby3650]

I’ve seen this before. The guy went to a box store and bought a supervent through the roof kit. But didn’t have the knowledge or experience to purchase the proper pipe to go with it. So he took the cheap route, using b-vent… very scary situation!

 

[bholler]

I’ve seen this before. The guy went to a box store and bought a supervent through the roof kit. But didn’t have the knowledge or experience to purchase the proper pipe to go with it. So he took the cheap route, using b-vent… very scary situation!

I have seen b vent used for oil furnaces and once for a pellet stove. But never for a woodstove.

 

[webby3650]

I have seen b vent used for oil furnaces and once for a pellet stove. But never for a woodstove.

That’s good. I’ve ran into it, and swapped it out for class A. I and see b vent on fb marketplace advertised as woodstove chimney somewhat regularly around here.

 

[PolrBear]

Well this just gets worse all the time haha. Here's the label off the pipe. Does this confirm what everyone is saying?

 

[webby3650]

Well this just gets worse all the time haha. Here's the label off the pipe. Does this confirm what everyone is saying?

That’s the double wall stove pipe. That’s correct. It’s the “chimney” that’s incorrect. The chimney pipe you have is made for a gas appliance, not a solid fuel appliance.

 

[PolrBear]

Okay, I get it now - the galvanized sections actually say "gas vent" right on them. Ugh. The not-knowing/pretending-to-know dynamic here with my builder is next level.

 

[webby3650]

Okay, I get it now - the galvanized sections actually say "gas vent" right on them. Ugh. The not-knowing/pretending-to-know dynamic here with my builder is next level.

Sorry you had to deal with this. Unfortunately you’ve had chuck in a truck on the job..

 

[PolrBear]

Yeah. Sad to say, this guy was my next-door neighbor at the time, and he worked long-term for someone I know. Thus I failed to check his Google reviews, which you can smell a mile away. He also made the shower leaky, so maybe the leaky shower would have put out the chimney fire? Haha. Might as well laugh as cry.