Reducing Stove Pipe Bends

[Geoff]

In my search for a new stove for next season I've been looking carefully at the number of bends I'll have to use in the stovepipe in order to adapt to my chimney. My chimney has clay flue tile and has a 45° bend in it and exits downward. Someone basically built it similar to a fire place, but never used it that way, I don't think they ever intended to, and an insert wouldn't fill up the arch (leaving an ugly hole). So basically, it was set up pretty dumb and the draft is no good with my current stove (which has an oval top vent so it requires two 90° bends in the stovepipe to attach to the chimney)

I've been looking at stoves, trying to decide how I'll plumb the stove pipe up to the chimney. I could get a top venting stove and put two 45° bends in it, a rear venting stove with one 90° or two 45° bends in it, or I see that the Avalon Raineer is available with a 45° exit vent. Some stoves are capable of being either a top or a rear vent depending on how it is setup. Would one of these venting options be considered a 90° bend and thus rob the chimney of some of it's draft?

 

[elkimmeg]

Geof take a picture and post it here so alternatives can be discussed.

 

[Corie]

A picture or diagram would be a big help- I have to admit that I'm lost too!

 

[Geoff]

Due to my poor descriptive skills I've attached a photo of the setup. Well... the photo is from the MLS listing so it shows the gas stove I took out and someone else's furniture... Immagine a top vented wood stove of the same height with a 7" oval pipe off the top with the same two 90° stove pipe bends.

I also attached a CAD drawing (without a stove in the way) so that the interior of the chimney could be visualized. The flue tile exits right at the top of the arch.

On a side note, I swept the chimney this afternoon and added three more feet of insulated stainless pipe to the top and it is drafting better now (but still not as nice as it should).

 

[roac]

So from what I understand the chimney enters the domicile straight down from the ceiling of the hearth alcove? If so why can't you push the stove into the hearth further and go straight up with stove pipe through a top exit stove?

 

[Geoff]

I've been looking into doing that but I've been having a little trouble interpreting the alcove distances in differnet stove manuals. The Travis Industries stoves give distances for combustable and non-combustable alcoves. Using the info for these stoves I'd need to set one of those stoves 2" from the back wall, then there is about 2" from the back of the stove to the edge of the stove pipe. So I would need to direct the stove pipe backwards about 3" to get it to line up (the flue tile is flush with the back wall and is 7"x7". I plan on re-lining the flue with flexible 6" liner next summer for a cleaner install.