Regarding draft: What is more important?

[Howard M Emerson]

Hi all,
All things being equal, does one model wood burning stove have better draft than another model if all other factors are the same, meaning if they were hooked up to the same chimney (Not at the same time, of course)?

Or do different stoves require different heights of chimney (stove pipe and triple lined in this case) to work to their best capacity?

Thank you for your replies.

Howard Emerson

 

[STOVEGUY11]

Some stoves have minumum height requirements for what height chimney they need to be installed into. But what kind of chimney are we talking about? Masonary chimneys need to be lined and insulated the majority of the time. While Class A stainless steel has to clear your roofline by 3' and go an additional 2' if there is anything in a 10' radius of where you terminate from. But if you have a stove vented properly the stove is not going to be an issue, its your chimney that determines your draft.

 

[Howard M Emerson]

Hi Stoveguy,
Thanks for the reply. As I mentioned in my post it's stove pipe and triple wall in this case.

The stove in particular (which I posted about quite a while ago with no responses) is an Earth Stove 1500HT that came with the house we bought 13 years ago.

It's always a big pain to get it really going strong, and until it does get going I have to keep the stove door open. Even then if I go to add wood it's always a matter of how much smoke will I let in, despite opening a window and opening the stove door slowly..........

There is about 5' of stove pipe to the ceiling, and then there are 2 sections of triple wall on the roof. The nearest wall to the chimney is about 14' away, so I believe the 2 sections were enough to satisfy code, but then again, we did not install this thing.

So what you're saying is that another stove would not be any better at addressing the problems I have?

Thanks again!

Regards,
Howard Emerson

 

[STOVEGUY11]

That could be the case if your chimney does not extend far enough above your roofline, or if another part of the house is close by. You could be getting the blowing down from taller parts of the house. If thats the case, no stove is really going to perform properly. But then again you said the stove was there when you moved in 13 years ago. Im not familiar with the Earth stoves, you might want to ask some of the other guys about more info on it. But you never know, there might be something going on with the stove itself. When someone calls me and I hear smoke back into the house, the first thing I think of is draft issue, either height of the chimney, or clogged up with creosote. Has it always smoked from the get go?

 

[Howard M Emerson]

Hi Stoveguy,
The wall I referred to is another section of the house. The atrium was added onto the back of the existing split level, and so the stove's chimney exits the roof about 14' from the back wall (and roof line) of the old part of the house.

What I think I'm hearing from you is that wind coming off the upper section of the house roof could be messing with the airflow near the chimney, yes?

I suppose I could get another section of pipe, as it does appear to be interlocking stainless steel type of pipe. Is higher usually better than lower?

I did clean my chimney before the start of the season, but the rotor cap is looking a little black, frankly. Perhaps I'll pop it off and give a look tomorrown morning before I start up my snow thrower.............(finally)

From tepid Long Island,
HE

 

[Howard M Emerson]

PS-
Regarding chimney Height Requirements: The owners manual that came with this stove states that "The cnimney must extend 3' above the level of roof penetration and a minimum of 2 feet higher than any roof surface with 10 feet."

In that regard the chimney exceeds the need, but only for the roof it itself occupies. That is to say that although the stove is situated at the lower end of a pitched ceiling (8' to 11' over a span of 14'), it still is not as high as the old section of the house and its roof.

Perhaps that is the problem?

HE

 

[STOVEGUY11]

That very well could be the problem, but I would contact a chimney sweep/inspector to verify that is the problem before you go through all the trouble. Also, the thing with Class A chimney is you need to know what brand it is. Brand to brand they dont generally match up, so you need to stay with the same stuff.

 

[Howard M Emerson]

That very well could be the problem, but I would contact a chimney sweep/inspector to verify that is the problem before you go through all the trouble. Also, the thing with Class A chimney is you need to know what brand it is. Brand to brand they dont generally match up, so you need to stay with the same stuff.

Hi Stoveguy,
Yes, I understand perfectly about staying with the same brand, and if Murphy is still alive, they've changed it so that the new stuff doesn't fit the old stuff, but that never happens in real life, right?

:-]

Anybody know a reputable chimney inspector on Long Island? I would probably not trust a chimney sweep to tell me anything technical, frankly. They've tried to sell me cleanings on my oil burner chimney too many times.............

Thanks again!
HE

 

[STOVEGUY11]

I got some good guys across the Sound over here, but I dont know of anyone over there. Most of the time Chimney sweeps are inspectors too. You would be surprised how hi-tec they are now. They can drop cameras in a flue while you watch it on tv in your living room. But yea about the pipe, they do it on purpose so you have to stay with there stuff, or have to rip it down and start fresh.

 

[Bill]

Assuming your chimney is straight with no elbows, it's very possible that the manufacturer of that stove requires a taller chimney. Try and find a manual on line, if your stove smokes when loading wood, it's definitely not getting enough draft. Another thought is to extend your current chimney by 3 feet and see if it works better.

 

[SPED]

Different stoves do specify different minimums of chimney height for sure, I'm curious if this has any relation to efficiency or a clean burn. One thing I noticed poking around is that it seems that the models that require higher chimneys emit less..... Or maybe i'm just making up conclusions, it wouldn't be the first time ;-)

 

[Howard M Emerson]

Assuming your chimney is straight with no elbows, it's very possible that the manufacturer of that stove requires a taller chimney. Try and find a manual on line, if your stove smokes when loading wood, it's definitely not getting enough draft. Another thought is to extend your current chimney by 3 feet and see if it works better.

Hi Smokey, Hi Sped,
The existing chimney is straight all the way, but I have a feeling you're right about it being too short, even though the original manual seems to state that it's fine the way it is.

I'm going to find out if the same model stainless pipe is still available and just screw it on.................but if not, is there a collar available that can securely fasten another section (same ID and OD, of course) if the twist fitting is different?

I understand in either case I'll probably have to use guide wires for support if I go up another 3', correct?

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

Howard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmzrxqzINGw