Replacing Three Elbows and Pipe

[VermonterBC]

I am in the process of finishing our basement where our woodstove is located. The stove heats the upper two floors of the home as there are large metal grates above the stove that allow the heat to move upward. The stove vents into a brick chimney through a stainless liner (non-insulated). The stove is a Pacific Energy Super LE. For some reason the stove pipe from the stove has three 90 degree elbows to get to the brick chimney. When we finish the basement, I’d like to go straight up from the stove and use one elbow to go right into the chimney. I’d also like to remove the large metal funnel-like contraption to channel heat into the grate above. A few questions…

-The 6” pipe that goes into the chimney is the male (crimped) end of the pipe. Is this acceptable? All I read says crimped end should be facing down.
-Does this section get attached with three screws? As you can see in the photo, the masonry material used at the entrance to the chimney doesn’t allow for much room for screws.
-I’m unclear if a thimble exists here. Or if it’s needed given it’s a brick chimney.
-Can/shoukd I use double wall pipe off the stove and transition to the single wall at the chimney? Is there an adapter for this transition? Is the needed clearance to the ceiling 18”? Doing this should move the stove a few inches closer to the chimney as we will remove two of the elbows.
-Any other considerations to take into account?

Thank you!

 

[begreen]

Yes, crimped ends face the stove's flue collar. The top elbow gets crimped on both ends. Single-wall is probably ok for this setup as long as it is at least 18" from the ceiling. If not, double-wall with a short single-wall stub may be used or the single-wall can be shielded.

Does the chimney have a stainless steel liner? If not, what are the clay liner dimensions? Has it been cleaned and inspected as safe for operation?

The grate above the stove should have a fusible-link fire damper.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How tall is your chimney? While 3 elbows is restrictive, since you have a basement install, the restrictions may be necessary so your stove has the correct draft. The PE is an easy breather.

 

[VermonterBC]

Thanks for the replies. The chimney has a stainless steel liner that was cleaned two years ago. It’s only gets used a few dozen days each winter. It is roughly 30’ tall. If I read the first reply correctly, I would go straight up off the stove with double wall pipe and have a double wall elbow elbow into the chimney crimped in both ends? The crimping both ends explains why the current elbow has the crimped in on the top going into the chimney. Curious to hear thoughts on the current three elbows given the chimney height. Thank you.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

30’ is pretty tall. Your elbows are acting as a damper keeping your draft under control, especially when it gets real cold out! If you do change it, you may need to add a damper. Or you could always change it back!

 

[begreen]

Agreed, though coming off of a top vented stove with a 90º elbow is a no-no in most any book. It can lead to some smoke spillage on startups and reloading. Definitely plan on adding a key damper to the stove pipe. For this short run, I would just use single-wall unless there is a clearance issue.

PS: looking at the existing stove pipe again, it's installed upside down.

 

[VermonterBC]

Thanks for these replies! There are clearance issues as the entry into the chimney is only about 13” to the nearest wood beam and to the ceiling (see photo). So using double wall seems like the best option, no? And yes it seems the original pipe in in fact upside down. Lot to try and fix here!

 

[begreen]

Double-wall with its closer clearance will work. It will likely need a short adapter to connect to the stainless liner's T snout.

Note that some double-wall stove pipe puts their key damper option in a 6" section of their flue outlet adapter. In the case of a PE stove and DuraVent DVL stovepipe, this will not fit the stove's flue collar tightly. It will be too loose and leaky. Regular DVL fits the PE stove collar perfectly without any adapter. Therefore I had to remove the damper assembly from their 6" adapter and reinstall it into a straight section of DVL. I'm not sure about other brands but be sure to test fit at the flue collar first.