so hawwttt!!!

[NewBurnyLady]

I was born a city girl. but with a country heart. I finally moved to a country town and love every second of it, my dream has come true! but I have no actual country bones or relatives to ask advice from. AKA= don't know what I'm doing up here! Bought my first house, split level with an old Russo (1980 Massachusetts manufactured, old school wood/coal stove) sitting on a hearth with a wide pipe into the fireplace and up to the chimney. I had two chimney companies inspect the place. First guy said I needed a whole new liner ~$1600. Second guy said I had a perfectly functional and clean 13x 13 clay liner and so I trusted him and bought a cord of seasoned assorted hardwood to burn this winter.

We have two other sources of heat - electric baseboard everywhere and anywhere (blegh!), but also an old monitor K1 (kerosene) heater for upstairs- (?score?) I read those are super economical, although not really environmentally friendly. I'm more interested in maintaining my mortgage and bills this year, so I'm okay with being a little less green and using the k1 while I figure this whole thing out.

I mainly need to figure out how to not waste money and suck the moisture out of every crack of this house. We are starting fires because I refuse to turn on the electric baseboard, but then we are so fricken hot we are opening windows! I bought a tower humidifier today which will hopefully help, because now my eyeballs and lips are also bleeding, but I am confident we will find a medium... just hoping someone has a quick minute to school me on my stupidness.

Despite my massive research on everything else "country"- I didn't think enough in advance to research burning wood indoors. I researched enough to know to hold out for a house with wood as an option.... but that was it. now I'm cramming for the winter finals...

 

[bholler]

Second guy said I had a perfectly functional and clean 13x 13 clay liner and so I trusted him and bought a cord of seasoned assorted hardwood to burn this winter.

You picked the wrong one to trust you need a liner

 

[Handsonautotech]

You need 3 cords minimum.

 

[begreen]

Russo's are a better coal stove than wood stove. It's hard to regulate the fire when underfed with air. If you want to save wood and have more control I would sell the Russo and get a wood stove. And yes, the chimney needs a liner matched to the stove's requirements.

 

[7acres]

Welcome to the country! I empathize with you on the learning curve. Spending money on things you never thought about before is part of the journey. But the fresh air and wide open space make it all worth it.

You found the right forum. These people know everything you need!

 

[NewBurnyLady]

You picked the wrong one to trust you need a liner

crap. okay- we can't afford one right now, if we really need one it will have to wait until next year's tax return. how bad is it to burn just using what we have for one season? there is no creosote at the moment. how quickly does it build up? I appreciate your bluntness.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

Russo's are a better coal stove than wood stove. It's hard to regulate the fire when underfed with air. If you want to save wood and have more control I would sell the Russo and get a wood stove. And yes, the chimney needs a liner matched to the stove's requirements.

and if I swapped stoves I would still need a new liner, yes? if the existing clay is in good condition is there a way to pick a stove that is compatible with that? problem is $$.

 

[bholler]

crap. okay- we can't afford one right now, if we really need one it will have to wait until next year's tax return. how bad is it to burn just using what we have for one season? there is no creosote at the moment. how quickly does it build up? I appreciate your bluntness.

well allot of that depends on how it is hooked up if your pipe runs up into the liner and it is sealed int there it wont be to bad. But if it just runs into the smoke chamber or it runs into the liner with no seal it will make a mess quickly and be pretty dangerous.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

well allot of that depends on how it is hooked up if your pipe runs up into the liner and it is sealed int there it wont be to bad. But if it just runs into the smoke chamber or it runs into the liner with no seal it will make a mess quickly and be pretty dangerous.

does this mean anything to you? Or do I need a camera down the chimney? I will have to call someone back out I suppose.

 

[bholler]

Well for starters if you will be burning wood you need to get rid of that barometric damper. I would say the reason your chimney has no creosote is because the previous owner was burning coal. Which you need that barometric damper for and honestly your stove is better at than burning wood anyway. But looking at your setup I would say that pipe probably just sticks up into the smoke chamber which means it will make allot of creosote.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

Well for starters if you will be burning wood you need to get rid of that barometric damper. I would say the reason your chimney has no creosote is because the previous owner was burning coal. Which you need that barometric damper for and honestly your stove is better at than burning wood anyway. But looking at your setup I would say that pipe probably just sticks up into the smoke chamber which means it will make allot of creosote.

*gulp* Talk about putting a damper on things! (couldn't refrain) So at minimum, if I don't get a liner and I just fit it properly with whatever replacement damper you speak of- how much $ we talking?

 

[bholler]

*gulp* Talk about putting a damper on things! (couldn't refrain) So at minimum, if I don't get a liner and I just fit it properly with whatever replacement damper you speak of- how much $ we talking?

Just a couple bucks for a new peice of pipe to replace the barometric damper. But Iwould not burn it like that if it was my house. Did they check for proper clearances to combustibles from the outside of the chimney structure?

 

[mitchell721]

Honestly I don't know anything about coal burning so I don't know if that's a normal set up for that. But bholler know his stuff. If it was me i wouldn't burn wood in it this year. If money's tight burn coal this year assuming you can get it and it's reasonably priced then next year or when finances allow put in a new efficient stove with proper liner


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[NewBurnyLady]

Just a couple bucks for a new peice of pipe to replace the barometric damper. But Iwould not burn it like that if it was my house. Did they check for proper clearances to combustibles from the outside of the chimney structure?

I guess? they didn't mention that as an issue. This is my chimney...I have no problem ripping out that rose bush out if i should. and I know I need a shoulder rebuild. That's coming next year.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

Honestly I don't know anything about coal burning so I don't know if that's a normal set up for that. But bholler know his stuff. If it was me i wouldn't burn wood in it this year. If money's tight burn coal this year assuming you can get it and it's reasonably priced then next year or when finances allow put in a new efficient stove with proper liner


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Thanks. bholler do you agree? think I should get some coal? I need to be able to burn something if we lose power. which I am sure we will.

 

[bholler]

I guess? they didn't mention that as an issue. This is my chimney...I have no problem ripping out that rose bush out if i should.

No I am talking about clearance to the combustibles in the house in your case you need 1" of clearance between the outside of that chimney and any combustible materials. If you don't have that you need an insulated liner to be safe in the event of a chimney fire.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

No I am talking about clearance to the combustibles in the house in your case you need 1" of clearance between the outside of that chimney and any combustible materials. If you don't have that you need an insulated liner to be safe in the event of a chimney fire.

This is the only place the chimney is visible inside the house. Upstairs it's just drywall. Can I assume that would've been build to code? House is 1974.

 

[bholler]

Can I assume that would've been build to code? House is 1974.

No it is much more common that it is not to code. Far less than 10% of the chimney I inspect have proper clearances.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

No it is much more common that it is not to code. Far less than 10% of the chimney I inspect

This whole neighborhood was built by the same guy and the house across the street is still standing, so I got that going for me!? I just googled it and found a couple csia guys in my area (thanks to your csia title and that you clearly know what you're talking about!) I guess I need to fork over some cash and get a professional level 2 or 3 inspection. If you need any advice about your eyes, I'm your lady! Thanks again for your help.

 

[begreen]

and if I swapped stoves I would still need a new liner, yes? if the existing clay is in good condition is there a way to pick a stove that is compatible with that? problem is $$.

Yes, the flue liner should be matched to the stove. Most new stoves are 6" round. Running a modern stove on 13 x 13 liner would be like trying to drink a soda with a 2" pipe straw. Your current combo may work or may draft poorly. Regardless it will cool down the flue gases a lot. That leads to creosote condensation. How much we can't say. It depends on the dryness of the wood supply and the stove operator. Have the chimney checked at least once after each cord of wood is burned.

 

[NewBurnyLady]

Yes, the flue liner should be matched to the stove. Most new stoves are 6" round. Running a modern stove on 13 x 13 liner would be like trying to drink a soda with a 2" pipe straw. Your current combo may work or may draft poorly. Regardless it will cool down the flue gases a lot. That leads to creosote condensation. How much we can't say. It depends on the dryness of the wood supply and the stove operator. Have the chimney checked at least once after each cord of wood is burned.

I gotcha. Good thing I found this site, I'm learning, but I quickly went from "yay we got fire and this is going to be an awesome winter" to "holy crap I'm going to burn my house down!" but I think I will just be careful and get it checked for creosote every couple months and jump on a liner and possibly a new stove in April.

I read that increasing the airflow in the house will help warm the flue or something and help it from not building up as much creosote? So like crack the window next to the stove, will that help? We don't have trouble with smoke or starting fires now, but it's not cold yet. My focus has now gone from efficiency to safety, so I know I'll lose heat that way, but if it helps...

 

[jacupstate16]

go to your local tractor supply, purchase 10 bags on NUT anthracite coal to try out, and all your dreams will come true, you will not have to change your stove pipe configurations with coal, im betting the previous owner burnt coal.

 

[begreen]

Yes, that is probably the best solution for the present setup. For more info on coal operation of this stove drop over to the coal forums at www.nepacrossroads.com. Also, is there a CO detector in the room to compliment the smoke detectors in the house?

 

[fbelec]

don't forget a stove top thermometer so your not burning blind.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

Before you spend money you cannot afford to or worse yet waste money, call the local fire department and ask if they will come and check out your setup. They have no dog in this fight all they will be concerned with is your safety. They will also be a good resource to help you find a good Mason to help with any chimney issues. I would not get involved in this but if you know zero about burning wood or coal you need some sound trust worth advice and the local FD may be the place to start good luck. Jeff