stove and chimney question

[undrtow]

So my wife and I bought a house last year which was built in 1976. We recently replaced the old wood stove with a pacific energy vista with a 6 inch stove pipe whereas the old stove was an 8 inch. The stove sits in an open fireplace and when they installed the vista, they used a 6 to 8 inch adapter but found the chimney pipe it was supposed to attach to was too warped and rusted to use, so they just removed it. The adapter now just sits in the middle of the old vermiculite insulation and they replaced the firestop and used some fireblock foam to try and seal it off. So there is essentially 4 feet of missing chimney pipe at the bottom of the chimney, where the smoke leaves the stove through the 6 to 8 inch adapter and goes through the vermiculite where the 4 feet of missing pipe was. Also, looking at the top of the 14 ft chimney, it looks like stove pipe instead of chimney pipe, insulated with vermiculite. I know that's not ideal but I'm not sure how much it would cost to fix.

Anyway, we used the stove over a week ago just one time, and every since have had a smokey smell in the room. It isn't there in the morning when it is still in the 40's but it is obvious later in the day when it warms up. It is particularly bad in the fireplace above the stove. I'm still new to this, but it sounds like poor draft and maybe a poor seal from the firestop above the stove.

I'm not sure what my options are, but was thinking I should either replace the firestop with a more custom fit one as opposed to the poorly fitting 2 piece one currently in use. I was also thinking I should replace the missing section of pipe with chimney pipe and have the adapter connect to that. I originally wanted to do a flexible 6 inch liner but I'm not sure it will fit in the 8 inch pipe after being wrapped in insulation.

Sorry for rambling, I hope it makes sense how I explained it. I can upload pictures if it would help. I'd like to get this fixed sooner than later as I have a young kid and a pregnant wife and don't want to cause them any problems. Also, still waiting for installers to return my call. Thanks in advance.

 

[bholler]

You need a liner and you need to get that fire stop foam out of there it is very flammable. And that vermiculite will start to crumble and fall out very quickly. I would recommend getting a sweep out to check it but really it sounds like a liner is in order you could probably drop a 6" down the old liner and pour in more vermiculite cement mix between the 2

 

[begreen]

Were the installers named Curley, Larry and Moe? Seriously. I would not use these installers. This needs to be redone. Fireblock foam is not appropriate and dangerous in this application. Who knows what is outgassing when in contact with a hot flue pipe stub? It is a plastic and not rated for hot surface contact:
6. Cured foam is combustible and will burn if exposed to temperatures above 240°F (116°C). Do not apply GREAT STUFFTM foam around heaters, high
heat lamps or recessed lighting fixtures, radiators, furnaces or fireplaces where it could contact heat.
http://msdssearch.dow.com/Published...foam/pdfs/noreg/179-15047.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc
Also, who knows what flaws are in the chimney that also may be leaking? The chimney needs to be cleaned out. Then an insulated continuous stainless steel 6" liner should be installed from top cap to the stove. Get your money back from Moe and poke him in the eye.

 

[undrtow]

Thanks for the replies. Would just replacing the missing chimney pipe with a section of 8 inch rigid liner be an acceptable solution? I'm just not sure a flexible liner would fit inside the rest of the chimney as there are screws sticking out of the pipe at the top of the chimney and I figure there are probably more going down the chimney as well. I suppose a good chimney sweep could use a camera though.

 

[undrtow]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I'm not too happy with the installer. Do you think just replacing the missing section of chimney pipe with 8 inch rigid liner would be acceptable? I only say that because I'm not sure a flexible 6 inch liner will fit inside the 8 in chimney pipe as the top of the chimney pipe has screws poking through into the pipe, and I assume there are more screws down in the middle of the chimney.

 

[begreen]

Is this a zero-clearance fireplace with a metal chimney? If it is and the chimney is failing this is a risky proposition. You need to have a certified sweep or installer look at this installation to determine its safety and viability for any installation. Seriously, this is something that is too risky to determine by the internet. You need trained and qualified eyes to look at this. Here are a couple resources for finding a certified sweep in your area. Just type in your zipcode.
www.csia.org
www.ncsg.org
In the meantime I would not burn in this stove.

 

[Jackfre]

You say the original pipe was rusted out. I would assume, and think you should too, that the flue pipe in place now is shot. Trying to rescue it is throwing good money after bad. To bad about the longer screws projecting into the 8" liner. Meatheads did the first install and you then hired their kids.

You can chase around trying to come up with the "Golden Solution" but I think you will find that a re-pipe is in order and ultimately will be your best solution from a safety, operational and final cost standpoint. Remember, you are playing with fire. You might also Google Vermiculite and asbestos as much of the older material was laced with it.

 

[bholler]

i agree with all of the others i would try dropping a 6" down it but you may end up having to pull that 8" out and then dropping your 6" but i wouldnt put any time or money into trying to save that old system

 

[begreen]

One think that is not clear is what the original system is. Is this a full masonry fireplace with a large masonry chimney in which someone put a steel liner at some point? Or is this a zero clearance (prefab) fireplace with a metal chimney?

 

[undrtow]

I appreciate everyone's advice and feel as though the best thing will be to start over with the chimney as it is likely problematic throughout. I am aware of older vermiculite and asbestos and would rather not have that in the home. To answer a few questions, yes, i do think all the remaining pipe is equally thrashed as what was removed. It is a full masonry fireplace and chimney with what looks like a stove pipe liner with vermiculite around it. The issue I think I will have fixing it is that there aren't many options as far as companies to service it as this is a relatively small town. Using the resources posted by begreen, the closest CSIA resource is over 6 hrs away. Locally, there are one or two chimney sweeps who do it on the side, and then the company that I bought the stove from. I still need to get ahold of the owner of that company to see what he can do for me. Would a construction company be able/capable to work on it if there are no other options?