Stove Pipe Question

[snj2k2se]

Hi, I've been a lurker here for about a year, and finally have a question I couldn't find an answer to.

I have an Avalon Ranier stove direct connected to my chimney. It has 6" stainless flex that extends through a block off plate into the chimney which is about an 8" terra cotta (?) lined chimney.

I'd like to put a liner in to make it easier to clean, and I was talking to my dad about it, and about how much a SS liner costs. He asked me why I wanted stainless and I couldn't answer other than that's all I've read about.

He said he's had a stove pipe liner in his chimney for 20 years, and my uncle (his brother) has had one for almost 30 years without any problems.

My question is, why do I need stainless? That's all any one mentions, but I can't find out why.

Thanks.

 

[moondoggy]

you mean the black stove pipe?
stove pipe rots, rusts and should not be in a chimney.....and after 30 yrs he probably has a half a liner in his chimney.
stainless does not rust or rot.
your liner should be insulated. if you insulate stove pipe it will rot faster.

besides isnt the stove pipe more $$$?

stove should connect to stove pipe, then to the flex up the chimney.

there are other reasons..... but look at it this way, if it was the correct way, everyone would be doing it that way.

chimneylinerdepot.com was the best deal i found.

 

[jtp10181]

You need a stainless liner because of what moondoggy said and also because that's the only thing that is LEGAL and TESTED for that purpose. If there was a cheaper way to do it safe, that's what everyone would be doing. People (especially wood burners trying to save money by burning wood) don't waste money on things that are not needed for safety.

 

[snj2k2se]

That answers my question, thanks guys.

Everything I've read is just about stainless but it never said why.

Moondoogy your reply brings up another question, what's the benefit to insulating the liner?

Don't get me wrong, I want to do this right I just want to understand why I'm doing what I'm doing other "than that's the way everyone does it".

 

[Hogwildz]

Insulating serves a couple purposes:
It brings the liner up to New code Standard, which makes it safer in case of a chimney fire.
It helps draft better., and better draft = more efficient & easier to operate. This is especially true for a chimney located on an exterior wall of the home.

 

[jtp10181]

Technically unless you know for a fact the masonry chimney and flue is built to the guidelines in NFPA 211 then insulation is REQUIRED to make the liner system meet the UL 1777 standard. To find out if the masonry structure is correctly built you would need to get a Level III inspection done which usually involves cutting holes in the house somewhere. Without the insulation you are relying on the masonry structure to provide the necessary fire protection, and if its not compliant it can result in the house starting on fire.

 

[Gooserider]

As mentioned, it is ILLEGAL and a significant code violation to run black steel stovepipe up a chimney - that pipe is only legal to use in the same room the stove is in, and where it can be readily inspected for signs of rust and corrosion.

Note that there is both SS flex liners, and also SS rigid liner that looks sort of like stovepipe except that it's stainless. If you have a straight shot chimney, this can be the best stuff to use according to some. Often a combination is used, 5 feet or so of flex to get around the smoke shelf, etc. and then rigid up the rest of the way.

As to insulating the liner, this is the best approach as it keeps the flue warmer, which will improve your draft. It is most important near the top of the chimney, in external chimneys, and in colder climates, you can live without it in some cases, but if you have any tendency towards draft reversals or back puffing, insulation will help. The other issue is that it can be a challenge to get an insulated flex liner down a lot of chimneys, including those with nominal 8" flue tile liners. I've heard some folks suggest that a good "fit test" is to try dropping an empty one-gallon paint can down the flue with a rope...

Gooserider