Stovepipe discoloration?

[willowmistacres]

I am new to woodburning, and we had our woodstove installed only about a month ago. 6" single wall silver stove pipe was used, but in the past month of use, the shine has changed to a dull gray?? Is that from over firing? I have a temp control on the pipe about 6" above the stove, and it's turned gray for about 3 or 4ft of pipe. Next year we are going to replace this pipe with black double wall pipe so we can move our stove closer to the stone hearth, but I just wanted to know what the deal with it was??
Thanks!
Jennifer

 

[chimneylinerjames]

When you say silver, do you mean like galvanized pipe or stainless steel? Can you post a pic for us?

 

[rdust]

When you say silver, do you mean like galvanized pipe or stainless steel? Can you post a pic for us?

x2! Galvanized is not the correct pipe for a stove install.

 

[begreen]

Welcome Jenifer. This does sound like common vent pipe which is galvanized. If so, this pipe is not approved for wood stove use. If you can post some pictures of the installation we can check for other issues.

By black stove pipe do you mean double-wall connector pipe? Single-wall black stove pipe will not make a difference in clearances.

 

[willowmistacres]

Welcome Jenifer. This does sound like common vent pipe which is galvanized. If so, this pipe is not approved for wood stove use. If you can post some pictures of the installation we can check for other issues.

By black stove pipe do you mean double-wall connector pipe? Single-wall black stove pipe will not make a difference in clearances.

Ok, here is the photo right after it got put it and we fired it up. It is not discolored here. We have since moved the furniture and there is nothing near the stove now. The guy that installed it vented it out the window through concrete board and there is a 2ft clearance up above our roof. This is NOT the optimal setup that we wanted, we want it to go straight up through the roof, but he said the roof kit was out of stock at the time that we put this in and he would have to order it. I have since sent the guy a message and told him not to come back and finish it because we will do it ourselves in the spring. I hope to God that he used the right pipe or I am going to be royally peeved. He "supposedly" knew what he was doing and did some other work for us in the past and I paid him alot of money.
I'm sorry, I correct myself, I do mean double wall connector pipe. I would like to move the stove back into the corner more. It's supposed to be set at an 18" clearance, but this guy set it at a 16" clearance. I find in using it that we get things coming out sometimes onto the carpet, so I would like to move it back closer to the stone if I possibly can. I hope I can at least live with this set up until spring though before I sink more money into it. Thanks everyone for your help. My husband is not the researcher type, I am... so you're stuck talking to me. LOL.

 

[rdust]

Rotated the picture so people don't get a sore neck.

The pipe doesn't look like a galvanized pipe to me, hopefully others will comment. How much distance to you have between the pipe and the window/window frame? It looks awfully close and hearth in the front of the stove needs to extend out. What type of pipe is outside?

I see a lot with the install I wouldn't be happy/comfortable with.

 

[jeff_t]

Yikes, that's a hack job all the way around. Don't burn like it is.

 

[willowmistacres]

rdust, probably 7" clearance to the window frame? I agree jeff_t, a hack job. But it is only supposed to be temporary. Does this pipe look like galvanized pipe?

 

[willowmistacres]

I should add that the window frame has not been hot to the touch. I even have a wax burner sitting near the window sill about 3" from the stove pipe and the wax doesn't even melt from the heat.

 

[Ablaze Tech]

Wow! Do not continue to burn like this! Get your money back from the installer and give him a nice kick in the rear. Start over go straight up with double wall pipe that connects to a support box and use an approved class A chimney pipe up through the roof. May cost a little more than your current install, but it will be up to code and safe.

 

[Wood Duck]

I am no expert but the pipe appears to be stainless steel. I don't think it is galvanized. I'd try to move the stove closer to spot where the flue pipe leaves the room so that you have a shorter horizontal run. It looks like the flue was installed through a window, which seems kind of rinky-dink.

 

[MasterMech]

Don't know what's on the other side of the window but how the heck does that even burn like that? There has to be little to no draft. Agreed that you should stop using that setup immediately. This guy has no clue what he's doing.

 

[willowmistacres]

Don't know what's on the other side of the window but how the heck does that even burn like that? There has to be little to no draft. Agreed that you should stop using that setup immediately. This guy has no clue what he's doing.

It is a little rinky dink, was only supposed to be a temporary fix until the parts to put it through the roof come in. There is an elbow on the other side of the window and it goes straight up the side of the house and it's about 2 feet above our house. I am wondering if it would be possible to put less of an elbow at the stove and then vent it out the upper part of the window? So that the pipe isn't so horizontal?

 

[Ablaze Tech]

Just stop using the stove until the parts come in. No professional would let anyone use the stove the way it is set up.

 

[DAKSY]

That set up has disaster written ALL over it. Shut er down & wait.

 

[begreen]

Have to confirm all that has been said here. I can appreciate the eagerness to get the stove burning, but this looks like trouble from all angles. It's not worth the risk. Even the furniture looks too close to the front of the stove. Is there at least 3 ft clearance in front of the stove? IMO, 4' would be even better

 

[corey21]

That does not look safe at all.

 

[MasterMech]

It is a little rinky dink, was only supposed to be a temporary fix until the parts to put it through the roof come in. There is an elbow on the other side of the window and it goes straight up the side of the house and it's about 2 feet above our house. I am wondering if it would be possible to put less of an elbow at the stove and then vent it out the upper part of the window? So that the pipe isn't so horizontal?

Just stop burning with that setup. The stove should not be vented through a window period. Even temporary, that is unacceptable. Question is why would someone go to all that trouble/expense to install said "temporary" fix? God forbid you ever have a chimney fire with that setup, it's very probable that the heat radiated by the pipe will damage or even set fire to the window frame. It's also unlikely that the pipe used outside is actual class A chimney and may be simply be stovepipe which would further aggravate what is already a frightfully dangerous situation.

This is quite easily the worst install (even temporary) I've seen since joining Hearth.com over a year ago. This is not to put you down but it is quite sad that an individual calling themself a "professional" would create such a dangerous situation in someone's home. You were absolutely right in firing them.

I will repeat: No more fires until this gets installed properly. No amount of free/cheap heat is worth the safety of you or your family.

 

[rijim]

The stove Mfg. manual will have clearances listed for a corner install like you have; review that for possible location on hearth. Agree with others, very scary looking. You will need a minimum of 16" of hearth in front of the door opening the full width of the stove, looks like your a little short; if your getting "things" coming out of the stove onto carpet you gotta fix this and other stuff before firing. Is there 16" the full width of the stove at a minimum?

 

[firefighterjake]

Time for a phone call to get this installer back to do the job right . . . this should not be vented out a window, horizontal run looks too long, questionable clearances . . . and just the looks alone with a mix-and-match of pipe screams "hack job."

Do it right . . . do it safe . . . or don't do it at all.

 

[blwncrewchief]

The pic is not good enough resolution to tell what it is. Single wall stainless is very rare and I'm truly scared by the "turning dull gray" comment that it might be aluminum!

 

[rdust]

The pic is not good enough resolution to tell what it is. Single wall stainless is very rare and I'm truly scared by the "turning dull gray" comment that it might be aluminum!

This is true...........

 

[Sithspawn]

I'm thinking it's a combination of Stainless Steel Liner & Single wall black stove pipe ???
That would easily account for the discoloring of the pipe.

 

[MasterMech]

I'm thinking it's a combination of Stainless Steel Liner & Single wall black stove pipe ???
That would easily account for the discoloring of the pipe.

The pic is not good enough resolution to tell what it is. Single wall stainless is very rare and I'm truly scared by the "turning dull gray" comment that it might be aluminum!

Stainless generally discolors to a gold/purple/blue color without losing any luster, aluminum pipe? *shudders*

 

[davmor]

I would not burn with that setup. That is a total hack job. I would get my money back and never allow that installer in my house again. How do people sleep at night doing that kind of work? That has tragedy written all over it.