Hi everyone. I am new here but have been heating my house with wood ever since my mother , who showed me how, passed away. I have a Vermont Castings in my kitchen. It's pretty strenuous to keep the house warm and I think it would be a little easier if my stove was in the basement instead of first floor. To get to the point, in order to put a stove in my basement, I would have to pass through some wood, right above my foundation, and into my chimney. The chimney is completly on the outside of the house. I have been researching this for a while but really just need someone who knowledgable to direct me. This is the perfect place! Anyone know where I can find the smallest thimble of some sort with minimal clearances to pass through a wall? I am so confused with all the company's out there. Someone please help.
thimble to go through wall
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i'm not quite tracking what you are saying. your stove is in the kitchen which is probably the same floor you spend most of your time in? i would leave it where it is. i can see having to go up and down the stairs being more stenuos. also you are gonna lose some of the heat through the basemt unless it is finished. if i'm wrong correct me.
The stove will likely do a poorer job of heating the house unless the basement is well insulated and there is a large, central open passage like a wide staircase to the basement, located near where the stove would go.
Maybe start from the beginning and tell us more about the 1st floor plan and the current stove. Is this a fairly open floor plan or is the kitchen closed off from the rest of the house by small doors and hallways? What is the size of the house? What model VC stove is this?
Maybe start from the beginning and tell us more about the 1st floor plan and the current stove. Is this a fairly open floor plan or is the kitchen closed off from the rest of the house by small doors and hallways? What is the size of the house? What model VC stove is this?
It seems to me you are saying that a bigger thimble was neccessary..... If that is the case get a hammer drill with a small masonry bit and replace that small thimble with an appropriate size one. Drill many holes around the diameter needed ( as many as neccessary ...,50-60 + and then chip out the brick with a brick hammer and chisel or hammer and tempered steel bar. Parge in the thimbel with furnace refractory cement and you are done. It is easy, I have done it several times.
My mother and I restored an old farm house built in 1890. Its restored to how it was back then with wide floor boards. We have huge gaps in the floor, if there is a light on in the basement you know right away. The cold air comes up through the floor pretty good. The second floor is very comfortable walking around with no shoes. The floors are nice and warm. but the first floor has very cold floors in the winter. Ontop of this, the basement is cold and damp. I think a nice big stove in the basement, like my father always had (he had a defiant), would reslove all of this. We wouldn't be fighting constant cold air coming up through the floor, and we could get rid of the cold damp basement. With the gaps in our floor, it would be like central heat 
When you run a wood stove for 3 months at a time, i think one stove in the basement would heat the whole house. The stove in the kitcen would be secondary. The cold air coming up through the floors is really what makes it difficult to heat now.
I have never bought a thimble. I am looking for some direction because there are so many. I don't have much room between the top of my foundation and the cieling in the basement so the smallest thimble possible would be best. I am currently shopping for another Vermont Castings, I assume a 6 inch thimble would probably be fine.
When you run a wood stove for 3 months at a time, i think one stove in the basement would heat the whole house. The stove in the kitcen would be secondary. The cold air coming up through the floors is really what makes it difficult to heat now. I have never bought a thimble. I am looking for some direction because there are so many. I don't have much room between the top of my foundation and the cieling in the basement so the smallest thimble possible would be best. I am currently shopping for another Vermont Castings, I assume a 6 inch thimble would probably be fine.
You have presented some serious safety issues with putting a thimble through wood and close clearances. And the kitchen stove can not share the same flue as the basement stove. It's an either or situation. The cheapest thing may be to seriously address leakage around the house, especially around the foundation. If the basement could be sealed up and insulated, the issue of cold floors may go away.
But please answer the questions in the previous request so that we understand the house and stove better.
But please answer the questions in the previous request so that we understand the house and stove better.
if you can safely put your woodstove in basement and its your preference then go for it. i would definitely leave the one on the first floor alone though.
With a small house and good circulation I am guessing that either the stove is no longer working correctly in bypass mode or that the house is leaking a lot of heat. I don't see a basement stove as a solution to these issues, just more work and money. A larger stove might help, but could be unnecessary if the current stove is sized correctly but has a plugged cat or cracked refractory shoe. Two stoves on the same flue is not permitted.
At this point it's hard to say what is the best solution. We don't know the size of the house, the stove model, stove condition, wood quality or other information that would help making an informed decision. I'm suspecting that for the price of a new stove installation that tightening up the house will provide much better comfort and savings, but maybe not.
At this point it's hard to say what is the best solution. We don't know the size of the house, the stove model, stove condition, wood quality or other information that would help making an informed decision. I'm suspecting that for the price of a new stove installation that tightening up the house will provide much better comfort and savings, but maybe not.
rich81 said:
may i add that a dehumidifier in the basemeny might help with your moisture issue?? i have my woodstove in the basemet and am currently trying to get some funds together to put one on the first floor.
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