Through roof or Through the wall?

[CenterTree]

Getting plans together to hook up the T5 Alderea in the living room of our 1 ½ story cape code.
It is a corner install. The house has a semi-finished attic only. Roof is 8/12 pitch. [edit: 10/12 pitch]

Basically I have 2 ways to run the Duratech class A.

1) I can go straight up from the stove through the attic (about 2 feet of attic space) and extend the Duratech up to proper height above rook ridge (about 12 more feet).

2) I can do a through the wall system. I would have to exit the house on the gable end and use the normal 90 elbow of stove pipe and then the class A tee, etc.


My concerns between the 2 setups are:

1) Ease of cleaning

2) Aesthetics

3) Safety

4) Efficiency


I suspect the straight up will draft better.

I am concerned a lot about cleaning. With the wall setup, the tee (being at head height outside) will make for easy access with no dirt inside. But I would still need to disconnect the inside DVL stove pipe each time to clean it.

With the roof setup, I am NOT sure how to even clean it. The rain cap’s height will be far too high to get a brush down the pipe. Is it common or even doable to remove a section of class A every time to clean? The lower section (at 5 foot) will have a roof support strap around it.

I don’t like the idea of cleaning from the bottom, up.

As far as aesthetics, I think the roof setup would look less “conspicuous”.
The chimney is on the highly visible, road side of the house.


Hope you guys have some ideas/suggestions/insight that I may not have thought of. Thanks.

 

[bholler]

I don’t like the idea of cleaning from the bottom, up.

Why not I would much rather clean that way on everything. It is faster easier and no taking apart the pipe all the time. And as long as you have a good vacuum there will be no mess.

So straight up and out would be my preference by a long shot. It is not what I have but if I was starting from scratch that is what I would do. Straight up and out is better on all of your points other than safety both are equally safe. Other than the reduced performance of through the wall could possibly lead to more creosote buildup which could lead to a fire.

 

[webby3650]

Why not I would much rather clean that way on everything. It is faster easier and no taking apart the pipe all the time. And as long as you have a good vacuum there will be no mess.

So straight up and out would be my preference by a long shot. It is not what I have but if I was starting from scratch that is what I would do. Straight up and out is better on all of your points other than safety both are equally safe. Other than the reduced performance of through the wall could possibly lead to more creosote buildup which could lead to a fire.

Well said.
I personally would avoid a Tee system at all cost. It's a last resort in my opinion.

 

[bholler]

Well said.
I personally would avoid a Tee system at all cost. It's a last resort in my opinion.

Agreed. In my house I have a masonry chimney with a tee but it is 35' tall so it easily over comes the loss from the direction changes. And I set it up so I can clean from the basement because my roof is a pita to get on.

 

[Hogwildz]

Straight up through the roof. You don't need to be higher than the roof peak unless it is within 10' of the stack. What you do need is 10-2-3 rule. At least 3' above where the stack comes through the roof, and at least 2' higher than anything within 10' from the stack horizontally. Unless your peak falls within 10' of the stack, you don't need to be higher than the peak.

For cleaning, 8/12 pitch is not bad to walk on.

 

[CenterTree]

Why not I would much rather clean that way on everything. It is faster easier and no taking apart the pipe all the time. And as long as you have a good vacuum there will be no mess.

I guess you are talking about cleaning from inside the stove and up? (removing the baffle)?
If so, does the rod and brush bend sufficiently for that?

I was imagining taking off the stove pipe from the stove top and going up into the class A that way. Is that the wrong idea?

So straight up and out would be my preference by a long shot. It is not what I have but if I was starting from scratch that is what I would do. Straight up and out is better on all of your points other than safety both are equally safe. Other than the reduced performance of through the wall could possibly lead to more creosote buildup which could lead to a fire.

 

[bholler]

Yes most rods bend plenty to clean through the stove. I usually rotary clean through stoves like that

 

[CenterTree]

Straight up through the roof. You don't need to be higher than the roof peak unless it is within 10' of the stack. What you do need is 10-2-3 rule. At least 3' above where the stack comes through the roof, and at least 2' higher than anything within 10' from the stack horizontally. Unless your peak falls within 10' of the stack, you don't need to be higher than the peak.

For cleaning, 8/12 pitch is not bad to walk on.

Actually I just went in the attic to remeasure the roof pitch. It is 10/12.

Also, the roof peak is within 10' of where the stack will be rising. It is 9' 8" from chimney pipe edge to peak.

 

[CenterTree]

Yes most rods bend plenty to clean through the stove. I usually rotary clean through stoves like that

Are you talking the likes of a SootEater type tool?

 

[bholler]

Are you talking the likes of a SootEater type tool?

Yes I use a professional version but it is the same type of tool. They clean the cap much better than just a brush

 

[moresnow]

See my PM.

 

[bholler]

All this being said through the wall can work just fine just given the choice straight up is a better option.

 

[begreen]

I clean our T6 with a straight-up flue using a sooteater. Just drop the baffle and clean. I tape a plastic sheet with a slit over the stove door opening. There is almost zero mess in the house. This is about as easy and neat as it gets.

 

[blacktail]

I clean our T6 with a straight-up flue using a sooteater. Just drop the baffle and clean. I tape a plastic sheet with a slit over the stove door opening. There is almost zero mess in the house. This is about as easy and neat as it gets.

That's how I clean the liner on my Lopi. Takes 15 minutes.

 

[CenterTree]

I clean our T6 with a straight-up flue using a sooteater. Just drop the baffle and clean. I tape a plastic sheet with a slit over the stove door opening. There is almost zero mess in the house. This is about as easy and neat as it gets.

OK, that's GREAT news. Just what I like to hear. I imagine the T5 is the same process for removing the baffle.
Plastic sheet is a good idea, I was wondering about the soot as it came down. Thanks.

 

[webby3650]

OK, that's GREAT news. Just what I like to hear. I imagine the T5 is the same process for removing the baffle.
Plastic sheet is a good idea, I was wondering about the soot as it came down. Thanks.

Or you can get a shop vac with a filter and bag, just set the hose in the door as you work. It sucks up the mess that's airborn.

 

[CenterTree]

Yes most rods bend plenty to clean through the stove. I usually rotary clean through stoves like that

I noticed ( in the attic) that I will most likely need to add TWO 30 degree offsets to avoid a roof rafter. Does that present a problem for the rods bending?
Thanks.

 

[CenterTree]

Or you can get a shop vac with a filter and bag, just set the hose in the door as you work. It sucks up the mess that's airborn.

I do have a shop vac with a HEPA type filter and bag in it. If that would work, that sounds good too!

 

[webby3650]

I do have a shop vac with a HEPA type filter and bag in it. If that would work, that sounds good too!

I use a small one for this all the time. It works realy well.

 

[webby3650]

I noticed ( in the attic) that I will most likely need to add TWO 30 degree offsets to avoid a roof rafter. Does that present a problem for the rods bending?
Thanks.

Not at all

 

[bholler]

I noticed ( in the attic) that I will most likely need to add TWO 30 degree offsets to avoid a roof rafter. Does that present a problem for the rods bending?
Thanks.

Nope it will be fine we just use the vacume hose in the door to control dust to. A shop vac with a bag should work fine for what u need

 

[begreen]

Not at all

Agreed. Our stovepipe has two 45s in it as an offset. No problem for the sooteater rods.

 

[CenterTree]

Agreed. Our stovepipe has two 45s in it as an offset. No problem for the sooteater rods.

Do you guys think the sooteater would be able to sneak past a stove pipe damper? (mounted as the first piece in the setup)? Or would the spinning rod get beat up?

I've had issues with excessive draft in our nc30 and I was entertaining the idea of adding a damper in the new T5 setup.

 

[bholler]

Do you guys think the sooteater would be able to sneak past a stove pipe damper? (mounted as the first piece in the setup)? Or would the spinning rod get beat up?

I've had issues with excessive draft in our nc30 and I was entertaining the idea of adding a damper in the new T5 setup.

My cleaning system does it I cant say about the soot eater i have never used one

 

[begreen]

I think I would move it past just the damper before starting it spinning.