Was my stove installed correctly?

[BlueridgeFire]

Hello everyone. I'm new here. My wife and I had a stove installed a few weeks ago and immediately noticed issues. First, the side panel was damaged and they installed it anyway. They are replacing the panel, as they should, but why install it if it's damaged...raised my brow for sure. Then I noticed water had come in overnight. It doesn't look like it dripped down the pipe, but pooled at the top of the stove where the pipe comes in. You can see the water stain in one of the pictures. They sent their "garage guy" to spread more sealant on the outdoor pipe. He said they've never had one leak before. We live in the VA mountains and have very high winds. Sometimes 50 mph gusts. We cannot have a fire if there is a 10 mph gust. Smoke just pours into the house. I asked them about this and they just said it was due to pressure and to open a window. I open all windows and the smoke continues to come in. Why get a stove if you need the windows open to use it? I'm pretty frustrated and have called another company to come inspect their work, but thought I would see what you all think so I am more informed. Here are some pictures of the inside work. The pipe/chimney out the roof is 2 foot long. I appreciate any advice you have. Thank you! PS - Yes, they left the stickers on the pipe and said they'll come off once the pipe gets hot...they did not.

 

[bholler]

I don't see anything terribly wrong there. They should have made the pipe fit better at the stove collar but that's minor. Spreading more sealant on the pipe doesn't sound right though

 

[BlueridgeFire]

I don't see anything terribly wrong there. They should have made the pipe fit better at the stove collar but that's minor. Spreading more sealant on the pipe doesn't sound right though

Thank you for your reply. What's the deal with the screw around the collar? They only used one and the other is just screwed into the pipe, not the collar. Doesn't all the exposed crimping mean the pipe isn't sealed creating a poor draft? They brought a 3 foot pipe for the outside but thought that would look funny and installed a 2 foot instead. I've seen where the height of the pipe can be an issue in high winds. The smoke coming in is our main issue. We can't use it unless there is zero wind. Even when the pipe is heated to the target area it still blows in with certain gusts.

 

[begreen]

There should be 3 screws, 120º apart at each joint.

 

[bholler]

Thank you for your reply. What's the deal with the screw around the collar? They only used one and the other is just screwed into the pipe, not the collar. Doesn't all the exposed crimping mean the pipe isn't sealed creating a poor draft? They brought a 3 foot pipe for the outside but thought that would look funny and installed a 2 foot instead. I've seen where the height of the pipe can be an issue in high winds. The smoke coming in is our main issue. We can't use it unless there is zero wind. Even when the pipe is heated to the target area it still blows in with certain gusts.

How tall is the chimney over all? Is the chimney 2' higher than anything with in 10'?

 

[BlueridgeFire]

There should be 3 screws, 120º apart at each joint.

Well, there's only 1 screw on all joints, so that's not good.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

How tall is the chimney over all? Is the chimney 2' higher than anything with in 10'?

No way. The peak of the roof is probably 3 feet or less from the chimney and the chimney cap is the only thing higher than the peak. There's also a tree (no leaves right now) higher than the chimney cap about 3/4 feet from the chimney.

 

[MR. GLO]

In my opinion that's a hack install for a store, but it can be fixed. My installers were lazy too... and left stickers on and used interior drywall screws outside.

The pipes need to be installed tighter and the starter pipe wasn't tapped in gently with block of wood.

As for the leak, we would need to see the outside area, but it shouldn't leak.. Photographs would be great.

Can you see the area above the stove ? Attic?

How close is the corner of the stove to the wall?

They used cheap pipe but it will work with no issues.

I cant tell by photo but I would use a slip joint (telescoping pipe) somewhere for easy cleaning.

 

[bholler]

No way. The peak of the roof is probably 3 feet or less from the chimney and the chimney cap is the only thing higher than the peak. There's also a tree (no leaves right now) higher than the chimney cap about 3/4 feet from the chimney.

Your chimney absolutely needs to be higher in that case.

 

[MR. GLO]

Installers were lazy to install a support bracket and or didn't bring the correct pipe. or they wanted to give you the lowest bid.

id pull the stove forward and forget the offset. Safety.

Dont open the door to reload until your at coal stage. reload and try kindlin and logs ...
Check you firewood. Is it 2-3 years old?
Light fast kindlin fires then add you wood and see if it still smokes...if so light fire fast with stove door cracked very little and window or door open to house....throwing green or unseasoned firewood in a stove will cause smoke and not heat flue fast enough. Most likely the smoke is operator error, but adding chimney height ok and to code.

id invest in wind cap while the installers are going up on roof....

 

[BlueridgeFire]

In my opinion that's a hack install for a store, but it can be fixed. My installers were lazy too... and left stickers on and used interior drywall screws outside.

The pipes need to be installed tighter and the starter pipe wasn't tapped in gently with block of wood.

As for the leak, we would need to see the outside area, but it shouldn't leak.. Photographs would be great.

Can you see the area above the stove ? Attic?

How close is the corner of the stove to the wall?

They used cheap pipe but it will work with no issues.

I cant tell by photo but I would use a slip joint (telescoping pipe) somewhere for easy cleaning.

I'll try to get photos in daylight. I can't get to that area of the attic, though. The corner is just about 10 inches from the wall. Sad that they used cheap pipe. This install cost $3,000 and that doesn't include the price of the stove.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Look at your stove owner's manual installation section. May have chimney height requirements. The section in mine is the 10 - 3 -2 rule. That is, at least 3' above roof AND 2' above any portion of roof within 10'. Also shows where to measure from.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

Installers were lazy to install a support bracket and or didn't bring the correct pipe. or they wanted to give you the lowest bid.

id pull the stove forward and forget the offset. Safety.

Dont open the door to reload until your at coal stage. reload and try kindlin and logs ...
Check you firewood. Is it 2-3 years old?
Light fast kindlin fires then add you wood and see if it still smokes...if so light fire fast with stove door cracked very little and window or door open to house....throwing green or unseasoned firewood in a stove will cause smoke and not heat flue fast enough. Most likely the smoke is operator error, but adding chimney height ok and to code.

id invest in wind cap while the installers are going up on roof....

I'd say lazy. Like I said, they charged $3,000. Pull the stove forward? They said we needed a minimum of 48" out from the inside corner of the wall. We went with 50". That piece of stone cost $1,500 so we can't really change that without spending a lot more money.

Firewood was sold as seasoned. It's about at 20% moisture according to my moisture reader.

I've seen the wind caps and suggested a Vacu stack to the other chimney company that it going to inspect. He had no idea what I was talking about.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Oh, welcome. Really nice group of folks here. I have learned a lot since I joined from people like begreen, bholler, and others. Mainly, learned just how much I didn't know.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

Look at your stove owner's manual installation section. May have chimney height requirements. The section in mine is the 10 - 3 -2 rule. That is, at least 3' above roof AND 2' above any portion of roof within 10'. Also shows where to measure from.

I'll do that. That will be a good way to get them to correct the issue without a fight.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

Your chimney absolutely needs to be higher in that case.

Thank you. This will be a fight to get them to correct it. They're already tired of me.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

Oh, welcome. Really nice group of folks here. I have learned a lot since I joined from people like begreen, bholler, and others. Mainly, learned just how much I didn't know.

Thanks! There is a lot to learn. I just want to enjoy a warm fire without worrying about smoke pouring in or the fire going out!

 

[begreen]

I'll do that. That will be a good way to get them to correct the issue without a fight.

Here is an illustration of the 10-3-2 rule. If the chimney outside is taller than 5' it needs a proper brace at 5' above the roofline.

 

[MR. GLO]

Can you tell if they cut the first section of starter pipe at the top of it...the one with the middle seam? If so the must have had fun centering stove. That odd screw must be to hold the pipe up..

What model is this stove? Everything can be fixed so be patient and enjoy stove until they come out. You will also need a collar for the new cap.

10 inches seams too close for drywall.
Check manual. If so pull the stone forward with stove get rid of offset use a telescope section. They make a Duravent starter pipe with or without a damper.
Keep us posted..

 

[PaulOinMA]

Was going to ask where you are. MIL is from Hampton. Old family farm when MIL's mom grew up is out by Charlottesville. MIL went to JMU, class of '56.

Guess your user name is where you are.

My wife and I went the Grilled Cheese + Tomato Soup Festival in Strasburg in November 2019. COVID kept us away the past two years. Plan on going next year. Fun time.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

Can you tell if they cut the first section of starter pipe at the top of it...the one with the middle seam? If so the must have had fun centering stove. That odd screw must be to hold the pipe up..

What model is this stove? Everything can be fixed so be patient and enjoy stove until they come out. You will also need a collar for the new cap.

10 inches seams too close for drywall.
Check manual. If so pull the stone forward with stove get rid of offset use a telescope section. They make a Duravent starter pipe with or without a damper.
Keep us posted..

Yes, I can tell the pipe was cut at the top. It's not perfectly straight and you can see bare metal along the cut.

It's an Ambiance Outlander-19.

How would you move the stove and stone at the same time? That's hundreds of pounds not mentioning the force caused by friction. Would a chimney company do that?

The manual says, 11" for single wall connector and 7" for double wall.

 

[BlueridgeFire]

Was going to ask where you are. MIL is from Hampton. Old family farm when MIL's mom grew up is out by Charlottesville. MIL went to JMU, class of '56.

Guess your user name is where you are.

My wife and I went the Grilled Cheese + Tomato Soup Festival in Strasburg in November 2019. COVID kept us away the past two years. Plan on going next year. Fun time.

We're on Bent Mountain in Roanoke County. Never heard of the Grilled Cheese Fest, but we've only been here a few years. I'll look it up.

 

[MR. GLO]

If you 11" your good... thats a good stove for tight clearances. Sorry, what I meant was take the stove off and pull the stone forward at the same time you fix everything. But im guessing you would rather be in the corner, but id rather no offset. If necessary, you can slide laminate flooring under the stone with use of a wedge and pull it forward. You can always wait until your first major chimney cleaning to fix or setup differently.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yup, that's a pretty hack install as far as the stovepipe and chimney...and what you paid for is a grade A pro install!
Those stickers will come off when hot...literally when the pipe is hot...may or may not leave residue behind...goo gone will take care of that though (when cool)...if it leaves a mark in the paint hi temp black is very easy to touch up.

Firewood was sold as seasoned. It's about at 20% moisture according to my moisture reader.

On the outside? The only way to get an accurate reading is to resplit the room temp wood, then check the freshly exposed face of the splits, in the middle. If its reading 20% on the outside it will probably be 30-35% on the inside...typical of what the firewood guys sell as "seasoned"

 

[begreen]

Unfortunately the manual does not specify minimum chimney height and we have not seen this stove before on Hearth.com. At least not to my recollection. It might be good to call Wolf Steel tech support and ask what is the minimum chimney height they recommend. Typically it is 15' from stove top to chimney cap, but some stoves specify less.