What improvements can I expect from a liner?

[Jason Batley]

I have a 16kw multifuel similar to the one in this photo:

I installed it under a chimney that was originally used for an open fire. The top of the stove basically goes through a fireproof board into the bottom of the chimney.

The fire lights and burns well, no smoke comes into the room and it all works pretty good. Apart from the fact that this is a 16kw stove and that should be enough to provide more heat than it is doing. It is in a room that is 5 yards x 4 yards and will heat that room just fine, but only that room. If I open the door to let heat go upstairs the temperature drops. It isn't giving out 16kw or anything near - When I worked out what size stove I needed the calculation said about 5.5kw - I bought a much bigger one with the idea of leaving the room doors open and warming upstairs and also the kitchen - this stove is not doing this at all.

I have read lots of different things about chimney liners (mostly from people selling them though,) and wondered whether fitting one would increase the stove's heat output. If the stove is already burning the fuel with no problems and there is no smoking coming out of it then how will having a liner make it work any better than it already is doing?

 

[BurningBrutus]

what is this kw you speak of?

 

[Grisu]

A liner will improve draft and make cleaning the flue easier but I am wondering whether you may not have other problems. 16 kW should heat you out of that room easily. You say multifuel: What is the make/model? What are you burning in it? And does the stove have an air-control? Modern efficient stoves get a lot of heat out of the wood by restricting the intake air and allowing secondary combustion that happens in the top of the firebox. It is possible that most of your heat goes up the chimney.

 

[MDFisherman]

what is this kw you speak of?

3,412 Btus per kW?????????????

 

[Grisu]

3,412 Btus per kW?????????????

It is not that easy to convert those figures since European measurements are different. The Jotul F500 for example is listed at 9 kW nominal output which would be roughly 30,000 BTU. However, here it is advertised at 70,000 BTU. If the 16 kW figure in the OPs post is true then it is a really large stove which should be able to heat much more than one room.

 

[mellow]

More info on the stove: http://www.qualitystoves.co.uk/villager-woodburning-stove-p-455.html

Has good reviews on it: http://www.whatstove.co.uk/villager-a-reviews

Is running a liner expensive over in the UK? We recommend it here in the states for a better draft, which could increase heat output.

 

[Eaglecraft]

I have a 16kw multifuel similar to the one in this photo:

I installed it under a chimney that was originally used for an open fire. The top of the stove basically goes through a fireproof board into the bottom of the chimney.

The fire lights and burns well, no smoke comes into the room and it all works pretty good. Apart from the fact that this is a 16kw stove and that should be enough to provide more heat than it is doing. It is in a room that is 5 yards x 4 yards and will heat that room just fine, but only that room. If I open the door to let heat go upstairs the temperature drops. It isn't giving out 16kw or anything near - When I worked out what size stove I needed the calculation said about 5.5kw - I bought a much bigger one with the idea of leaving the room doors open and warming upstairs and also the kitchen - this stove is not doing this at all.

I have read lots of different things about chimney liners (mostly from people selling them though,) and wondered whether fitting one would increase the stove's heat output. If the stove is already burning the fuel with no problems and there is no smoking coming out of it then how will having a liner make it work any better than it already is doing?

Jason:

What you have sounds like what is called a "slammer" install in the US. That's where you run a bit of pipe from the stove into the chimney - just enough pipe so that it's inside the terra cotta flue of your brick chimney. In many parts of the US, "slammer" installs are a building code violation. Also, many stove manufacturers recommend against such installs.

The preferred and correct stove installation is a positive connection from the stove flue, to a SS chimney pipe running inside your terra cotta flue, all the way to the top of your brick chimney, terminating in a "top plate" that supports the SS pipe. One problem with slammer installs is that the cross sectional area of the terra cotta flue is often too large to achieve proper draft for the stove. Secondly, the chimney flue with slammer installs are hard to clean. On the other hand, with a 6 inch or 8 inch SS chimney pipe installed inside your terra cotta flue, cleaning will be much easier and you will have much less creosote build up.

It sounds as if you have a block-off plate at the bottom of the chimney, although fireproof "board" sounds a bit questionable. In the US, "block off" plates are metal, often insulated with ROXUL insulation. It could be that you are loosing a good deal of heat up the chimney flue set-up that you have. I recommend that you install a SS pipe from the stove to the top of your chimney.

Good luck with your stove.

 

[mellow]

Slammer = no pipe

Positive Connect = pipe to the first tile

A full liner install takes it from the stove to the top plate and chimney cap, which gives the best draft and is the easiest to clean.