What's your opinion on this setup?

[pulldownclaw]

This is my parents' house, so be nice.

This stove was here when they bought it, as was the hearth that it sits on. My Dad replaced the original pipe with a double walled one, but otherwise it hasn't changed. I think the pipe goes through the wall thimble and into and unlined exterior chimney, which goes up for a good 20-25'. I realize that the clearance in front of the stove is nowhere near what it needs to be, and the clearance to the mantel is terrifying, but what do you think they could do to help this setup? Tear everything out and build a new hearth and put a ss liner up the chimney? He says it runs pretty well, but it can't be drafting that well with that turn and the chimney being unlined.

 

[Corie]

Throw it all in the garbage.

 

[pulldownclaw]

Wow, that's helpful.

 

[SlyFerret]

My opinion? YIKES

There will be others along shortly, and the consensus will probably be "don't burn that until you get it setup right".

-SF

 

[SlyFerret]

Is this the picture before installing the double wall pipe?

How long is the horizontal run? I can't tell from the picture.

Where the pipe goes through the wall, what is the pipe connected to? It doesn't look like the wall thimbles I'm used to seeing.

The chimney needs to be lined.

As far as I know, aluminum foil tape is not rated for this type of application.

-SF

 

[Corie]

Sorry, couldn't help it.

Personally, the hearth has got to go. But with that stove, the wall protection and the necessary hearth size will put the stove darn near in the middle of the room.

Also, that horizontal run is awful, AND the way the stove pipe goes into the thimble, with all the silver tape, is terrible.


Lose the hearth, lose the horizontal pipe. Put in a corner hearth and straight up and out with the stovepipe. And get a thimble adapter or find a better way to merge the stovepipe with the existing chimney than all that silver tape. That stuff, while great, will lose its adhesion on a wood stove chimney.

Along those SAME lines, it looks like the sheetrock is butted right up against the thimble, which is also a problem.

 

[webbie]

Lots of potential dangers, the largest being:
1. Entire crock situation - I would guess that the part in the wall is no where near the proper construction.
2. Hearth situation with the wood embedded

Then there is the question of the chimney.

Please see the online document NFPA 211 for the proper ways to install a crock in the wall.
(broken link removed to http://www.nfpa.org/freecodes/free_access_agreement.asp?id=21106)

We have an article on this, but it is already dated (have to update it soon)
https://www.hearth.com/what/passing.html

 

[begreen]

I have to agree. This is a classic case of a little knowledge being a very dangerous thing. The set up is frightening. Good you posted as example of what not to do.

As Corie pointed out, there are so many serious errors that it would be good to start over. Obviously they put some time and money into the setup. To bad most safety and code common sense rules were not applied. If your dad is stubbornly refusing to admit the error or change, then the next best thing would be to replace the stove with one that has safe, close back clearance (PE, Quad, Napoleon come to mind), increase the horizontal slope using double wall pipe, extend a tile hearth to 18" in front of the stove door, and line the chimney.

PS: If he needs convincing, put him on line here and we'd be happy to talk with him.

 

[gpcollen1]

Sorry, couldn't help it.

Personally, the hearth has got to go. But with that stove, the wall protection and the necessary hearth size will put the stove darn near in the middle of the room.

Also, that horizontal run is awful, AND the way the stove pipe goes into the thimble, with all the silver tape, is terrible.


Lose the hearth, lose the horizontal pipe. Put in a corner hearth and straight up and out with the stovepipe. And get a thimble adapter or find a better way to merge the stovepipe with the existing chimney than all that silver tape. That stuff, while great, will lose its adhesion on a wood stove chimney.

Along those SAME lines, it looks like the sheetrock is butted right up against the thimble, which is also a problem.

I think an issue he has in reconfiguring the setup - is that window that is just barely in the picture. Probably the reasonwhy that stove was installed like that in the first place.

 

[pulldownclaw]

I think that's right, CT, the window near the corner probably prohibited them from doing a corner setup to begin with. As to all the other choices they made....

Also, this was not constructed by my parents, it was this way when they bought the house. I just wish the house inspector had brought this to their attention when they bought the place.

My Dad is an amateur burner, much like I am, and I thought it would be good to post the pics on here to get all the opinions and see if there were things that I missed. I am still learning alot, but feel like I have picked up so much good info on this forum from the past year. I just want to get him safely set up.

 

[begreen]

You did the right thing. That's good news, at least your folks don't have a lot of personal pride invested in this mess. The next step is remedying the situation. Did they have the chimney cleaned before burning this season? Is the chimney tile-lined?

PS: The "inspector" sounds like a joke.

 

[pulldownclaw]

That's the other thing that scares me, is that I asked him about it getting cleaned, and he said the sweep said "it didn't need to be cleaned". :grrr:

Sounds like he needs to find a new sweep and while he's at it have someone rebuild that hearth and line the chimney....

 

[begreen]

First, new stove with safe clearances. The room is too narrow to accommodate required clearances for the existing stove. Then - extend the hearth to meet the stove requirements. Maybe you could call the sweep and about the construction and condition of the flue. He could be right, who knows? Why would he go up and look at the flue if not to clean it?

 

[BrotherBart]

Get the info from the data plate on that stove. It sure looks like a Sierra 8000 TEC cat stove. If it is it is a current production model and has clearances of 18" in the rear and 26" on the sides.

And it is also that elusive steel stove with top and rear flue exit that everybody always lusts for.

 

[pulldownclaw]

BB, is that stove made in Virginia? I meant to write down the info when I was there last, and I remember looking at the info on the back and remembering it was made in VA.

 

[BrotherBart]

They used to be. They are out of California now. They used to be made in Harrisonburg.

 

[BrotherBart]

I just looked up the current 8000 TEC. I had the clearances backwards. 26" rear and 18" on the sides.

 

[begreen]

Get the info from the data plate on that stove. It sure looks like a Sierra 8000 TEC cat stove. If it is it is a current production model and has clearances of 18" in the rear and 26" on the sides.

And it is also that elusive steel stove with top and rear flue exit that everybody always lusts for.

Stove looks like it has about 6-8" rear clearance wouldn't you say? Single-wall flue pipe looks to have about 3-4".

 

[WarmGuy]

I see some brown above the pipe as it enters the wall. Is that from heat?

 

[Metal]

That is just plain scary. I am going to have problems sleeping tonight and it isn't even in my house. Get them to stop using it immediately and fix the problems before starting another fire. These aren't "gray area" issues, they are blatant disregard for safety issues.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I say shut that unit down, NOW!

It ain't even close to being safe the way it is!

DON'T BURN IT ANYMORE is the advice you get from me

 

[elmoleaf]

Before burning anything....
1. Verify what's happening inside chimney. Unlined chimney could burn the house down.
2. Verify and correct all clearances to combustible materials that might start a house fire....ie. thimble setup, wood mantle, stove clearances, failure of aluminum tape, etc.
3. Assume the hearth & wall protection is built wrong/hazardous until proven otherwise. Remove & discard the wood mantle and verify what's behind the wall protector. Do selective demolition to get a look under the hearth to see if that's built correctly.

 

[begreen]

That is just plain scary. I am going to have problems sleeping tonight and it isn't even in my house. Get them to stop using it immediately and fix the problems before starting another fire. These aren't "gray area" issues, they are blatant disregard for safety issues.

Metal, did you just go through a name change? Wassup?

 

[woodjack]

If you love your father, which I know you do, I'd go over there with my 8 lb. maul and put a kabash on that set up. Second choice would be to wallpaper his living room with smoke detectors.

Why take such risk? Oil is insanely expensive but it's much less valuable than life.

 

[cmonSTART]

Yikes! I thought I had a lot of horizontal (<3 feet to the thimble). THAT is scary!