Why is my chimney installed like this?

[Daniel9913]

I am a wood stove newbie.

We just bought a house in December, this is a chimney attached to a wood stove. Why is that piece installed in the middle? Why is it turning black above up and not below it? We've burned maybe 30-40 fires so far. I had it inspected but I wasn't home when it happened and they said it was fine. But it doesn't look fine?

 

[begreen]

It's an incorrect install. The storm collar (the cone turned black from soot) should be down, covering the flashing and those slots. Also, the chimney height looks like it may be too short.

The inspector likely didn't know squat about woodstoves. What stove is this connected to?

 

[begreen]

The chimney height must conform to the 10-3-2 rule. Check it.



Note how the storm collar covers the flashing.


Also, the storm collar shown is slathered with roofing tar. That will need to be completely cleaned off or the storm collar replaced. Roofing tar should not be used there. Instead, the storm collar gets a generous bead of silicone II adhesive caulk around the rim to seal it against the chimney pipe.

 

[Daniel9913]

It's an incorrect install. The storm collar (the cone turned black from soot) should be down, covering the flashing and those slots. Also, the chimney height looks like it may be too short.

The inspector likely didn't know squat about woodstoves. What stove is this connected to?

It's an old school inefficient stove

 

[begreen]

The inspector really failed here. The install is not up to code. The stove is unlisted which means that it needs 36" clearance in all directions. That is to the studs in the wall and window/door trims. The marbled tile does not count for a clearance reductions. If the floor is wood under the tile then the hearth protection is also dubious.

Has the insurance company seen this?

 

[Daniel9913]

The inspector really failed here. The install is not up to code. The stove is unlisted which means that it needs 36" clearance in all directions. That is to the studs in the wall and window/door trims. The marbled tile does not count for a clearance reductions. If the floor is wood under the tile then the hearth protection is also dubious.

Has the insurance company seen this?

No... insurance company has not. All looks like a bad DIY job. Would you say there's any hope of using this without a full new stove installation?

 

[bigealta]

Looks like some rust up by the top of the interior pipe. Would bet there is some leaking going on there.

 

[Eman85]

It's obviously been used so it is useable. The question is will it function well and is it safe, probably not.

 

[begreen]

Looks like some rust up by the top of the interior pipe. Would bet there is some leaking going on there.

The reason for the rusting is obvious. The top of the flashing is not protected. Selkirk flashing in particular needs good storm collar protection due to the slots.

The basic setup may be safe with a different stove that meets clearance requirements. We can't see enough of the chimney install to know if it is all ok. This will need some trained eyes to make sure all is proper and to check the chimney height in relation to the roof.

 

[coreboy83]

I wouldn't burn that. With all the problems already, can you be confident that the attic section is fine ?

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't burn that. With all the problems already, can you be confident that the attic section is fine ?

Yes, it's not untypical for a DIY to skip the attic insulation shield and then to find debris in the top of the ceiling support box. Or to have the chimney pipe touching wood as it goes through the roof due to a slight miscalculation of the hole size. Clearances must be maintained all the way up.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

The picture is not very clear, but that looks a bit like one of those trussed vaulted ceilings where the inside is at a different angle than the roof. If so. there would be maybe a foot or so of attic space toward the edge where the flue is. Does anybody else suspect that it's possible that somebody replaced the single wall with too long of a section and pushed the Class A up? In that case there might be single wall extending into the attic of this house. I'm not a chimney guy or a builder, so I'm asking.

Not that this doesn't have a lot of problems, but that one would concern me the most. A flaming roof would probably be the first sign.

 

[30WCF]

The picture is not very clear, but that looks a bit like one of those trussed vaulted ceilings where the inside is at a different angle than the roof. If so. there would be maybe a foot or so of attic space toward the edge where the flue is. Does anybody else suspect that it's possible that somebody replaced the single wall with too long of a section and pushed the Class A up? In that case there might be single wall extending into the attic of this house. I'm not a chimney guy or a builder, so I'm asking.

Not that this doesn't have a lot of problems, but that one would concern me the most. A flaming roof would probably be the first sign.

I’m m not sure class A and SW pipe can mate up without the ceiling box to adapt them. At least not with mine.

 

[BigJ273]

What part of Delaware are you in? I can private message u a great chimney company I’ve used for years to come inspect it.