WTF chimney fire? Am I being sold a bill of goods???

[Possumguts]

Had a Lopi Leyden stove installed in front of my old existing fireplace. It is vented to the rear of the stove with a pipe to a "T" connection where it connects to a stainless steel 8 inch chimney liner up thru the existing masonry fireplace chimney. Our first fire was Xmas day and we've been burning pretty much 24/7 since. It was installed by a professional whose company is well established & respected. My question is this: Where the horizontal pipe that vents to the rear of the stove and connects to the "T", there is a gap of about 1/8 inch, and you can see inside the pipe. I questioned the installer about this and he said that it was common, and that that is the way it is designed and manufactured, and there is usually not a real tight fit/seal. I had a fire inspector look and he said that he had never seen it before but didn't feel it would be a safety hazard. I called Travis Industries (maker of the stove) and they stated that they felt that the entire system should be closed, but they only manufactured the stove, not the liner. Anyway, today I loaded it up about 3/4 way with pallet wood and when she got hot (about 650 degrees) I could hear the rushing of air and see thru this gap that there was a fire inside the pipes at the "T" connection. (This "T" is only about 12 inches to the rear of the stove). The gap seemed to increase to about 3/8 inch (perhaps from hear expansion) and the "T" connection started to glow red. Shutting off the air and damper did not seem to help right away because the air was getting to the fire thru the gap. With the damper closed I could see glowing inside the pipe thru this gap at the "T" connection.
Did I just overfire the stove? The installer was out last week replacing my chimney cap and he said that as far as creosote goes it looked good with no buildup at the top of the chimney. Is this cause for concern or does a small amount of creosote build up during the slow overnight burns and then burn off next time a hotter fire is burning? Did I over fire the stove with the pallet wood?? Inquiring minds want to know and any comments would be appreciated.

 

[Todd]

Pallet wood can burn hot and fast. Most say when it glows red it's overfiring, but it sounds like you caught it before it got out of hand. 650 stove temp doesn't sound too hot, your probably fine, just don't overdue the pallet wood, mix it with cord wood.

As far as the gap, I would fill it with stove cement, or demand the deler fix it, it could effect your draft or cause back puff smoke.

 

[BrotherBart]

Creosote builds up right past a gap like that because it lets cold air into the pipe after the exhaust has left the flue collar and cools the exhaust. What you had was that accumulation lighting off. When I installed this last liner I had a leak smaller than that. When I pulled the baffle and looked up the pipe I could see the shiny buildup emanating from the point of the leak upward.

Plug that hole with furnace cement.

 

[madrone]

I agree, seal it. Air going in the pipe anywhere isn't good.
As for the source of the flames in the pipe, I have a T outside where the pipe exits the wall, and although I don't generate much creosote, it tends to fall down and accumulate on top of the cleanout lid. You may have burned up something like that.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Creosote builds up right past a gap like that because it lets cold air into the pipe after the exhaust has left the flue collar and cools the exhaust. What you had was that accumulation lighting off. When I installed this last liner I had a leak smaller than that. When I pulled the baffle and looked up the pipe I could see the shiny buildup emanating from the point of the leak upward.

Plug that hole with furnace cement.

Yes. That would be furnace cement, NOT high temperature silicone. Don't ask me how I know... :red:

 

[OldDedHed]

New on this forum but was 20 years in fire service. Not going to argue with an inspector that was there looking at it but I never saw a smoke pipe that was supposed to have a gap in it. If it was my house, I'd get the installer to put it in right before the fire decides to come out of the pipe and visit you. No use patching a brand new installation you paid good money for.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Sounds like the pipe was overcrimped, so it's too small for the hole.

"Aint right", whatever the reason...

Had a Lopi Leyden stove installed in front of my old existing fireplace. It is vented to the rear of the stove with a pipe to a "T" connection where it connects to a stainless steel 8 inch chimney liner up thru the existing masonry fireplace chimney. Our first fire was Xmas day and we've been burning pretty much 24/7 since. It was installed by a professional whose company is well established & respected. My question is this: Where the horizontal pipe that vents to the rear of the stove and connects to the "T", there is a gap of about 1/8 inch, and you can see inside the pipe. I questioned the installer about this and he said that it was common, and that that is the way it is designed and manufactured, and there is usually not a real tight fit/seal. I had a fire inspector look and he said that he had never seen it before but didn't feel it would be a safety hazard. I called Travis Industries (maker of the stove) and they stated that they felt that the entire system should be closed, but they only manufactured the stove, not the liner. Anyway, today I loaded it up about 3/4 way with pallet wood and when she got hot (about 650 degrees) I could hear the rushing of air and see thru this gap that there was a fire inside the pipes at the "T" connection. (This "T" is only about 12 inches to the rear of the stove). The gap seemed to increase to about 3/8 inch (perhaps from hear expansion) and the "T" connection started to glow red. Shutting off the air and damper did not seem to help right away because the air was getting to the fire thru the gap. With the damper closed I could see glowing inside the pipe thru this gap at the "T" connection.
Did I just overfire the stove? The installer was out last week replacing my chimney cap and he said that as far as creosote goes it looked good with no buildup at the top of the chimney. Is this cause for concern or does a small amount of creosote build up during the slow overnight burns and then burn off next time a hotter fire is burning? Did I over fire the stove with the pallet wood?? Inquiring minds want to know and any comments would be appreciated.