# wood stove and chimney



## tooltime (Dec 5, 2013)

I have a fireplace and am thinking about a woodstove. I talked to a company that installs them and he said they do not use the fp chimney for a wood stove. Do you know if all companys are like this? Is it safe to use the fp chimney? thanks


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

if the chimney is good and clean i have seen a stove pipe ran right through a chimney and worked just fine for a fire place insert, would work just fine for a wood stove too! Here is a good link from 'backwoods home' in regard to that, i just googled "stove pipe ran through a chimney" and that was one of the results.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/vb/archive/index.php/t-30591.html


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

you would want some kind of liner like mentioned in the above post , because the temps never get very high in a fireplace chimney because of the huge amount of excess air. they are also talking about multi layer chimney pipe in the link,


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

There are definitely safe ways and companies that will use an existing chimney, typically they/you will use a liner, either rigid or flexible. This is for safety and to get a proper draft.

Many sites that sell them have info for diy, this one has a video, the other has a "learning center" with a bit of info. Not a recommendation, just fyi.
http://www.rockfordchimneysupply.com/
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Chimney/Chimney-Liners?gclid=CL3s0pOerLsCFe01QgodhxUAVw


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Depending on your fireplace and the wood stove you might do better with a fireplace insert but the concept is the same. I would use a rigid flue liner of the size designated by the stove manufacturer. Too small of a flue and you won't get the proper draft. Too large a flue and the added transit time of the exhaust gasses will let them cool causing creosote to build quicker. I suggest stainless steel so you only have to do it once. The flexible flue liners have too many groves that might collect creosote for me to suggest them for a wood appliance.

Where the liner enters the old flue build a dam then go to the top and pour vermiculite into the unused void of the old flue. This will act as an insulation and help keep the exhaust gasses hot. The flue needs to retain the heat so as to minimize the condensation of creosote.


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## tooltime (Dec 5, 2013)

I talked to a guy who builds inserts and wood stoves. Inserts are $1500.00 and wood stove w/blower, wood stove w/o blower $500.00 not sure about install. Other places install is $1200.00(the 1 i mentioned in 1st post),insert $1200-1500.00 wood stove $700.00. I can not aford that. thanks


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Tooltime - I'm not sure I understand what you've listed for pricing but IMHO, a wood stove/insert will more than pay for itself.

I have 2 inserts but 95% of the wintertime, only one is in use as it heats the entire house. With the stove going, my furnace doesn't run at all in temps that are 20 degrees and higher. _It kicks on once in awhile when the temps are colder or in the early morning before I add more wood._

This saves me at least $100 per month in heating costs. I'm in the north so we have at least 6 months of furnace use months so that's about $500-600 per year. A $1500 stove pays itself off in about 3 years.

Also, what kind of chimney do you have? Is it masonry or a double/triple wall stainless? If the latter and its inside diameter pipe matches the specs of the stove, you can direct connect to that without needing a liner.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

My wood stove is a US Stoves (from Tractor Supply) that was too small for an older uninsulated house the original owner bought it for. It was $499 new and I think I paid $250 for it.

I installed my own chimney liner, it's single walled 6" diameter. It's just plain stove pipe, not stainless. The whole install was about $300 for the stove and all the pipe pieces.


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## Fossil (Jan 10, 2013)

I would be looking closely at Craigslist for an insert or wood stove. People grow tired of carrying wood and the mess associated with it in some cases and I see daily listings of some very nice units that are priced so that normal folk can afford them. A liner can be had off the internet for not all that much or do as LincTex mentioned above.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

ZoomZoom said:


> This saves me at least $100 per month in heating costs. A $1500 stove pays itself off in about 3 years.


We save more than $100 a month. Not counting the cost of wood prep, the stove paid for itself in savings in two months.

It costs about $50 (quick W.A. guess) to prep enough wood to last a month.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

LincTex said:


> The whole install was about $300 for the stove and all the pipe pieces.





LincTex said:


> We save more than $100 a month. Not counting the cost of wood prep, the stove paid for itself in savings in two months.


So you're saving about $150 per month?

My $100 was a ballpark estimate. Hard to quantify exactly since we've been burning wood at this house for almost 20 years.

As for keeping bugs out and keeping things _relatively_ clean, my approach is to use Rubbermaid tubs. I fill several (about 8) outside the back door and stack next to the house. When I need wood, I grab one tub and bring it in. That's enough for filling the stove twice (or about 12 hours worth). All the wood debris and any bugs stay in the tub.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

ZoomZoom said:


> So you're saving about $150 per month?


It depends.

I never did a spread sheet on this. On warm days, when it's only a tiny bit chilly (upper 50's F), the stove would be too hot so we only use small ceramic space heaters. On those months it seems the bill gets higher because we aren't using the stove. Sometimes I light it and let the load burn through the night, but it goes out during the day because it would be too hot otherwise.

Once it's into the lower 50's the stove runs always. Down to about 35*F we can heat with the stove only, and the electric bill drops to about $70 - at that point we are saving about $200 a month.

When it's into the low 20's like lately, The stove does its part but it's only at one end of the house. The back rooms still need electric heat to be comfy, so the bill gets over $200. I know with no stove at all, in times like that the electric bill is $400 a month.

If it's really cold out the stove stays really hot and the pother little heaters in the area push the bill up to about $200 or so, so again savings about $200 a month.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

LincTex said:


> When it's into the low 20's like lately, The stove does its part but it's only at one end of the house. The back rooms still need electric heat to be comfy, so the bill gets over $200.


Do you have forced air electric heat? If so, do you run your furnace fan constantly?

We run the furnace fan 24/7/365. _This newer furnace has a low fan speed setting so we leave it on that_. This circulates the air throughout the house to balance the temps and spread the heat from the room the wood stove is in. It also keeps us from having to run a dehumidifier in the basement for the summer.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

My brother has a fireplace with a wood-burning stove on the hearth.
He has been there for 26 years and never a problem. I know he didn't do anything special to his fireplace.

A blower is not installed in my propane insert in the mantle/thingy in the den.
That heater heats half my house that is not closed and most of my home is the open space concept with no doors (den, breakfast room, kitchen, dining room, salon, hallway/foyer)....
I'd say about 1000 sq. ft. and no blower, but a ceiling fan.

Heat naturally travels to the cold areas. We close our bedroom doors during the day, and at night, they are opened; in 60 minutes(opening one bedroom door at a time), our bedrooms are toasty warm.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

You are talking about an INSERT rather than a stand alone stove. One factor you really need to consider is how your chimney is built. I built my house so I put in a full ceramic lined brick chimney all the way through the roof. Most houses today are built using metal chimneys and even when insulated they pose a fire danger. You MUST have the chimney cleaned to remove the tar like build up inside the lining of your chimney. either learn to do it yourself of have a pro do it yearly. 

GB


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

burning your citrus peels will also help to reduce the creosote buildup. I was able to go almost 3 years before I had to clean the pipes. I eat a lot of oranges.... eep:


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## Virginia2Hillbilly (Dec 19, 2013)

Yea I got a hot glass stove it got stamped in Atlanta in1842 on it .Also it is a good heater if you don't mind cuttin wood all day and splitting it to works on the back a little.


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