Lopi Liberty Basement Install

Background: we have an 1100sq ft cape-style house with a Spokane upstairs that does great. Our basement gets chilly, so we had to fix that.
We started by ripping off the blanket wall insulation and doing a lot of math to figure hearth size. Full disclosure: it's my second hearth job but first full install-

We made a mock-up of our stove since it was in the shop getting prettied up (see later in thread)

We used treated wood for everything except hearth pad base-- to give a good "lift" we went with 2x8s.

 

We predetermined the hole location in accordance with clearances of a corner install. I didnt feel a true fire wall was necessary so we just spaced the whole wall away from the blocks and went with it.
We also hung the mantle supports (pipe with 4 screw bracket, plus 3 kindorf brackets) prior to stone.
Not pictured-- the base got a layer of thinset, then cement board, then more thinset, then tile. R-factor wasnt an issue with the liberty (ember protection only)

 

I borrowed a rotary hammer drill and grabbed a new 12"bit to blow that hole. Be sure to go big (8"+). I then had a buddy fab up a stainless sleeve for the class A.

I core-poured the block wall with concrete then mortared around the sleeve. To ensure a pitch, I placed a piece of stove gasket under the class A.

Gasket not in place here, just a test fit.

 

My install presented many obstacles. As you see above, my chimney then had to travel through a custom underdecking system (see: barn tin under a deck), then go through a deck, then a soffit, then the roof lol.

 

Back to inside:
The chimney (metalbestos ssII found on craigslist) travels through the sleeve and extends into the wall. Since my wall is made from 2x4s, ya gotta treat it like a normal wall (kinda). My solution was a thimble that keeps clearances and looks nice. I pre-framed it.

 

Stone time! We went with Golden Honey ledgerstone from HD. The local shops just didnt have the selection. No lathe needed with this stuff, just a high quality mortar and some patience.

Tape the seams, protect that tile! A tile saw is nice here...those panels are 24" long but are pretty easy to deal with.

 

The stone manufacturer recommends only doing 3ft vertical at a time. We pushed that a bit but had shims from the base to eliminate sagging.

Day 2 done... The cleats were installed temporarily so we can leave space behind the mantle.

I lubed up the cleats with vasoline so they were easy to pull out the next night.

 

The inner chimney connector (black pipe) is double wall model DSP. It connects at the thimble to an adaptor. We used a finishing band at this spot for a smooth transition and support.

 

The stove:
We grabbed this a couple of years ago on craigslist for $400. It had a blower and was in decent shape.
Like many Lopi's of that age (2002) the back baffle had a couple small cracks. After a trip to my welder buddy she was all tight. I also had him fabricate a new baffle support (saved $60 there).
I sanded the stove with sandpaper and scotchbrite, then blew off with compressed air, then wiped down with denatured alcohol and clean rags.
4 cans of metallic black Stove Brite later and I was happy.
I have no before pics, but she was a little rusty crusty and needed some TLC.

 

The mantle is an old barn beam that I got in a load of barn wood years ago. It's oak... The others in the load were hemlock and pine.

 

Problems peculiar to this build:
1. The chimney is 28ft tall. I wanted some standoff to clear the deck supports so I had my buddy weld brackets to attach to the support kit. After some grinder time, some primer, and decent paint, it looked factory.
2. To pass through the tin, I grabbed a silicone boot like this one:

A few tubs of loctite RTV helped, too.
3. The barn beams are mitered in the corner. Yeah, that was fun.

 

I dont have pics of my deck thimble... Custom made by grinding a wall thimble down to accept the 8" class A. Ill grab a pic of that and the support area tomorrow.

 

Roof support- my craigslist finds yielded one toasted roof support kit along with a few random Selkirk parts. I bought another new kit and used that first.
Since my chimney extends so high, I needed another kit. So... I made telescoping roof supports out of 1/2 and 3/4 metal conduit that I primed and painted with "steel in a can" that I had laying around.
Pics tomorrow...

 

Nice work there Buck!
I see you are in Penn Yan...been there before...went there to pick up my Yukon furnace a few years back...pretty area!

 

I know you have been sitting on that stove for a while, cool you finally got that bugger installed, and she's makin heat
You did a really nice job on the install too Great build thread
Of course you already know the company makes good heaters

 

Yep. We love it here. I'm originally from outside Rochester, then went to school at St. Bonaventure... Penn Yan ranks pretty high in terms of beauty and recreation opportunities.

 

Haha! You know it, buddy! Yeah we got the stove a while ago but just didnt have the time to get this goin. I'm really liking this thing... The secondaries are similar to our 1750 (gorgeous and long lasting). The bypass damper on the Liberty is a neat feature.

 

We're thinking about it, yep. Thanks for the praise!!