Chimney install? new member

Hello,

I have been lurking on FHC for awhile. I have been burning wood for the past ten years and my parents have been heating with wood for 30+ years. A picture of my current setup is below. The Fuego stove is used in our split foyer and does a great job of keeping our house nice and toasty.

We are in the process of building a new home (2200 square feet with a full walkout basement) on five wooded acres that we recently purchased. I have included a copy of the floor plan below. We will have a wood burning fireplace (6 inch stainless)for ambiance in the great room with another 6 inch stainless running to the basement for a wood stove or an indoor furnace. The pipe running to the basement is boxed in to the left of the fireplace towards the covered back porch.

After an inspection yesterday, I noticed that our builder did not run the chase for the chimneys straight up and out of the roof. It looks like the chase is offset by 4 feet towards the rear of the house. He said that this was done purposely so the chimney wouldn't be so high and that they use 45 degree elbows to offset the chimney. Please see the picture showing the boxed in chase.

Will using the 45 elbows impede draft or cause issues with cleaning? It looks like offsetting has caused the use of more chimney if you ask me.

Any advise on this would be appreciated.

 

Welcome aboard Matthew! Congrats on the new home construction.

I will tell you that around here, it is very common for the vent pipes (stainless, just as what you are using) to have at least one set of 45's in them. Seems uncommon for a pipe to be able to run straight up all the time due to trusses, roof lines, etc.

Even though it seems it may impede the draft or inhibit cleaning, I don't feel it is anything major and you should put your mind at ease. It would be easier if it were all nice and straight with no elbows, but then those opportunities don't always exist.

Talk to the contractor who is installing the stove/fireplace pipe if you are still unsure and ask them the same questions.

 

Thank you for the welcome and response Yooperdave. It does help put my mind at ease. I had it in my mind before the first nail was ever hit that the chimneys would be running straight up and down. When I noticed that they were offset I got rather worried. It seems to me that both chimneys could of been run straight up but maybe I missed something. I will be out at the house tomorrow and will try to take better pictures of what is going on. Thanks again!

 

Not sure, but I think 45s may knock like 2' each off the effective height. Looks like even the upstairs chimney may be pushing 20' from the top of the stove up. If so, it should still draw pretty well.

 

Thank you all for your input. Below are some pictures from the job site that gives everyone a better visual.

The framing for the fireplace is straight ahead. The space for the stainless liner for the basement is to the left of the fireplace. I also took several pictures showing the hole/framing for the chase on the outside.

I didn't see anything that would of stopped them from running everything straight up. I am not trying to be overly particular but this is something that I want right the first time. Please let me know if you see anything that raises a concern.

 

45s shouldn't be a problem per say...but, you are the one paying the bill...and it is easier to change it now than it will ever be...make them explain why the 45s. His current explanation doesn't necessarily make sense, the chimney has to be 2' taller than anything within 10' horizontally

 

Both chimneys will run in the same chase? If so, one will have to have be 45ed but I see no reason for both the be 45ed. The builder's reasoning makes no sense to me. It will add expense and slightly hamper draft and ease of cleaning.

 

fox9988 both chimneys will run in the same chase. The one running to the basement for our main heater could run straight up in the current opening. However, the one to the fireplace would then need to bypass that liner.

I agree that with the current position he had to build the chase taller which will cost more and reduce the draft and alter cleaning.

I wish I would of caught this issue sooner.

 

Remember you are the boss when it comes to building the house, not the contractor. Say, "This is the way I want it"; within code of course, "and that is the way it will be." Easier to fix now and be happy. Just like how I would not be happy seeing the dent in my tee every time I looked at my chimney.

 

Kimberly

I chatted with the contractor yesterday and the offset is being corrected. Just like you said, one of those things that needed to be fixed now to be happy later.

The dent in my current setup came from my first removal to do a thorough cleaning. It's hard to move a stove and hold the pipe by yourself. Lesson learned on that one.

 

Mathew, make sure the clearance to combustibles is still adhered to.

 

^The SootEater^
They get good reviews.

 

Thanks for all of the input!

I just didn't want a complicated system when we had the ability to run everything straight up. I will post some pics as the install progresses. With the big storm headed to the east coast this might be delayed.

Backwoods Savage I may have to run a few ideas your way on heating from the basement. The layout in the basement will be open until time and budget allows. We haven't ruled out using an indoor wood furnace.

 

We are making progress with the install. The chase was moved so that both pipes can run straight up. As you can see this reduced some of the height that we previously had on the chase and eliminated any offsets. I am feeling much better regarding cleaning and draft issues that we would of had with the previous setup.

Thanks for your input that got me to this point!

 

I too would be concerned. I'd ask the contractor for his reasons for sure. If he says that's the way he likes it ... but no other real reason ... if me I'd tell him "I prefer a straight chimney ... pitter patter let's get at 'er." It looks like the height above the roof line would be the same and look just fine. You have to live with it a long time and he's onto the next job.

 

Good deal!
Now, don't fade away, Matt. It would be nice to see the different phases of construction, you know!