Arrgh. Clearance issues with the new stove.

Tonight, a buddy and I disconnected the old smoke generator and brought my new super duper, high efficency, low smoke, keep the neighbors happy, 30NC Timber Ridge / Englands Stove Works downstairs. Unfortunately, its 3" shorter than old smokey. This is creating a headache. In my basement, theres exactly ONE place that I could put a chimney in. The flue pipe had to come out of the wall 12", make a 45 degree turn downward into a telescoping pipe, go down that, and make another 45 degree turn down, and go to the 12" pipe that connects right to the top of the stove. I need 6" of clearance all the way around it to pass the WETT (call it an insurance) inspection. When I put it all in, the wall had 6 1/2" clearance below the telescoping pipe thats between the 45s, and theres a small board 7" above it that the drop ceiling attaches to.

Yep...it was a skin of your teeth kind of pass, but it did pass. Now the new stove is 3" shorter. I can't change the angle of that pipe or it'll be too close to a combustable surface. They dont make a 15" stove connection pipe. The only way I can make this work is to extend the telescoping pipe out, and move the stove further from the wall.

By the time we got everything tweaked, the dammed stove was 3 feet from the wall, looked incredibly stupid, and it was past where I met regs on the tiled floor. Hey......guess whos hacking out a piece of his drop ceiling and doing a few other bulkhead modifications to comply with regulations. damm...nothing is ever simple. Oh well...it is what it is, and Im not messing around with the insurance company or anything that isnt safe. Tomorrow night is hammer and saw night I guess. Sometimes, I swear that dammed Murphy guy lives at my house full time.

 

Why don't you just raise the stove up 3 inches? Bricks under the legs as a temp fix until you can raise the hearth three inches overall. Seems like an obvious easy fix but of course we need some pictures. Good luck.

 

Sure hope he reads this before he starts cutting and gutting!

Agree with the pics request. Can't imagine the old stove passing clearance specs but not the new one....must have been smaller maybe?

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I thought of raising the stove up, but I dont know what the regs are on that. One way or the other, I've decided to just move the board on the ceiling. Its a nights worth if work and it'll allow me to use a telescoping double wall pipe on the top....that in turn will allow me to put the stove as close (within clearance specs) or as far from the wall as I like. I also dont know what the inspector will say when they cant read the specs on the existing pipe. Those stickers are long gone. Yes, they do see the pipe Im using all the time, but it will depend on the inspector. If they want to make an issue of it, they can. It clearly states in the regs that they must be able to read it. Lets face it. They do the inspections, hoping to find/generate work for themselves....at least thats how it goes in this neck of the woods. I may just say to heck with it.....move the board/bit of ceiling tile, and then call them in and let them stick on the new flue. Havent decided yet.

 

Are are you using the adjustable elbows?

 

Agree, raise the stove.

 

If you can raise the stove without touching the stovepipe, why would they have a reason to inspect anything other than the stove? Stove pipe installation previously passed inspection and hasn't been altered... Just look at the stove and the connection to the existing pipe.. Might be worth it to get the inspectors out first and let them solve the problem of the 3" shorter stove.... Do what they say and if you then fail the inspection, the failure is on them...

 

I dont know if you can raise a stove or not. Why can you not put a wood stove in the middle of a 40x40 unfinished concrete floor.....but slap some tile and grout on it, and its all good. Some rules were made just to make rules.

 

Look at the manual and show it to them as well. It very clearly states what to do.......whether the AHJ goes along with it may be another story.
As long as you keep stove pipe 18" from the ceiling and follow all other instructions, you're good.
No reason you can't raise the stove, other than the above (or AHJ is being pizzy).
From the manual.....
Installation on a Concrete Floor:
An appliance mounted on a concrete floor does not require floor protection.

Also from the manual.....
2. Wall Protection
Please see Illustration 1 for clearances to walls. In some areas local codes may require thirty-
six inches (36”) from a combustible; therefore it is
very important that you check with local officials.
If you need to place your unit closer to a
combustible wall, some protection will be necessary. If an
approved wall board is used this will reduce your clearance by two thirds (2/3); however, a one
inch (1”) air space has to be between the board and the wall. If you have a ceiling flue hook-up,
you will need protection from the floor to the ceiling if you do not meet the normal clearances. If
you have a wall flue hook up, you will need wall protection at least twelve inches (12”) above the
wall thimble.

 

Remember....Im in Canadastan comrad. If one stupid rule is good, adding some stupid must make it better. I was flat out told by 2 different wett inspectors that you cant use a bare concrete floor as your non combustable surface. What they're trying to do is force you to buy their $300 (in 2009) fireproof mat to put under it if you didnt tile the floor. I know its nothing short of extortion under the guise of safety, but thats what you get when you leave liberals in power too long.

You flat out can not use single wall pipe for new installations in a dwelling. The flue must be double wall vented stuff. I need 6" of clearance all around it. You flat out can not use heat shields of any kind against a wall to decrease whatever the minimum distance the manufacturer states. I dont want to say using fireboard as a wall covering in place of drywall doesnt help...I dont know 100%. I do know that if your wall is drywall or any other combustable material and you put 14" thick fireproof board/heat shield/whatever, between the stove and the wall and put the stove against it...and the mfg called for 15" of clearance....fail. They are absolutely pigheaded about it. Shielding is good, but it wont help you up here in the great white north. Our safety crap here is out of control both at home, and at work. We have given them absolute control and given them the power to punish us at their whim if we dont 100% comply with every new piece of ÷$/=# regulation that falls out of their damaged brains.

 

Honestly, with all the BS involved, I wouldn't have told anyone about the new install. The home owners insurance already knows you have a wood stove anyway, no?

 

So are you trying it with the adjustable elbows?

 

This exactly how I would handle this. I am big on safety but not so big on folks in my business if I can help it.

 

I keep thinking that, but they have all the information on file from when I installed the first one. Make, model, serial number, install distances from the inspectors report, pictues of the install, a drawing of the install including the flue and chimney, and a copy of the owners manual. You have to send it all in before they agree to your coverage. Basically, they dont want people to have wood stoves. The thing is, a lot of people have them so they have to offer coverage. If anyone wants to do a new install though, they want to make it such a pain to do that people will just say to hell with it. Its no different than what the liberals keep trying with regard to gun control.

Anyway....Lets say something did happen and the fire inspector blamed the stove. It doesnt matter if it was the stove....if its there and it was lit, you know dammed well theyre going to blame it for any fire that starts. My house is almost paid for. The equity I have in this place is 75% of my lifes savings. Im at the point in my life where I dont need a lengthy court battle, fighting for an insurance claim, with some fire inspector backing up the insurance company. Nope...for a few hundred bucks, Ill suck it up and pay the piper.

 

Hmmmm....move to the USA?
Maybe they'll be happy you're installing a newer efficient stove and just rubber stamp the install.
What about moving the telescoping piece (or getting a 2nd one) past the 2nd 45 elbow to make up the 3" distance. Yes, no?

 

What brand stove pipe do you have?
Would this work?
DSP 6"x12"-18" Telescoping Stovepipe

 

So, heres whats happening. Ive got a buddy who does furnaces and duct work. We're going to shorten up the main house plenum by a foot....which will give me the room to move the one board back by a foot....which will give me the clearance to make my pipe come straight out from the wall, to a 90, and straight down to the stove. By making it come straight out, I get the clearance to FINALLY, put some drywall around the window frame and finish it nicely. We took out a window to put the chimney in BTW. Ive already arranged to have a stove guy come over, wack in some new flue pipe. The quote he gave me was the same price as 2 pieces of telescoping double wall pipe at my local hardware store....Add on a 90 degree elbow, a coupler, screws, the gas and my time to go get it and do the job....forget it. Its a no brainer. He's also WETT (inspector) certified...going to write me a certification for the entire thing when its all in.....bam....DONE. Im happy, insurance is happy, wife is happy that Im finally going to start fixing up the basement (or "the dungeon" as she refers to it.) Its some work and a bit of cash layout, but in the end, everybody is happy, and I can sleep soundly knowing that if I burn the place down, Im still insured. Lol.

 

Gotta love it when a plan comes together.

 

Now we just need some photos