Stovepipe configuration

You have a lot of questions that nobody could answer from one picture, we would all be taking guesses. When dealing with my home and especially with a controlled burn inside my home, I don't like to guess. I want to be safe.

You mentioned the sub-flooring. There is already a lot of weight there. Valid concern. Was the brick work done by the original builder or a later addition? Is the enclosure one layer of brick? Clearances & r-factor of the brick is another concern. What type flue & chase were installed, are they compatible with what you plan to install ? I have been playing with stoves for a long time, since the days of "slammer installs". I have walked into homes where people just wanted to update the fireplace/stove that the previous owners had installed. Some of the things I have found surprised me that the homes were still there and the family hadn't been gassed (CO) out.

Knowledge is you friend. If you see a stove you like, study it. Read the manual. If there are terms in the manual you don't understand, either ask here or google them. We can guide as to what to look for and how to get up to code but, without boots on the ground, we cannot tell you exactly what you need. Be comfortable in your knowledge before you start.

If you don't have the time then hire somebody that already has the necessary knowledge.

KaptJaq

 

I appreciate all the suggestions here so far! I'd probably go with the pavers under the legs, except that my wife nixed that plan. After lots more research and conversations, I think that leaves me with two options:

• Stick a hearth pad under the Absolute Steel High Style, which would raise it up to just the right height for a rear exit with about 12" of straight horizontal stove pipe
  • Advantages:
    • No elbow in stove pipe before flue
    • Don't have to bend over as much to load firebox
  • Disadvantges:
    • Added expense and hassle of a hearth pad, which won't match and probably won't be as durable or attractive as the existing hearth it will partially cover
    • Smaller firebox, burn time, heat output than the Ideal Steel
    • Will probably scrape my knuckles or burn myself every time I try to operate the damper on the rear of the stove
• Go with an Ideal Steel, top venting directly into a 90 degree elbow, then 12" horizontal
  • Advantages:
    • No hearth pad required
    • Larger firebox, heat output, sized to heat my 2200 sq ft house
    • Front load approach is a little more accessible where my hearth is located
  • Disadvantages:
    • Potential for draft problems with an elbow right out the top vent
    • Bending over to load wood into front door

FWIW, I never noticed any draft problems with my existing VC Resolute Acclaim, which is a bit smaller but still only has a 12" vertical section before a 90 degree elbow directly into the wall.

Any thoughts on either of these options? Is a 90 degree elbow right out of a top vent a lot worse than just rear venting, or does the rear vent effectively just move the bend even lower, inside the stove? And have there been any improvements from the Ideal Steel to the Absolute Steel that would weigh in favor of the latter?

Thanks!

 

I would gather some information by reading the manuals. Once you are comfortable with what is in the manuals then call the team at Woodstock. They are known to be very helpful and would give the best answers.

Personally, I don't like a 90 right out of the top of the stove going to a horizontal run, Then you have another 90 a foot away when you get into the chimney. If I had the space I would put 2 45s and give the exhaust gasses some time to accelerate before they hit hard restrictions. This is especially critical when lighting the stove. Once everything warms up it is easier to maintain a good draft. Depending on your situation and natural draft it may work well for you. There are many factors you need to consider including flue length, roof pitch, nearby external obstructions (trees, etc), and prevailing wind.

KaptJaq

 

Do you have room to do two 45's instead of one 90?

 

sorry KaptJaq didnt see your post before i posted, Couldnt agree more with 2 90's

 

No, 2 x 45s would go too high, and probably too far horizontally too.

 

No problem, isn't the saying "great minds..."

KaptJaq

 

I think the tall AS would look perfect there and would make any compromise within reason to make it fit.

 

Would you be able to add a section to the top of your chimney to improve draft if you have issues with the two 90s? Better to get too much stove than not enough, in my opinion. If that means working on improving draft (if necessary) I think that's the way we would go.

 

Go big or go home, eh Papi?

I'm not sure what would be involved in extending the chimney. There's a cap that would need to be cut through or replaced at least. It probably can be extended, but at some expense that I'd rather not incur if I can avoid it and still get the heat I need.

 

I missed it, did you say how much vertical pipe you've got? I have two 45's feeding into a 90 right out of my ideal steel, with 18" of horizontal between the 90 and the tee into the vertical pipe. I never have problems with too little draft. Usually I close the damper a bit when it gets proper cold outside. But I've got 30' of insulated vertical pipe after that final tee. . . .

 

I think the chimney is about 18-20' tall, if that's what you mean. I'd be looking to put a 90 degree elbow right off the top of the IS, and feeding into at most a 12' horizontal section.

But I ended up pulling the trigger on an Absolute Steel High Style. After recalculating all the distances and messing around with an adjustable 90-degree elbow, I think I can skip the hearth pad and connect the elbow, adjusted more like a flattened S-shape, directly between the AS rear vent flue exit and the thimble on my wall.

The only question now is whether the slightly wider female end on a higher quality 22 gauge elbow will fit in the thimble like the cheapo elbow's straight (un-flared) female end does.

 

I meant the vertical distance between the final tee off the thimble and the cap on top of the chimney. 18' should work very well for normal setups, it might not be enough for a loop de loo like I've got.
It sounds like you've got a great solution there, if the adjustable 90 fits, it should work well.

 

Search "(your brand of pipe) offset chart" and see if an elbow configuration would work?

 

That is a great company for pipe and very knowledgeable about applications. When we installed our stove, we got the whole pipe system from them. When I realized I needed an offset, the guy quickly calculated the length on pipes I needed and 45's.

 

You want the thimble INSIDE the pipe going to the stove, not the other way around, or you’ll have creosote running down the outside of the elbow onto your new stove.
You’re not eliminating a hearth pad, are you? Is it on a fireproof surface? Just curious.

 

I'm not sure how that would work. Here's a picture of my thimble. No way that's going to fit inside any 6" pipe.


My existing stove pipe ends in a 90 degree elbow, with its straight female end inserted into this thimble. I haven't had any problems with creosote dripping down the outside of that pipe.

As for the hearth pad, I've already got a non-combustible hearth. I was only going to use the pad if I needed to raise the stove a couple inches higher for a straight run between its vent and the thimble.

 

As long as the end of the pipe is inside the collar all the way you won’t have a problem. I thought you had a thimble coming out, and it’s common for people to install the pipe upside down.

 

I think I may be confusing the terminology on this part. I wasn't sure if what's pictured there is the thimble or collar or something else.

Whatever it's called, right now the straight (un-flared) female end of a 24 gauge elbow fits snugly into that opening. I'd like to upgrade to 22 gauge pipe, per Woodstock's recommendation, but I understand that most of the 22 gauge products have a wider flared female end to fit a smaller un-crimped male end. Do you think this wider female end will still fit into my thimble collar, and if not, would a male-to-male adapter be the solution to mate those connections?

 

It's hard to tell from your picture but I thought most Class A chimney pipe required an adaptor to transition to stove pipe. Maybe that's only for double wall stove pipe? It's all I've ever used.