basement installation: through foundation wall vs. up and through trusses

Advice and wisdom needed! I am about to begin construction on my farm (50 acres with a 12 acre hardwood woodlot) of a modest log home built on 14” trusses over a finished basement. The basement will have a wood stove, sharing a chimney with a fireplace on the main floor directly above.

The foundation contractor was out to look over the site Friday, formerly in the truss business. We were discussing options for underground electrical service entrance, and two options for routing the stovepipe for the basement wood stove. Option 1 was pre-forming a hole in the foundation/basement wall exiting directly behind the stove, below ground level, with the pipe then turning up into the chimney. Option 2, which the contractor much preferred, was to install an elbow behind the stove, run it vertically up into the truss system, then turn it with another elbow, running horizontally through the trusses to then exit just above ground level to enter the chimney. He said the radiant heat coming off the exposed pipe in the basement, and in the truss system under the main floor, would greatly enhance the stove's heating effect. Makes sense, but . . .

35 years ago I suffered a creosote fire in single wall exterior stovepipe that caught wood clapboard siding on fire and destroyed 1/3 of my house. I was in an upstairs bedroom (log home will also have an upstairs bedroom), and if my dog had not jumped on my bed to wake me to see the orange glow outside the window, I'd have died in the fire. So let's just say I'm a bit nervous about running hot stovepipe through a 14” wood truss system!

I figure that in the last 35 years some better, safer products have been developed for heating with wood that I might be able to use if deciding to route through the trusses. So . . . Can it be done? SHOULD it be done? Is it 100 percent safe? If it can be done and safely, what specific products should be used, and how? Thanks much for your expertise and advice!

 

It may not matter to you but is it legal to run two appliances on one flue where you live? I certainly
Think it can be done but is “against code” here in New Hamstser. Why not have a chimney with 2 flues?

 

Add:

I Am also a basement stove guy, some will say that you will loose a ton of heat through the foundation. This is very true. If I was building with the intention of heating from the basement I would insulate the foundation as much as I could afford to.

 

This is what I would do... but I would also use a liner in the flue for the wood stove of the appropriate diameter.



Chimney Corners FAQs

 

And put it in the center of the home. Think thermal mass.

 

Option 2 is a terrible idea...too many bends (poor draft, and lots of places to collect creosote, hard to clean too) and you need at least 18" between any combustible and single-wall pipe. Never rely on the stove pipe to "make heat"...the stove should be making the heat...modern stoves are very efficient and do not waste enough heat up the chimney to try to re-capture it...doing so will make for poor draft and creosote production.
Option 1 is ok...but not optimal.
Option 3 is the one you want...which is class A chimney pipe straight up through the house...best draft, and easy to clean.
Position the stove in the middle of the house and hide the chimney pipe in closets...class A pipe only needs 2" to combustibles.

And while we are at it...are you sure you want to pay for building a fireplace upstairs? They are notoriously inefficient...a nice "fire TV" (stove) on a stone hearth would look just as good and be much more efficient....not to mention cheaper...you can still run the stone up the wall behind the stove to get "the look" if you want...and you can use "fake stone" since it will not be a working chimney...hard to tell anymore if stone is real or not if a quality product is used and its installed properly...save you a ton-o-money!

Do you have a particular stove picked out?
Do you have a wood supply started yet? Best way to prevent creosote is to have a minimum 3 year wood supply CSS (cut/split/stacked) at any given time...that way you always know you are burning truly DRY wood.
Oh, and welcome to FHC!

 

Warner is on to something....think center of home location...whether up stair or in the basement.

With the above, I still prefer masonry, either by a thimble and one elbow (2-45* into thimble) or sort of a masonry alcove with SS liner going through masonry...which can be done straight out of stove and straight up with no elbow...again...optimal draft.

 

A 4th option, which is basically a variation of option 2, is to use doublewall stovepipe...that has a 6" minimum CTC (clearance to combustibles) and yes, as Hoytman said, straight up, 45*, then short run to a 2nd 45* elbow right where it goes through the wall.
Depending on the surrounding elevation of the ground by the chimney area, you might need to place the (class A chimney) tee/cleanout in a large window well so you have easy access to the cleanout cover...having the surrounding grade low enough to avoid this would be even better though.
Best option is always stove in the center of the house and chimney straight up through is always the best option though...especially on a new build still in the design stage...

 

Adding to that...
If going straight up and out through center of home, I like to think brick or stone masonry lined the best you can afford...clay or stainless, or both...offering even more protection.

 

Why use a pricier and inferior product for burning wood? I get putting an insulated liner in an existing masonry chimney for best performance/safety, but when starting from scratch, why not choose the best/easiest/cheapest option (stainless steel class A chimney) and be done with it? Seems like a no brainer to me...

 

Don't you still need stovepipe liner for a chimney anyway? each appliance vented to the chimney needs it own smokestack?
I agree with ditching the fireplace and getting a nice wood stove! much more efficient and you still get to view the fire depending on the wood stove you buy.

 

Yes, each appliance is supposed to have its own flue...you can build a masonry chimney that would work ok for wood and be safe (if done properly) but, an equally sized/placed flue in class A chimney pipe will always outperform its masonry equal...unless maybe its been lined/insulated...but then you have a small fortune wrapped up in it, and for what?

 

I guess you think everyone wants to look at a SS pipe going through their roof. no more than I think people want to look at masonry.
I did clarify what “I” like, but I also never said Class A SS ...ha ha...wasn’t an option.

Remember, some folks build cheaper and opt for vinyl siding and then put in $25,000-$50,000 worth of cabinets in a home, when they could have bricked their house and replaced the cheap cabinets later.

It’s obvious some of you don’t think a high quality and high performing masonry chimney exists. Have at it.

 

Yeah that personally doesn't bother me...but for those who it does, what sticks through the roof can be put in a chase and some of those fake stones I mentioned earlier installed for a traditional masonry look

 

Nothing wrong with that.

 

Yup, common sense is not so common anymore...shortsightedness is though!

Oh they exist...but not common, and the high performance part, for use with a modern firebox, is highly suspect.
Guy on another site bought a new Kuuma wood furnace last year (best of the best for those not familiar) and then spent something like $6-8k having a new masonry chimney put up...furnace would barely even burn (low draft) he was finally was convinced to have his brand new flue broken out so an insulated liner could be installed...all of a sudden the furnace burns properly. He could have saved the better part of $10k until it was all over with if he had just went SS class A chimney up the back side of the house to begin with.
Masonry chimneys are just not the best tool for the job anymore when it comes to modern wood burning appliances.

 

Very good--and varied--info, and I appreciate it much! I should have been clearer in the "shared chimney" description. It is a single wood framed chimney chase, but will be side-by-side double flue. And will be covered with the Norstone Natural Stone panels (as will the exposed foundation). Thanks much!
No, I have not selected my basement stove yet. Yes, I have started cutting and stacking my wood!
I think I'm liking the idea of the Class A stainless pipe.
Stihl 029. Timberjack log lifter. Old school maul and wedges. Massey-Ferguson 250 with loader bucket.

BTW: Smiled and chuckled at the reply that was only a popcorn eating meme! Stuckinthemuck must be able to tell when there's going to be entertaining banter!
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Put an efficient wood stove on the main level. Fireplaces suck heat from the house. Napoleon (NZ3000) makes a wood stove that looks like a fireplace if thats the look you want.

 

Just say NO to heating from a cellar unless you insulate the s___ out of the foundation. Otherwise you're BTUing dirt.
SS double insulated flues are safe ( ~ 2" clearances to combustibles ), much cheaper than masonry , look nice on a roof ( architects love the look ), easy to brush clean, and
are energy efficient. We have two Selkirk thru-the-roof flues about 30' each in place for 20 years. There are other high end SS flue brands.
The install is a DIY job, but fussy. I did both of them when building.
The only problem for me is brushing the flues once a year on my 9 pitch roof......damm aging and lack of climbing time anymore.