Newbie here, I have a house built in the 1920s (Cleveland area) but apparently the fireplace (firebox & flue) is too small for a wood burner .. evidently, these were built for small gas inserts and I was told by multiple chimney sweeps to not burn wood. So, bummed about the original fireplace but wondering if I can possibly do a wood stove in the basement without a crazy amount of modifications? Is it possible to have a regular/mini stove and use the chimney/flex liner as exhaust? You can clearly tell I don’t know much at all but my hope was to get a wood stove in the basement. Thanks in advance to everyone for your help, really enjoying the site.
We need pictures and measurements of your setup but most modern stoves require a 6” flue if that will fit inside existing fireplace flue, I suspect it could be made to work. Unless I’m mistaken pellet stoves use a smaller diameter flue would this be an option for you?
Welcome to FHC BB! So you were wanting a stove on the main floor? Is your basement finished? Heating with a stove from an unfinished basement can work, but is a bit of an uphill battle sometimes...depends on the house. You could always install a new class A SS chimney...
Hello and welcome. You want to have a wood stove in the basement, with its stack pipe tied into your existing fireplace flue? There might be local building codes that would be against that. You'd want to check on that before filly commiting to it. I hope it works out for the best!
Post some pictures of the fireplace opening with dimensions. Lots of folks with ideas here. Welcome to FHC.
Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts! Picture of the firebox and damper in my living room. Firebox and flue size are both tiny. Firebox depth is 12", height 26" and width 26". Like i said, I've had a lot of folks tell me on other forums it was not uncommon to have gas inserts back in the 1920s and not a wood burner - i was surprised to learn gas was available back then. Chimney sweeps have also said not a wood burner. So, not sure if there's really anything i can do to get a wood burner w/o a lot of demo and rebuild? Wife said "no" to wood insert if that's even an option - she doesn't like the look. My basement is unfinished and sounds like this would be problematic. I should point out, this won't be primary heat source and is mainly for the fun of it/coziness. I have a decent amount of open space in the basement - so I was thinking perhaps down there would work - but then the venting sounds like an issue. Currently have the hot water and furnace venting into the chimney in the basement.
You will need to know the size of the flue from the firebox up to daylight. Most stoves need a 6" flue to vent. If large enough, consider an insulation wrap for a liner if the integrity of the chimney is in question. As far as combustibles, is any of the trim around the fireplace wood? If so, heat shield may be needed. The paint on the brick and surround may be an issue as far as flaking, softening with heat. You would most likely need a hearth pad under the stove that would extend, depending on code 18" in front of the loading door, and possibly a few inches wider than a stove. As far as stoves, the 2020 EPA regulations took a lot of stoves off the market. Jotul still makes the 602, which is a little long and would stick out into the room. If you could find a used Jotul F 100 or F 3, they are smaller stoves that can be rear vented and a flex liner run straight up from the tee. The flue size that you have now is probably going to be the biggest determining factor of what can be done.
Thanks fishingpol. I looked back at an old chimney sweep report I had and looks like it is 8"x8" flue. Some good things to consider here - much appreciated everyone!
If you just want it for the cosiness of having a fire you might want to look at some of the mini stoves. They have glass fronts so you can view the fire. You would still need to address the chimney if it is not ready for a wood burner. Here is a link to tinywoodstoves Small Wood Stoves for Tiny Spaces - Tiny Wood Stove
Don't waste your time on a mini stove, cosy cozy or not. If you did, you would soon wish you hadn't. Processing firewood lengths can be a PITA and the burn time is nowhere near what you can hope for. These tiny stoves may work great but are for a specific purpose. There is a reason why everyone has larger stoves. Of course gas was available back in the 20's....and even long before that! Remember, before electricity ..... gas was used not only for cooking but also for lighting! 8 X 8 would be typical sized flue. But..... hopefully it has a clay liner for the entire length? It was common for the clay liner to only be placed in the last (upper) few feet back in the day. Maybe this is why the sweeps cautioned against using the flue? You could always have a chimney liner installed. Welcome aboard
