Properly venting a small stove

i purchased my dream lake house in north Florida and it has no heat. Currently it is 39 outside and my 110 ac with heat is struggling to keep it at 59 in the house, 750 square feet. I ordered but not yet received a guide gear wood stove which is the perfect size for my cabin. The house was built in 1960 and has a cinderblock chimney that is about 2' square. I looked behind the cover plate on the wall and it looks like 6" pipe of some sort, a clay type pipe, not terra-cotta but felt similar. The centerline is about 48" above the floor. My question is what is the best way to hook my 3" stovepipe into this where it would be safe. I plan to use the stove to just knock off the chill and not as an ongoing heat source. Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

Also, if there are any insulation experts, there is 0 insulation in the walls and under the house, it is on piers. Where should I start insulating for the best bang for my buck. Thanks again.

 

Welcome Toqwik! While I am by no means an expert I'm sure someone will be along before too long that can provide the answers you are seeking. Welcome to the club

 

Thanks Marvin! I checked out a lot of forums and this seems to have the most knowledgeable folks and that's why I joined. I just want a little heat but want to be safe about it. Don't want to spend the season relying on the widow heater and the stove door open.

 

Pictures would help immensely. Take one of your stove room, the connection inside the house and a pic of the chimney from the outside. The stove, if it’s the same one I’m seeing online, is marketed for outdoor use only with proper ventilation. I think if you had an incident with the stove, you’d have a hard time convincing an insurance adjuster to make a payment. The stove pipe is advertised as 5 sections totaling 6.5 feet and 3.375” in diameter. While that may get the exhaust to the chimney, I’d be more comfortable with a piece of pipe going all the way to the top of the chimney. I.e. not trying to tie the new pipe into the existing chimney. That diameter is going to be tough to match as it seems to be nonstandard. Would hate for this installation to cause the loss of your dream lakefront cabin.

As for insulation, start with the ceiling. Move to the north wall and then the other walls then insulate under the floor. A rug on the floor would help reduce cold feet. A few hours with some spray foam and caulk could go a long way toward air sealing the house so you don’t lose the indoor air as quickly once it’s been warmed.

Welcome to the forum and good luck. I’m sure others will be along once the sun comes up...

 

Not sure how things work down south in terms of building insulation. Up north, attic insulation is the most important to keep heat in during the winter and keep heat out in the summer. Lot's of steps for good insulation. Look at as a system for walls, floors, attic. Ventilation for attic/roof, vapor barrier, air sealing. All this can be a little different based on access to attic, cathedral ceiling, floor, walls...

I have an Alaskan foundation with R 10 XPS and it stays around 65 year round, walls have 8-9 inches of spray foam, attic is R 40 and I would like to add a little more. Roof has full soffit vent and ridge vent with metal roof...warming up today and a little bit of sun, 14 inches of snow sliding off.

Check with your local insulating/builder guys and see what they recommend...you may be limited on what you can do to an older place and by your check book.

Keep us posted...and remember...if you don't provide pictures then it didn't happen.

 

This, exactly.

 

The chimney does have a liner in it and it is the same material you see going through the wall. Looks like someone knew what they were doing when they built it, good workmanship. The concrete cap would make dropping pipe for my stove difficult. Could I not go through the wall and seal it well and be ok?

 

So the first thing I see is the top cover on the chimney (that you mentioned). That would lead me to believe that the chimney hasn’t been cleaned or inspected in a while. Perhaps it was part of a home inspection when you bought but I just think it would be difficult to get a set of cleaning rods and brush in there either from the top or the bottom. I’m also not seeing a clean out for the chimney below the inlet. I believe one is required by NFPA or building code, but I could be wrong. So assuming that your chimney is clean and has a clean out, the next issue is the quality of the joints between the clay flue tiles (the chimney liner). While you don’t have the same freeze/thaw cycles that we have in the north country, the joints could be degraded which would allow flue gasses to get through the chimney and into the attic or at least to the wood siding. It would take quite a bit of burning to build up enough creosote for a chimney fire in Florida, but it could happen if maintenance was deferred for a couple years. Also the inlet clay flue is right against the wood siding inside the house.. With infrequent use, you could end up with bird or wasp nests in the chimney clogging things up. You would also need to build a hearth to protect the floor and wall. I’m guessing this stove isn’t UL certified so when it is delivered, check for a certification. Installation instructions should include clearance to combustibles. I personally don’t think I would install that stove in the house. All of the above may not be what you want to hear, but it’s just my humble opinion. Others will come along who may disagree with me...

Nice place by the way.. great location. But I bet the ice fishing is horrible!!!

 

Thanks for the advice. I assume they had a propane heater here at one time. There is a line sticking out near the chimney. There is not a clean out on the chimney and it is about 2" away from the siding. I want something small and just enough to knock the chill out of the house, not something I would load up for the night. What I can see looking through the hole the joints are in good condition. I guess I could go propane but what fun is that? Since no cleanout does that mean I couldn't use it?

 

I would talk to your insurance company about it...

Don’t rule out a wood burning solution. It just might cost you a bit more.

Someone here could very well come along and poke holes in my logic and help you find a solution.. that’s what is great about this place.. lots of knowledge and people willing to offer differing opinions..

 

I would hate to tear this chimney down. Why would they build a chimney without a cleanout? Wonder if I could get a concrete saw and cut one in. With my luck it would fall on me.

 

stuckinthemuck has a lot of good points. Hire a mason to remove the cap and inspect the flue and chimney. A regular metal chimney cap could be installed after. Venting a 3" stove pipe into a 6" flue is not recommended due to poor draft by flue gasses having to expand.

If you look at the cost of having modifications done, installing a hearth pad, wall protection, etc., a propane stove would make more sense to me. It could be run on marginally cool days where you might struggle to get a good draft going.

 

A core drill could put a clean hole in the concrete and chisel out a rectangle for an ash cleanout door. I'd have a mason look into it and make sure it is installed properly.

 

So here is what I have been thinking. Could I have a 3.35" to 4" 90 made and attach it to a piece of double wall 5" with a 4" id to go through the wall. Then seal around the 6" to wall with something fireproof. Will it draw properly with this setup? I'm in North Florida so it's not like it would be burning for hours. Worse case is getting the house from 50 degrees to 70 degrees then shutting it down.

 

Yeah venting into that chimney will be pointless I'm afraid...a small stove will never heat that short masonry chimney up enough to draft in Florida weather...unless you get a major cold snap...and even then the performance will be lackluster. Don't forget, the chimney is the engine that drives the stove...the stove can do nothing without a chimney .

 

So even if I put a full size wood stove, the chimney is pretty much worthless? Would I be better off to knock it down and just run metal pipe? I hate to hang a propane heater on the wall, seems sissy for a cool place. What would you do?