Hi, I am wondering about shared flues. I know there is some regulation on it, but besides that what is your experience with this set up. I have an oil burner in the cellar that goes into a lined flue and also has a 6 inch connection in the room above. Is adding a stove here a bad idea? Why would some states regulate this out of existence? Two units producing more output than can be adequately drafted or too much heat? Higher chance for fire? Mixing of exhaust gasses from different fuels? Thanks, Kevin
By code you can not have a fossil fuel and solid fuel device on the same flue. Concerns are fossil fuel malfunction and filling flue with oil or prpane. It's been done for years and newer fossil fuel units have a ton of safety to prevent it from happening, but thats the rules. Insurance companies really frown upon it as well and if you were to have an interior survey you'd likely be looking for new insurance . I do the underwriting inspections for a bunch of companies and it's a huge no-no. PM me if you want more info.
Crazy idea to mix the two. An oil burner has very exacting O2 to fuel mixture. The O2 is delivered via a fan that combines the atomized fuel oil to create a complete (as possible) combustion. The resulting hot gas goes up the flue. During this cold to hot process the draft changes. What regulates that is a draft regulator to keep the combustion air constant. If creosote were to impede or restrict the outgoing gasses the combustion mixture would change and make the efficiency less not to mention a change in CO levels that could become deadly. Let's say there was a slight blockage on top of the chimney and the oil burner kicked in and your woodstove was not being used, some of the gasses would end up back through your wood stove I would assume.
Put a direct vent on your oil burner and use the lined flue for your wood stove. $350-400 Mine looks like this
Direct vent, great idea there as well!! Is that something that can go out the wall akin to how you see some pellet stoves vented? Does that unit have its own fan? There appears to be an electrical connection.
No offense TurboDiesel, but we replaced our power vent with a class A chimney that I put up myself after the second power vent failed in 5 years. The chimney cost less and my electric bill went down $10-$15 a month, not to mention we sleep better without the racket. I had the boiler guys come check the draft anyway adjustments after the change. He told me he would have down the same in his home. Just another viewpoint and experience...
Bad idea, if I am understanding what you are saying....If for some reason your wood stove clogs the chimney your furnace will asphyxiate you and your loved ones....
No offense taken , Maina It's a quick fix for the OP's situation. They do need oiled every year, IIRC. That reminds me... it's been 5 years ... and I haven't oiled it yet... It doesn't run much with the wood stove burning 24/7
Yea Just got back from the woodturners club And had a skillet to ID. And build a fire And gather up tools for work tomorrow And take the dog out...twice And...
I had a direct vent in my old house for the oil burner which heated domestic hot water also. The fumes found their way back in an open window on occasion and the siding of the house became blackened around the vent area. More than once the flue became blocked altogether with snow shutting the system down.
We had a power vent at the other house no issues at all other than noise. This is something I haven’t thought about at the current home but it could be a possibility. Freeing up a flue for a basement stove and one on the first floor in the living area.
We have a direct vent on the boiler and the fan is in the burner. There is no (extra) noise. It uses two pipes, one for exhaust, one for incoming air (oak). It does exhaust just under the kitchen window though and every now and then in the Summer if that window is open and the wind is just right a tiny whiff of burner smell gets in. At 90% efficient it isn't much of a smell. House is (still) white. We usually don't get deep accumulations of snow on the south side of the house (where the exhaust is). We did this to lose the old chimney and roof penetration. Small house, every square inch is valuable.
