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Calling all pyros or another wood stove question

Started by shinnlinger, December 20, 2007, 06:56:59 AM

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shinnlinger

Hi, 

first post in this section...

2 years ago I aquired a  house that is over 180 years old and is rotting into the ground, you can tell which way the wind blows sitting in the living room and the roof leaks.  While the indoor air quality is quite good, It is such a basket case I am building a new strawbale timberframe out back with timbers I milled (which is how I ended up on this site)

Anywhoo, it will be at least another winter  in this pit (probably 2)and since oil isn't getting cheaper and I have a barn full of very seasoned hard wood, I am reconsidering my woodstove.  It is a defiant knock off and it works well.  My concern is the chimney which is why I haven't been using it all along.

Every part of the outside of the chimney you can see inside looks OK, but If you go oustside you can literally see daylight from one side to the other.  It is a wonder a stiff wind hasn't knocked it down.  The oil burner drafts into it also and it is only 7 inches or so across on the inside.  For these reasons, I only use the stove during a power outage when I am around.

So what to do?  I am considering moving the stove to an outside wall and strapping a  pipe to the exterior of the house with some kind of standoff.  My first real question is what diameter pipe can I use?  The stove has 8 inch pipe, but I have a 24 ft piece of 1/8 inch thick 5-3/4ID pipe I picked up thinking I could drop it in the old chimney, but decided it wouold be better to use it on the outside wall as mentioned, but concerned it might not have enough volume.  What do you guys think?  Any standoff design suggestions?  I can weld and cut steel and have lots of old pipe laying around (aren't old farms great) speaking of which I also have at least 4 old school water tanks that are 5 ft long and 12 inches across that I could weld together to make a nice 12 " stove pipe if need be.

Keep in mind I am only in this house for another year or so and want to do this on the cheap. I have a 40,000 excavator and axcess to a crane if need be

thanks

Shinnlinger
Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

SwampDonkey

I don't know how bad a shape that flu is, but it don't sound too safe. If you think it will hold together in the short term, maybe you could use a stainless steel liner in the old flu.

What will you heat the new home with? I ask because if by chance your going with an outdoor furnace, maybe you could rig something up for temporary use on the old girl.

If you do use an outside flu, use Selkirk insulated flu. What do you have in mind to link the stove pipe with the outside flu? Make sure it's safe, stove pipe stuck out through a wooden wall sure ain't safe.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

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2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

WDH

My two stoves have 3-walled pipe designed to carry hot flue gas safety from the stovepipe inside the house through the attic and out the roof.  You use conventional stove pipe from your stove to the top of the finished ceiling, then use an adapter to transition to 3-walled stovepipe.  The 3-walled pipe spans the open attic space, goes through the roof, and terminates with a 3-walled pipe ventilated cap.  This set-up has worked fine for me for 25 years.  It is also easy to clean the pipe with a brush on a series of threaded rods, especially if the pipe goes from the stove vertically straight up through the roof.  You can buy kits to do this safely.  Just one option.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

RSteiner

The exsisting chimney may not be lined or the liner may be in poor condition by the sounds of things.  There are two options, one is to install a stainless steel flue liner not a inexpensive thing to do.  I put one in an older chimney and it cost me about $500.00 to line a 25' chimney.

The other option is a through the wall installation.  The thing you should use here is an insulated stove pipe made for this application and installed properly.  Outside you can use regular stove pipe at a safe distance from combustable surfaces.  The thing you will battle with this type of installation is creosote.  You will have a cold condensing surface outside that will allow creosote to form.  The creosote will either run back inot the house and down the walls or a good hot fire could start it burning like a roman candle.  I have a set up like this for my maple syrup evaporator that woorks well but I always have a very hot fire going so there is no chance for creosote to form.  Your best bet would be to use insulated pipe outside also. 

Using the pipe you have maybe too small in diameter.  Generally you want to keep the same diameter chimney as the exit flue on the stove.  The 8" to 5 3/4" I.D. might work but the stove would not burn as well. 

Maybe you can find some used insulated chimney pipe somewhere cheap.

Randy
Randy

stonebroke

some farmers use a piece of galvanized culvert pipe for a chimmey on their shops. Pretty cheap and you can reuse it when you move into your new house as a culvert. Just be sure your standoff is three or four feet away because you will condense all of the creosote and have some big chimmey fires.

Stonebroke

shinnlinger

Thanks guys,

I do not want to spend anything on this (I suppose I will break down for a thimble and a reducer)  So is 5-3/4 ID sufficient volume?   IS there a link on this somewhere?  I can basically make the culvert option welding those tanks together if I need more volume.

it would be easist for me to stand the 5-3/4 pipe 4 ft off the wall of the house.  THis thing is 1/8 thick so I could wack it with a sledge hammer once in a while to clean it out if I put an opening a foot or so below where the horizontal chunk from the stove comes in.  I could even leave the bottom open with a cover that slides off.  Put a bucket under the pipe, whack it and them deal with the creosote.  I could make sure the horizontal connection from the stove slopes toward the verticle slightly.

Am I crazy?
Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

logwalker

The 5 3/4" pipe will be sufficient for the stove. It will not draw quite as well as it was intended but will work. You will get a little smoke into the room when the door opens but with your ventilation working so well it shouldn't be a problem. You should put a rain cap on it though. Keep it high so it doesn't restrict the flow. Joe
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

Sprucegum

If I was a redneck welder  8)  I would build the outside riser out of the 12" and plumb into it with the 5 3/4" pipe. Keep your horizontal run as short as possible to help the draft.

Play safe  ;)

shinnlinger

THanks Logwalker and sprucegum,

You seem to catch the drift of what I am trying to do....I will take it under advisment and see what happens!

I bet a nice welded crooked 12" stack will lower my property taxes....one can only hope
Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

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