Wood stove placement opinion

[Ginger Squirrel]

In process of installing a wood stove and almost ready to tie in the flue.  I have a bit of a dilema as my tiles are not perfect, was my first time laying tile, so if I center the stove with the walls, the tiles will be "off" and it will look odd.  If I center it with the tiles, like it is now, the stove is slightly in wrong angle and slightly more to one side than the other.  however to the naked eye it's not really that visible unless you start really measuring it out.

Curious what people would do in this case, leave it the way it is now, or try to center it better?  I also have it where I can connect the flue directly and only need to bend on one axis, so it will make that part easier and also more efficient. I will probably use a short vertical section and then 2 45 elbows. Or is a 90 better so I have a bit of a longer vertical?

I still need to do heat shield, some drywall in the area then outside chimney and I'll finally be ready to fire this up!  Been way too long that I've been working on this.




 



 



 
This shows how the stove is not actually at the correct angle, but if I were to fix it, then it would not line up right with tile pattern.  Ignore the green tape, I originally put that there to mark the closest to the front I can put the stove.

[beenthere]

Dilemma, but I would go with center with the tiles as that is more "visible" to the eye than with respect to the walls. Nice pick on the tile selection.

[doc henderson]

If it looks good and also meets the clearance requirements you are good.  If there is an inspection, they will not be interested in how it lines up with the tiles.  I am ready to see smoke from the chimney.    If I recall a 90 will burn out faster than two 45s if it makes more of a sweep.  if each of the 45s are turn-able, you may be able to use more and make them 30° each.

[21incher]

I'm surprised you can get away with  just tiles under a stove. The base r value of most stoves require 2 inches of concrete or several  layers of cement board under the tiles when placed on a wood floor or a r rated stove board. I would double check the manual because  the inspector will check that before issuing a certificate of compliance your insurance company will require  to cover the stove.

[Old Greenhorn]

Wait a minute, what? 2" on concrete under the tile? I have never heard of that. What is your citation for that?

[Ianab]

I've seen the ~2" concrete pads in older installations. But the current building regs here call for an insulating sheet, then fire resistant fibreboard, THEN tile on top of that. Ends up as ~2" thick hearth with all those layers. Only exception to that would be for a non-combustible floor, like a concrete slab.

[Don P]

I believe that one is if unlisted and shorter than 6"legs... IIRC. This looks like a modern listed stove, follow the manufacturer specs.

[beenthere]

The OP mentions this is all on a concrete basement floor.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=120676.msg1943366#msg1943366

[Ginger Squirrel]

I was a bit skeptical about the R value of floor but the chimney installer (who never ended up finishing the job... so not sure how reliable he is now) told me the cement board and tiles would be fine as the thinset itself also adds a bit to the R value.  I was originally going to cut out the drycore for the section where stove goes but he said it's not needed, just glue and screw the cement board right over.  Hopefully this works out... 

But yeah I think I will leave it where it is, visually it probably does make more sense to line up with the tiles.  All clearances are ok according to manual, and technically I don't even think I need a heat shield so I might get it inspected before I install so I can at least use it, but I will install some anyway to be extra safe, I just don't really have any metal working tools at the moment.

[Ianab]

I believe that one is if unlisted and shorter than 6"legs... IIRC. This looks like a modern listed stove, follow the manufacturer specs.

Yeah, regs are different if the stove has it's own insulation built into the base / taller legs and an engineers tick. In that case you just need a non-combustible floor, like tiles. In that case 2" of concrete would also suffice.  ;)

[Ianab]

The OP mentions this is all on a concrete basement floor

A chipboard floor over concrete is considered combustible, but as Don P mentioned, it's a modern stove that just needs a fire resistant floor around it, to stop hot ashes that might spill out and cause havoc. In that case the tiles are both needed and suitable.

[Ginger Squirrel]

Yeah it's a modern listed stove.  A reburner with the tubes on top, if that matters.

[21incher]

Mine is a modern Jotul and the r value for the base required 4 layers of the cement board to meet the requirements of the R value in the UL listing to pass code for the COC and insurance company coverage.  Never trust anyone for things like that and it's very easy to calculate using the stove testing spec up front. That is if the wood actually extends under the stove. If the wood was cut away and stove is sitting on cement, no problem because  I thought it was sitting on the wood from the picture.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

We are in the process of installing the stove in our new home. Mud bed, concrete board, then tile set in thinset. The stove is a tiny Joutal 100 that I replaced the 6" legs with 8" legs. The only thing the inspector cared about was how close it was to the return air duct for the heat pump. I was very surprised by this. We were close but due to the small stove just got by. You just never know what they are gonna want when they come!!

[mike dee]

Pics may be deceiving...Check and confirm your clearances before you finish up...looks awfully close to your walls. 

Cheaper to fix now than after your insurer tells you that you have 30 days to fix and get it re-inspected before having your policy cancelled.

[beenthere]

Vermont Castings wood stove here, sits on wood rafters with plywood sheathing. Followed manual specs and the tile doesn't even get hotter than "warm". Been there 22 years with many fires.


 

[firefighter ontheside]

Were it me, I would center it in the corner.  The fact that it wouldn't line up with the tile wouldn't bother me at, but its not mine.  You should do what makes you happiest.  Hopefully you will be enjoying it for a long time.  My experience with stove installations in my area is that it needs to be installed per manufacturer specs.  That should include side clearances and floor under it specs.  It is possible that certain areas would have their own ordnance that is more protective than the manuf.

[Andries]

Good advice from everybody- especially the firefighters. 
I got tired of hunching over to put wood into the firebox. Much like topping up the air on a slow-leak tire, on my knees yet again.
A 16" raised woodstove platform, of fireproof material, will put the stove door at a comfortable height.
Feeding the stove while sitting on a chair and visiting with my brothers puts that in the comfort zone.
Plus, the height makes for better viewing of the flames through a glass door.

[Ginger Squirrel]

Pics may be deceiving...Check and confirm your clearances before you finish up...looks awfully close to your walls. 

Cheaper to fix now than after your insurer tells you that you have 30 days to fix and get it re-inspected before having your policy cancelled.

The manual calls for 5" from the corners and I'm at 14" (doesn't look like it from pics). The flue also has a min distance and that's also exceeded.   Also need 18" from front to edge of pad which I'm exceeding by quite a lot.

Once I have the chimney and flue done I will try to find a WETT inspector to inspect it as is before I do anything else. If I can get away without the heat shield I might do that temporarily. I still want to put one to feel safer though.   If the pad is not thick enough, then I will have to bite the bullet and just pour concrete over the tiles to make it thicker then retile.  Hopefully I don't have to do that though.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

Nice stove with a beautiful view behind it Beenthere!!

[Don P]

The floor covering should be spelled out in the manual. In all cases I'm familiar with, the manufacturer's instructions trump code, they are specific to that item where codes and standards are generic. For instance your instructions got the 3' wall clearance down to some inches because of the construction of that particular stove. If the instructions are silent on some aspect, default to the code reference which in most places is NFPA 211. Most insurance carriers specify that as the installation standard (remember building code is mostly insurance driven). In NC for instance, building departments operate under the Department of Insurance, a pretty clear indication of who is driving the bus. In other words if an insurance agent fails to recognize a code installation, of anything, and specifies something other, I'd be asking for their citation.

BTW, OG had the correct answer when anyone calls out something that doesn't sound right, "citation please". I want chapter and verse to read it for myself.

The NFPA site finally let me log in a minute ago, I think they got a yule log too  :D From NFPA 211, Chapter 13. I believe this short excerpt is considered fair use for the purposes of this discussion.


 

 

 

[Ginger Squirrel]

This is what my stove says, although it has me second guessing if the cement board and tiles is in fact enough, because I don't think neither of those has an actual ULC listing, but it does say "or equivalent"... I'll see what the inspector says I guess.

This wood stove requires a U.L. listed (ULC if Canada) floor protector with a R factor of no less than
1.0, if the stove is to be installed on a combustible floor. If the floor the stove is to be installed on
is already non‐combustible (i.e. a concrete floor in a basement), no floor protection is needed
(although a decorative floor protector can still be used for aesthetic reasons).
• When using any floor protector, consider that this stove is not only heavy but will induce heating
and cooling cycles on the floor protector which can damage tile and loosen mortar and grout joints
located near the stove.
• The floor protector should be UL rated and listed, or equivalent (ULC if Canada) and must be
noncombustible. A hearth rug is NOT an approved substitute for a proper hearth pad.
• For the US: The floor protector must extend at least 16 in. from the front of the fuel opening, 8 in.
from the sides of the door opening and 8 in. from the rear of the unit.
•
For Canada: The floor protector must extend at least 450 mm from the front of the fuel opening,
200 mm from the sides of the door opening and 200 mm from the rear of the unit.

Also, what is best way to fasten the stove to the floor, I don't really like the idea that it's just loose. It's heavy but also still a bit wobbly since the floor is not 100% even and in the very rare chance of an earthquake (we don't get those here) I wouldn't want it to shift while it's on and get disconnected from the flue. I won't do anything until I get an inspection but thinking of just running a bead of PL premium on the back part of the stand to basically glue it down. There is no physical way to get a drill anywhere to make a hole into the bottom footing.

[doc henderson]

Neither of my stoves are fastened down, and both sit on concrete floors.  If you were pouring a pad, you could make a recess.  If you are set on fastening, a clip or L bracket could be used. 

[beenthere]

Don't worry about  your stove moving. It won't.  :new_year:

[Ginger Squirrel]

Yeah not too worried but just peace of mind, I also just don't like that it's wobbly. The floor has a bit of a bulge. I only realized it well after I was done tiling.

Another question, I'm just bought the stove pipe connectors and I'm not too sure how is best way to connect to the insulated chimney going out the wall.  A telescopic section fits directly and looks like it goes in snuggly, but then I basically have a big ring of insulation that would be exposed.  That doesn't seem right to me.  is there a special connector I'm suppose to use that makes a more finished connection?  I bought two different connectors that are just called "adapters" but it's really not clear what they're for and don't think it's the right ones.


Telescopic pipe connected directly.  Fits snuggly (pulled out a bit just to show it)


 


A look inside.  Also should I be concerned about the metal deformation at the very end of the insulated T connector? Circled in red.  I guess once a draft is going it will pull the smoke out, rather than be pushed, so that gap shouldn't be an issue right? 





Forum seems to shrink the images so here's a more zoomed in version:



 


At this point I wish I could have just hired all this out since it's going on 2 years now of me trying to do this myself while trying to juggle other projects and work, but nobody here does this.

[doc henderson]

something is not going together right it seems.  can you get some pic of the whole setup from a bit back, and a pic of the adaptor and thimble in the wall (separated).

[doc henderson]

ok so the hole int the wall goes into a T to go up the wall?  then the metal that is reflecting with the row of spot welds, is the just the back of the T in the wall?  what are your fingers touching in the pic, Plastic, Insulation?  I am trying to go back and forth to make out what is going on.  in one pic, the back plate (looks like a shallow pie pan) is bigger than the black backing, and in the next is appears smaller.  then there is a smaller on that has crimped edges.  sorry, I just cannot see the big picture here.  you can use shims (fireproof) to make the stove stable and level.

[Ginger Squirrel]

Yeah the picture is looking inside the T through outside wall (from inside).  The cleanout would be below. 

The part my fingers are touching is insulation, there is a plastic around it, instructions say to actually leave it there, it will melt away at the first fire.  For the vertical sections this is where the next section would meet.  The T part that goes inside uses the same type of pipes so that's one, but sideways. 

Couple pics that might help better see what's happening:



 







 


Edit:

This is what T looks like outside, found older pic.  This should help visualize better what's going on.



 

[beenthere]

Yeah not too worried but just peace of mind, I also just don't like that it's wobbly. The floor has a bit of a bulge. I only realized it well after I was done tiling.

Agree as doc says, but I would grind off the offending high spot on the stove to take out the "rocking" effect from uneven tile floor. In the end, will look better.

Regards the stove pipe, the male ends go toward the stove, the female ends to the chimney. Thus any creosote that may form and run inside the stove pipe will not ooze out of the joints. May solve your exit thimble problem too. Hard to tell from the installation pics.

[Don P]

Find the chimney manufacturer's help line, talk to them both about the fitment and the wall termination. Check clearance to the ceiling above that single wall pipe.

[Old Greenhorn]

Don't worry about  your stove moving. It won't.  :new_year:

Well that is mostly true, but... ;D

Back when I was a teenager I knew a guy I admired, hardest working man I had ever met up to that point, he taught me a lot and was my mentor starting my first business. Anyway, back in the day, Dick had a marine salvage business and his 'shop' was a big old warehouse type building right on his dock where he had his salvage boats tied up, a small old tug and a specialty recovery barge. Anyway, that building was heated by a huge pot bellied stove that was salvaged from one of the NYC train stations at the early part of the century. He would and did through just about anything in it, sometimes even tires he cut up. Well he told me the story of one bitter cold February day when he just couldn't get the building to a working temp that was comfortable (like 45° or so) and he started to get pretty ticked off. (Dick did have a short temper sometimes.) SO he grabbed a whole bunch of cut up tires and stuff the stove, then threw on some diesel to get it rolling. Well it did in fact 'take off', In fact it took off so much that he could not get it to calm down. Next thing he knew the stove was approaching cherry red and was beginning to vibrate, then it started moving across the floor. He realized the pipe would pull out soon, so he grabbed a pallet truck and dumped a skid of scrap steel in it's path, then he dumped another one on the other size.  The takeaway message for me was that he never smiled or laughed when he told the story, he was still a bit shaken by the whole thing. At the end of the story he just said 'that was the longest 30 minutes of my life.'

So yeah, I remembered that story and never had any idea how much truth was actually in it (but his fear was pretty evident) but knowing Dick to be honest to a fault, I had no reason to doubt him. Fast forward about 10 years and I had my own shop in a rented industrial building. It was much bigger than I needed or could use (probably twice the area I required) and the heat costs nearly broke me, so I put in a woodstove. So I built and installed a 55 gallon double barrel stove. 250,000 BTU and it worked pretty good but I should have gotten fans to move the heat around better. It was not the kind of stove you would fill and let it burn overnight to keep the temp up. It was a 'demand heater' I would fill it for heat during the day and live with whatever overnight temps I was dealt. That stove would chew through wood like mad. At least two wheel barrows a day as I recall. SO I stuffed anything in it I could get (Long Island is not known as 'timber country', another reason I left, but I digress). We had just bought our first house and I had stripped one of the garage rooves of 2 pickup loads of cedar shingles, which I had to dispose of.  ;D Yep. I brought them to the shop. Now they were fine if I mixed them in with regular firewood, but either I needed lots of fast heat, had a brain fart, or whatever and I filled the stove with a pile of those shingles. Stupid Stupid Stupid.
Dick's story above came right back into my head and sure enough, that stove went cherry red and it started to vibrate, just like Dick said. I too grabbed a pallet truck with (new) bar stock and blocked the stove in, then rolled a barrel of scrap on the other side. I had a lot of smoke pipe inside the building passing over about $50k in machines on it's way through the wall. My brain was going a mile a minute trying to figure how what was going to happen next and how to mitigate it.
That was the longest 30 minutes of my life.

My dearest hope is that nobody who may read this will ever share the experience. :D ;D And for the OP, don't worry, the chance of anything even close to this happening in a household stove is SO VERY REMOTE that you should not even think about it.

HOWEVER, having a stove that rocks is not good. You need to have some shims under those legs to stop that in it's tracks. Any movement will transfer to the chimney and work on the joints. That's not good, so just shim it properly and don't worry about it again. All my recent stoves had screw feet on them to prevent that.

[Ginger Squirrel]

I guess the moral of the story is to not put tires or shingles in the stove.  :D

And yeah I'll see if I can find something to shim it with, maybe washers at all 4 corners, at least then there will only be 4 points of contact.  That might fix it.

[doc henderson]

ok so that is better.  if the deformity is as you look to the outside and in the T, can you go outside and take the trash bag off and look in from the top and see it.  what was the waffle crimped thing in one of the pics.  having trouble still trying put it all together and figuring out what everything does.  were these chimney components meant to all go together.  I do not see with straight pipe, what will go bigger to melt the plastic and reveal THE INSULATION.  sorry bumped the caps, but then thought it was funny so left it. 

[JD Guy]

I guess the moral of the story is to not put tires or shingles in the stove.  :D

And yeah I'll see if I can find something to shim it with, maybe washers at all 4 corners, at least then there will only be 4 points of contact.  That might fix it.

I used a coin(or two) under the offending legs to stabilize my Jotul 300. Been rock solid for over 20 years. We don't chuck firewood in the stove from a distance though so YMMV.
:D

[Ginger Squirrel]

Ok so here's a look from outside looking into the T.







 

Also I sort of figured out the inside part. I found a part that covers the insulation, and it also comes with a small piece of pipe but the crimps seem to go the wrong way, it doesn't allow me to connect the pipe in the direction that it tells me to, but if I use one of the adapters I bought then it works... just not sure if this is right.  If I skip that piece of pipe I can put a length directly and it also keeps the double insulation closer to the wall. If I try to use that piece I end up with a section that's not double insulated. I'm just not sure how I would screw it all in because the plate has to go in first but it covers where the screws would go.

Also having issues getting the locking ring in place, I just can't get it to be tight enough so it can latch. Almost wonder if I need a special tool to ratchet it in place maybe?



 

The instructions are really not clear on the install details on any of this so I'm just guessing which I don't like to do with something like this.

Oh and the crimp in that one picture, I think it was an exaggerated reflection inside the pipe as it was reflecting multiple times internally, it was reflecting the inside part of the double wall stove pipe.

[doc henderson]

so, is the gap you circled previously, the way the T was manufactured?  I thought it was more the way things fit together in a joint.  I agree this needs to be right.  seems like you may have parts from different "systems". 
I also agree the crimped ends go to the stove.  it is counterintuitive cause you think the overlap in pipe should be oriented to "keep the smoke in".  On a straight run up from the stove out the roof, the reverse orientation or the crimped end keeps liquid creosote from running down the pipe and leaking out.  the draft and good fit, keep the smoke in.  Did you get the parts online, a big box store, or a stove place?  I agree having them do the install is expensive, but it will likely do it right.  There has to be a diagram that shows the parts you need to transition from single wall stove pipe to the insulated chimney that goes through the wall and up the side of the house.  I there a brand name on the component where you can seek instructions or videos.  We seem to be missing something.  can you see in the pic, and then circle the corresponding gap area in the T?  Pics are good.  the glare and pic in a tunnel make it harder to fully understand.  How old are you and what part of the country are you in, if you do not mind me asking.  Doc.

[Ginger Squirrel]

Yeah it's all part of the same manufactured assembly.  I thought maybe the internal part could move but it can't due to the webs that connect it to the outside part.

I was able to bang it a little bit with a piece of wood so the gap is not as bad.  I'm almost wondering if I can get away with just putting some kind of high temp caulk in there, to at least block the gap.  Like something cement based. It would be pretty awkward to try to get it in there though. I can maybe put it at the end of a stick and push it in.

I may have figured out the inside part though. With enough percussion I got the ring on. I put the piece that came with it that has the crimp facing the stove, and it turns out I can in fact put a piece of double wall pipe to the end of that, the inside part of the double wall pipe is smooth but the outside is crimped so the smooth end fits nice on the crimp end at the wall.  It still feels so weird to me that the seams go the "wrong" way but if that's normal then good to know... there are some finishing bands that go around so guess that would help seal it further.

So here's how it's looking like now:



 
That part is loosely fitted, but cannot be pulled out due to how it's flanged inside.



 


 
How the telescopic pipe connects




 
How it looks like inside



Bought all this at Home Hardware as they were the only place that had it all in stock and available to order and I wanted all the same system.  The chimney is Selkirk 6" and so is the stove pipe so ideally it's suppose to all be compatible.  Unfortunately can't find anyone to install this stuff as the company that does it only want to install what they sell but they were not answering their phone or even had anyone at their shop originally when I was trying to get a wood stove so I thought they closed down.  The one who installed the T never called me back to finish the job and even that job took him months to finally come and do.  I found another contractor but he keeps putting me off too. Now we're in the really cold part of the season so don't think anyone wants to work in that.

[doc henderson]

Well GS it appears that you are making progress.  I must still be confused.  the gaps we saw looking down the highly reflective tunnel and were circled in red, can you not tough those reaching from the outside?  Is that concrete wall behind the thimble.  One of the difficulties is communicating about all the parts.  That is where a picture is worth a thousand words.  Most of these things do not fit perfect, but when you are confident about how they go together, it makes it easier to use the force needed.  I use a double wall interior stove pipe.  It also has a telescoping section.  they also have a trim ring as somewhere in the run there may be a clunky looking final joint.  I put 3 screws around each joint except to the connection to the stove, and where the stovepipe threads into the chimney.  so I can in theory lift the stove pipe off the stove and pull it out of the chimney.  Looks like you could have it up and functioning on the inside.  Do you have the parts to go on the outside?  Will it course though the soffit and roof?  Or will it attach to the facia for support.  The are rules and there should be pictures about how high the chimney needs to rise about the roof based on the pitch or a certain distance from the chimney.  I refer to chimney parts as the ones that are insulated to protect combustible items in the wall or roof from heat.  I refer to chimney pipe as the inside stuff from the stove that relies in part to clearances from composable interior stuff.  The thimble is the transition that you seem to have figured out.  they do make a stove putty that can fill crack and stuff.  It is black and in a small container like spackling.  Amazon or any hardware store that sells some stove stuff.  Jus be sure there is not a way to make it fit better otherwise.

[doc henderson]

based on the 90° setup and how short it is, not sure you need a telescoping section.  I did since need a way to get it between two fixed point, the thimble and top of the stove.  you could cut yours to length and fit it in and on since you have the elbow.  you can prob. take the stove pipe off the stove to clean it.  That junction at the wall may be where you use the trim ring.  How much work left to do on the outside chimney.  We are fortunate to have a local company that does their installations but will come and inspect and make repairs to daily users.  flat labor rate.  the stove in the house has double wall pipe to a 16-foot ceiling.  I have installed about 4 stoves stem to stern.  I had them do the house one to make sure it was right with kids and a wife using the stove.  First fire you will smell smoke as the paint will season (smell like smoke or something burning).  start with a smaller fire, and be able to open some windows, and know how to cancel smoke detectors.

[Ginger Squirrel]

I can touch those gaps I circled from outside, and from inside I can reach them with a long stick. Was able to dent them in a little.  From the outside it's harder to see them since you're looking away from them, but they're not far.  I'm feeling a bit less worried though since looking at the telescopic sections it seems the way they are made also has a decent gap to it. You can see it in the last pic of my last post, those crimps are actually part of how the telescopic section is made. The smoke would be flowing away from the camera.

And yeah the outside wall is cinder block + brick with an insulated pipe section going through it with about a 1" gap with rockwool insulation around it. The stud part of the wall has a large opening all around where pipe is so no stud is near and it's filled in with roxul as well then cement board on top.  I have several 3' sections of double insulated chimney pipes and the hardware to go through soffit but none of it is installed outside yet.  Unfortunately can't seem to find anyone to do it, been over a year now, so if it doesn't get done this winter I'll do it myself in spring. Just not a fan of doing anything to do with the roof so I really was trying to hire it out.  I found another contractor who is willing to do it but he keeps getting busy with other jobs. 

I dry fitted the inside stuff now to see how it works out.   Not a bad idea about not screwing it into the stove, I was thinking that too. Maybe also hang it from the ceiling so that it stays in place and I can keep the telescoping part loose, can just pull it up to clean without having to dismantle everything each time.  The way the stove is made there is no easy way to do it from inside, and don't think it would be easy to do from the outside T cleanout either as it's a pretty sharp bend.

It's not fully adjusted yet as it will be easier to do that once I screw it but does this look good overall?



 



 


Closer look at joint going to wall, this would be straighter once screwed in:



 


Still debating on what to do for heat shield, there's an hvac company here that does custom sheet metal work so hoping they might be able to fab something nice.   For ceiling heat shield I'll probably do drop ceiling for whole basement and for that section I'll put metal instead of tiles.  Lot of drop ceiling tiles are PVC now, so definitely don't want that near a wood stove.

[Ginger Squirrel]

I emailed Selkirk a picture of the weirdness I found inside the T connector, so we'll see what they say. 

[beenthere]

What I see, you have the pipes slid together backwards. The male ends need to go in the direction of your stove. Not pointed to the chimney thimble.

Unless you have the double wall pipe as is shown in this video. Showing at 15:37
How to install a wood burning stove DIY step by step - YouTube

[Ginger Squirrel]

Yeah it's double wall pipe.   I have it setup the direction it says on the pipe sections.

[doc henderson]

Progress!

[doc henderson]

where does the elusive heat shield go?

[Ginger Squirrel]

Have not figured out exactly what I want to do yet for that but it will cover the whole wall and line up with edge of pad.  For ceiling heat shield I'll probably do drop ceiling but with metal instead of regular tiles.  Stove clearance requirements is 5" from corners to walls and I'm at 13" so technically can get away without one but will put one anyway. I might also put one on the horizontal pipe going out if I feel it gets too hot.

I don't really have any tools to work with metal so will try to see if I can find a place that custom cuts/bends metal and make some nice panels.    Probably run some unistrut across the wall to give myself something to fasten the shield to while making it easy to remove. I'll want to put spacers so air can still get through.

[doc henderson]

You could just tile that wall if you want.  decorative and fireproof.  Sheet rock painted a light color would be fine, and you can check it with a non-contact thermometer, or just lay you hand on it after you start using the stove.  Is this just a functional stove or will this be a family area with the stove as part of the entertainment.  If you are worried, I think the shield can be done after the cat.  I am thinking like a shield on a motorcycle exhaust.  like a half round bit of sheet metal at a larger radius with standoffs to get an air gap, rather than doing the whole ceiling.  could flex some single wall pipe and even fasten it to the brace that goes to the ceiling to stabilize the stove pipe.  I think a general contractor could help integrate the chimney thorough the soffit and roof.  sorry, there is no one in your area.  Even I am ready for your first fire.  Safety first.

[Ginger Squirrel]

Yeah I'll probably try it out without the shield at first to see how it works out but I'm kind of thinking of doing one anyway just to play it safe.  Good idea on the pipe shield might play around with that too if I find it's getting too hot near the ceiling.    The stove is mostly functional but over time I've been finishing the basement so eventually want it to look nice and could add brick or something at that point. 

If I don't hear back from the contractor in the next few weeks think I'm going to just tackle the chimney myself if there's a day I'm off where it's not too cold. I still have some misc stuff to do in the basement like finish drywalling the server room and add one sheet to the right of the stove so will work on that stuff first and hope he does get back to me.

[Ljohnsaw]

The country house we bought the corner was fake stone. Did a redo and faced it with river rock. The thermal mass really helped regulate the room temperature.

[doc henderson]

If you use a larger radius bit of stove pipe, buff the inside that faces the other pipe shiny to reflect the radiant heat back towards the flu pipe.

[JD Guy]

Not sure about your setup but where our single wall pipe goes into the thimble through the wall there is a trim ring (round) that slides over the horizontal stove pipe then when stove pipe is secured outside and your inside pipe is fitted properly. You may be missing this part or your system is completely different..

[Ginger Squirrel]

I ended up finding that trim piece.  But for my setup the stove pipe never goes outside, the insulated pipe comes inside through the wall, so the trim is mostly just decorative to hide the actual insulation.

The only part I'm not 100% sure about is the way the double wall stove pipe is made, the very end of it that goes into the wall is single wall, so there is a small section of it that is single wall and that does not feel right as that whole area is probably going to get very hot.  Going to leave all this dry fitted for now and have the chimney installer look it over for a second opinion.  This is probably the sort of thing that's easier to see in person.   I'm hoping he gets back to me soon... he insisted that he has not forgotten about me and is just busy with a big job at the mine, so I'll wait and see.  I just want this before summer lol. 

[doc henderson]

the joints of the double wall are like single wall, but one inside of the other is kind of like double wall.  there should be an airspace between the two walls.  The telescoping sections of double wall are really interesting.  It keeps the inside wall hotter and the outside cooler.  safer if you bump into it, and less condensation of water and smoke on the inside (from cooilng) and that is creosote.  so, you have good stuff it appears.  have you been around a lot of wood stoves?  there is a learning curve in general and also for each stove. 

[plantita]

I'm sure the installer will be able to advise once they take a look. In the meantime, don't stress too much - it seems like you've got the important safety bases covered for now. These things can take time to finesse. Hope the installer gets back to you soon so you can get that first test fire happening!

[Ginger Squirrel]

Good to know about the joints, it looks like I do have the right thing then.   I'm honestly not that familiar with wood stoves actually, it will be my first time actually using one so there will be a learning curve I'm sure and this whole install I was learning as I go. Was even my first time doing tiles.  I have a general idea how they work and such but never actually used one.

I'm looking forward to doing the break in fires and actually getting it going.  So far it has not been that cold of a winter so hopefully there is some warm days left where the contractor decides to come do the chimney. 

Meanwhile I think I'll just keep working on indoor stuff as there is still a lot of misc stuff to finish up in the general area such as finishing the server room drywall and sealing it off from the wood stove area. 

[beenthere]

How long (months) has your wood supply been cut and split and seasoned?

[Ginger Squirrel]

Cutting it close probably since the bulk of it I got this summer so maybe 6ish months.  I did buy a face cord of "dry" wood to get me started but it was around 30% moisture when I tested it. Although it had been sitting outside so maybe it was still dry and just showing as wet from the rain. Some even has some gray.  I split everything very small in summer so it seasons faster.  I moved that inside about a month ago, right now it's testing at under 5-6% on the surface if I stick the probes deep enough, the actual surface, even the ends, don't give a reading. So guess it's very dry but I'll want to split some of that in half to test the inside.

I have some cedar from hedges I cut down several years ago as well that's sitting outside along with some poplar I got for free this summer. The poplar was testing around 25% last I checked in fall so that might still be a little too wet but I might bring some indoors to see if it dries before I'm done the existing pile. We hardly have any snow this year so I could actually make it to my off grid property to get more wood too if I need any.

Next summer I want to organize myself better for that too so I can start a rotation. I plan to add a flat solar panel array next to my shed that will sit on poles and I'll use that as an area to store firewood too.  Might look at building a kiln at some point too as I do eventually want to setup a saw mill as well so the kiln will come in handy for that too. Lot of projects I want to do, not enough money and time lol.


I also got a response from Selkirk about my concern with the way the inside pipe is formed and they say it's not a concern.  I sent them the picture as well.

From our tech..

No, that is not a problem.   It is part of our process used in forming the horizontal bird eye mouth for the interior portion of the tee.  When the system is fired up the stainless steel inner wall expands and contracts when it cools down.  This is required so the inner liner does not buckle when the system is in operation under high temperatures.

[doc henderson]

Better hurry before winter is over. watch some you tube stuff on finishing drywall and tile.  I respect your enthusiasm.  A little mentoring would help and make things easier for you.  YouTube may be a sub. if you do not have folks with knowledge and experience to show you.  How old are you and what part of the country if you do not mind.  It will help me at least provide answers more geared towards your goals.

[Ginger Squirrel]

I get lot of my info from Youtube, forums etc. Most of what I know I learn by trial and error and internet.   I've done drywall before already, I did my whole crawlspace and even painted. I'm one of those weird people that actually enjoy that part.  :D

I'm 37 and in northern Ontario.

[JD Guy]

I ended up finding that trim piece.  But for my setup the stove pipe never goes outside, the insulated pipe comes inside through the wall, so the trim is mostly just decorative to hide the actual insulation.

That's good to hear. Our installs are the same then. We both transition to double wall at the thimble.

Continued success on your project