Wood stove basement install

[oifla]

Hello all,

I'm installing a wood stove (Drolet HT2000) in a basement and i have two important issues to sort out:

a) the basement walls are covered with wood paneling (1970s style pine plank). i would like to avoid any potential fire issues . I am considering installing a reflective backing. What's the most efficient material to put behind the stove? If I could install something that would allow me to close down the clearances, that would be better. The basement walls are cinder block (behind the wood paneling) and the plan would be to cut the paneling back and either leave the cinder block exposed and/or install something in front of it (metal? brick? tile?) or whatever is most efficient..

b) the basement currently has piping for a wood stove (used by previous owner) but i am unsure if the setup that is there is something that I want to use or if i want/should re-pipe. in short, the pipe that is there now exits horizontally (or with a very slight slope) for about 10 feet and then ties into a brick chimney which is about a story and a half tall. the chimney is brick and has a clay flue liner. It does not seem to be a converted fireplace or anything but given that my only experience with wood stoves has been on a setup that has double wall metal flue, the 'hybrid' setup of the new place is a bit of an unknown. If it would be helpful, i can post a little diagram with the dimensions and plan view.

Thanks for reading and i would appreciate any advice/comments.

 

[Streblerm]

The installation manual should specifically answer both your questions.

It will give you the "clearance to combustable surfaces". I would guess this would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12". As long as you aren't closer than recommended clearance then the paneling will be fine. No fire hazard.

The install manual will also outline how you should hook up to a chimney and the maximum size chimney you can vent into. It would be a good idea to have someone who knows about chimneys check it out for you. If the chimney turns out not to be serviceable for the stove either because of size or condition then a liner could be installed in the chimney.

As far as the maximum horizontal run for the flue pipe, that may be in the manual or it might be specified in your local building code. That question may be best left to whoever inspects your chimney. Personally I would try to get the stove as close to the chimney as possible to minimize the horizontal run.

 

[066blaster]

How about a sheet of diamond plate aluminum.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Pulling the paneling would be the cheapest thing I'd imagine. How is it attached to the walls, just glued up?

I would also check with your homeowner's insurance if that is something you have. They may have requirements.
I switched companies this spring and the new guys had a rep come over and take some photos, mostly looking for UL Listing labels. I also gave them a copy of the install receipt since I had bought everything from a local stove shop and had them install it.
My old insurance wouldn't cover my house unless it was at the very least inspected by a licensed installer.

Some companies won't touch a house with a wood stove with a 20ft pole.

 

[woodenboater]

I'd risk getting insurance on board before the wood stove install, just in case your municipality isn't keen on basement woodstoves. Anyways, I'd install these around your stove, not super cheap but looks good and easy to install. When I was getting my cabin insured, I put two of these around the stove to cut down the clearance and all was good in the world. I used 1" pieces of 1/2" copper pipe as spacers.

http://www.imperialgroup.ca/stove_stoveboardsheatshields.cfm?c=345

 

[oifla]

The installation manual should specifically answer both your questions.

thanks, i did as you suggested and there were plenty of details available in the manual.

 

[oifla]

How about a sheet of diamond plate aluminum.

i might go that route in the garage but this is a finished basement and i want to try to keep an eye on the aesthetics (for resale value if nothing else).

 

[oifla]

Pulling the paneling would be the cheapest thing I'd imagine. How is it attached to the walls, just glued up?

It's nailed to 2x2's that are attached to cincer block. i'm leaning towards pulling the paneling and using some brick i already have.

I would also check with your homeowner's insurance if that is something you have. They may have requirements.
I switched companies this spring and the new guys had a rep come over and take some photos, mostly looking for UL Listing labels. I also gave them a copy of the install receipt since I had bought everything from a local stove shop and had them install it.
My old insurance wouldn't cover my house unless it was at the very least inspected by a licensed installer.

Some companies won't touch a house with a wood stove with a 20ft pole.

I'm in indiana, plenty of folks burn wood around these parts so no trouble with insurance companies.

 

[oifla]

I'd risk getting insurance on board before the wood stove install, just in case your municipality isn't keen on basement woodstoves. Anyways, I'd install these around your stove, not super cheap but looks good and easy to install. When I was getting my cabin insured, I put two of these around the stove to cut down the clearance and all was good in the world. I used 1" pieces of 1/2" copper pipe as spacers.

http://www.imperialgroup.ca/stove_stoveboardsheatshields.cfm?c=345

thanks for the link. interesting you can buy that stuff off the shelf. i think i'm going to build my own using brick.

 

[woodenboater]

if you don't really care for the look, cement board is cheaper but I understand it's a pain to cut to size.

 

[mt.stalker]

I just put a Drolet HT2000 in my basement , to replace a smaller catalytic that I had down ther for 12 yrs . WOW , what a diff !!! It's a great stove , got @ Menards for $1221 delivered to my door ! Plus it has sheet metal heat shields built in . Freaking Blowes wanted $1950 (tax inc,) for the same stove , and I would have to go get it !
Enjoy !!!

 

[Mike Van]

I would work to do away with that 10' horizontal run, anyway I could.

 

[oifla]

Hi all,

I've been able to get more time on the install and i have more details about the set-up. The stove calls for 6 in. flue. Since the chimney is much bigger (9x9 clay time), I will be looking to install a liner. The first attachment is a (very rough) sketch of what things look like. As you can hopefully make out from my sketch, the piping for the stove starts out in the finished basement and then goes through a crawl space and connects to the chimney here:



I've shown that connection point as A on the sketch.

I will be meeting with a chimney installer to discuss my options but I wanted to ask here as well. In short, I'd like to go with the solid liner. the 9x9 clay flue is straight and in good shape so I'm hoping I can drop a liner in without much problem. there are two issues i'd like to sort with this install: a) would it be possible for me to open up an access point opposite of the connecting point A? That is, can I open the back side of the chimney (shown in diagram as B and C)? That would require me to go through (first) the outer block foundation (C, which is not a problem) and then through the back wall of the chimney (point B). The chimney is (small) cinder block on the outside and the clay liner on the inside. I would like to build in a clean out to facilitate Spring cleaning and make the installation process easier. Does that sound doable? I hope my sketch makes sense to all as getting pics of this is pretty difficult.

(note: I didn't show it on the sketch but the chimney is approx 24 feet high).

thanks everyone

 

[slowp]

For the wall, my dad took cement board and put it up. Building code required a gap between the shield and the wall. Then he got these little tiles of red brick and adhered, with fireproof stuff, those to the cement board. He took a lot of time and cut pieces to hide the side edges of the board and was pleased when the building inspector said it flunked because he used bricks with no gap. He showed the inspector that it was fake, and the installation passed.

 

[hayboy]

I would work to do away with that 10' horizontal run, anyway I could.

I have trouble with my 4 ft horizontal 8 in pipe. With a good hot burn all is well, the trouble comes when the fire is "just sitting there" Also different types of weather makes for a better draft. Don't ask why but it does. Good luck.

 

[oifla]

I would work to do away with that 10' horizontal run, anyway I could.

See the sketch i uploaded. I had the same concern initially but there are two details that will help: a) it's not 10 feet (closer to 7 ft.) b) it's not horizontal. basically, i'm going to improve the angle by digging out part of the crawl space. i won't know the angle until i do but by eyeball, the height differential should be around 18 inches over that 7 ft. run.

 

[oifla]

I have trouble with my 4 ft horizontal 8 in pipe. With a good hot burn all is well, the trouble comes when the fire is "just sitting there" Also different types of weather makes for a better draft. Don't ask why but it does. Good luck.

We'll see what my consult with the chimney pro reveals (tomorrow). I hope that the slightly smaller 6" diameter required by my stove and the overall height of the lined chimney will both help with the problems you reference. Out of curiousity, how tall is your chimney?

 

[brenndatomu]

The rule for horizontal stove pipes is no more than 10' long, at least 3 screws in every joint, supported every 3 feet and at least 1/4" of rise for each foot of run. I can tell you from experience that a pipe even close to that flat will cause lackluster stove performance and smoke roll out when the stove is opened, and poor or no draft in warmer temps when trying to do a cold start up (say above 35*)
On the other hand, my lil stove in the fireplace is attached directly to a straight up chimney, never smokes out the door, and has draft from a cold start up to 60* outside

 

[hayboy]

I have trouble with my 4 ft horizontal 8 in pipe. With a good hot burn all is well, the trouble comes when the fire is "just sitting there" Also different types of weather makes for a better draft. Don't ask why but it does. Good luck.

We'll see what my consult with the chimney pro reveals (tomorrow). I hope that the slightly smaller 6" diameter required by my stove and the overall height of the lined chimney will both help with the problems you reference. Out of curiousity, how tall is your chimney?

My chimney is 8/12 clay lined about 22 ft tall.

 

[hayboy]

Update on mine. Way back at the end where I couldn't see, after I pulled the heater and pipe out, it was almost closed up due to deteriorating because of age. I cut about a foot off and now its good to go again.