Wall upstairs getting hot?

[beveryda]

Hello everyone.

After suggestions last year from this forum, I got my SS chimney liner professionally insulated with vemiculite this year. My chimney runs thru the middle of my two story house, I would say about 30 ft.

I've been using my wood stove now and it is so much better than last year without the insulation. Much better draft and heats up my whole house.
I had the stove on all day today and noticed that some section of the wall upstairs where the flue goes thru is hot. I can touch it without burning myself, but it is pretty hot.
Is this just the vermiculite/cement around the liner getting hot? Is this normal?

 

[begreen]

Is the wall you are touching a plaster coat right on the chimney? (If you rap it with your knuckles is it solid or hollow?) If solid, it may just be heat transfering. If hollow, I would want to know why.

Not sure what the reason is, but one guess would be that the liner was not put in with spacers. If it is touching the chimney wall at that point the bricks will conduct the heat. However, if you can hold your hand against it, then perhaps it is not touching? If the wall was above 120 degrees, I don't think you could hold your hand there very long.

Sorry for all the ifs, but figuring out this type of question over the internet is not easy.

 

[Renovation]

Maybe it's worth getting a thermometer to check it out--though perhaps the "can you keep your hand on it" test is sufficient.

Is it one place, or the whole vertical stripe the chimney is behind?

 

[soupy1957]

Spontaneous Combustion occurs at 450ºF (temp of the item that could combust).

-Soupy1957

 

[Renovation]

Is the wall you are touching a plaster coat right on the chimney? (If you rap it with your knuckles is it solid or hollow?) If solid, it may just be heat transfering. If hollow, I would want to know why.

That makes sense to me. Stone is a fairly poor insulator, so a relatively cool liner could heat up solid brick and plaster (or sheetrock) over a long period. Hey--if it's safe, BVD has his own masonry heater!

I forgot to welcome you back to the forum, BVD, and congratulate you on your heating success!

What stove are you running? I'm going to guess non-cat, from your hot flue.

 

[beveryda]

Thanks for all the replies.

The wall where it gets hot is very solid. It just happens to be inside my son's closet, and it is hot on that part from bottom to top. But, it is touchable even for few seconds or more. The chimney was on all day at around 450-500degrees. I was wondering since the liner had been insulated with vermiculite/cement, does the insulation conduct heat to the bricks, then to the walls?
I also noticed that the bedroom wall on the other side of the chimney was also warm, but not as hot as the above.

And thanks RenoGeorge. My stove is a Hearthstone Shelburne.
Since I purchased the stove in 2009 fall, I've had so many issues with installation and the liner install. I just wanted to make sure that the insulation done this year would be the last thing I need to do to enjoy and be safe.

 

[Dune]

Spontaneous Combustion occurs at 450ºF (temp of the item that could combust).

-Soupy1957

combustion temp of dry paper is 451F. The combustion temp of wood is variable. The longer the wood is exposed to heat, the lower the temp of combustion gets.

See this for more info; http://www.tcforensic.com.au/docs/article10.html

O.P, vermiculate insulates, not conducts heat. Cement can conduct heat.

I would get whoever installed it back out there pronto.

 

[Shari]

Spontaneous Combustion occurs at 450ºF (temp of the item that could combust).

-Soupy1957

combustion temp of dry paper is 451F. The combustion temp of wood is variable. The longer the wood is exposed to heat, the lower the temp of combustion gets.

See this for more info; http://www.tcforensic.com.au/docs/article10.html

O.P, vermiculate insulates, not conducts heat. Cement can conduct heat.

I would get whoever installed it back out there pronto.[/quote]

Agreed.

As has been stated above, if you don't have stand-offs centering your liner there is no way to tell if loose insulation is doing it's job. Again, with loose insulation, you can't tell if air pockets remain after dumping the fill in. All of this is a good reason to go with a wrapped insulation. Yes, I know sometimes there is simply not enough room for wrapped - but I still stand by my reasons to use wrapped insulation if at all possible.

Shari

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't panic here. If the wall hurt to touch or caused a burn (over 160F) then I would be concerned. A solid wall means it is probably plastered directly on the brick. By the description let's estimate the temp at around 115F. That is not excessive. Many of us with corner installations have walls near our stove running hotter than this. A safe wall temp is 95F + ambient temp, so you are a long way from anything dangerous based on description. Homes with hot water heat have 180F pipes in contact with the wood, all winter long.

Looked at another way, our class A pipe gets to about 130F through the pipe's insulation. The enclosed chase walls, with a 2" air gap, get warm to the touch. Ask the installer if they installed the liner with spacers, but don't lose sleep over this. Nothing described so far sounds dangerous.

 

[Renovation]

I wouldn't panic here. If the wall hurt to touch or caused a burn (over 160F) then I would be concerned. A solid wall means it is probably plastered directly on the brick. By the description let's estimate the temp at around 115F. That is not excessive. Many of us with corner installations have walls near our stove running hotter than this. A safe wall temp is 95F + ambient temp, so you are a long way from anything dangerous based on description. Homes with hot water heat have 180F pipes in contact with the wood, all winter long.

Looked at another way, our class A pipe gets to about 130F through the pipe's insulation. The enclosed chase walls, with a 2" air gap, get warm to the touch. Ask the installer if they installed the liner with spacers, but don't lose sleep over this. Nothing described so far sounds dangerous.

Thanks BeGreen, that is very informative.

From BVD's discription, perhaps the liner is just closer to one side of the chimney than the other.

And my non-cat guess was right. Sounds like BVD has a nice masonry heater in those bedrooms.

Good on BVD for being observant and thorough. I'm glad it doesn't sound serious.

 

[beveryda]

Thanks guys.
Now I can enjoy my stove!

 

[bjkjoseph]

i have the same thing...i have an old house.....the chimney is my hall way wall,and they just plastered right over the bricks...its the warmest part of my house.