hi. i've been thinking about a wood or pellet stove for a couple years now trying to knock down the tank-a-month oil + $300 electricity bill that rears up during the winter. my landlord and neighbors have both told me that a previous tenant had a pellet stove in use and, seeing no venting through the walls, i assume it went through the existing brick fireplace chimney. right now, when looking up through the fireplace, i see a metal plate covering what was the 'exhaust' (sorry for my lack of terminology), and another metal plate screwed into that. the smaller plate covers a round hole which i didn't measure when i had it apart, but i'd say was a few inches across. i might take it apart and take pics.
being on a tight budget, i'm hoping that everything needed for a pellet stove is already installed so i only have to plug it in and go. any ideas what i should look for when i peer up there with a flashlight? is it possible they shot it up the chimney without a liner and is that even safe? i assume a metal pipe means there's some kind of lining, but i'm not sure if it's possible to line only the top or bottom half and get away with it. this is a two story multi-family which we occupy the first floor of.
i have an appointment with a chimney company to inspect, but if adding a liner is significantly more, i may have to pass this year and wait until the off season for a killer deal on a stove. i'd be very disappointed considering we just lost heat/power for 8 days and i want to comfortably melt my face off with some source of heat that noticeably works (when the power's up)!
thanks ahead of time for the info!
being on a tight budget, i'm hoping that everything needed for a pellet stove is already installed so i only have to plug it in and go. any ideas what i should look for when i peer up there with a flashlight? is it possible they shot it up the chimney without a liner and is that even safe? i assume a metal pipe means there's some kind of lining, but i'm not sure if it's possible to line only the top or bottom half and get away with it. this is a two story multi-family which we occupy the first floor of.
i have an appointment with a chimney company to inspect, but if adding a liner is significantly more, i may have to pass this year and wait until the off season for a killer deal on a stove. i'd be very disappointed considering we just lost heat/power for 8 days and i want to comfortably melt my face off with some source of heat that noticeably works (when the power's up)!
thanks ahead of time for the info!