How to remove a stove connected to rigid stove pipe

[vdavidoff]

I'm going to be replacing a wood stove with a pellet stove and will be using the existing 6" chimney pipe to vent the pellet stove. Unlike a previous wood stove I have worked on, this particular installation does not have any flexible piping - it's all rigid. I do not know exactly how it's all run through the ceiling/roof, because I can't see what's going on in there without taking things apart. The ceiling is relatively difficult to get into in this particular home, and the stove was installed prior to me owning the home.

In order to get the wood stove out and adjust the pipe as necessary when connecting to the pellet stove exauast, would I need to break the seals on the roof, allowing me to slide the stove pipe up and down vertically once disconnected from the stove? Or do these installations not work like that - would the pipe not slide/move due to how it's connected through the thimble (possibly the wrong term) in the roof? Is one of these sections probably telescoping, and if so, is there a way I can tell without starting to take stuff apart?

Note that I don't know why the 6" pipe goes through what appears to be an 8" liner as it passes through the ceiling. Maybe that's just how the passthrough is built in terms of thermal protection. Out of the top side, it's all still 6".

Hoping I can avoid doing anything with the seals on the roof...

Thanks for any insight.

 

[begreen]

Note that I don't know why the 6" pipe goes through what appears to be an 8" liner as it passes through the ceiling. Maybe that's just how the passthrough is built in terms of thermal protection. Out of the top side, it's all still 6".

It's possible that this is an incorrect or illegal install. Can you post a picture or two of what it looks on the top side?

 

[Eman85]

If needed just sawzall the pipe which is what I would do before disturbing the chimney. If you can't raise the bridge sometimes you have to lower the water, look under the stove for adjustments or if that lower piece would come free.

 

[xman23]

Yours looks like a ceiling box at the top. Typically it holds the weight of the chimney above. And the pipe from the stove slides up and into it to get the stove out.

 

[vdavidoff]

It's possible that this is an incorrect or illegal install. Can you post a picture or two of what it looks on the top side?

 

[begreen]

OK, thanks. It looks like there may be nothing worth saving there. It's an abomination and an illegal install. Stovepipe can not be used outside of the room envelope. It looks obvious that leakage has been an issue with the huge gobs of crud heaped on the flashing and storm collars. That makes it impossible to see how the flashing was installed and whether it's savable.

If the goal to do a safe, long lasting pellet stove install then ripping this mess out and starting fresh may be the best approach.