Jotul F3 CB Chimney issues

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nightdynamo

Member
Oct 25, 2014
3
NJ
Imgur album here.

Hello everyone. I bought a house in Northern NJ last year and found some issues with my chimney installation. It wasn't caught by the house inspector since the problems are behind the wall. I was able to pull a permit from the town for the stove which was installed "professionally" by a company.

When they put the wall firestop around the thimble, it was too close to a PVC sewage drain which goes down to the basement from the second floor. Rather than fix this, they cut a segment of the wall firestop heat shield away. They then stuffed what looks to be koawool insulation between the PVC and the wall firestop. The thimble is made by Metal Fab Inc (6TGS12) and I assume the wall firestop is the same company.

The other problems are that I sometimes get water through the thimble which I think is mostly just a bad caulking job since I can see daylight around the inner pipe.

I think my options are 1) Leave it. 2) Rip up sheet rock to move the PVC sewer drain into the next stud wall bay. 3) move the thimble and the chimney over 6 inches with inside and outside elbows to clear the PVC 4) move to a pellet stove which has a smaller pipe and miss the wood stove.

The "hearth" is wallpaper on drywall.


[Hearth.com] Jotul F3 CB Chimney issues

[Hearth.com] Jotul F3 CB Chimney issues

[Hearth.com] Jotul F3 CB Chimney issues

[Hearth.com] Jotul F3 CB Chimney issues

[Hearth.com] Jotul F3 CB Chimney issues
 
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It does look like a bit of corner cutting. The wall firestop (TGWFSP) has clearly been compromised. Bum luck to have the pipe in there.

How far exactly is the PVC from the chimney pipe? Is it a drain pipe or a vent pipe (or both)?
 
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Less than a 3/4" from the PVC pipe to the chimney pipe (6TGS12).

It's definitely a sewage drain pipe.
 

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That is bad. Your concern is totally justified. They should have called you about this right then and there and maybe moved over to the next stud bay for the pipe if ok.
 
It's going to be work, regardless of the solution. Moving the pvc would probably take an offset with a 45 into the next stud cavity.
 
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