Pellet stove location?

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Mr. Detail

Member
Hearth Supporter
Dec 23, 2008
10
Southeastern Pennsylvania
I wonder if this makes any sense to you guys. Last year we needed to upgrade our 30 yr. old natural gas furnace so we did with one exception. Because of it's efficiency we were allowed by code to vent the furnace at ground level outside the house. Now our old existing chimney is not being used and I thought it might be novel if I installed a pellet stove in the basement right next to the furnace and use the existing opening in the basement wall to vent the pellet stove. The stove would be sitting on a solid concrete floor next to the basement wall. The only issue with the chimney was that some of the terra-cotta liner broke off near the top and one brick broke loose and is blocking partially the opening to the outside world. Can I use this chimney for venting the stove?
 
I would say only a professional could really be the judge of that. If the top is the only problem, then I would think the flue is serviceable and you could go ahead and have it fixed.

As far as pellets go, put some thought into all of the fuel options and what fits your situation best. The price of pellets has gone up sharply and I am not sure if demand will go down due to lower fuel costs or not. If you have a free or inexpensive source of wood, cost in the long run may be lower burning wood. The cost of a gasification setup may look steep to get going, but then your costs are consistent and predictable no matter what happens with fuel prices. There is nothing worse than feeling like your financial stability is at the mercy of big energy companies. Switching over has changed a lot more about my life than just the way I heat my home. Good luck.
 
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