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Yes - I would think that most would consider that on the high side of acceptable. My stove has only hit that mark a small handful of times.;em

You've hit that mark!? Did the paint fly off the stove?
 
With a good draft and dry wood you would be surprised how hot it can get, just remember all that heat created by the secondary burn, most old stoves that would go up the chimney and not be reburned.

Be on the lookout on easternshore and delaware craigslist, I have seen 6" stainless steel flex show up a couple times from people pulling out inserts to install a pellet stove.

Just like this one in baltimore: (broken link removed to http://baltimore.craigslist.org/for/4749626594.html)

Good point. My insert has a metal plate I believe with baffles so I'm sure it gets hot as hell up there.

Nice, didn't think I'd find SS liners on CL. I'll check it out. I actually work in Adelphi so Bmore's not too far.
 
You've hit that mark!? Did the paint fly off the stove?

Believe it or not...no. It was quite eventless. Even marginally boring. My quick wits took over and told me to turn the primary air control to low. That was it.
 
(broken link removed to http://lancaster.craigslist.org/mat/4720981683.html)

That looks good.
 
Believe it or not...no. It was quite eventless. Even marginally boring. My quick wits took over and told me to turn the primary air control to low. That was it.

Which reminds me, I need to get a stove top thermometer too.
 
Just had an epiphany. With a proper liner, there's no reason to worry about the stupid smoke shelf. Whatever you sweep will fall right into the daggone clean out tee. Makes perfect sense now. With that set up you wouldn't have to take off the block off plate. Getting this stuff slowly but surely
 
You would remove one of the burn tubes, maybe two so the baffle on top of them can be pulled down, then you close the door and sweep your liner, all the crud then falls into the stove. Then you install the baffle back and tubes and you are done. Easy peasy. Cleanings can even be done going through the stove up to the top using a sooteater rotary type system.
 
Hang in there Ambull . . . together we can get you through this to get you burning safely, efficiently and relatively cheaply.
 
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You would remove one of the burn tubes, maybe two so the baffle on top of them can be pulled down, then you close the door and sweep your liner, all the crud then falls into the stove. Then you install the baffle back and tubes and you are done. Easy peasy. Cleanings can even be done going through the stove up to the top using a sooteater rotary type system.

Are you serious? lol. Why do all that when you could install a clean T pipe? If the liner goes from the top of the chimney straight to the T wouldn't all the soot fall right into the bottom? Guess my understanding is totally wrong.
 
Hang in there Ambull . . . together we can get you through this to get you burning safely, efficiently and relatively cheaply.

I don't know about that relatively cheap part. Did I mention I just bought this house in April? Have a huge list of to do items for it. Now I need to get this stinking insert ready. Also need a seriously long ladder to get to the top of the chimney and some kind of fall arrest system. Roof is really high and steep.
 
Look on the bright side, you can get a great start on your wood supply. Might be a better idea to get a professional sweep for the chimney. You mentioned electric heat, do you have baseboard heaters? That's what got me into purchasing a wood stove, our house has electric baseboards for heat. Your expense for getting set up now will be worth it to not have to pay that electric bill. This time last year my bill was nearly $500, and the house was not even comfortable. You will be happy you did it, and happier that you did it right.
 
I don't know about that relatively cheap part. Did I mention I just bought this house in April? Have a huge list of to do items for it. Now I need to get this stinking insert ready. Also need a seriously long ladder to get to the top of the chimney and some kind of fall arrest system. Roof is really high and steep.

Remember this old nugget: the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time . . . although why anyone would want to eat an elephant is beyond me . . . give me a cow instead!

Yes . . . there are plenty of projects . . . but you don't have to do them all at once . . . just knock off a project a little at a time. That's what my wife and I have done with our home. We're now down to only two more major jobs -- the upstairs bathroom renovation and siding/roofing the attached garage.

If the roof is really steep you might want to consider a professional sweep . . . or see if you might be able to sweep from the base. I know a lot of folks have used the Sooteater from the base with good results.
 
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Look on the bright side, you can get a great start on your wood supply. Might be a better idea to get a professional sweep for the chimney. You mentioned electric heat, do you have baseboard heaters? That's what got me into purchasing a wood stove, our house has electric baseboards for heat. Your expense for getting set up now will be worth it to not have to pay that electric bill. This time last year my bill was nearly $500, and the house was not even comfortable. You will be happy you did it, and happier that you did it right.

Just had the chimney swept about a month or so ago. Yep, baseboard heaters. The electric rate here is a lot cheaper than the area I moved from. I've also had to use a oil furnace for the past 8 years so I'm kind of used to crazy heating bills.

The liners from the chimney depot seem to be priced great. I may just buy from them.
 
Remember this old nugget: the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time . . . although why anyone would want to eat an elephant is beyond me . . . give me a cow instead!

Yes . . . there are plenty of projects . . . but you don't have to do them all at once . . . just knock off a project a little at a time. That's what my wife and I have done with our home. We're now down to only two more major jobs -- the upstairs bathroom renovation and siding/roofing the attached garage.

If the roof is really steep you might want to consider a professional sweep . . . or see if you might be able to sweep from the base. I know a lot of folks have used the Sooteater from the base with good results.

Mmm, beef. I kind of like working on things so I don't have a huge problem with projects, just wanted to use this insert for the winter. One of the main reasons I wanted to burn wood was to not be so reliant on electricity. It always sucks to go without power and thought with a wood stove plus my propane cooktop I could be comfortable while everyone else in the area is spooning for warmth.

The roof is steep. Wife said I could just climb out the window onto the roof. Jeez, sometimes I have no idea what she's thinking. If I climb out the attic window onto the roof I will fall right off. There's nothing to hold onto. First story roof is much easier. Base sweeping sounds like the way I have to go. I would want to sweep this thing weekly just to be sure my family is safe at night.
 
Are you serious? lol. Why do all that when you could install a clean T pipe? If the liner goes from the top of the chimney straight to the T wouldn't all the soot fall right into the bottom? Guess my understanding is totally wrong.

You don't want to install a Tee to an insert, that would only be used if you were using a free standing stove with a rear vent. You want to get a stainless steel appliance adapter to connect the liner directly to the insert.

(broken link removed to http://www.rockfordchimneysupply.com/rockford.php?item=FlueLinerApplianceConnector)

And if need be you can get an elbow (fixed is better): (broken link removed to http://www.rockfordchimneysupply.com/rockford.php?item=AdjustableandFixedElbows)
 
You don't want to install a Tee to an insert, that would only be used if you were using a free standing stove with a rear vent. You want to get a stainless steel appliance adapter to connect the liner directly to the insert.

(broken link removed to http://www.rockfordchimneysupply.com/rockford.php?item=FlueLinerApplianceConnector)

And if need be you can get an elbow (fixed is better): (broken link removed to http://www.rockfordchimneysupply.com/rockford.php?item=AdjustableandFixedElbows)

Ahhh, now I see. Thanks for being patient with my ignorance. My insert will be more or less functioning as a free standing. It's not totally recessed into the firebox. Instead there's about 4" or so from the firebox brick to the insert. I'm not going to use the faceplate thing either. So I would think the Tee would be an easier cleaning option for my setup right?
 
Well I was actually thinking about burning pallets, mostly for kindling but possibly as log substitutes as well. Good thing you all killed my dreams.

Mix them in with logs and you'll be ok... just don't fill the stove with ONLY pallet wood.
 
Man you love those Tee's, I would skip the idea of the Tee and just go for the straight connect with your insert, a Tee just adds a hard 90 degree to the smoke path that is not needed in this case. Trust me removing the baffle is easy after you do it once.

lmao. Yeah I do love those Tees for some reason. Is that a newb thing?

I guess a straight connect would be preferable. Read angles decrease draft/flow. I'll have to read about how you can clean the flue through the stove and visually inspect it from the bottom up.
 
Funny thing is, in-laws have been burning wood for years and never heard of secondary combustion. They have a catalytic converter free standing stove.

I've discovered that many wood-burners (not just in-laws, but them, too) don't know how modern EPA stoves work... and surprisingly that seems to apply just as much to people who OWN AND USE modern stoves, not just to those w/ pre-EPA smoke dragons. And of course, knowing what secondary combustion IS can be very helpful in getting your stove to achieve it: sizing the flue correctly, burning dry wood, getting the fire hot enough before shutting the air, etc.

It probably doesn't help that only one in a hundred actually read and understand the owner's manual.
 
Ahhh, now I see. Thanks for being patient with my ignorance. My insert will be more or less functioning as a free standing. It's not totally recessed into the firebox. Instead there's about 4" or so from the firebox brick to the insert. I'm not going to use the faceplate thing either. So I would think the Tee would be an easier cleaning option for my setup right?
This is not exactly using the insert as tested. It will affect clearances and may make the insert difficult to connect. I'm ok with leaving off the surround but would drop the idea of a tee completely and set the insert so that the connection of the liner is a straight in as possible. And pay attention to the mantel clearances if the mantel is made of wood.
 
This is not exactly using the insert as tested. It will affect clearances and may make the insert difficult to connect. I'm ok with leaving off the surround but would drop the idea of a tee completely and set the insert so that the connection of the liner is a straight in as possible. And pay attention to the mantel clearances if the mantel is made of wood.

Yeah yeah you guys are right again. Must be exhausting always being correct. I'll have to cut out a couple inches on the side of the mantel to achieve recommended clearances or use a heat shield.
 
I'll have to read about how you can clean the flue through the stove and visually inspect it from the bottom up.

Easy, take the baffle down while the stove is cool, stick your smartphone into the stove and take video of the inside of the liner, then play back and you can see build up from the bottom. Now having said that most of your build up will be on the top as the bottom runs hot so you would still want to sweep or visually check the top.

As for bottom up cleaning check out the sooteater I mentioned ealier: http://gardusinc.com/sooteater.html

I haven't mentioned it yet with everything else going on, but I would recommend insulating the liner (yes more cost), always a good thing to do that as it helps draft and helps reduce creosote buildup.
 
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