Hi all, new to these forums and in need of some advice.
A little over a year ago I bought a house with an old wood burning stove. I'm guessing the thing is original to the house which was built in 1976. I have no knowledge of how often the flue has been inspected, or cleaned, but I think it's been somewhat maintained, because I've cleaned it a couple of times and the creosote buildup didn't seem to be too bad. I've been trying to find someone who does chimney inspections in my area who can look at the condition of my flue and see how it's doing (especially since the pipe could be around 40 years old). Unfortunately, I have not been able to find anyone even close to my area (Green River, Wyoming), or anyone willing to drive here. I've read online that most steel chimneys should be replaced after 15 - 20 years. I'm guessing I'm well beyond that.
So I'm wondering if I should consider replacing my old flue system? If yes, how hard of a DIY project would it be since I can't find anyone in my area that does this type of stuff? My flue system is a straight shot up, with the stove on the second floor, the flue passes through the attic and then exits the roof (probably a total of ~20ft). I'm fairly handy, and very meticulous with checking on building codes and following them.
To complicate matters, my wife and I are looking into getting a new wood stove to use as a primary heat source for the house (with a gas furnace as a backup heater). The problem is, I have an 8" flue and the stoves that fit an 8" flue are probably too big for the area I need to heat (about 1,800 sq. ft.). It seems that most modern fireplaces that would work best for our house have a 6" flue. I don't want to use a reducer, due to the issues with draft that I've read about. If I end up replacing the entire flue system, is it difficult to go down to a smaller size (an 8" down to a 6"), or should I really stick with the 8" and get a larger stove than I probably need? I'm guessing the primary challenge would be needing to patch the roof and then recut the hole for a 6" setup? Anyone know any good books or anything to help with this type of project?
So to summarize my questions:
-Since I don't have someone that can inspect my flue system, is there something I can do to get a good idea of the condition of the flue?
-If I need to replace the whole flue system, how hard of a DIY project is it?
-If I do a replacement, should I stick with an 8" stove to keep things simple, or should I go to a 6" stove and put in a 6" flue system?
Any help you can provide would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks,
A little over a year ago I bought a house with an old wood burning stove. I'm guessing the thing is original to the house which was built in 1976. I have no knowledge of how often the flue has been inspected, or cleaned, but I think it's been somewhat maintained, because I've cleaned it a couple of times and the creosote buildup didn't seem to be too bad. I've been trying to find someone who does chimney inspections in my area who can look at the condition of my flue and see how it's doing (especially since the pipe could be around 40 years old). Unfortunately, I have not been able to find anyone even close to my area (Green River, Wyoming), or anyone willing to drive here. I've read online that most steel chimneys should be replaced after 15 - 20 years. I'm guessing I'm well beyond that.
So I'm wondering if I should consider replacing my old flue system? If yes, how hard of a DIY project would it be since I can't find anyone in my area that does this type of stuff? My flue system is a straight shot up, with the stove on the second floor, the flue passes through the attic and then exits the roof (probably a total of ~20ft). I'm fairly handy, and very meticulous with checking on building codes and following them.
To complicate matters, my wife and I are looking into getting a new wood stove to use as a primary heat source for the house (with a gas furnace as a backup heater). The problem is, I have an 8" flue and the stoves that fit an 8" flue are probably too big for the area I need to heat (about 1,800 sq. ft.). It seems that most modern fireplaces that would work best for our house have a 6" flue. I don't want to use a reducer, due to the issues with draft that I've read about. If I end up replacing the entire flue system, is it difficult to go down to a smaller size (an 8" down to a 6"), or should I really stick with the 8" and get a larger stove than I probably need? I'm guessing the primary challenge would be needing to patch the roof and then recut the hole for a 6" setup? Anyone know any good books or anything to help with this type of project?
So to summarize my questions:
-Since I don't have someone that can inspect my flue system, is there something I can do to get a good idea of the condition of the flue?
-If I need to replace the whole flue system, how hard of a DIY project is it?
-If I do a replacement, should I stick with an 8" stove to keep things simple, or should I go to a 6" stove and put in a 6" flue system?
Any help you can provide would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks,
