For servicing and ease of installation I'd prefer to have the connector pipe telescoping. Not sure if they make it in less than 12-18". I still haven't visualized how this will work out though, especially the chimney support. Where would the bracket be mounted? It would help if you could post some pictures and a sketch if necessary.
Here's a few pics that may help illustrate:
1. After stripping everything combustible off, below is my hearth. It's the original house chimney, and is brick with proper clearances for the first 10 feet. Above that is the second story add on chimney that has combustibles in it.
There aren't combustibles below the hearth - someone stacked concrete block and poured concrete down there prior to the previous install.
2. Below is my chimney from the outside. It's got stone over everything, so you can't see that it's actually the brick chimney with a 1980s cinder block chimney stacked on top. You can also see that it's about 5 feet too short.
3. Below is the type of hearth install I'd like: an englander 30 inside of my current hearth opening with the pipe coming straight down into the top of it.
4. Below is a quick sketch of a potential install. Don't read into the wavy lines - they're more representative of my drawing skills than the actual chimney
![Smile :) :)](/talk/styles/default/xenforo/smileys/grin.gif)
. This is looking at it from the side. The dark shaded part is the existing brick portion of the chimney that has proper clearance to combustibles. The non-shaded part is the existing "chimney" that does not have clearance, and thus (according to previous comments) is essentially a chimney chase. Could a potential install be:
- class A duravent the whole way with an extension on top
- The "Tee support" supporting the chimney would be connected to the inside of of the chimney to the existing brick (which is in good shape). I can access this area prior to stove install via the hearth.
- No cleanout: cleanout would need to be in the stove
- wall straps at 8 and sixteen feet to studs. I can access this area via a hole in the upstairs wall that is already there from demolition for proper clearance.
5. Below is a picture looking up my chimney from the bottom. Not much can be seen, but you can see that it is brick
6. Here's what the upper portion of my chimney looks like now that we've removed all of the clay tile that was resting against the particle board, and smashed out some of the brick in order to gain proper clearance from the upstairs wall: