Can't find a solution to your problem?
Post a question in our Forums.
|
|
Woodburning furnace and chimney
My husband and I are planning to
install a woodburning furnace and new chimney any suggestions would be helpful. We have a
two story home and want to know should the chimney go inside or out. We have never built
one so a step by step would be helpful.
I feel that any woodburning chimney
should be built inside. This keeps the chimney warmer and slows the build up of creosote
in the liner of the chimney. Your local building inspector should have a diagram for the
construction of the chimney with all clearances needed.
|
Advertisement
Contact me to place your ad here
|
Wood stoves
I have a pre-fabricated wood burning
fireplace. My question is could I get one of those cheaper styles box type wood burning
stoves and somehow put it on a piece of sheet metal or the like to prevent the carpet in
front of the fireplace and hook up an elbow type of flue to go up and connect to my
fireplace chimney flue? Would all work all right as far as drafts,etc.?
Does your chimney/fireplace have
good draft now? If so, yes it would probably work. Don't just get any piece of sheetmetal
for the floor. Metal conducts heat quite well and offers no protection. (except from
spilled ashes perhaps. Check where you buy the stove on requirements.. usually you should
put it on brick or stone (this doesn't have to be expensive or fancy) And they do sell
heat shields that it can sit on and to protect adjacent walls.
What ever you do, don't scrimp on
that protection... More homes burn than you imagine from improper installation or
operation of wood stoves.
Also, check on how much your
insurance bill will go up and factor that into your savings... it may surprise you.
Is it okay to put vent in ceiling to draw air
We heat with wood and although one room
is very warm, the others are not. It seems one
problem is that the wood burning draws air in and
creates a cold breeze. I am considering putting a
vent into the ceiling above the woodstove to
provide air for the stove without drawing it from
all the windows. The vent would go up into our
attic space and it would seem that the drawing of
air would make the attic cooler and help stop ice
dams. Is my theory okay? Alternatively, would there be more
warm air going into the attic than cold air
coming down?
Hot air from the woodburner goes up the chimney and will draw colder air into the house from any other source, including windows and vents from the attic... It is for this reason that fireplaces and woodburners often produce a net negative heat effect in a house...In other words, using a fireplace or woodburner can actually cause you to lose 10% more heat than they create because of drawn in colder air. You may help the situation more by sealing or replacing drafty windows, and caulking any air leaks in your home.
Certainly the wood stove is much better than a fireplace, and the main reason is you have better control of how much hot air is going up the chimney, by closing down the damper. Air tights are best since they minimize further the amount of excess air going up the chimney. Hope this answers your question! If your house has many drafts, etc. from your leaky windows, adding one more hole in the house won't help. It will only add one more hole. So, the best thing to do it seal as many leaks as possible. In an older, home it is not likely that you could seal it tight enough to ever come close to being airtight and not having oxygen for you and the fire. As long as the chimney draws and smoke goes up, there is enough air in paths. Does this make sense?
Conversion
Any way of converting a wood stove to burn coal?
Not unless the unit is already designed for conversion. Depends entirely on the unit manufacturer. In general, wood burners have different grates for coal and wood, one not working for the other. Consult the manufacturer.
Stove pipe reducer
I have a wood stove with an 8" vent, and a 6" hole in my chimney. I have it hooked up with a reducer at the stove, and 6" pipe to the chimney. It puffs out more smoke than I would like when I open either door to put wood in. Would changing to an 8" pipe and putting the reducer at the chimney help the draft at all?
I doubt it. I think the draft will not be significantly changed.
Make sure you crack the door for a couple seconds before pulling it open. Also cracking a window just before you open the door will help the draft as well.
