Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Chimneys and wood stoves

Ok so heres the deal. I recently bought a house. The previous heat source in the house was a gas furnace. The previous owner decided that it would be a great idea to remove the gas furnace, and install baseboard electric coupled with little wall mount forced air heaters all over the house. Yeah, I still havent figured it out yet. In the process of installing these little energy wasters, they found the chimney (this house is not large by any means, reasonable deduction would tell you where the chimney is). So they proceeded to knock out the brick from the side of the chimney in order to install the wall heater.

So here is where I am at now. I have a wood stove that I got for free with a hearth. This is sitting in the living room corner holding up a speaker right now. I have looked into putting a wall vent to vent the stove out the wal and up the side of the house. This is appearing to be very expensive ($1200-$1400 for all the parts). Now comes the part about the chimney. It is on the complete opposite end of the house. I suspect it was used for a wood cooking stove (house is 100 years old) as it is partially in the kitchen. There is a hallway between the kitchen and the living room. To the side of the hall way, there is another bedroom. I have taken the wall mount heater out and looked up the flu with a flashlight and mirror. Everything looks clean, no soot or anything like that. Lots fo spider webs, but thats all. About 4 feet up from the hole where the wall heater is, there is a ceramic or plaster tube protruding into the chimney. I would assume this was for the kitchen stove.

Now, what would I be looking at to install the stove in the bedroom and running the vent out the chimney?

I hope this explains things well enough, and thanks in advance for any and all advice!

chris

You should first call a chimney professional to inspect the chimney before proceeding with the project. The chimney professional should also be able to advise you if what you are planning to do would be safe and if there are any permits and additional inspections required.

Learn more about chimney inspections at: http://www.csia.org/homeowners/inspections-three-levels.htm

Thanks a bunch for the link. However, it did not really assess what level is needed to see if the chimney can be used for this purpose. I dont know what the fuel type was for the chimney originally. Of course I am making an assumption that it was used with wood.

I have also read a bit about a lining. It does not appear that this chimney has any sort of lining. Its basically just bricks and mortar between them all the way up. There is really no evidence of deposits with the exception of the area right near the original vent. That area is very light with deposits and not more than 2" away from the vent.

Any idea on how much and Inspection #2 costs? I think that is the closest to what I need.

I guess the other question I have is; is there a specific way to attach the pipe from the stove to the chimney? I was advised to drill a hole about 6" in diameter (the size of the exhaust from the stove) and cut the drywall away about 2" from the hole to avoid any fire hazards. It seems to me that there might be more to this. Things like some sort of sealer to ensure the smoke will not enter the room.

Additionally, does $1200-$1400 for parts sound right for a wall exit system?

Thanks again for all input!

Cost of inspections tend to vary from area to area. Check your yellow pages and call two or three for estimates. Cost will also vary due to degree of difficulty of inspection.

You may find the following link helpful in visualizing parts needed to accomplish what you intend: http://www.dukefire.com/blackpipe.htm

Chimneys built before 1900 were unlined. Venting wood burning stove into unlined chimney is hazardous and should not be connected to a wood burning stove. If your chimney does not have a tile liner, the chimney professional will likely tell you that you need to line the chimney.

http://www.mqtcty.org/departments/fire/woodstoves.htm