Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Its Hot!!! Class A Pipe

Got my wood burning stove going today for the first time..I was under the impression that the class A pipe doesnt get hot. You cant hold onto the outside of it where it goes through the wall and the T is pretty hot too..Gets fairly warm all the way up to the top..I hope this is normal...there is the 2 inch space around it going through the wall but im concerned..Any help??? I dont wanna burn my house down..And yes..Its all up to code.:eek:

What brand of chimney do you have? I believe that they are allowed to be around 200 degrees above ambient (room temperature). If you are going through a wall make sure you use the manufacturer's wall thimble and all of their components.

Some of the manufacturer's will let you call directly and talk to an engineer. I have done this with Simpson Duravent.

Jim

I used all metalbestos pipe, clamps and wall thimble.any way of getting a temp reading on the outer part of the class A pipe thats in the house?

We had an infrared thermometer that you just pointed and it would read the surface temperature. We used to check it out to customers. You may be able to rent one locally. You can buy them through WW Grainger but they are not cheap.

You can probably call Metalbestos as well or contact them through their web site. Horizontal through-the-wall runs tend to build more heat but the wall thimbles typically provide added shielding to take care of that. As long as you are using their components installed with their specifications you should be fine.

The pipes do typically get hot to the touch even through the pipe insulation. The insulating properties keep the inner pipe temperatures up which tends to keep creosote formation down.

Metalbestos is a packed chimney whereas some brands use both packing and an air space. Metalbestos is a well established brand and should give you good service. Air cooled or partially air cooled tend to run a bit cooler.

Any brand of pipe is subject to damage by flue fires and it is always wise to clean your chimney periodically. One way to check it is to take a hand mirror on a sunny day, remove the cap and focus the sun's rays down the chimney just above the chimney. You should be able to get a good look at the inside. If you are burning correctly you will see only light-colored deposits on the side that should brush off easily. A nylon brush and rods will clean it right off.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I used all metalbestos parts and now it seems that as I get the hang of regulating the temperature alittle better..Its running alittle cooler..I may have been too excited to get it going and just fired it up too hot.