Installation

Problems to avoid

Retrofitting an old chimney: Old chimneys are often too big for today's wood stoves. In that case the amount of air they draw is not proportional to the amount of heat the stove produces: you will burn more wood than you need, and likely spend more time than necessary on fire maintenance. You need to install a "flueliner" stovepipe within the entire chimney. Its length should never be any bigger than the stove's exhaust opening.

Setting the stove pipe to minimum height. A short chimney may look nicer (though that's a matter of opinion), but it may not supply an optimal draft to the stove. Work with us to figure out the right stovepipe height for your stove.

Running too much horizontal stove pipe: A flue works best when it's vertical. Do not create chimney holes in the roof, run stovepipe out windows or through walls.

Running the stove pipe along an exterior wall: This isn't a safety issue so much as an efficiency issue. The stove will heat more of the house if the pipe travels up along an interior wall, so all the heat from the pipe stays in the house. Twin wall flue pipes can be used for outside.

Creating too many twists and turns: Flue pipe systems should be direct and straight. Twists and turns in a stovepipe invite the buildup of creosote, which raises the risk of fire.

By building regulations the single skin flue must terminate at least 45 cm below combustible ceilings and the flue must be three times it's diameter away from combustible materials - ie for a 150 mm single skin flue pipe you must have a 450 mm circle around the centre line of the flue in which there are no combustible materials.