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The way to Vent a Pellet Stove Throughout a Masonry Chimney

If you’ve got a brand new pellet stove along with an existing masonry chimney, you can probably vent the stove through the chimney and also save yourself the trouble of installing a through-the-wall vent. But using a masonry chimney to vent the stove takes some preparation and some extra materials.

Chimney Planning

Before you install your pellet stove or its port, have your chimney inspected and cleaned by a qualified professional. It’ll be easier to fix any defects you find in your chimney at this point than it will be after you put in the stove port, and venting the stove through a clean chimney will be safer. Additionally, check with your regional building authority to be sure it is legal to install the kind of stove you want, and to secure the appropriate permits.

Chimney Liner

Your cooker’s vent pipe connects to a stainless steel lining that extends into the present masonry chimney. In older installations, the lining sometimes just extended past the present fireplace flue and part way up the chimney; this kind of setup makes it difficult to clean the chimney after installing the stove. A better choice is to put in a lining that goes all the way from the stove’s port to the top of the chimney, an option that will cost approximately $100 per foot in 2014 for a professional setup. With a full-height lining, it is possible to clean the interior of the lining, and you do not need to remove the stove to clean the chimney.

Rigid and Flexible Liners

Stainless steel liners are either rigid and straight-walled or flexible and corrugated. The smooth walls of rigid liners are a bit easier to clean than the ridged walls of flexible liners, but rigid liners just work well in chimneys without any offsets or turns. Both types of liners are available in diameters up to ten inches; your cooker’s documentation will tell exactly what diameter is necessary.

Vents

The lining extends past the top of the chimney by at least a foot and is covered with a port cap. The vent cap should have a cover to prevent rain water from entering the vent and chimney lining. Local codes vary in regard to the vent’s minimum height above the roof along with clearance from obstructions, so consult your regional building authority to make sure both your existing chimney and the brand new vent comply with regulations.

Seal Plate

In any kind of vent setup, the opening around the brand new chimney lining should be sealed over the present fireplace damper with a metal seal plate. This plate will stop cool outside air, smoke or soot from moving the chimney down and entering the house around the stove port.