FIREPLACE guys.. need help on vent stack routing - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Little · 11-07-2009, 08:32 AM

I purchased my first home about 5 months ago and i'm in the planning stages of adding a wood fireplace in the corner of the living room. The living room is in the front of the house with an attached garage at the same corner of the house in which i want to put the fireplace. The house is a ranch style btw, just standard rectangle. After doing a bunch of research i see i have to get the vent stack close to the preak of the roof to be optimal, but the peak is approximately 12 feet away from where the vent pipe will be coming out vertically from the top of the fireplace. I know i have to go vertical thru a chase thru the attic joists, but can i then install the 30^ elbow and run it the additional 12-16ft to the peak at that angle? I mention 16ft or so as i feel having a vent stack on the front side of the house would look funny or am i just crazy hehe. Your thoughts and ideas please, thankyou.

bert0168 · 11-07-2009, 08:50 AM

I don't see why you couldn't do that in the attic space.
You want to avoid too many sharp turns (90 deg) if possible.

Make sure you use the correct type of insulated pipe and watch for distances to combustible materials.

I hope you have also made plans for the area around the stove for combustibles. It's not as simple as flopping something on the drywall if you have wood framing, you need to isolate it from the non combustible material.

How do I know all this? I just installed a wood stove in my dining room last year. The stove was the least expensive part. Here is a picture of the work needed to be done behind the stone and cement board to isolate the framing.

http://hearth.com/econtent/index.php...ling_it_safely

http://www.hearth.com/content/images...nfpachart1.jpg

http://www.hearth.com/content/images...nfpachart2.jpg

Little · 11-07-2009, 10:36 AM

Ok great i just wasn't sure if you could or not. Yep i plan on removing all the drywall from the corner and then doing like you mentioned and installing cement board which i have seen done on a few other install pics. I have an unimpeded run in the attic in which i can come thru the attic vertically and do one bend all the way to the location in which i need to make the final bend up and then up and out thru the roof.

Little · 11-07-2009, 03:26 PM

Now the next step is to decide on either a wood burning or gas fireplace, and one that will fit in our living room with the setup we are trying to do. I love woodburning but down the road will i still want to be getting logs and such, ugh decisions decisions. Can anyone recommend a budget wood or gas fireplace company?

Warren · 11-07-2009, 03:29 PM

The fireplace manufacturer will have all the info you need to vent the chimney properly. I haven't installed any in a long time, but I am around when they get installed. Some of the cheaper units will not let you add any angles, only vertical. Usually in your case, we used to build a wood stack on the roof, and vent through this enclosure.

wellbuilthome · 11-07-2009, 04:32 PM

A wood stove/ fire place would be better off with a straight flue so its easy to clean and you get a better draft .
A gas fire place can just vent out the side wall of the house.
I like a real wood stove i would run it straight up behind the ridge . John

Kgmz · 11-07-2009, 05:03 PM

Here is part of the code for you, pertaining to how high the stack has to be.

R1003.9 Termination. Chimneys shall extend at least 2 feet (610 mm) higher than any portion of a building within 10 feet (3048 mm), but shall not be less than 3 feet (914 mm) above the highest point where the chimney passes through the roof.

Too me a straight stack would be better.

By my figures assuming a 4/12 pitch, the stack only has to be 5'4" high on the high side and about 5'8" on the low side. So figure 6'0" on the low side by the time you build the chase out, thats really not that high as long as you build some width to it.

Just did some research, and surprisingly to me 30 degree elbows are allowed. See link below.

http://www.duravent.com/docs/bulleti...t_bulletin.pdf

Tinstaafl · 11-07-2009, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little

Now the next step is to decide on either a wood burning or gas fireplace, and one that will fit in our living room with the setup we are trying to do.

Do you want to heat with it, or look at it?

If it's just for looks, I'd go with gas. No labor, no mess.

If it's for heating, I'd try to talk you out of it. Fireplaces are really lousy in terms of efficiency--most of your heat goes straight up the chimney. You have to burn really hot for a long time to get the masonry warmed up to the point that it begins to radiate warmth into the room. And the flue is a source of heat loss even when you don't have a fire going.

Personally, I'll never have a house without a wood/coal stove. They're much more efficient, cozy to cuddle up to, and when times get hard you can burn the furniture to stay warm.

bert0168 · 11-07-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinstaafl

when times get hard you can burn the furniture to stay warm.

Amen to that

bert0168 · 11-07-2009, 07:47 PM

I'd probably do gas for a room you sit in alot. Wood will drive you right out of the room. I love the smell of a wood stove and that's what I have, but it's in the dining room and heats that room and the kitchen, places we don't sit for long periods of time.

A gas stove you can regulate easier than wood and keep it at a comfortable temp to sit around. Depending on the model, you can get direct venting units like Wellbuilt said, no stack thru the ceiling