I have some questions about a wood stove!?

Question

I am wanting to install a wood stove into a house me and my wife have. The walls are concrete walls and I was wondering about burning wood in it. The wood stove is a cast iron free standing wood stove from www.harborfreighttools.com I have a free supply of wood pallets..that I could cut up and burn. Do you think there is any problem using that type of wood to burn. I would keep the the flue cleaned out. Where would I buy the stove pipe to install it at? Also what is the best and easiest way to cut a 6" hole thro a concrete block wall? and tips or suggestions? I am trying to keep our home warm on a budget..

the site is www.harborfreight.com and the stove is part # 32058-5VGA

THERE is no issues with the insurance..the house we have is in Mexico and is a concrete home..

Answer 1

Discarded pallets are fine, as they are RAW and can be Junk Oak, at least here in Florida.

Certainly I suggest you know the material, but there should be no worry about sap/soft wood know holes popping, or treated material. I'd probably cut the pallets up, discarding nails, and without knowing the size of the "firebox" cut them small enough to fit comfortably.

I suspect even Home Depot or Lowes can hook you up with the hardware, and/or a decent fireplace store.

Concrete block is relatively easy to cut through, and in the size of the venting pipe and your measuring, you might even avoid mortar lines. I use a Recip. Saw, with a long blade, designed for the intended purpose. In the process you can use a general use hammer to create a hole large enough for the blade to fit into. Trace a circle, after knowing all your measurements, and cut. Of course I usually intend to use more than one blade. Remember though that "Block is "Hollow" at it's interior unless the structure Block was filled with concrete, and the block walls themselves aren't much thicker than 1 3/8 inches maybe?

For the hole, after the pipe is installed the Big Box stores will also offer cowlings etc. to "seal" in part, the spacing around the pipe.

They will also likely sell the floor "Plate" IE: Concrete backer board, for placement under the fireplace.

You might also check with your local code enforcement agency, just to stay legal. I suggest you also review your homeowners insurance policy.

Steven Wolf
(The Rev.)

As an aside, you nudged a memory from me. I was born and raised on a farm in upstate NY. My grandparents, who raised me, had a huge wood burning stove in the kitchen, and in my 20 plus years there I can never recall the stove being "OFF." We also had 20 wooded acres to supply our needs.

Answer 2

You might check the local building codes to see what the required distance from the wall. (In our county it is 16". Also what amount of hearth or non combustable surface you need in front of the stove. Keep the sides clear also. No wood stacked around it. No kindling either. Was the stove professionally installed? If so do you know by whom and can you contact the people? Check the county regulations and you might even question insurence companies what their reccomendations are. I have had a wood stove for more than 40 years and wouldn't heat without it. You could even have the local fire department come and give you a quick pre-inspection to make any reccomendations. If they think all is okay would they write a quick note stating so? Be sure to have smoke alarms with good batteries for you inspection too.

Answer 3

The block walls are pretty easy to drill and break out to fit your chimney, and you don't need special double wall pipe or anything, just regular black stovepipe. Put a thimble in the wall to run the pipe through. It's a good idea to have a "t" outside where the horizontal pipe turns up, turned so there is a cap on the bottom of the "T" for cleaning. Standard practice is to have the top of the chimney 2 feet above the nearest flammable thing 10 feet away from it (horizontally) Be sure you have at least 18" between the pipe and any flammable surfaces, unless you have a heat shield around the pipe. Where the pipe passes the house eaves, you can transition to double wall to avoid having an 18" stand-off.

I've burned tons of pallets. I used a chainsaw or a cheap circular saw to make the cuts, and left the nails in. If the pallets are uniform, you can get real fast at this. The ashes will contain the nails, but big deal...the volume is small. Avoid treated or painted wood, so you don't deplete your "eco-karma". The planet will thank you for your consideration.
Sure, the pallets do burn fast, but a cast iron stove will temper that somewhat, and if the stove has a decent thermostat, it will not run wild. I've filled an "Earth Stove" with full loads of pallet wood, set the stat low, and it burned for 12 hours.

Answer 4

Nothing wrong with burning pallets; that's good dry wood, usually. You can buy stove pipe at any building supply store (Menards, Home Depot) and most good-sized hardware stores.

The stove should come with instructions giving you a minimum clearance to any surrounding walls. Observe that religiously.

I put down a sheet of asbestos board (can you still buy that these days?) and then used a pre-mixed mortar to set faux bricks as a good non-flammable base. If you use real bricks, check on the weight involved and do any extra support needed below the floor.

Not sure about getting through the concrete block. I might go through a few concrete drills and drill several holes in a circle, then chisel the inside part away. You're probably going to fill in with furnace cement anyway and finish off with a decorative flange to dress off the ragged hole.

Clean that flue every year and always have a good sized fire extinguisher on hand, plus one of those sticks that helps extinguish a chimney fire ~ just in case.

Be safe.

Answer 5

The first thing is the hole. You do not want a round hole because you need to keep the flue pipe at least at a 30 degree angle so it will draw smoke and fumes out. If the wall is less than 3" thick you can use a masonry blade on a good skill saw and cut a 10" square hole so you will have the angel you need. Most gas only stoves can vetn straight thru a wall but if your burning wood you shouldnt. Also make sure you maintain your clearances from combustibles from your stove. You need "Stove Pipe" not just any flue pipe. Your fire will be very hot and if you use B-Vent type pipe, it could melt. so find double wall 1200 degree stove pipe. You can find the pipe at www.duravent.com

Answer 6

It depends on whether it's concrete block or poured solid walls. If it's concrete block you can get through a cell in the block for the pipe and repair around it afterwords. Otherwise you will have to rent a concrete hammer drill with a hole saw blade to get through the wall. The make the concrete hole saws with different depths and it will take usually about thirty minutes to get through if it's solid. Keep the horizontal stove pipe as short as possible to get good ventilation. Wood heating stove was my only heat in some north country for many years. Works great. Wood pallets probably won't last long as far as wood goes but if it's free, what the hey.

Answer 7

First off, I thought my name was "Get wood!" until I was 14. We heated our home exclusively with wood. About 16 cords a year. I have installed MANY wood stoves.

First off, for safety, you need "B-Vent" pipe. It is a pipe that is designed to handle the hot gases from combustibles. Second, you need to cut a 7" hole for the pipe and collar either side of the penetration.

To make the cut, purchase or rent a good roto hammer and bit. Draw the 7" circle on the wall and drill around the circle. It doesn't have to be beautiful as the collar will hide the cut on both sides.

Make sure the pipe has a constant up angle. Never perfectly level or down. Outside, make sure it extends at least 18" above the level of the roof line AND INSTALL A SPARK ARRESTOR and flu damper!

Make sure you install a heat pad under the stove to catch any embers that escape when you fill the stove.

Answer 8

The wood stove would be great to keep those cool walls warm. Those pallets are what we would call seasoned wood (very dry) they will burn very quickly, so if you use the heat only in the day, you can keep putting wood in. If you could find trees that have just been cut, and cut them up also, all would be great. Also, the parts can all be bought at Lowes or Home Depot, (hardware store) At night, or when you leave the house, close all of the dampers (little holes) and it will make the wood burn slower.

Answer 9

There shouldn't be a problem burning next to a concrete wall. Keep the stove about 2-4 feet away from the wall. The wood should be of as well. Depending on if it has chemicals in it suck as paint or varnish. Those burn hot and are dangerous. Buy the pipe at home depot or maybe harbor freight. Cutting a hole in the wall requires a concrete bit for a roto hammer drill. These bits are kind of expensive. I have found using a small concrete bit then a chisel bit for a roto hammer works well.

Answer 10

Hopefully the wood you choose to burn is not treated, or contaminated with adhesives, or chemicals. If you have a god sealed stove it should not be an issue. If the wall is block and not reinforced, or filled w/ concrete, just find one of the hollows w/ a masonry drill. Mark ur hole and do it a little at a time. The best place to find stovepipe is from the manufacturer of ur stove, or a home improvement store.