zero clearance FP question

[Lt. Wombat]

We have a 1997 Martin DV4 LP fire place in a double wide and would like to replace it this summer with a “real” heat producer like a wood stove or pellet stove. Since we own 1500 acres of pine plus are located in the middle of the Black Hills National Forest free fire wood is abundant so we’ll probably lean that way. Plus if the prison inmates are in the area they cut & load it for us!

My question: since the gas thing has a complete chimney through the roof would it be OK to pull it out, install the stove sort of in and sort of out of the hole left over then pass the exhaust up through the existing piping but using triple wall stove piping?

The blue prints show it as 4” all the way up but not if it’s single, double or triple wall piping.

It’s a “zero clearance” model but the owner’s manual doesn’t state the pipe design, do zeros use any special type of piping?

The manufacturer was no help as they only sell them to the mobile builder and don’t install them nor offer any support for them.

Thanks for any insight you may have or be able to provide.

Kevin

[FolioMark]

I dont know what brand of zero clearance fireplace you are considering but most home improvement stores sell Temco brand. Ive never put one in a mobile home but have several in the house I am building in Missouri. We have a metal roof on the house. We used double wall chimney all the way to the top and outside.
You will have to buy a seperate kit that gives you the ceiling thimble and all the extra flashing and capping for the roof. Id just be careful there is no flammable
material anywhere near the chimneys and you should be okay. If you go to this
page you can see some pics of the installation of one of the fireplaces in our house: http://www.geocities.com/missourijou...JOURNAL16.html
Good luck.

[Lt. Wombat]

Thanks Folio. The zero clearance crappy thing is coming out and an insert type or free standing stove will go in its place. These zero things are ornamental at best. We have only lit it one time when we first moved in and even with the blower didn't feel anything. I mean nothing!

All the hardware is already on the roof (cap, storm collar, flashing) from this fireplace we have. My thinking is if it has a big enough diameter I can run the triple wall up through it and exhaust through the top cap that’s already there.

Am I right in thinking the triple wall has no temperature on the outer wall? They had a stove going thermal at the stock show Sunday and the exhaust piping was room temperature or maybe a degree hotter at the most and it was black triple wall.

[Cabin Fever]

No, you cannot use any part of the old gas chimney for any part of the new the wood burner chimney. The only thing you can use is the empty hole thru the roof, but that hole will have to be enlarged for the new triple-wall or metalbestos wood burning chimney.

Gas stovepipe and chimneys are generally made from aluminum or galvanized steel. You cannot use either of these metals for a woodburning chimney. The part of the woodburning chimney/stovepipe that comes in contact with the wood smoke has to be either "blackpipe" or stainless steel.

[Lt. Wombat]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

No, you cannot use any part of the old gas chimney for any part of the new the wood burner chimney. The only thing you can use is the empty hole thru the roof, but that hole will have to be enlarged for the new triple-wall or metalbestos wood burning chimney.

Gas stovepipe and chimneys are generally made from aluminum or galvanized steel. You cannot use either of these metals for a woodburning chimney. The part of the woodburning chimney/stovepipe that comes in contact with the wood smoke has to be either "blackpipe" or stainless steel.

Ahh crud! Oh well, well just stick with the Central LP for a while. We're having a stick home built on the property this spring but around here they only work from about late April until the first snow drops then they stop and come back the next year if they're not done. OH and don't even think about getting any work done during the Sturgis Bike rally!!

Thanks Cabin

[FolioMark]

I get quite nice heat from my zero clearance fireplaces. Might depend on the brand and how you use them. Our double wall chimney barely gets warm ot the touch
a triple wall must be cold. Good luck.