Do You Need A Flue For A Pellet Stove

Lay out a plan on paper verify all dimensions and have your stove dealer review the plans.

Do you need a flue for a pellet stove.

Too large will give you a slow draft and poor performance and too small will restrict the draft. The size of the stove collar does not necessarily correspond to the size of flue liner you need. The outer surfaces of a pellet stove don t get as hot as the surfaces of wood stoves or fireplaces so most can be placed closer to combustibles typically 3 inches from walls at the sides and 1 inch from a back wall. The flue is a single wall or insulated flue that rises up fixed to the outside of the building or up through the chimney so that smoke can escape.

Chimney fires are a real and present danger any time a heat source vents through the flue. Follow manufacturer s installation requirements specific to your pellet stove. For a stove of up to 20kw a minimum of 6 diameter flue is needed. The short answer is no.

Pellet stoves heat with a flame so safety is a major factor when determining the ideal location for installation. For most stoves you will need to plan for a 3 inch flue to exit out the back or top of the stove go through the wall and then extend upward past the house eaves. Probably not most everything can be installed with a round liner with the exception of some liners for fireplaces. Any problems must be remedied before continuing with the pellet stove installation process.

Perfect for existing flues if you have an old fireplace that does not work or you want to reuse the existing flue in the home a pellet stove with an upper smoke outlet is ideal. You can use a 5 diameter flue liner if you have a defra approved stove and the manufacturer clearly states this is compatible. The smoke fitting which in the case of the pellets has a reduced diameter only 8 centimetres can be inserted directly into the existing flue. Using this example from afton bay pellet stove installation instructions i d guess that you need to be 12 from combustibles that would include pressure treated stairs.

Example pellet stove fire and exhaust vent clearances. Larger is not necessarily better when it comes to your flue liner. The general rule is as follows. Call a chimney inspector to evaluate the inside of your chimney for excess creosote buildup and structural defects.