Do You Need A Flue For A Pellet Stove

Pellet stoves heat with a flame so safety is a major factor when determining the ideal location for installation.

Do you need a flue for a pellet stove.

Chimney fires are a real and present danger any time a heat source vents through the flue. Traditional wood log stoves and burners are positioned inside a fireplace with chimney or against an outside wall of the room with a direct route for a flue to reach the top of the property. The short answer is no. 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.

Follow manufacturer s installation requirements specific to your pellet stove. Lay out a plan on paper verify all dimensions and have your stove dealer review the plans. Any problems must be remedied before continuing with the pellet stove installation process. 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.

For example there must be at least 1 inch of space from the back of the stove to. Probably not most everything can be installed with a round liner with the exception of some liners for fireplaces. Call a chimney inspector to evaluate the inside of your chimney for excess creosote buildup and structural defects. Example pellet stove fire and exhaust vent clearances.

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. Too large will give you a slow draft and poor performance and too small will restrict the draft. Larger is not necessarily better when it comes to your flue liner. 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.

You can use a 5 diameter flue liner if you have a defra approved stove and the manufacturer clearly states this is compatible. 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. Check for framing members within the walls and ceilings where you plan to cut holes and if there are some in the way you should adjust the stove s location. 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.