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Started By
Message
Anyone ever installed a wood stove?
Posted on 1/16/26 at 8:09 am
Posted on 1/16/26 at 8:09 am
Have a half exposed basement and thinking about sticking one down there. Tried looking for a little advice on Reddit and of course half the comments are
“Wood stoves are likely/should be illegal” and stuff like that.
Obviously want to not kill myself but I do tons of major home renovation and follow codes for a living so just looking for some real world experience before I dig in and do more research.
Basement currently has no heat other than a heater on one side that has now been enclosed into a room we built downstairs to be a home theater.
ETA: I 100% do not live anywhere where it is illegal.
“Wood stoves are likely/should be illegal” and stuff like that.
Obviously want to not kill myself but I do tons of major home renovation and follow codes for a living so just looking for some real world experience before I dig in and do more research.
Basement currently has no heat other than a heater on one side that has now been enclosed into a room we built downstairs to be a home theater.
ETA: I 100% do not live anywhere where it is illegal.
This post was edited on 1/16/26 at 8:09 am
7
Posted on 1/16/26 at 8:49 am to jlovel7
I have an antique pot bellied stove in my covered and semi enclosed carport that I plan to refurb and permanently install. I did fire it up when I got it and it does pump out some heat, and the chassis gets very hot.
So I plan to set it on a fire brick pad and build a fire retardant backstop behind it. On the flue, since you’ll be inside, I think I’d have a pro do that…on mine I just need to punch out a gable end and they make fire retardant sleeves for that
So I plan to set it on a fire brick pad and build a fire retardant backstop behind it. On the flue, since you’ll be inside, I think I’d have a pro do that…on mine I just need to punch out a gable end and they make fire retardant sleeves for that
Posted on 1/16/26 at 11:55 am to jlovel7
it's not too difficult but you'll need to build a spot for it with something non-combustible like bricks, stone, or tile to sit on and around the walls it's near and a way to run your pipe above your roof line. I've done one on the ground level of a one level home and went through the roof with the pipe but we almost bought a house recently that had a partially below grade basement and planned to setup something like in the photo below.
you mentioned "half exposed basement" - does that mean part of the basement is above ground? So something like this:
you mentioned "half exposed basement" - does that mean part of the basement is above ground? So something like this:
This post was edited on 1/16/26 at 11:57 am
Posted on 1/16/26 at 12:09 pm to jlovel7
Yea, done a few.
Make sure you have lots of vertical run in the pipe and all of it at least as big as the stoves pipe jack.
Make sure you have lots of vertical run in the pipe and all of it at least as big as the stoves pipe jack.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 1:44 pm to Don Quixote
Yup that’s exactly what I was thinking.
ETA: someone on Reddit literally said you’d die if you had a 90 degree elbow in your pipe
ETA: someone on Reddit literally said you’d die if you had a 90 degree elbow in your pipe
This post was edited on 1/16/26 at 1:45 pm
Posted on 1/16/26 at 5:55 pm to jlovel7
Why are they illegal or hated on Reddit? They burn wood? Does Reddit/ Libs hate wood now?
My aunt had one in her basement and it worked too well, you had to have a tiny fire in there or it would burn you out of the basement because it got too hot.
I remember she had a dragon tea pot she put on top and when the water was hot it blew steam out its nose.
My aunt had one in her basement and it worked too well, you had to have a tiny fire in there or it would burn you out of the basement because it got too hot.
I remember she had a dragon tea pot she put on top and when the water was hot it blew steam out its nose.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 6:39 pm to jlovel7
I’d also look to see what it will do to your insurance.
Posted on 1/17/26 at 9:53 am to TimeOutdoors
I put a 3200' rated one in the middle of our great room at our barndominium. I love using it. I considered adding an outside combustion air pipe since we foamed the structure, but held off while we learned how it performed. We've never had drafting issues, it's a 27' straight up flue. If it were located on an exterior wall I would have used an outside air and run the flue out the side wall. It's sitting on 6 of the 12x12x4 bricks next to a floor plug for the rear blower.
Posted on 1/17/26 at 11:28 am to Wraytex
quote:if there’s a 90 in the flue it’s more likely to be needed (see the diagram posted above). This is why I recommend OP have an engineer look at it or at least a competent HVAC contractor. Fire needs air just as much as it needs fuel
I considered adding an outside combustion air pipe
Posted on 1/17/26 at 9:39 pm to cgrand
My theory is all wood burning stoves should have an outside air intake. Otherwise it is just taking warm air from inside the house creating a greater vacuum for seepage of the cold air from outside the house through doors and windows. Also, keep as much chimney inside as you can, that's more heat inside. Don't 90/exit until you have to.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 9:42 am to baldona
quote:
worked too well, you had to have a tiny fire in there or it would burn you out of the basement because it got too hot.
This is generally the main problem with wood stove, especially in the south and in any insulated structure. Its tough to throttle them back enough to keep the room from getting too hot.
A relatively small one in a 12x12 tent (read-absolutely zero insulating properties whatsoever) will easily get the tent unbearably hot when its zero degrees outside. My camp is about 35x25-ish and you can feel the breeze blowing inside of it. 35 degrees outside with the stove pumping at itll easily get up to 80 degrees inside the camp. Everybody has to stand next to the walls to catch some cool breeze.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 8:15 pm to jlovel7
I put one in my house during a remodel. I won’t have another house without one. I don’t have to run my central heat ever.
I bought one rated to heat an area slightly smaller than my house. Glad I did.
As someone said, your indoor pipe gives off a lot of heat. When mine is rolling the stove is 700-750 degrees and then I have 6’ of pipe that’s 200-300 degrees. That’s a lot of surface area heating. Couple that with a good blower/fan, and it keeps the place warm.
Stove pipe is expensive. Find the stove you want and download the installation manual. It will have specifics on chimney configuration, setbacks from combustible materials, etc.
If you install one, clean the pipe every 2 years at least. If you don’t want to do it yourself hire a chimney sweep. It’s scary how much can build up in the pipe in just 2 years.
I bought one rated to heat an area slightly smaller than my house. Glad I did.
As someone said, your indoor pipe gives off a lot of heat. When mine is rolling the stove is 700-750 degrees and then I have 6’ of pipe that’s 200-300 degrees. That’s a lot of surface area heating. Couple that with a good blower/fan, and it keeps the place warm.
Stove pipe is expensive. Find the stove you want and download the installation manual. It will have specifics on chimney configuration, setbacks from combustible materials, etc.
If you install one, clean the pipe every 2 years at least. If you don’t want to do it yourself hire a chimney sweep. It’s scary how much can build up in the pipe in just 2 years.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 8:24 pm to tenfoe
quote:
you install one, clean the pipe every 2 years at least
The pipe on my camp stove hasn't been cleaned since it was put in - probably 45 years by now. It does just go straight up though.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 9:22 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
FYI, ours was planned in the design phase and one of our two AC return grilles is 8' away from the flue penetration, we can set our Ecobee to run the blower for adjustable run time per hour and keep the Barn at a fairly even temp with the stove. We got the 80% non catalytic, but really like watching the secondary burn.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 11:09 pm to Wraytex
Put one in a garage years ago.
Bought full piece of sheet metal.
Hung it behind the stove and glue pipe.
Used 1 1/2 inch long pieces of 1/2 inch black iron pipe so that I could screw the sheet metal to the studs but space the metal off the studs as a heat shield. Worked great
Bought full piece of sheet metal.
Hung it behind the stove and glue pipe.
Used 1 1/2 inch long pieces of 1/2 inch black iron pipe so that I could screw the sheet metal to the studs but space the metal off the studs as a heat shield. Worked great
Posted on 1/19/26 at 6:11 am to tenfoe
what are some recommended manufacturers?
Posted on 1/19/26 at 1:08 pm to tenfoe
quote:we had one and i *LOVED* it after i figured it out.
If you install one, clean the pipe every 2 years at least. If you don’t want to do it yourself hire a chimney sweep. It’s scary how much can build up in the pipe in just 2 years.
Rule #1: use fast burning fuel in the beginning to get that thing hot as frick so it will draw up the pipe. nothing is worse than realizing you shut the door before it was drawing properly then smoke backs up into your house..then you have to open all the windows..hence making the house COLDER...
Rule #2: See rule #1
We had a catalytic combuster and the previous owner had burned furniture in the stove (no shite, we found ornamental wood and tons of nails in there) so it was FUBAR.
spent $150 or so on a brand new combuter (looks like a square honeycomb) and i took the entire stove apart and used solvent and cleaned it like new money and put it back together with the fresh combuster and man...that thing was MONEY. MONEY I SAY!
loved that damn thing. you put a few logs in, get it piping hot then shut the fricking thing down and it will stay hot all night..just a little lick of flame showing in the glass.
eta bought one of those little metal fans you set on top of it and when it gets hot, the heat will conduct into the fan and make it SPIN like a tasmanian devil and it will push hot air into the house.
i miss it.
This post was edited on 1/19/26 at 1:12 pm
Posted on 1/22/26 at 8:03 am to jlovel7
You mentioned Reddit. Were you on r/woodstoving?
Posted on 1/22/26 at 11:40 am to jlovel7
I made a wood stove once. It burned up the first time I used it I might make it out of oak instead of pine next time.
Posted on 1/24/26 at 8:27 am to aldawg2323
quote:
what are some recommended manufacturers?
we have a Vermont Castings going on 10 yrs old. it's been bullet proof. top loading along with front doors. top loading is great feature to have. unless you leave the top open for a couple mins, no smoke comes out since it's already exhausting up the stack.
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