The Best Way To Run a Wood Stove Pipe to a Tall Roof

Building Codes

• Building codes delineate the distance the wood stove must sit from the wall, how tall the pipe can be and what kind of surface the wood stove has to sit on. Most of the time, the wood stove must be a minimum of 18 inches from the wall and sit on a brick, cement or tile hearth that extends a specific area beyond the wood stove for safety purposes. To set the wood stove pipe, first place the wood stove where you want it in accordance with local building codes.

Straight Pipe

• The straighter the pipe, the better. As the pipe heats with the fire going, the heat creates a draw up the pipe and out through the chimney. Pipes with many bends and twists won't create the necessary draw to pull the smoke from the wood stove. The best way to run a wood stove pipe to a tall roof is to run it straight to the chimney box, a portion of which shows through the room's ceiling.

Chimney Box

• The chimney box is an element that creates an offset around the double- or triple-walled stove pipe that sits inside it. The chimney box is a square that stands off the pipe between 8 and 12 inches and provides an air barrier and metal sheath to prevent fires in the attic. The chimney box installs in the attic between the roof, the outside chimney pipe and the pipe in the room below. The chimney box sticks into the room from the ceiling at whatever distance the owner puts it. The farther into the room it sits, the less pipe is required to reach from the wood stove to the chimney box.

Installation

• Secure the individual stove pipe sections one at a time, starting with the one that secures to the chimney box and finishing at the wood stove collar. Each pipe section has a male and female end. The male end may have ribs and a ridge around the circumference of the pipe. Secure sections together using self-tapping sheet metal screws. After installation, use a level on two sides of the pipe to confirm it is straight. Adjust the pipe as needed to remove any play. Most visible stove pipe is single-walled pipe.

Hearth

• Some people build up a hearth to make the wood stove sit higher in the room and reduce the length of the stove pipe. Some even surround the stove pipe in a brick enclosure for decorative purposes or to comply with local building codes.