Okay, we are getting back into heating with woodstoves, just in a different house. We plan on purchasing one this summer after prices (hopefully) drop. Got a question for y'all....can we use the same chimney that our oil furnace uses? Someone had said that maybe we couldn't because of possible chimney fire (fumes or residue of the kerosene could cause ignition). Obviously we want to be safe in this.

Thanks for your help!

-- Tracey (foralltimes@hotmail.com), February 08, 2001

Answers

we were told no way could we use one chimney for 2 heat sources,its agaist state code and would void insurance.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), February 08, 2001.

You can use a chimney that was previously used for venting something else, but you will want it cleaned and inspected by a knowledgable chimney sweep, even if you are going to use a seperate pipe up the chimney. (I would strongly suggest you consider using a stovepipe up the old mansonary chimenys) I agree that it would be a horribly disappointing plan to use a single cimney to vent two things. One or the other is a good plan.

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), February 09, 2001.

I use the same chimny for both, BUT I have a Charmaster furnace. One fire box for both wood and oil. Works great, keeps the house very warm. Email me if you want some more info. Steve

-- Steve (collins@cpinternet.com), February 09, 2001.

Bad news Tracey, It is against every code I know of to vent a solid fuel heater into same flue as a liquid fueled heater, with good reason I think. There are some stoves that are engineered to do that but to try to do that as an add on would take more guts than i have. You didnt mention what kind of chimney you have, is it masonry, steel or ? If you've ever experienced a good chimney fire you'll know why it's not wise to bend the rules too much when it comes to wood heat.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 10, 2001.

*sigh* Looks like we will be saving for a new chimney first. Our existing one is a brick one that goes up through the center of the house. We don't like the thoughts of a metal pipe sticking out of the side of the house where we plan on putting it. I guess it will just be a pile of bricks now instead of a metal pipe, eh?

Thanks for all of your help everyone!

-- Tracey (foralltimes@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Tracy, what is to say you can't put up the stainless steel chimney and then lay up bricks around it? It would maybe make for a safer, easier chimney to clean. Just a thought.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 10, 2001.

You need to look at the chimney. Is it a single or multi flue. I have lived in houses with a "single" chimney but there were seperate ceramic tile tubes going out.

You can only put 1 heat source per flue. So the answer to your question is "maybe"

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), February 15, 2001.