The Hardware Man - Coal and Wood Stoves
Howdy folks,
There’s a chill in the air and we have officially made it into the fall season. I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready for it. Summer was enjoyable enough with moderate temps and plenty of rain and now we are into sweatshirt weather.
When I bought Clintonville Hardware in 2025, I didn’t realize how many people still used coal and wood stoves for heating in the area. So I apologize for being a city slicker with natural gas to my house. I knew we had a good coal business and carried stove pipe, but it took some work to get up to speed on what was needed to better supply our customers. Now that you are getting ready for the cold season, let’s review a few points of importance and interest.
It is important that the stove is positioned safely within the room it occupies. Using single wall pipe, you should have 18” of clearance between the stove and wall. If you are using insulated double or triple wall pipe, you can be as close as six inches from the wall. Make sure the stove is on a level surface with fire brick or board to shield your walls from excessive heat.
Regardless of what you are burning – natural gas, wood, pellets or coal, the exhaust or smoke needs a way to safely exit the building. Six inch stove pipe is standard with many wood or coal burners, like the Amish-made Hitzer stoves we sell. Pellet stoves or smaller burners may use a three or four inch stove pipe while high output stoves bump the size up to eight inches.
Regular maintenance of the stove pipe is important for longer life. Making sure creosote doesn’t build up within the chimney is important for fire safety. Rust happens but can be slowed with sanding and painting. Check your pipe for holes and replace if weak, leaking or damaged. We are well stocked in different lengths of black and stainless steel stove pipe. Due to lack of demand, we do not stock double or triple wall pipe, but can order for quick delivery. We also special order stoves.
If you are building a new stack, make sure to position your pipe with the crimps pointed down, so creosote will run down inside rather than leak out. Plan your run, keeping horizonal runs short and limiting elbows to two for better drafting. Make sure to use a wall or ceiling thimble kit to insulate a combustible space from the single or double wall pipe. Put a rain cap on your chimney pipe to keep moisture at bay. Use a Tee as easy access for stove pipe clean out and make sure to seal new seams with high heat silicone. This will prevent carbon monoxide from infiltrating the room.
If you have an existing chimney and want to install a new burner, consider a chimney liner – a flexible insulated pipe to help properly resize the chimney for proper draft. You can also use it if your chimney is damaged, but you can’t replace it. The liner will create a seamless run that will last.
Ultimately, the proper installation and maintenance will provide worry free winters beside a warm stove. However, parts wear out, so regularly inspect and repair as needed. Keep a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector in the area to alert you if there is a problem. CO2 is an odorless and colorless killer. If you have questions about your particular set-up, touch base and we’ll be happy to help.
Daniel Karns and his wife own Clintonville Hardware & Rental along with other businesses. Join the discussion by contacting him at info@clintonvillehardware.com.
