How to Install a Stove Pipe in a Wood Chimney Chase

If you’re reading this, we assume you ran into the same problem we had when we wanted to install a wood stove pipe in a non-masonry chimney. There was a serious lack of information on how to install a stove pipe in a wood-framed chimney chase on the Internet. So we are writing the tutorial we wished was available when we were building our farmhouse.

Some background. The first half of 2022 we spent building our own farmhouse. We outsourced the “shell” (i.e. framing, roof, siding, HVAC, etc.) and we took care of the rest with the help of family and friends (i.e. electrical, insulation, drywall, flooring, etc.). When we had our chimney framed with wood it didn’t sound complicated to install a stove pipe straight up and cap the top.

Being Youtubers ourselves, we figured we could find a video to help us the rest of the way. Uh…apparently most DIYers don’t have a 2-story stove pipe project…they just have to go through a little bit of attic and then they’re done. We tried finding information on stove pipe manufacturer websites or even installation guides we found online. We got some clues here and there, but nothing super helpful.

The main thing we learned was to make sure to purchase a single brand for all the parts needed as they are not compatible with competitor brands. So based on that we came up with a plan that we thought would work, picked a brand that had been around a while, and we ordered all the parts we thought we needed. Except for one very important component…

Chimney vs. Stove Pipe

Turns out there are two important differences between chimney pipe and stove pipe.

How they fasten together is different.
Chimney pipe apparently has more fire safety features designed into it

According to one of the multitude of videos we watched, the chimney pipe is designed for all the areas that are not visible (inside chimney, through attic, behind walls, etc.) and the stove pipe is for all the sections that are visible (what you see in your cozy living room).

Stove pipe comes in single and double wall varieties depending on how much clearance is needed from combustible materials. With our wood-framed chimney chase, we needed at a minimum of double-wall stove pipe for the proper clearance rating (check manufacturer specifications to determine what clearance your specific stove pipe can support). Chimney pipe (at least in the brand we used) is a triple-wall pipe that has an even smaller clearance requirement.

Attic or Ceiling Support Box

When passing through a floor or ceiling, a special box is required for safe passage between levels/areas. The attic box is taller as it is designed to prevent insulation from falling too close to the chimney pipe and catching on fire. We technically only needed a ceiling support box for our installation, but due to supply chain issues we were only able to get our hands on an attic support box at the time. Serves the same purpose for us.

When we opened all our boxes of stove pipe and the attic support box, we soon realized that the double-wall stove pipe only fit on one side of the box and there was a totally different mounting on the attic side of the box. Womp womp…cue more YouTube videos and frantic googling…until eureka! We realize chimney and stove pipes are different things!

How to install a chimney pipe in a wood chimney chase

Supplies Needed:

Step 1 – Measure before you buy all the stove and chimney pipe.

With a long tape measure, determine how much chimney pipe you will need and how much stove pipe you will need. Don’t forget to include some extra chimney pipe extending above your roof. Check with your local building codes to determine roof clearance requirements. In our case, it was about 2 feet above, as our chimney chase was already taller than our roof. Then purchase your supplies.

Step 2 – Install attic/ceiling support box

Cut hole in the floor separating the first and second story., frame opening with 2x4s, attach the ceiling/attic box with screws.

Step 3 – Install the chimney pipe

Use brackets ever 3-5 feet or so for additional support of the chimney pipe
Helpful to have a temporary ladder of 2×4 cleats inside the chimney chase
Twist and lock the chimney pipe into place (at least with Duravent brand)

Step 4 – Install flashing and cap

Due to the steep pitch of our roof, we borrowed a neighbor’s old bucket truck that was able to reach the top of our chimney without sliding down (or damaging) our metal roof. The key here is to make sure that the rainwater will flow down and away from the chimney opening and that it is sealed well. We used the following layers:

Leftover roofing tar paper
Chimney cone-shaped flashing that goes around the chimney pipe
Cut flashing metal that we cut to size with a 2″ overhand that we bent down on all sides.
Use roofing caulk at all seams/between layers
Twist on the chimney cap

Also important is to install a spark arrestor in the chimney cap to prevent larger sparks from landing on your roof and possibly starting a fire.

Step 5 – Attached stove pipe

Now comes the part where you read the instruction manual included with your individual wood stove. Generally speaking it is just a matter of connecting the stove pipe to the top of your wood stove with some small screws, but refer to your installation guide to see if any adaptors or dampers are needed.

We hope this has helped you learn how to install stove pipe in a wood chimney chase. Once we had the right parts, the installation flowed smoothly and was completed in a day. Feel free to reach out if you have questions. Enjoy those cozy winter fires!