woodstove
How much clearance do I need between a wood stove chiminey and the living room wall?
I want to install an antique pot belly stove in the corner of my living room. I'm thinking of attaching concrete backer board to the existing sheet rock and covering that with a brick veneer. If I use a single wall pipe (don't want to loose the heat ), how far away from the veneer does the chimney need to be? What if I use a double walled chimney?
For central A/C, you'll need ducts and vents. Once you have the ducting in place anyway, you might as well use it for both your heating and cooling.
For a three floor house, you definitely want some kind of zoned system, with a thermostat on each floor. (I wish my 2-floor house was zoned.) You may want multiple cooling systems, or maybe one system with motorized dampers to control airflow to the various floors. Your HVAC contractor should be able to make a reccomendation of what will work best.
Whatever you do, do not skimp on the ductwork. Your HVAC contractor should run calculations on how big the ducts need to be. For many home builders, HVAC is a minor concern in the bulding plan. Make sure everything is sized correctly. Changing ductwork after the fact is very difficult. And if you don't have proper ducting, it won't matter how good your central heating using is.
For new construction, Geothermal is usually a good candidate. It can provide heating, cooling, and hot water with crazy efficiency. The installation cost is MUCH higher though. (There are tax credits that will offset some of the cost.) If you aren't up for geothermal, I would go for a traditional air-sourced heat pump for your heating and cooling needs. They are pretty efficient (at least in moderate climates). You are pretty much in the perfect lattitude for a heat pump.
However, I would not have the heat pump (air-sourced or geothermal) as your only heating system. Some kind of alternate (non-ducted) heat source would be a good idea. Heated floors, gas fireplace, etc. Air-sourced heat pumps lose their efficiency in very cold weather. And it can also be nice to have gentle air convection, vs a duct that is blowing in your face. You also have a backup system in case your central heat fails.
That said, ducted air is nice, because some regular circulation of air in all the rooms of the house avoids that "stagnant air" smell, as well as cutting down on dust, dander, etc.
Also, central air systems give you options for humidification and de-humification of the whole house. Look into that. It is usually a minor cost increase in the system, but can make a major difference in comfort.
I didn't see it before, but there were two small holes in the stove's flue collar. I put sheet metal screws through the holes in to the stovepipe, and things feel really solid.
Before inserting the pipe, I put some fire cement on the crimped end. After inserting, I spread some more around the joint, like caulking around a bathtub.
(click for full size)
Best Answer
According to NFPA 211 Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances, you'll start with 36" clearance all the way around.
Then you can use one of the methods described, to reduce the required clearance.
Or you can follow the manufacturers installation instructions, which for a listed and labeled device supersede the code requirements.
As for the connector, you'll start with 18".
Then apply any reductions.