Blue42
ArboristSite Operative
I finally got a woodstove installed yesterday. Woodstock Keystone. I'm not sure that three things in the installation were done well or that it was priced well.
The job was a total of $3700. $1800 was the liner kit itself, which is just what they cost for the insulated ones for 6" and 30'. And they had to rent a manlift because their 40' ladder wouldn't reach the top of the chimney. (And when they showed up the first time and jackhammered the back of the fireplace out, they found out the ladder wouldn't reach and had to reschedule. Then they cancelled because the manlift wasn't available because the previous people hadn't returned it.)
And I watched them work, and from the stuff they did it seemed like they had barely done this before and didn't know what to expect. I had to suggest using my floor jack and a 2x4 stud as a lever to lift the liner up higher while trying to get it to fit in the back of the stove. And I had to suggest going to get my tree saver strap to wrap onto the liner to help pull it in. Both of which we did, and were necessary.
I cut the tape off the bottom so that I could see what was inside and it looks fine. I also pulled the bottom cap off and looked inside and it looks fine also. I asked them if it was just a slip fit of the liner into the T and they said no, that it was clamped. Update: I see from online pictures that apparently the hose clamp in the last picture is attached to the T with straps welded onto it. :Update
It just turned out to be super expensive, and I don't like having to now do more work to seal the bottom.
- They got the T obviously crooked. I don't think it will matter for operation, but it's rotated, not going straight up, because the guy on the roof didn't pull the slack up after the T was finally fit into the back of the stove. Maybe it will be good in the end to have a little bit of slack there, but this was not intentional.
- They jackhammered out the whole top of the fireplace behind the damper. Not just a little bit. (See pictures.) Because of that, for me to block off the chimney with insulation around the liner, I have to fill just about the whole top of the fireplace, and I will have to cut out a metal plate probably, to hold it up.
- They didn't seal the bottom between the chimney and liner at all. They said they did seal the top with insulation.
The job was a total of $3700. $1800 was the liner kit itself, which is just what they cost for the insulated ones for 6" and 30'. And they had to rent a manlift because their 40' ladder wouldn't reach the top of the chimney. (And when they showed up the first time and jackhammered the back of the fireplace out, they found out the ladder wouldn't reach and had to reschedule. Then they cancelled because the manlift wasn't available because the previous people hadn't returned it.)
And I watched them work, and from the stuff they did it seemed like they had barely done this before and didn't know what to expect. I had to suggest using my floor jack and a 2x4 stud as a lever to lift the liner up higher while trying to get it to fit in the back of the stove. And I had to suggest going to get my tree saver strap to wrap onto the liner to help pull it in. Both of which we did, and were necessary.
I cut the tape off the bottom so that I could see what was inside and it looks fine. I also pulled the bottom cap off and looked inside and it looks fine also. I asked them if it was just a slip fit of the liner into the T and they said no, that it was clamped. Update: I see from online pictures that apparently the hose clamp in the last picture is attached to the T with straps welded onto it. :Update
It just turned out to be super expensive, and I don't like having to now do more work to seal the bottom.
