ᐅ What should you do if the wrong chimney has been installed?

For our new build, the architect planned for a chimney because we wanted a wood-burning stove in the hallway. It was clear from the start that it would be a room-sealed stove and that the chimney needed an air supply. The bricklayer took care of that. The stove installer connected the room-sealed stove. During the first test run today, it was found that the stove isn’t burning properly because it’s not getting enough oxygen. It only burned well when a) the flap was open or b) the duct on the opposite wall was open. The stove installer tried shining a light up the chimney from the bottom through the duct and noticed that the flue pipe almost completely fills the chimney, leaving barely any room for air supply. He suspects the wrong type of chimney was installed. Bingo! So, we immediately called the main contractor, who did the brickwork (around 7 PM today). He wants to check his paperwork tomorrow to see what kind of chimney the building materials supplier actually charged him for... The stove installer also knew of a case where the bricklayers used so much mortar when building the chimney that there was no room left for air supply from above. That required a very complicated fix, poking around on the roof to clear it again. Anyway, it’s a big mess! I’m afraid we might now have to take the stove’s air supply from the living areas, which is obviously problematic in a newly built, fully insulated house.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

What is specified in the scope of work or in the contract that the mason/building contractor has been working from?

Heidi1965 schrieb:

Big problem!..... I'm afraid we now have to take the air supply for the stove out of the living areas, which is really unfortunate in a new, fully insulated house.

No, if you ordered it with an external air supply, it just needs to be adjusted accordingly. There are different ways to solve it. It’s annoying, but not a reason to make any predictions yet. Keep your focus on the goal, not on possible problems—that’s what others are for.

Extracting the air from the living area will not work either because a well-sealed house does not provide enough air for replacement. Is the stove located on an exterior wall, or is there a basement below the stove?

Rumbi441 schrieb:

What does the scope of work or the contract that the mason/building contractor worked from say?

These were all verbal agreements. The building contractor was here with us today after a sleepless night. He clearly remembered unpacking the chimney together with the mason and then calling the building material supplier to confirm whether it was really a chimney with ventilation. The supplier, who he has worked with for 30 years, had explicitly confirmed this at the time. The contractor went to the building material dealer early this morning, who then double-checked and contacted their field representative to find out that the chimney manufacturer had changed their model. Everyone acted in good faith. During the shell construction phase, the stove fitter was also present but didn’t notice anything. The chimney sweep was there as well, and he didn’t notice either.

hampshire schrieb:

No, if you ordered it with an external air supply, it has to be modified accordingly. There are different ways to solve this. It’s annoying, but not a reason to make any predictions yet. Keep your focus on the goal, not on possible problems—let others handle those.

How can this be changed? The house is finished. We want to move in next week. What solutions can you suggest? The builder hasn’t come up with any ideas so far. We also can’t install a duct to the outside. The stove is in the hallway against an interior wall.