what size chimney/stove pipe?

hello, i currently have a regular wood burning stove that i want to hook up so that I can get another heat source going asap for my family (our current radiant floor heater is very unreliable)

so my question is, if i get some sort of duraplus chimney through wall kit + 12' of triple wall stove pipe, can i reuse it with a rocket mass heater if i put one in at a later date?

my current stove uses a 6" pipe, will this be reusable or should i get most of my pipe in something bigger like 8" and get an adapter for my iron stove?

Any chimney that is safe and functional for a woodstove will work fine for a RMH. To know if a 6" system will work for your house, we need to know about your climate and your house... how cold does it get, for how long, how big is your house, how well insulated, any solar gain you can depend on, how many human or other heat sources in your house...

A 6" RMH is generally sufficient for a smallish house or mild heating climate, while an 8" system generally handles a medium to larger house or a severe heating climate. There are variables like a J-tube (common) RMH core vs. the newer batch box style core, which puts heat into the mass faster and can use a 6" system where a J-tube might need an 8" system... so what do you have to work with?

Glenn, Thank you for the feedback. My house is actually a 27' diameter yurt that is located in the Santa Cruz mountains. I am planning to add on to it later.. say about 400 sq ft.. I am considering to move the chimney and put the rocket heater in the addition at that point. Do you think the 6" would still suffice? I just looked online and it looks like 8" pipe is way more expensive >.<. By about $500-800 more!

I'm not familiar with local variations in California climates, but wikipedia says the Santa Cruz mountains have a coastal Mediterranean climate, and seldom get much below freezing. So I would think a 6" RMH would do fine for your situation.


If you are talking about a 400 SF addition to the about 400 SF yurt, you would want to make sure there is good communication between them for heating both parts. Possibly a bench or underfloor run that goes from one to the other and back, so you can have the fire and chimney both in the solid part.