Installing a Tiny House Roof Exit Flue System

Before you begin

Your flue design should be complete, and you should have all the required components on hand. The install kit is the "base kit" that includes the parts that most everyone needs. Since every structure is different, people need varying amounts of pipe in addition to the kit. Consult our flue design resources or contact us for help designing your flue system.

Your stove should be assembled and your hearth built. Consult the Dwarf Manual for instructions on your hearth, proper clearances, and heat shields. Watch the unboxing video for help with stove assembly. If you're building in a mobile structure like a Tiny House on Wheels, the structure should be level before you start work.

You Will Need:

Screwdriver
Ladder
Level and/or plumb bob
Wax pencil or sharpie
Tools to cut a hole in your ceiling/roof.
Fasteners to attach your pipe boot to your roof, your roof support bracket to your ceiling or roof, and your ceiling trim plate to your ceiling
Silicone or urethane roofing sealant to seal the pipe boot flange to your roof

You May Need:

Angle grinder with a metal cutoff blade to cut single-wall pipe.
Sheet metal crimpers to adjust crimps.
High-temp RTV silicone if using a metal flashing or a storm collar
Stovepipe screws if you're not using clamps to secure your joints.
Scissors to trim your pipe boot
Drill
Heat-safe lubricant like spray graphite to prevent stainless hardware from binding

Step 1: Attach stovepipe to flue flange

The first section of stovepipe must be sealed to the stove's flue flange with stove cement. Since the stove needs a flue system to function, and both the stove cement and the stove's paint are heat cured (which can generate some chemical fumes), we recommend curing the stove paint and the cement outside, at the same time.

If you're connecting insulated pipe directly to the stove's flue flange for an all-insulated chimney, the inner wall of the pipe will need to be crimped to fit inside the flue flange. We can do that for you prior to shipping your order, or you can do it yourself with a sheet metal crimper. Crimp the pipe only as many times as needed for the pipe to bottom out on the flue flange. Over-crimping will make the pipe loose inside of the flange.

Test Fit Pipe in the Flue Flange

Your install will look best if the stovepipe is fully seated into the flue flange. Due to manufacturing variations, sometimes the male end of the pipe fits a bit too tight inside the flue flange and doesn't fully bottom out, or sometimes it bottoms out too early. In that case, trimming some material off the end with an angle grinder can help ensure a tight fit.

If you are installing a third-party stove, some additional modification might be necessary for a perfect fit. Dwarf stoves use a female flue flange. To connect our kit to a male flue flange, cut the male crimped end off with an angle grinder to make a female end.

To connect our kit to an oval flange, either use an oval-to-round adapter made for your stove, or cut off both the crimp and the shoulder, bend the pipe to the shape of your flue flange, and re-crimp if necessary.

To connect our kit to a Cubic Mini stove, use our Cubic Mini adapter.

Apply Stove Cement

Cover the inside of your flue flange and the outside of the male end of your pipe with stove cement, and connect them together. Use a bubble level to ensure that both your stove and your stovepipe are perfectly plumb.

Thoroughly clean off any excess stove cement before firing your stove. It is very difficult to remove stove cement once it's cured.

If the pipe is very loose inside of the flue flange, a thicker stove cement might be helpful. High heat furnace cement sold in a tub works well. Try to find it in black for best results.

Install Screws (Optional)

Stovepipe screws are not required to secure stovepipe into the flue flange, but can be optionally added for additional security, or to hold the stovepipe in place until the cement cures. If you choose to add screws, use three heat-proof screws evenly spaced around the flue flange, and drill pilot holes through the the flue flange and stovepipe before installing them.

Complete Outside Burn

Add additional sections of stovepipe to get at least 40" of vertical pipe, and build a fire in your stove outdoors to complete your initial cure according to the instructions in the Dwarf Manual.

Once your stove is cooled, move it back inside and secure it in place on the hearth.

Heat cure your wood stove's paint before installation

Step 2: Cut the hole through your roof

The hole in your ceiling needs to be aligned directly above the pipe attached to your stove (unless you're offsetting your chimney with elbows), and should be large enough to allow the insulated pipe to pass through without violating clearance to combustibles inside the ceiling.

If you're installing your chimney through a standing seam metal roof, it's best to try to locate the base of the pipe boot in the flat area between seams. It's possible to conform a pipe boot up and over a seam, but it's more difficult to create a watertight seal.

Before cutting a hole in your roof, make sure your pipe boot or metal flashing will adequately cover the hole, and that you have all the materials on-hand to seal up the hole. Also consult the directions on your roofing sealant and the weather report to ensure that conditions will allow it to properly cure (i.e. not too cold, and not raining).

Mark Your Center Point

Determine the center point where your flue will penetrate the ceiling.

If you're going straight up from your stove, you can use a plumb bob to locate the center. Alternatively, remove the stove's baffle and shine a flashlight up through the stovepipe to project the location on the ceiling.

If you are installing your chimney through a standing seam metal roof, plan the location of the chimney penetration relative to the roofing seams prior to deciding where to cut. You may decide to offset your chimney to avoid crossing a seam or creating a dam. See Installing a Pipe Boot in step 4.

Using a Plumb Bob to Line Up Your Roof Exit

Mark Your Clearances

Mark the area around the center point where you'll need to cut material away to prevent clearance violations inside of your ceiling. Insulated pipe needs 2" clearance to combustibles in all directions.

A 3" insulated pipe, which is 5" outer diameter, needs to pass through a space at least 9" in diameter free of combustibles. A 4" insulated pipe needs a 10" space, a 5" insulated pipe needs an 11" space.

If your roof is pitched, the hole required for a vertical pipe to pass through it will be oval. Download oval templates for your roof pitch here.

In addition to the obvious combustibles like wood sheathing and paper vapor barrier, "fire rated" spray foam and drywall are also combustible and must be removed to 2" away from the pipe. "Fire rated" materials are generally designed to block the spread of fire by burning slowly, but they will still burn if sufficiently heated. It's generally best just to cut away everything within 2" of the insulated pipe.

Cut the Hole through the Roof

Make sure the area your pipe will pass through doesn't intersect with any joists, pipes, or wires. If you're not sure, make a small exploratory hole first to check.

Cut out your hole in the ceiling with an appropriate tool for your ceiling material. A scroll saw or reciprocating saw tends to work best for wood, while a sheet metal nibbler typically works best for sheet metal.

Above your ceiling, cut away insulation and anything within 2" of where the pipe will go.

Mark the center point for your roof penetration and drill a small hole through your roof at the center point. Then, from the top of your roof, mark the sides of your cutout and cut the hole in your roof using an appropriate tool for your roofing material.

If you're cutting through a pitched roof, and your roofing material is more than 1/4" thick, try to keep your saw blade as vertical as possible. Placing a jigsaw saw flat against a pitched roof will result in an angled cut that may make your hole to be bigger than you wanted.

Add Shielding if Necessary

If you're using loose fill insulation that could fall into the pipe, or have more than a few inches between the ceiling and the roof sheathing, you may need to add some shielding inside the ceiling to enforce the 2" clearance around the insulated pipe.

If your pipe passes through a second story, a loft, or an attic, the pipe in that area must be enclosed in a chase to enforce the 2" clearance around the stovepipe. A chase ensures that people or combustible materials can't accidentally come in contact with the hot pipe.

Step 3: Install your stovepipe

With your ceiling prepped, you'll now build your flue system and attach your chimney pipe to your structure.

If you are installing a metal flashing or a hybrid pipe boot flashing on an existing shingle or tile roof, skip to step 4 and install your flashing first, and then return to step 3.

Assemble Chimney Pipe

Assemble all of your insulated pipe with the single-to-double adapter on the bottom and the roof vent on top. If any joints are especially tight, turn while pressing the pipes together to help ease assembly.

Measure the distance from the opening in the roof vent to the point where your pipe will pass the roof line as determined by the 3-2-10 Rule, and mark that point on your pipe. Remove all the parts above your mark to make it easier to maneuver your pipe.

If you're having trouble inserting the single-to-double adapter or another piece of insulated pipe fully into the insulated pipe above it, check the metal trim ring in the bottom of the insulated pipe. The trim ring should be pushed fully into the groove that mates with the clamp around the joint. If the trim ring is not fully seated, it may prevent the piece below from bottoming out. Push the trim ring in until it is fully seated, and try assembling the pipes again.

Prepare the Roof Support Bracket

Assemble your roof support bracket by attaching the L-brackets to the sides of the clamp using the provided bolts.

Determine the proper position of your roof support bracket relative to the mark you just made and clamp it in place on your pipe. The roof support bracket can be installed upside-down or right-side up, on top of the roof under the pipe boot, on the ceiling above the ceiling trim plate, or anywhere in between. The two most popular options are pictured. Install the support bracket wherever makes the most sense for your installation.

The insulated pipe must drop low enough below the ceiling to avoid a clearance violation from the single-wall pipe below it. Ensure there is at least 18" clearance to combustibles from the single-wall portion of the single-to-double adapter to surrounding combustibles. If not, use heat shields to reduce the required clearance to no less than 6", or add more insulated pipe to extend the single-wall portion further away from the ceiling.

It's often best to install the roof support bracket somewhere that leaves it accessible for future maintenance. For instance if the pipe is damaged in a storm and needs to be replaced, it would be easier to do so if the bracket was not buried under the pipe boot.

If you do install the bracket under the pipe boot or flashing, you may need to trim the bracket to fit with an angle grinder. Complete any cutting of your bracket before installing on the pipe to avoid accidentally damaging the pipe. (1) The sides of the L-brackets may need to be cut to fit under the pipe boot flange. (2) Depending on the roof pitch, the top corner of the clamp can sometimes interfere with a pipe boot or flashing, which can be resolved by flipping the bracket upside-down, or by trimming off the offending corner.

Secure the Chimney to the Structure

Fasten the base of your roof support bracket L-brackets to your structure to support the weight of your chimney. Ensure your stovepipe is plumb, and tighten the bolts holding the L-brackets in place to hold your pipe in place.

If you are not using a telescoping pipe to make your final connection, you may need to assemble your single-wall pipe before securing your insulated pipe through the roof.

Applying a heat-safe lubricant like spray graphite to stainless bolt threads can help prevent binding. This step is optional, but recommended especially for bolts that might be tightened down tightly (like the roof support bracket), or tightened and loosened repeatedly (like the single- or double-wall pipe clamps).

Build Your Connector Pipe

Connect the remaining single-wall pipe from your stove to the single-to-double adapter, using a single-wall clamp or three stovepipe screws at each joint to fasten the sections together. No cement or caulk is required or recommended at pipe-to-pipe joints.

The center joint of the telescoping pipe is meant to be free-floating and does not need to be clamped or screwed.

Single-wall pipe can be cut to achieve the length you need. Cut the pipe with an angle grinder with a metal cutoff blade. You can use a single-wall clamp as a guide and a sharpie or a wax pencil to mark your cuts. Cut the female end off and preserve the factory male end on the piece you're going to use.

You can cut the female end off a longer single-wall pipe and insert the top of the telescoping pipe inside of it to make a longer telescoping section.

Each piece of Tiny Wood Stove pipe has a top and a bottom. Since the pieces will only fit together in one direction, maintaining the proper orientation is usually straightforward. If you find a piece won't fit because you have a male-to-male or female-to-female end, something is probably upside-down.

Single-wall male ends (and male inner walls of insulated pipe) should point down toward the stove to contain any condensing liquids or creosote inside your flue system. Male ends of insulated pipe outer walls should point up to help shed rain water outside of the pipe. Note that the orientation of the insulated pipe inner wall is opposite the orientation of the outer wall.

Step 4: Create a watertight roof seal

Your pipe boot or flashing is critical to keeping water from penetrating your roof. A properly installed pipe boot or flashing should provide decades of reliable service.

A high-temperature silicone pipe boot is the ideal choice for flashing a non-porous roofing material like metal or rubber. Porous roofing materials like asphalt or cedar shingles, or slate or tile roofs require either an all-metal flashing, or a hybrid pipe boot flashing with a sheet metal base.

Select the instructions from below based on the type of flashing you are using. Our Tiny House Metal Roof Kit uses a pipe boot. Our Tiny House Shingle Roof Kit uses a hybrid pipe boot flashing. An all-metal flashing may be used in some cases, but is not included in any of our standard kits.

Installing a Pipe Boot Installing a Hybrid Pipe Boot Flashing Installing an All Metal Flashing

Installing a Pipe Boot

Ensure that the underside of your pipe boot flange and the top of your roof where the flange will sit are clean and dry. Consult the directions on your roofing sealant and the weather report to ensure that conditions will allow it to properly cure (i.e. not too cold, and not raining until the cure is complete).

Determine whether your pipe boot needs to be trimmed to fit your pipe. The standard pipe boot included in our Tiny House Metal Roof kit should not require cutting. If necessary, use scissors to trim your pipe boot to the proper size. If you need to cut your boot and there are measurements indicated on the boot guidelines, cut the hole about 20% smaller than the diameter of the pipe passing through it to create a snug, watertight seal with no additional sealants needed.

Install your pipe boot onto your insulated pipe with the metal side of the flange pointing up. Push your flange down your pipe until the flange is fully in contact with your roof. If your pipe boot has a square base, it's often best to orient the corner to the high side of your roof (i.e. like a diamond, not a square), which will give you better coverage and help to shed water away from the flange.

Make any final adjustments to the position of your boot around the pipe. Ensure that the flange can fully contact the roof without stretching the boot, or pulling the boot away from the pipe. If your boot is stretched, try pushing the top of the boot further down the pipe to relieve the tension.

Apply sealant to the underside of your pipe boot flange, then fasten the flange into place with fasteners through the flange and into the roof. Fastener spacing should be approximately 1" - 1.5" apart, and fastener type is dictated by the roofing material. Rivets work well for sheet metal. Pan head stainless screws work well for both metal and rubber roofs with wood sheathing behind them. We prefer to avoid zinc galvanized screws, which will rust over time. If using screws on a metal roof, drill a pilot hole before installing each screw.

The boot flange needs to tightly conform to the surface of the roof. Fasten from the center outward, and avoid stretching or pinching the boot while fastening. If installing on a corrugated roof, ensure you have a fastener at the bottom of each corrugation to prevent the boot from pulling away.

If installing on a standing seam metal roof, planning ahead for ideal placement can help ensure a successful installation.

Avoid creating a dam by blocking the entire flat area between two seams, causing water to collect against the top of the boot flange. If the flat is not sufficiently large to accommodate the pipe boot, a pipe curb can be added to provide a sufficient mounting surface without obstructing the flow of water. Contact the manufacturer of your roofing material for pipe curb recommendations.
Avoid installing the boot up and over a seam if possible. An installation up and over a seam will typically not be maintenance-free for the life of the roof, so periodic inspection and re-sealing will be required. If installing over a seam cannot be avoided, pay special attention to the corner at the base of each seam to ensure that the boot flange is properly bent and secured to tightly conform to the corner. Use a flat tool like a putty knife to press the flange into the inside corner, and install a fastener as close as possible to the edge of the seam. Inspect the seal annually and re-seal as needed.

Seal around the perimeter of the pipe boot flange, and over top of each of the fasteners. Remove any excess sealant.

No sealant is required or recommended where the pipe meets the boot.

A storm collar is optional if you are using a pipe boot. If using a storm collar, install the collar immediately above the pipe boot, and seal between the pipe and the storm collar with high-temp RTV silicone.

Installing a Hybrid Pipe Boot Flashing

Use scissors to cut the boot 20% smaller than the outside diameter of your pipe for a snug fit.

The flashing should be layered with shingles or tiles to prevent water from penetrating under the flashing. The bottom of the flashing should sit on top of the layer of shingles or tiles below it, and the top of the flashing should be covered with a couple of courses of shingles or tiles, and lay directly against the roofing underlayment..

New Roofing

Cut the hole for your stovepipe in your roof, and install the pipe boot flashing on your pipe. Make any adjustments necessary to ensure the boot is at the correct position on the pipe. Secure the pipe to your structure using the roof support bracket.

Shingle or tile up to the middle of the roof hole, underneath the flashing.

Apply roofing sealant under the top and sides of the flashing to prevent water penetration. Do not seal under the bottom, allowing any water that gets under the flashing to drain away.

Install the flashing on the roof using appropriate fasteners to attach the sides and top of the flashing to the roof. Apply roofing sealant over top of each fastener.

Continue installing roof on top of the upper half of the flashing, layering as normal.

Install the storm collar (optional) immediately above the top of the flashing, and seal between the storm collar and stovepipe with high-temp RTV silicone.

Existing Roofing

Installing a pipe boot flashing on an existing roof is more difficult than a new roof, since the flashing must be layered into the shingles before it is installed in the pipe. A second person is required.

Cut the hole for the stovepipe in your roof, then slide the top of the flashing under at least two courses of shingles to center the flashing over the hole.

Seal under the top and sides of the flashing with roofing sealant to prevent water penetration. Do not seal under the bottom so that any water that gets under the flashing is able to drain away. Fasten the top and sides of the flashing to the roof underneath shingles where possible, and add sealant over top of each fastener.

Have a second person feed the pipe into the flashing from below, while you hold the flashing in place on top of the roof. When the pipe is properly positioned, secure it in place from below using the roof support bracket.

Install the storm collar (optional) immediately above the top of the flashing, and seal between the storm collar and stovepipe with high-temp RTV silicone.

Installing an All Metal Flashing

Your flashing should fit the outside diameter of your stovepipe, and the pitch of your roof. The flashing should be layered with shingles or tiles to prevent water from penetrating under the flashing. The bottom of the flashing should sit on top of the layer of shingles or tiles below it, and the top of the flashing should be covered with a couple of courses of shingles or tiles, and lay directly against the roofing underlayment.

New Roofing

Cut the hole for your stovepipe in your roof, then shingle or tile up to the center of the roof hole.

Apply roofing sealant under the top and sides of the flashing to prevent water penetration. Do not seal under the bottom, allowing any water that gets under the flashing to drain away.

Install the flashing on the roof, using appropriate fasteners to attach the sides and top of the flashing to the roof. Apply roofing sealant over top of each fastener. Then, continue layering the shingle or tiles over the top half of the flashing.

Install the pipe from below and secure it to the structure with the roof support bracket. Seal the area between the stovepipe and the top of the flashing with high-temp RTV silicone. Install the storm collar (required) immediately above the top of the flashing, and seal between the storm collar and stovepipe with high-temp RTV silicone.

Existing Roofing

Cut the hole for the stovepipe in your roof, then slide the top of the flashing under at least two courses of shingles to center the flashing over the hole.

Install the pipe from below and secure it to the structure with the roof support bracket. Seal the area between the stovepipe and the top of the flashing with high-temperature RTV silicone. Install the storm collar (required) immediately above the top of the flashing, and seal between the storm collar and stovepipe with high-temp RTV silicone.

Step 5: Assemble your chimney

Add any additional sections of insulated pipe to reach the height needed, securing each joint with a double-wall clamp.

Add Bracing if Needed

An extended chimney support bracket is generally required if your chimney extends more than 5 feet above your roof line, or if you feel your chimney needs additional bracing due to extreme winds.

If you are using an extended chimney support bracket, install the clamp on the pipe at least 3' above the roof line and no more than 5 feet from the top. Adjust the arms of the bracket to reach points on the high side of the roof on either side of the chimney. A 60 degree arm angle relative to the vertical chimney is ideal. Secure the feet of the arms to the roof using appropriate roofing fasteners and roofing sealant. We recommend applying sealant to the threads of each fastener prior to installing it, then burying the entire foot in roofing sealant.

Cap Your Chimney

Install the roof vent on the top of the chimney and secure with a double-wall clamp.

Trim Your Ceiling

Install the ceiling trim plate on the ceiling around the insulated pipe. For pitched ceilings, install half of the plate on the low side of the ceiling first, then install the other half on the high side, overlapping the previous plate.

Step 6: Inspect your installation

Verify Chimney is Supported

The roof support bracket should fully support the weight of the chimney. If the chimney stands 5' or taller above your roof line, it should be reinforced with an extended support bracket. The entire flue system should be sturdy and stable.

Verify Joints are Secure

Ensure every pipe-to-pipe joint has either a clamp or three stovepipe screws (except for the center joint of the telescoping pipe which is free-floating). Joints are not required to be airtight, only structurally secure.

Check Clearances

Check for clearance violations around your stove and your entire flue system.

The Dwarf stove requires 18" clearance from the back or 16" to the sides. Third party stoves may require different clearances, so check your user manual or contact the manufacturer if needed.

Single-wall pipe requires 18" clearance to combustibles. These clearances can be reduced by up to 2/3 with a proper air cooled heat shield between the heat source and any combustible materials. Insulated pipe requires 2" clearance to combustibles in all directions.

Larger clearances are always acceptable.

Questions?

If you aren't sure about any part of your flue installation, please get in touch! We are here to help however we can. You can contact us by email at support@tinywoodstove.com, call us at 208-352-3417, or use the contact form below.