# Wood Stove Clearence From Oil Tank and Boiler



## MikeBones11 (Oct 16, 2009)

I Have a System 2000 boiler and an oil tank and I would like to add a wood stove for additional/supplemental heat.  Before I begin the search for the type of wood stove I am trying to determine any code's or clearances and any other concerns required from the boiler and tank. Mostly to see if it is worth pursuing this wood stove route.

I have referred to the 2003 International Residential Code Book with State of CT 2005 Building Code Book and the only section I could find was Section 1414 and it basically just says that the stove must be listed labeled and installed according to the listing.

Any advise would be great


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## Gooserider (Oct 17, 2009)

MikeBones11 said:
			
		

> I Have a System 2000 boiler and an oil tank and I would like to add a wood stove for additional/supplemental heat.  Before I begin the search for the type of wood stove I am trying to determine any code's or clearances and any other concerns required from the boiler and tank. Mostly to see if it is worth pursuing this wood stove route.
> 
> I have referred to the 2003 International Residential Code Book with State of CT 2005 Building Code Book and the only section I could find was Section 1414 and it basically just says that the stove must be listed labeled and installed according to the listing.
> 
> Any advise would be great



First off, I would suggest that we need to define just what you are looking for - "stove" is a bit generic in this context...  Do you want a wood fired BOILER, i.e. a way of making hot water to circulate through your hydronic system; a wood FURNACE, which makes hot air to be blown through an HVAC system; or a wood stove, that is a local area heater that doesn't connect to any distant heat circulating methods?

Whichever you are interested in, a lot of the problem lies in that exact quote...  Each manufacturer of appliances gets them tested and certified individually, and while there are some numbers that are pretty standard, each will have it's own specific set of clearance requirements, which will vary slightly by manufacturer.  The numbers will be a combination of "clearance to combustibles" requirements, and especially for boilers and furnaces, space required for fueling and servicing the units.

What I would suggest is defining a bit better what you are looking for in terms of my first paragraph, and then download a few of the manuals for units of the sort you might find interesting to get a rough idea of the numbers you need to work with...

As a VERY rough start, I'd say that if you assumed 2-3' on the back, 3-4' on the sides and 4-5' on the front, you would probably be well within the ballpark.  Most also require a foot or two minimum overhead.  Stoves are actually going to need more clearances than boilers or furnaces, as they put out more heat into the local area, while boilers are generally well insulated...  Another BIG requirement issue is that you must have a wood fuel suitable flue available, that you may NOT share with any other appliance...  Masonry flues are generally OK, or can be made so, but metal gas and oil chimneys will likely need to be replaced with HT103 grade "Class A" pipes that have a higher temperature rating.  Since you can't share the flue with any other appliance, you either have to have a spare flue, or your existing boiler and / or DHW heater will need to be converted to wall vent if they aren't already....

Hope this gets you started,

Gooserider


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## Tony H (Oct 17, 2009)

In order to figure clearances required the exact units being used need to be selected as each has different size and clearance issues.
When I was installing my boiler and spoke to the HVAC city inspector he indicated that I must have the manufacturers installation and specifications book available in order for them to in inspection. They use the manf. requirements and specs to determine if the unit is installed within the guidelines set forth by the manufacturer  of  the equipment.  The way it turned out I did not "need" any inspections.


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