# Suitable tiles for wall behind stove.



## oldlock (Apr 19, 2013)

Hi Guys & Hello from Perth, Australia.

I've bought a house with an existing wood burner. The back of the burner has a 'baffle' plate on it but the flue does not  have any kind of additional heat shielding. When using the wood burner last winter I noted that the wall behind the burner (timber & gyproc (drywall) construction) was getting rather warm (ie damn hot !) to the touch. So this year before using it I was planning to face the wall with tiles to act as an insulator.

Does anyone have any comments or feedback on the effectiveness (or otherwise) of such an approach. I'd like to use slate tiles for that 'rustic' look but am concerned that dark tiles will simply act as a thermal energy collector and get so hot that the heat will be retained in the wall worse than before.

I could use standard ceramic tiles of a light colour but the aesthetics of such an approach would not be as pleasing as slate.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.


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## jeff_t (Apr 19, 2013)

Sounds like it is way too close. You need 18" clearance to combustibles for single wall pipe. What do codes say there? Can you get some measurements? A picture would be great, too.

You can put tile there, but put it on cement backer board spaced 1" away from the wall. Leave it open on the top and bottom to allow air to circulate. Make the spacers out of porcelain, or stack up a couple scraps of cement board. You can also fabricate a heat shield on the pipe, with an airspace. 

Or switch to double walled stove pipe. That would probably be easiest. Requires 6" clearance. 

You really need to make this safe. Your heating season is just beginning, yes? And, welcome.


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## oldlock (Apr 19, 2013)

Codes I'm not sure about. I found some info on the installation specs for the unit and it's too close to the wall for sure (maker specifies 400mm) but it does not say if that measurement is from the baffle plate or the firefox. The unit is currently 170 from the baffle plate and 240 from the firebox.

A suggestion was made in a wood burner shop that I use a stainless steel plate mounted off the wall as a baffle but I'm not too keen on the look of such an install (I'll do it if there is no other option).


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## oldlock (Apr 19, 2013)

Addendum - would a secondary shield around the flue make a large difference ? They did have those as an add-on in the dealers.


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## milleo (Apr 19, 2013)

Welcome to the hearth forums, you should call the stove company and find out where they are making the clearances from and then move the stove away from the wall. Disaster could happen if you continue to burn the way it is. Good luck.


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## jeff_t (Apr 19, 2013)

The whole thing is just too close. Does the chimney go straight up? Make a turn and go thru the wall? I would move it out, and rebuild or extend the hearth.

Looks like it has been glowing a time or two. Have you looked closely at the welds? Checked gaskets?


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## oldlock (Apr 19, 2013)

The flue goes straight up. The part in the roofspace is double walled / insulated. The firebox is 6mm welded steel. Welds look good, the mark you refer to I think is in the paint more than anything. I was woundering if putting a dog leg in the flue where it enters the ceiling would allow me to move it forward.


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## milleo (Apr 19, 2013)

oldlock said:


> The flue goes straight up. The part in the roofspace is double walled / insulated. The firebox is 6mm welded steel. Welds look good, the mark you refer to I think is in the paint more than anything. I was woundering if putting a dog leg in the flue where it enters the ceiling would allow me to move it forward.


Dog might get pissed off.


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## oldlock (Apr 19, 2013)

The dog deserves everything it gets ...


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## Nick Mystic (Apr 19, 2013)

To the people who are talking about having you move your entire stove further out from the wall I would ask if they noticed that your stove appears to have a heat shield attached to its back? You need to find out what the clearance should be with a rear heat shield before you go to the expense and effort of  moving your stove and extending your hearth. You might be okay with the stove placement and only need to deal with the pipe. As said by others, the easiest fix might just be to go to double wall pipe.


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## begreen (Apr 19, 2013)

First, before discussing possible solutions it would help to know the make and model of the stove. Second, tile is not much of an insulator. If insulation is needed, a ventilated wall shield on non-combustible standoffs is going to be MUCH more effective.

Nick's point is a good one. Assuming the stove was installed within specification, it could be the pipe that needs shielding. Is this single wall pipe? In the US single wall pipe requires a minimum of 18" (457mm) space from the wall. If the stove back is 240mm, I'm guessing the pipe is 300? mm from the wall. That equals 11" and is much too close for single wall pipe.


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## oldlock (Apr 20, 2013)

OK, just returned from the wood burner shop. Def. not installed to spec. I need to relocate the unit forward and add a perforated heat shield to the lower piece of the flue. Much 'fun' as the way the old 6" flue is made is different to the new bends and getting one into another is proving complicated.


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## oldlock (Apr 20, 2013)

OK. So that's done, the back of the unit is now the required 400mm off the wall and I have a perforated heat shield around the lower 1000mm of the flue. So back to my original query - with the thermal insulation being less of a problem (but still wishing to avoid a heat-sink) any suggestions as to tiles / slate etc ?


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## Holiday (Apr 20, 2013)

Now that you're at the proper distance with the stove you can technically use any tile you like the look of. Slate is nice. I personally wouldn't mind a stone to absorb some heat while burning and it will give it off slowly. I think you'll find whatever you use it won't get that hot anymore with the changes you made.


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## Nick Mystic (Apr 20, 2013)

You could experiment with a piece of slate like you want to use and a light color piece of ceramic tile or something similar and place them behind the stove while you're burning and then hit thew with an IR thermometer to see if there is any difference. I doubt there will be much difference. If you don't have an IR thermometer you should still be able to tell if there is a big difference just by touching them with your hands.


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