# Mantel Heat Shield Question - How far beyond Mantel?



## Armrou (Apr 16, 2013)

Hello Folks,

I am a first time poster.  I apologize if this question is not in the right area.

I purchased a new wood stove insert and because my wood mantel is too close to the insert, I had to install a heat shield.  My wife HATES it.  So, I am trying to think of a way to improve its appearance.

The Wood stove is a Jotul c550 Rockland and the mantel shield is from them.  It sticks out well beyond the mantel when taking a horizontal measurement from the face of the brick.

From the face of the brick to the outer most edge of the mantel is 3.75 inches.

From the face of the brick to the outer most edge of the mantel shield is 7.75 inches.

I am wondering if it would be safe to have the mantel shield modified such that it stick out less.  Is there a minimum horizontal distance, relative to the mantel, that I must maintain?

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Steven


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## webby3650 (Apr 16, 2013)

As long as there is a 1" air gap between the mantel and the shield you should be fine. So you could trim the back side off, leaving the angle part of the shield intact. Very nice stove by the way! Can you post a picture of what you got?


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 16, 2013)

Hello and welcome to hearth Steven ! 

Can you put up a couple pics ? It might help with visualizing the issue. Also have you checked the manual for clearances ? 

Pete


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## Armrou (Apr 16, 2013)




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## Armrou (Apr 16, 2013)

One picture shows the front of the wood stove, and the other shows a weighted string coming straight down from the outer most face of the mantel down on to the mantel heat shield.  The horizontal difference between the string and the end of the mantel shield is 4".  I would love to decrease that by making the mantel shield shorter...


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 16, 2013)

Is it possible to make the mantle a brick mantle ? They look very good to and that would meet clearence requirements.

Pete


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## pen (Apr 16, 2013)

I would think that a piece of sheet metal the size of the surround could be bent and then slid behind / resting on the surround could be more aesthetically pleasing.

As far as how far it sticks out goes, it needs to stick out far enough so that the current of hot air off the unit and radiant output won't miss the shield and still hit the mantel directly.  The way air moves, having it stick out a bit more helps keep that heat problem at bay.

I'm guessing the current shield is a generic one and not customized for your situation? 

If that's a generic shield and isn't matched to the size of your mantel, the actual distance it sticks out to make you compliant is always going to be a tough thing to reduce and still have the situation OK with the manufacturer (which you would need for code / insurance compliance). 

pen


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## webby3650 (Apr 16, 2013)

pen said:


> I would think that a piece of sheet metal the size of the surround could be bent and then slid behind / resting on the surround could be more aesthetically pleasing.
> 
> As far as how far it sticks out goes, it needs to stick out far enough so that the current of hot air off the unit and radiant output won't miss the shield and still hit the mantel directly.
> 
> ...


I agree


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## fossil (Apr 16, 2013)

Just ditch that ugly shield and get on with your lives.  I'm not one to ignore safety, quite the contrary, but if this were my situation, I'd burn it as it is and very carefully watch the temperatures of the surrounding materials.  I bet you have no problem.  Rick


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## Armrou (Apr 16, 2013)

pen said:


> I would think that a piece of sheet metal the size of the surround could be bent and then slid behind / resting on the surround could be more aesthetically pleasing.
> 
> As far as how far it sticks out goes, it needs to stick out far enough so that the current of hot air off the unit and radiant output won't miss the shield and still hit the mantel directly. The way air moves, having it stick out a bit more helps keep that heat problem at bay.
> 
> ...


 
Yes, you are correct, it is the generic shield that Jotul sells.  The shield was not made for my mantel.  I am considering having it modified so that it only sticks our 1" further than the mantle.


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## Armrou (Apr 16, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Is it possible to make the mantle a brick mantle ? They look very good to and that would meet clearence requirements.
> 
> Pete


 
Well, I am considering some sort of stone replacement for the mantel, given the situation.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 17, 2013)

Armrou said:


> Well, I am considering some sort of stone replacement for the mantel, given the situation.



I have to admit your surround covers the stove top well and I can't understand why you really need a shield there. Looking at the pic it also looks like there is a brick ledge already where the wood mantle is. My thoughts are this if your deadest on using a shield I would bend a piece of sheet metal that crosses over the whole stove top and make It the the same distance out from the brick as the mantle and the length of the stove and surround together. This would look much better and block all of the heat.

All that said if you remove the mantle and there is already a ledge cut a piece of natural wood bark on it or buy some reclaimed wood to set up there and stain it. This would make it look nice without having the over hang of the current ledge.

Pete


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## jkranes (Apr 18, 2013)

Is it the top mantle ledge or just the wood trim that requires protection (according to the stove's specs)?  I have a similar setup and for me it was only the wood trim that was within the area of concern -- the actual mantle shelf is far enough from the stove top as to be not an issue.  I bought a similar shield for my stove (Avalon Pendleton) and then cut the shield down so that it projects out only two inches (the wood trim projects out by one inch so this seemed like a reasonable way to divert hot air that would otherwise rise directly to the trim).   In practice, I find that as long as the insert fan is on, there is not a huge amount of hot air rising up from the stove, so I could probably remove the guard without danger, but now that it's cut down I don't really mind it so I keep it there.


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## KaptJaq (Apr 18, 2013)

To be a compliant installation you must use the heat shield as supplied. The only other alternative is NFPA 211. Check that document to see if there is a less intrusive heat shield you can use. The applicable part of the Jotul manual is below:



(Click image for larger view.)


A friend has the Jotul 450 with the heat shield. When his fan is running he does not need the heat shield, the mantle stays cool. When we lost power and he was running the stove without the fan or shield his wood mantle was over 150° F. Since then he keeps the shield on all the time. When you are burning on a stormy, cold winter's night and after you go to bed are you sure the power is not going to go out?

KaptJaq


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## ColdNH (Apr 18, 2013)

I can see why your wife doesnt like the shield! Maybe you can have something fabricated out of copper and mount it below the mantle like i did with spacers

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/install-complete.89047/#post-1328401

See link


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## etiger2007 (Apr 18, 2013)

I wouldn't like that either,  here's mine note the heat shield with a one inch gap to the wood above the insert , works like a charm,  sorry I couldn't rotate the pic.  I also have to add my wife god bless her didn't even complain.


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## skinanbones (Apr 19, 2013)

I just took some geusses at mesurement, but it appears that from the bottem of your unit to the bottem of the mantle is 50" or 51" and the required clearance is 51" 3/4" to the lowest point.  If you were my customer i would have made something that went from side to side of the cast surround and only came out 2" on the 45 degree.  Or the other option if there is another row of brick under the face of the mantle i would rasie it up the required distance Jotul wants and not use the sheild at all.


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## Tom Cat (Apr 19, 2013)

I'm also likely loking at having to use a mantle shield for a pending installation. I've been thinking about using a block of soapstone above the insert to act as both a heat shield as well as hold some of the heat. I doubt this would meet code so I'll probably also install a shield below the mantle.

tom


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