# How far back against a stone wall can I place a wood stove???



## jay3000 (Aug 1, 2008)

I have about 36" of depth to work with on a stone surface before it becomes carpet. I've been looking for top or side loading stove for that reason. But it occured to me that it might look OK if I put it back against the wall. That might give me enough space in fron to do a front loading stove providing I can find one that is fairly shallow..

Does there need to be clearance behind it??


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## begreen (Aug 1, 2008)

Normally yes, unless this is a solid stone wall. But if it is just a stone veneer, then the clearances to combustibles from the back of the stove as specified by the stove manufacturer must be honored. However, it may be possible to extend the hearth to meet the clearance requirements.

I would advise getting the right stove for the house and then adjusting the hearth accordingly. Done right it can look intentional and attractive.


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## begreen (Aug 1, 2008)

Is this the existing hearth that the old Jotul cat is sitting on? Big stoves like the F600 require a 55”W X 50”D minimum hearth.


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## jay3000 (Aug 2, 2008)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Is this the existing hearth that the old Jotul cat is sitting on? Big stoves like the F600 require a 55”W X 50”D minimum hearth.



Yep.. Only has about 8" in front (to the carpet) of a wrap around stone enclosure. Only opened the front doors to clean..


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## begreen (Aug 2, 2008)

Can you define stone enclosure? Is this stone veneer on a regular stud wall or an actual stone wall? 

Many new stoves radiate a lot of heat out of the front glass. Protection is not just against ashes and sparks.


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## jay3000 (Aug 2, 2008)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Can you define stone enclosure? Is this stone veneer on a regular stud wall or an actual stone wall?
> 
> Many new stoves radiate a lot of heat out of the front glass. Protection is not just against ashes and sparks.



It's an alcove 36" deep and 60" wide. Stud walls, with concrete backer board and a 1-2"  thick stone veneer. 7.5 foot ceiling in the alcove with fireproof drywall on the ceiling.  The carpet in front of the stove still looks new. The front door has a removeable handle so there is no temptation to open it. The big Jotul sits about 9" from the back wall.


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## begreen (Aug 2, 2008)

No you will not be able to do this legally or safely. The distance to combustibles is based on the distance to the studs. Having an R .5 barrier of stone veneer and cement board is not adequate, nor is the shallow hearth depth. If the wall shield had been built according to NFPA211 wall shield specs, some stoves would allow closer clearances, but no big stove will work with the shallow hearth depth. But fortunately, extending the hearth is not a big deal and is the best solution here.

For example:  The Harmans get hot in back (downdraft stoves) and have large rear clearances even with a heat shield and they are a deeper stove than the model 12. The Pacific Energy and some Quadrafire stoves have close rear clearances, but they are deeper stoves and won't fit on the skinny hearth either. The Jotul F600 requires a minimum of 8" behind it and requires an NFPA wall shield for alcove installations. From the F600 manual:

4.4 Alcove Installation
The Jøtul F 600 can be installed in an alcove situation provided:
See figures 9 and 10, page 14.
1. The stove must be installed with listed double walled pipe.
2. In a protected alcove installation both side walls and rear wall
must be protected per NFPA 211 or CAN/CSA-B365. The wall
protection must be elevated 1” from the floor and at least 1”
off the combustible wall to allow for an air-flow.
3. The height of the wall protection including the bottom air
space must be 48”.
4. The bottom heatshield is required in all alcove installations.
5. If a UL/ULC listed hearth pad is not used, the hearth must be
constructed of noncombustible material having a minimum
R-value of 0.5.”(see appendix a, page 19).
6. Minimum ceiling height in an unprotected installation, off the
top of the stove is 48”(1220mm). The minimum ceiling height
off the top of the stove in a protected ceiling installation is
15”(380mm).
Use of the right side load door is prohibited in alcove
installations. Install Side Door Lock kit 221100 available from
your Jøtul dealer.
Mobile Home Installations
The Jøtul F 600 has been approved for use in mobile homes in
the U.S. and Canada, provided:
1. The stove is secured to the floor or the mobile home. Floor
mounting kit #750304.
2. The stove is provided outside air for combustion. Outside Air
kit #154333 (see page 11 for more details)
3. The stove must be grounded to the mobile home frame per
NFPA 70.
As always, consult with your local building inspector or fire
officials about restrictions and requirements in your area prior
to installing the stove.
Warning:
Do not install in a bedroom/sleeping room. The structural
integrity of the mobile home’s floor, wall, ceiling/roof must be
maintained


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## jay3000 (Aug 2, 2008)

Wow.. None of the stone has ever even gotten particularly warm..


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## fossil (Aug 2, 2008)

The stone veneer and the mortar and the backer board make for a crappy insulating sandwich.  It conducts heat through it readily.  The combustible wall materials behind are the issue, and without constructing a wall shield that incorporates a 1" ventilated airspace, you've really got to install in accordance with the manufacturer's required clearances all around to be safe.  Rick


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## sullystull (Aug 2, 2008)

I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I am in a very similar situation.  Just installed a Dutchwest large stove and will be installing a drystack manufactured stone behind the stove--against the wall.  If I incorporate a 1" air space, then the backer board (cement board), then the stone (approx 2" thick), is there a way to reduce the distance to combustibles to 14"?


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## begreen (Aug 2, 2008)

sully, for the large model (not the extra-large) cat Dutchwest, it looks like you can get the back clearance down to 11" using an NFPA211 wall shield, rear stove shield, top exit, with a double-wall connector pipe. Just be sure that the wall shield is vented at the top and bottom and uses non-combustible spacers to create the 1" gap behind it. Doubled up, 3" strips of the cement board work well for the spacers. The wall shield needs to be 60" high.


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## fossil (Aug 2, 2008)

Whatever you build for that rear shield can be clad with some sort of non-combustible stone veneer to make it look like it belongs there...it's the 1" ventilated airspace that buys you the reduced clearance.  It's a job, but there's a price to be paid for safety if you're gonna burn wood inside your home.  You'll also need to attend to the front and side clearance requirements, as well as verifying that the R-value of your hearth is adequate.  Rick


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## sullystull (Aug 2, 2008)

Thanks for the help guys.  I already have the double wall pipe from my old stove, and the hearth pad I built already has the necessary clearances.  I'll keep you posted.


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