Borderline clearances advice and stove selection

[stoveliker]

Of course not
Apparently I have to spell it out for you.

Not for general use. But for use when according to fire code fiberglass is not approved. And for sound insulation.

You said it wasn't available or used (yet a big box store carries it??!). You said fiberglass is fine even in fireplaces.

All are incorrect.

 

[bholler]

it is fireproof. it cant catch fire even if you use a torch on it. for 45 years I saw masons when building a fireplace stuff it in any gaps around the firebox

Yes and those masons were doing it wrong. Fiberglass melts. Most masons also don't build with the required clearances to combustibles either. Use mineral wool not fiberglass. And I am not from long Island and I work doing this every single day.

 

[bholler]

I have been framing houses roofing and concrete work for 45 years. do you live in canada

I use it all the time and buy it off the shelf at lowes or home depot.

 

[HiSeasDI]

Folks, easy. Rockwool is definitely available locally, whether its made the same as it was back in the day is another story. And yes fiberglass will definitely melt, I don't know what point it'll combust or ignite something it's in contact with. I did buy a small roll of Lynne Ceramic blanket material which I was going to use around my wall thimble and the bricked in window that was used as a wall penetration previously. That stuff I know is not combustible.

But back to the original topic at hand...

After double checking the install manual of the TN20, the vertical clearance is at an even 84", I was taking it from a higher point on the stove top and thought I was 2.5-2.75" too short of the clearance requirement. So then the question becomes; in my scenario where I have 82.5" ceilings and I'm only 1.5" short, how critical in all of your opinions is installing a sheet metal ceiling shield being as close as I am to the recommendation? It's not a primary heat source and as such I plan to run it on the cooler side 90% of the time and sparingly as a full on heater. Should I send it and monitor ceiling temps with a heat gun and install if needed?

I was considering the Osburn 950 also but it seems to be a real small stove for any practical use. Prefer the better steel gauge over the small Drolets...

I'm on Long Island too, so howdy neighbors.

 

[stoveliker]

In my view having a shield like that will be unlikely to go wrong.
But if the manual doesn't allow it, it hasn't been tested with it, and towns and insurance companies like to only approve of installs that are done according to what has been shown to be safe in testing.

That's all I'm trying to convey.

 

[HiSeasDI]

In my view having a shield like that will be unlikely to go wrong.
But if the manual doesn't allow it, it hasn't been tested with it, and towns and insurance companies like to only approve of installs that are done according to what has been shown to be tested.

That's all I'm trying to convey.

Thanks. I know that's the official, "no liability" answer and I appreciate that. That's the scenario unfortunately, anyone from our area knows what getting the towns involved around here on Long Island is like (I assume it's the Building Dept. that handles these approvals?). Don't take me the wrong way, I'm not seeking to do a cheap or substandard install.

I'm curious if using the corner clearances for a single wall installation will alleviate the situation some by allowing more air in the corner to circulate, or will that have no effect on anything vertical?

 

[stoveliker]

I don't think the sideways clearances will have a large effect on the heat that ends up right above.your stove in this case.

I was surprised that there is one stove that allows the ceiling shield (same as.side shielding) as.i think it won't work nearly as well as I mentioned before.

The point about speculating of whether something not tested is safe or not also has to do with that I don't know what the reason is for the requirements. Is it normal operation heat pooling at the ceiling? As I said I don't think it'll go wrong the way you propose.
But if the requirement is because "in case there's fire outside the stove you need to have the ceiling this far away to gain sufficient time" then you might be in a firm "don't do it" from my view.

My point is that I don't know what thinking went into the testing. What situations are taken into account with the requirements that keep it safe ("sufficient time to get out if the excrement hits the air moving device").
Not knowing what situations the requirements are meant to keep safe means not knowing what the impact is of not following the requirements.

You're asking whether it is safe.
Is it likely okay, yes
Is it formally safe? No.
Is.it safe? We don't know. Also not with the additional side clearances.

 

[HiSeasDI]

10-4, well put. For knowledge's sake the local authorities or qualified entity responsible for inspecting and/or certifying an install, would that be the Town Municipality/building department, County, a local fire entity...?

 

[stoveliker]

Town building department does the (cert. of occupancy) inspection, I believe.
Now the *should* know the rules - but I've seen evidence that often they don't...

Then, what do you do if your town approves of it (despite the letter of the code), and your home owners insurance does not? (Moreover, the words of the insurance salesperson do not carry much weight if excrement etc. etc. - it's the underwriter who has to pony up the dollars and who might say that you used it in an unapproved way (because they'll likely go with the strictest interpretation of things as not doing so is not good for their business...). They'll not defer to an exception to the code that the town approved, I think).

I don't know whether there is a formally safe solution if no stove exists that fits with its clearances in your low room.

Would a zero clearance fireplace be something? Those can be framed in, and might thus have lower ceiling clearances? (I don't know much about zero clearance fireplaces, other than that there are models that are basically as efficient as modern stoves.)

 

[mr meener]

Yes and those masons were doing it wrong. Fiberglass melts. Most masons also don't build with the required clearances to combustibles either. Use mineral wool not fiberglass. And I am not from long Island and I work doing this every single day.

steel melts

 

[bholler]

steel melts

Yes but steel is rated as non-combustible. Fiberglass is not so it shouldn't ever be used where non-combustible is required

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

Kuma Aspen (which I have and love) is only 72 inches vertical. Tight wall clearances too.

 

[HiSeasDI]

Kuma Aspen (which I have and love) is only 72 inches vertical. Tight wall clearances too.

Seems like a nice option, no distributors near my area unfortunately.

The more I analyze the situation I think I need to resign myself to one of the small stoves, from both a space and clearance standpoint. If anyone has experiences with the Drolet spark ii, Deco nano, or Osburn 950 I'd love to hear any feedback. Is the price premium for the Osburn worth it in this case? Non-cat and non-pedestal options in that general range is where I've settled.