combustible alcove

[JDCook]

So I am planning to make a combustible alcove for a wood stove. I have 60 inches between two posts on a timber frame. I have not framed the alcove yet. the alcove will extend outside onto the back porch. Anyway, I am trying to understand the process and clearances. I will be heating 1800 square feet as back up heat. I was disappointed to see that the alcove height is usually around 7 feet as I planned to have a mantle I could reach. So when they say 7 feet they mean not only the ceiling of the alcove but the opening to the house? I would assume I want the ceiling a of the alcove a little higher than the opening so the ceiling is not noticeable. What would be ideal. I have noticed on one forum it said I don't want to trap hot air in the alcove.

Thanks

Dave

 

[bholler]

So I am planning to make a combustible alcove for a wood stove. I have 60 inches between two posts on a timber frame. I have not framed the alcove yet. the alcove will extend outside onto the back porch. Anyway, I am trying to understand the process and clearances. I will be heating 1800 square feet as back up heat. I was disappointed to see that the alcove height is usually around 7 feet as I planned to have a mantle I could reach. So when they say 7 feet they mean not only the ceiling of the alcove but the opening to the house? I would assume I want the ceiling a of the alcove a little higher than the opening so the ceiling is not noticeable. What would be ideal. I have noticed on one forum it said I don't want to trap hot air in the alcove.

Thanks

Dave

You really need to atleast narrow down your stove choices to a couple and build to the largest requirements. If you can add a little extra do it so you don't screw yourself if you ever have to get a new stove. And yes the height requirements apply to the opening to the room as well. One way around that would be to make everything above the stove non-combustible with steel studs cement board stone etc. But you really don't want a big cavity there to trap heat. I prefer the ceiling flush with the face.

 

[begreen]

60" is enough wiggle room for several different stoves. Most have an 84" ceiling requirement but not all. Folks are right when suggesting that the alcove opening not be blocked. That will create a heat trap. There are workarounds, but like bholler said, first pick out the stove or two as prime candidates. Then we can discuss construction requirements.

 

[JDCook]

Well I did pick up some brochures from a local wood stove place. I am looking at clearances mostly so far. I can’t be wider than 60 inches since that is where there are 2) 8x8 posts. So I just have to decide on the depth and height. I recall seeing a max depth on one of the brochures so I will stay shy of that.

about the 60 inch height. What stoves allow for that? I may just go with the 84 inches to keep my options open but about the non combustible ceiling, do you mean as long as the walls have enough clearance I can use metal studs then put backer board and some type of masonry and be good? for what height? But wouldn’t the lower ceiling increase the heat build up at the top of the walls right near the ceiling and then they would be susceptible ?

if I do go with a non combustible ceiling. Let’s say 60 inches high and the stove sits fully in the alcove. Is their a restriction on the height of the mantle above the alcove opening?

 

[begreen]

What stoves? There is no point mentioning stoves that are not sold in your area.

The clearance to the mantel, if combustible, will be the limiting factor with a non-combustible ceiling.

 

[JDCook]

Well I live in Ga figure if they have them in the USA I can get one. But if the mantle outside of the alcove still can’t be lower I guess I better just plan on going with the 84 inch height and having a mantle I can’t reach with out a step ladder.

 

[begreen]

That does not help much. What stoves are you considering? What size, what style?

 

[JDCook]

Well we have a brochure for rockport and lopi. We will need a front loader since it will be in an alcove. We want glass front. Steel or cast iron, but not stone sides. A stove that is narrow and long and the logs are loaded parallel to the sides might be better since the alcove opening cannot be wider than 60 inches, but I can frame the depth what ever we need. I have heard that there are some stoves that may have alcove ceiling clearance as low as 60 inches instead of the typical 84 so I am interested in if anyone can tell me what a few of those models are.

Thanks

 

[begreen]

The Lopi Rockport would work in a non-combustible alcove. The mantel can also be non-combustible. There is a thread on that topic.

Non-combustible mantels

Starting a thread for folks that are looking for non-combustible mantels. These are very realistic, but made from concrete: http://magrahearth.com/natural-wood-series-gallery MagraHearth website http://magrahearth.com/

www.hearth.com

Another stove to look at would be the Jotul F45 v2.

 

[JDCook]

So I plan to make the alcove just shy of 48 inches deep since that is the max alcove depth listed for several stoves I have looked at. Now the house is a timber frame so there are 8x8 posts on each side of the alcove. The posts stick out 8 inches into the house( posts are inside the house /SIP panels are anchored to the outside of the frame). The rock or tile on the inside of the alcove will terminate into the posts and then the posts will deepen the alcove by 8 inches. But the ceiling of the alcove will be flush with the interior wall of the house and will therefore be 8 inches shallower than the sides of the alcove. So which can’t be over 48 inches the top or the sides?

put more simply the sides of the alcove will be 8 inches deeper than the ceiling. Can I use the ceiling as my max depth since that is where the heat will be escaping? Or do I need to make the walls 48 deep and then the ceiling will be only 40 inches deep?
Thanks

 

[begreen]

As the manual's Fig. 12 diagram shows, the wall's maximum allowed depth is 48".