Hearthstone Heritage - scared of burning down the house!

[chad101]

First, I want to address that I have absolutely no intention of using (or opening) the left side door this heating season. The front door will work fine for me (I'll explain why below).

Since some of the ceiling joists and roof rafters were already cut when the old prefab fireplace was installed. I decided to use the existing hole to run my pipe (double wall inside and triple wall in the attic).

The only clearance I could not follow was the left side of the stove.

So, I built a 4' 6" brick wall, using solid 4 inch brick pavers for wall protection. I thought this would be sufficient…wrong.

The left side of the stove is 8 1/4" away from the brick. If you include the 4" brick, I have a total clearance of 12 1/4" from a combustible wall.

My concern arouse last night when I had stove running at full capacity. I put my hand directly on the brick (facing the left side of the stove); the brick was so damn hot I could barely keep it on the brick for more than a split second. If the surface temp is this hot, I imagine 4 inches of cement or mortar will make much of a difference. If I run this stove hot all winter, I'm afraid the wall catch on fire.

I hate to cut additional ceiling joists and rafters, and then poke a new hole in the roof. Plus, I'm running out of time.

I was thinking about buying a piece a sheet metal for the left wall and screwing it into the mortar joints for this heating season and then fix the clearance issue in the spring.

Am I just over paranoid about the surface temperature on the brick? What are your thoughts on using a wall shield for this heating season; should I bite the bullet and move the chimney now?

 

[chad101]

side door

 

[chad101]

brick

 

[Slow1]

What is the listed clearance for left side on that stove?

I believe that if you do put a proper wall shield in place (1" air gap, vented top and bottom) then you can reduce that clearance by 1/3. Somehow looking at that I seriously doubt you are going to be able to still hit a safe clearance.

So... you are going to have to move the stove to be safe.

Now - options... is this rear vented going straight out or is it heading up? If it is going up, can you put a couple bends into the pipe so that you can move the stove over to get your clearance?

 

[daryl]

Knock every other brick out at the bottom leave whatever space you can at the top of the brick wall. The wall needs to breath.Next time leave 1" air space between the wall and the brick and leaving 50 percent open at the bottom and top.
If you can move the stove too the right. Get some double wall 45,s and move the stove over.

 

[edthedawg]

i don't think you're being over paranoid at all - you're WAY undersized on that installation clearance. it's a hot stove - that side wall can get to 500+F. You need the maintain the safety and yeah - brick ain't buying you much. sheetmetal w/ standoffs now if you gotta buy a little time, but the manual affords no reduction i've seen from the 17" min left side clearance, even if you do install the side-door lockout kit.

That side door is awesome for loading - way easier and cleaner than the front door. If you can set it up such that you can use it, you'll be very happy w/ it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

i don't think you're being over paranoid at all - you're WAY undersized on that installation clearance. it's a hot stove - that side wall can get to 500+F. You need the maintain the safety and yeah - brick ain't buying you much. sheetmetal w/ standoffs now if you gotta buy a little time, but the manual affords no reduction i've seen from the 17" min left side clearance, even if you do install the side-door lockout kit.

That side door is awesome for loading - way easier and cleaner than the front door. If you can set it up such that you can use it, you'll be very happy w/ it.

I fully agree and would not use that stove in this way. Somehow you must get the stove away from the wall, which means you will have to use a couple of elbows in the flue and it will also rob you of some living space....but it is necessary in this case.

Good luck.

 

[Highbeam]

The side clearance is 15" with double wall and the rear heat shield. With the optional door lockout kit, you may reduce the hearthpad size for left side but clearance to the wall is unchanged. Clearances are measured from the edge of that cast trim piece vs. the stove body.

You blew the install by 2.75 inches on the side. How's the rest of the install?

The brick is an excellent conductor of heat and in this application must have an air gap behind it to act as a radiant heat barrier. Won't solve your problem, the stove is too close to the wall. The required clearances are not just made up for giggles, they are set to prevent the house from burning.

You installed the stove in an usafe and illegal manner with no apparent inspections. You need to resolve this before your house burns down and you kill someone. Not to mention, your insurance company won't cover your house rebuild.

We can help you with getting it right. I'm glad that you got this stove cranking to full output, how hot did you get the stovetop meter? You do have a meter there don't you?

 

[Highbeam]

I see brick behind that stove and maybe concrete under it. Is there another wall on the right side? Is this stove shoved into the old fireplace bumpout? You would then be installing the stove into an "alcove" and there are a few more specs that you need to follow.

Finally, what's under that stove? If it is concrete on earth then you might be fine. If that is wood with what looks like a sheet of metal on it then we have another major failure. The heritage has very small side and rear clearance requirements but the hearth requirements are pretty stringent.

 

[04RevX]

Question for you guys...at what point can studs behind a brick wall like this spontaniously combust? I understand that there are many factors, but is there a temperature point where this has been proven to happen?

 

[Dune]

Question for you guys...at what point can studs behind a brick wall like this spontaniously combust? I understand that there are many factors, but is there a temperature point where this has been proven to happen?

There is no fixed temperature point for the recently discovered reason that the longer wood is exposed to excessive heat, the lower the temperature of combustion becomes.
By the way, spontaneous combustion refers to a phenomonon in which igniton occurs despite a lack of excess heat, wood igniting as a result of proximate heat is not spontaneous combustion.

 

[chad101]

NOTE: I'm not running this stove again until everything is by the book. My wall was damn near smoking.

You blew the install by 2.75 inches on the side. How’s the rest of the install?

These are my clearances (double wall pipe w/ heat shield)

Right: N/A (open room)
Left: 8 1/4"
Back: 7"

Finally, what's under that stove? If it is concrete on earth then you might be fine. If that is wood with what looks like a sheet of metal on it then we have another major failure. The heritage has very small side and rear clearance requirements but the hearth requirements are pretty stringent.

The hearth is a pre made (4'x 4') stove board I bought from the dealer. My dealer is using the same stove board for the equinox which heats his showroom.

I had a 1 1/2" gap (hole) in the floor. This was filled in with one sheet of 3/4" OSB and one sheet 3/4" plywood. The stove board is directly on top of this.

The gap you see at the bottom left side of the wall (between stove board and wall) is to be lined with brick. This gap (after it's lined with brick) will not count when determining hearth clearances. The stove will be positioned correctly on the 4'x 4' stove board. The brick will just provide protection from fallen embers hitting the plywood.

Here is the plan I came up with. I bought 2 90 degree (double wall) elbows to meet the left wall side clearance.

But, I ran into a problem, the elbows will not connect onto the stove or the telescoping pipe. Am I supposed to use an adapter (sleeve that tapers out) for this? My pipe is 6" the elbows are 6".

 

[chad101]

We can help you with getting it right. I'm glad that you got this stove cranking to full output, how hot did you get the stovetop meter? You do have a meter there don't you?

I have a magnet thermometer, the stove was hitting 450/500.

http://www.sandhillwholesale.com/ru...age=0&osCsid=4d45f98670f713020de357660e3321ec

 

[04RevX]

Question for you guys...at what point can studs behind a brick wall like this spontaniously combust? I understand that there are many factors, but is there a temperature point where this has been proven to happen?

There is no fixed temperature point for the recently discovered reason that the longer wood is exposed to excessive heat, the lower the temperature of combustion becomes.
By the way, spontaneous combustion refers to a phenomonon in which igniton occurs despite a lack of excess heat, wood igniting as a result of proximate heat is not spontaneous combustion.

Gotcha!

 

[chad101]

Called the dealer today; the pipe from Menards is not compatible with the brand I bought (which is also 3 times the price to).

Go figure, two 90 degree elbows and a piece of 6” double wall pipe form the dealer = $186.00

Well, I took care of the problem and I double checked ALL clearances.

I only found one very minor problem. My new pipe is 8” away from the brick (The manual calls for 9” from combustible wall). Above the brick (drywall) my pipe is 12” away from the wall, which is more than enough.

What do you think?

P.S. I can use the left door now

 

[chad101]

I forgot to mention in my last post that I'm now 22" away from the left wall

NOTE: I also added a damper

 

[greythorn3]

wow it will be hard to load that left side.. cant you turn the stove 90 degrees ?

 

[webby3650]

I don't think you will need a damper, I also don't think they are intended for use on the new stoves. It looks like you reduced your hearth protection to near Zero on the right side, you might want to double check that measurement, that floor will get as hot as the wall did in the beginning.

 

[Slow1]

wow it will be hard to load that left side.. cant you turn the stove 90 degrees ?

I was thinking more like turn it 45 degrees... Look up the clearances for a corner install and see how that places the stove and if you can do it. I'm seriously wondering if that hearth pad is simply too small to begin with no matter how you place the stove.

 

[WES999]

A little late now, but a better option would be to use 2 45* (like my install) instead of 2 90*, l. The draft would be better and you can get a cleaning brush all the way through without disassembling the pipe.

And as others have mentioned, the hearth pad looks too close on the right.

 

[weatherguy]

Almost looks like if you kittycorner it you could almost go straight up with the pipe, hard to tell though, looks like the hearth pad will be ok if you turn it 45 deg

 

[greythorn3]

i dont understand how a hearth pad like that being it looks like its less then 3 inches thick can be used, everything ive been reading is i will need at leas one inch on non cumbustable top with 4 inches of 2x4's under it. to make a hearth pad.. who knows though... wonder if i could use a thin one like his under my blaze king.

 

[Highbeam]

Okay, that magnetic meter on your pipe is NOT the right way to measure your stove temp. You can overfire your stove and not even know it. Read your manual where it says to put that meter on your stove top to measure the stove temp. Your max stove temp is 600 on this stove.

That stove pad is highly suspect. If you can meet the manual specs all around then it shoudl work but surely you aren't getting the minimum on the right side and how about that 16" on the door side. I would totally build my own before using that corner pad for a square install.

The double wall pipe must only be 6" from the wall. Since your stove is 7" from the wall, we know that the pipe is legal at the stove. Distance from pipe to brick doesn't matter so much as pipe to combustible surface which is the sheetrock.

I believe the BK stove only requires ember protection at the hearth so it needs only be a continuous sheet of non-combustible material. Sheet of glass would be cool. No minimum thickness.

 

[chad101]

Thanks for the replies; this is an awesome forum

This is copy and pasted directly out of the owner’s manual. Here is a PDF copy I found on HearthStone’s website.
http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/assets/files/document_library/Heritage8021Manual.pdf

Combustible flooring must be protected with a
covering of noncombustible material with an R-value
of 1.2 (slate, marble tiles, or other noncombustible
material can be used for this purpose). The floor
protection must extend beyond the body of the
stove at the minimum as follows:
• LEFT SIDE 16” (41 cm)*
• RIGHT SIDE 5” (13 cm)
• REAR 2” (5 cm)**
• FRONT 16” (41 cm)*

* Installations in Canada require 18” (46 cm) of floor protection
on the left side and front.
** Rear clearance required only if stovepipe runs horizontally back
from the top or rear of the stove.

The right side is 5 1/2" from the edge of the hearth pad

Unless it is being installed on non-combustible flooring, a
floor protector with an R-value of 1.2 is required.

According to the dealer, this stove board (constructed out of metal & tile) and has an R-value of 2.36. The manufacture is "American Panel Stove Board"

I plan on building my own hearth this spring and selling the stove board (I paid $400 for it). But, based on everything in the owner’s manual, I should be fine now.

Edit: I like the two 45 degree elbows; I fired up the stove and my draft is not what it used to be

 

[chad101]

i dont understand how a hearth pad like that being it looks like its less then 3 inches thick can be used, everything ive been reading is i will need at leas one inch on non cumbustable top with 4 inches of 2x4's under it. to make a hearth pad.. who knows though... wonder if i could use a thin one like his under my blaze king.

It's 1 1/4" thick; the manufacture is American Panel Stove Board.