help please hearth pad and new stove thimble questions

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I was just doing measurements. and i think you’re right if we account for the space needed in front and behind the wood stove of the mat if the mat is against the wall. ...?
17” behind the stove.
 
wait, just a second. the double wall method gets it down.
we do have the double wall pipe ordered and elbow and the thimble thing.

only thing not done yet is the pad. let me double check measurements.
 
[Hearth.com] help please hearth pad and new stove thimble questions
 
9” + 23.5” + 16” = 48.5” front to back

6 + 24 + 6 = 36” wide

so our 60” wide easily clears the width.
but our 48” front to back is 1/2” too small.

ideally we would do 60X60
it seems impossible to find anything 5’ either width or front to back.

right now we’re trying to find tile, as finding a ready made pad at this size is proving impossible.
stove store we’re getting the stove from tried one place. but left it to me to find because they’re short staffed.
 
Yes, double-wall connector will allow closer rear clearance. The actual size requirement is the shaded area in diagram. The hearth pad doesn't need to go to the rear wall unless you prefer that aethetically. In that case a 48" hearth with a 1/2" shim in the rear (base shoe?) would suffice unless you can find a 52" hearth pad.
 
begreen I have had so much trouble with this because I want it to be the 5’ width to be the same as that brick wall there.
I do think it would look better having the hearth right up against the brick. Husband said leave the 1/2” gap back there no one would see. But I wouldn’t want to have to clean a weird little gap, knowing it would collect all kinds of bark and whatnot.
idk what a base shoe is.. i’ll habe to look that up.

my store i’m getting the stove from gave me a number for a hearth pad place, but the number doesn’t seem to work. AJ Hearth. I can’t get a hold of anyone.
I spent today going to tile, countertop and concrete places looking for a solution.
stone place could offer a concrete piece what had broken glass as decoration. that’s 650. and he said it’s fragile/cracks easily.
so that’s out. his stone countertop remnants were all higher than a grand each.
next option is to keep trying to find a hearth manufacturer and see if they’ll make a custom 5’ wide by 48.5 (or if it’s easier some number greater than this but no more than 5’ (or maybe with edging it would be over 48.5”)
Or make something ourselves out of tiles at lowe’s/homedepot/wayne tile.
i went to all 3. 1 had poor selection. 1 had 3 choices at 2.89 per sqft. and 1 had a plethora of choices but the cheapest were around 2.99 per sqft. they said they could do tiles no cheaper than 125 (not including taxes) This option means we would be also adding in the costs of the plywood, durock/concrete board, any wood and the trim. the trim at the stores was 15 per 8ft. so that’s not inexpensive either.


does anyone have any ideas?
I heard sheet metal can be used. Husband said if sheet metal was used and a hot coal fell there it would heat up and he worries about heat damage to the carpet underneath. (if it’s over top of the carpet) the wood stove store said they would put everything on top of the existing carpeting. I thought you’d have to cut it out. but he said no. lot unless you hire a carpet pulled to come and pull it and mail it down.
I figure either way it could still cause the carpet to bulge or be bumpy.

am i over thinking this?
 
The 1/2” gap can easily be filled with a board cut to the height oh the hearth pad.. There should be no carpet under the hearth. If it were me and I wanted a custom fit, I would just make one with a bottom plywood layer, the cement board then tile.
 
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if you made one just those layers, then you’d cut that piece of carpet out? so that the layers are directly on top of the plywood floor (under the carpet)?

I found a place who makes them, American Panel Hearth.
I have to find out if my stove place deals with them. or if I have to make a couple calls to find someone who does.
all in all i think the manufactured pad has an air space. which maybe is why the dealer said that it is better on top of the carpet, rather than cutting the carpet. he said he was previously a carpet installer and if we cut the carpet and pad and place the hearth pad onto the plywood floor, then we would need “tack strips” and a “carpet puller”

I’m not sure if we make it ourselves if we would have to remove the carpet or not. the manual i think said it needed to be R-0. but i think my husband and you are right. if something fell it would heat that spot and then the carpet underneath it would be hot.
 
that is what it used to be, and what we want it to be now. See how the 5’ wide brink evenly matched the hearth? It’s rectangular. I don’t know the front to back dimensions. and I have no idea what stove this was. It was a catalytic one. worked wonderfully. If anyone knows I could see how it compares to the lopi endeavor to see if i have enough stove or should have gotten larger/smaller.
I have an Endeavor 2020 and really like it. Last winter my heater never kicked on at all. My house is a single story 1950 sq. Ft. I would recommend getting the fan. It dramatically helps circulate the heat throughout the house.

[Hearth.com] help please hearth pad and new stove thimble questions
This was during construction.
[Hearth.com] help please hearth pad and new stove thimble questions
 
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cool! we have 2 stories. bedrooms are directly above the wood stove. kitchen is in a straight line from the front of wood stove. master bedroom is going to be the challenge. it’s through the wall alongside the wood stove, behind the master bathroom.

We didn’t get the fan. But I plan to buy the heat powered fans for the top of the wood stove and point them diagonally towards the master bedroom
 
if you made one just those layers, then you’d cut that piece of carpet out? so that the layers are directly on top of the plywood floor (under the carpet)?

I found a place who makes them, American Panel Hearth.
I have to find out if my stove place deals with them. or if I have to make a couple calls to find someone who does.
all in all i think the manufactured pad has an air space. which maybe is why the dealer said that it is better on top of the carpet, rather than cutting the carpet. he said he was previously a carpet installer and if we cut the carpet and pad and place the hearth pad onto the plywood floor, then we would need “tack strips” and a “carpet puller”

I’m not sure if we make it ourselves if we would have to remove the carpet or not. the manual i think said it needed to be R-0. but i think my husband and you are right. if something fell it would heat that spot and then the carpet underneath it would be hot.

I made my own hearth for my Hearthstone Castleton wood stove last year. If you and your husband are good at building things, it isn't too hard! Definitely take it slow though. Make sure the tile mortar doesn't have air bubbles or gaps under it, the tile could crack from the weight of the stove.

Cut out and remove any carpeting that is under the hearth pad, it should rest on the wooden floor under the carpeting.

I used 3/4" plywood, then 1/2" concrete board on top of that, then tile on top of that, here is the video of the build:

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still undecided here. we are handy, we built a base for a 90gallon aquarium. that’s almost identical to what a hearth pad would be. Only change- rather than stick on tiles, the hearth would be mortar and grout and tiles.

Currently unsure about the hearth- will we build it flat to the floor? will we build a pad? will we actually save money buying manufactured pad?
When comparing the cost sheet you had spent 800ish making your own hearth pad. I didn’t see the wood cost there. Maybe I missed it. But ether way, it may be pretty similar in cost either way.
Personally, i prefer to do hard work that i am able to do myself myself. I like to take pride in my work. Have something I have accomplished.
but I’m just not sure what’s the best.

I’ve called the insurance company. They’re sending over a questionnaire for me to fill out. The insurance will increase 13/year.
The wood stove store said that the insurance people usually just want the first year cleaning and inspection and don’t normally ask annually. But they do tell you to clean and inspect annually.
 
Begreen, you also said we should just bite the bullet and cut the carpet and pad out. then put the pad there, or the layers of plywood and durock/cement board then mortar and tiles directly on the plywood subfloor. right?

How can I cut the carpet and then fasten it in place?
 
We were talking about a sheet of metal at that point and I agreed with your husband’s concerns. The hearth in front of the stove door will get quite warm. Although it’s generally advised not to put a hearth pad on top of carpet, some do it with a hearth pad that exceeds requirements. If the hearth is to be permanent and the carpet is cut then it should be done properly. That’s with tack strips around the hearth perimeter and stretched onto the strips.
 
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ok. so i’m at this point now-

hearth pad (the base with tile on top) from a manufacturer (or we can build) would go over top the carpet and be fine.

a flush hearth where we build it ourselves and is comprised of plywood layer, cement board/duroc layer (or2?) and then the mortar and tiles and grout. - i’m worries this option will cause the carpet to bunch up here and there, or the carpeting under it would maybe be too plush that it makes the tiles crack. So i’m unsure.
Husband said that since the base we built for the aquarium hasn’t “sunk in” that the flush build it ourselves option would be fine. and the carpet would not need to be removed.

It is going to be permanent. Only thing that could potentially happen is getting a bigger stove down the line. But I don’t know yet about that. I’ve been told the lopi endeavor will heat the 1700sqft 2 story perfectly with out under burning. (where the stove is too big and you light smaller fires than it can/should handle, making it less efficient and can cause soot, and other issues).
we went with the lopi endeavor because of them saying it will heat our home. But if we needed a larger stove, that’s the only thing I could see happening to this spot in the future.

In that case it’s possible that building it flush wouldn’t be enough for a bigger stove?
 
Advice on the right way to cut the carpet and install has been given professionally and here. There really is no point in having the carpet underneath if this is permanent.
If the hearth pad is to be build on site, yes 1/2" or 3/4" plywood then a layer of Durock nex-gen screwed properly to the plywood, then use latex-modified thinset for the tile, not mortar.
 
ok thank you so much for all the help

last question- overnight burn tips? top down?
I see the front isn’t where the air gets sucked in under the door, it’s in the rear now? is that accurate? If the airflow has changed, what’s the best loading of the wood, still front to back yes?
 
Loading the stove N/S will allow for loading to maximum capacity. Close the air down as quickly as possible without choking the fire to the point of no flame. A flue thermometer is an invaluable guide for knowing when to close down the air.
 
i’ve seen some magnet ones, will that work?

what temp should the front be closed off by?

having a wood stove growing up, we just stuck wood in. the flue was a flappy disc that you could turn, so we would turn it so that it stood up and down letting all the air through when we first lit it. Then a couple hours later when we came to add more, we would close it maybe 1/2. i don’t think we had anything more complex than that.

these days seems i’ve got to know about wood moisture, wood type, air direction, loading direction, radiant heat output/directionality, touch temp, and now flue temp.. i don’t know anything about flue temp. What is normal?

I know there’s a such thing as over burn and that’s when you’re fire is too hot, red glow hot. What would you do if that happened? I know shut off the air. I suppose if i has a metal bucket i could also remove wood/embers..

this is all more than i remember. so much is new.
Thank you for all your help and patience
 
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Will the stove have a single wall stove pipe connecting it to the chimney or a double-wall stove pipe connector? Single wall stove pipe gets a magnetic flue thermometer (not a stove top thermometer). Double-wall stove pipe needs a probe thermometer.

 
double wall. that way it’s closer clearance.

wouldn’t a probe mean drilling a hole into that pipe through both layers....?
not sure i’d want to do that..
is there no conversion knowing the amount of difference between the wall so as to add or subtract the value and get the actual heat inside the pipe having a magnet on the outside? I’d rather do complicated math than put a hole in the pipe