I'm wondering if my stove is too big for the house???

[Renthorin]

Hello everyone. This is my first post so hopefully I don't make too big of a fool of myself : - )

Last fall I bought a US Stove model 2000 from Tractor Supply. It's a pretty stove and does the job warming the house...but I wonder it it's doing TOO good of a job and might actually be dangerous?

Here are the details:

1) had a corner fireplace in the spot before I had the stove installed. It worked but of course all the heat went up the chimney and so did the heat in the room after the fire burned down in the middle of the night.
2) The corner is brick on top of the existing drywall (both outside walls) and brick on the wood sub floor.
3) installation was mid 70's I'm guessing.
4) house it 1400 sq feet and pretty open floor plan.

My thought when I got this one (medium) instead of the small one is I'd rather have a big stove on low than a small stove on high.

When the installation guy came out he said "well, it really should be a bit further from the walls but just keep an eye on the bricks and we can move it forward if we need to. He said the bricks should have an air gap behind them whereas mine are on top of drywall with no gap.

He also suggested a 'hearth rug' for in front but as the door is never open I don't expect sparks.

I read the manual a dozen times and it has minimum clearances that I do NOT meet. It says 11 inches from the back corner to "combustibles" and I have 4". Do the bricks count as combustibles?

He told me to check the bricks that they aren't getting too hot. After burning for a few hours I put my hand on the bricks and they were warm, but I could have kept my hand there for a long time. It wasn't uncomfortable. I called him to relay this information and he chuckled saying..."no..I meant so hot you can't even touch them."

I have nothing closer to the front than 5 feet so I guess that's ok. I used it a few times last year and I'm still here so maybe it's ok? I NEVER leave anything in a fireplace or stove unattended for more than it takes me to take a shower, etc. I would never leave the house.

Soooo.....am I just being paranoid? I run it on low/medium with the blower fan behind it and the house gets up to upper 70's. A bit too warm for me and the dogs but should the temps really drop outside this year that would be nice.

I read a dozen reviews on line where people say how much they love it and they seem to have it in equally small spaces, apartments, mobile homes...etc.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions : - )

Will

 

[rdust]

You need to meet clearances end of story. The stove may not get the bricks too hot when it's burning normal but what would happen if something happened and the stove over fired? Obviously no one sets out to over fire their stove or have a chimney fire but you want to be as "safe" as possible should it happen.

The bricks are non combustible but the drywall behind them is.(Obviously) Are the bricks 4 inches wide?

 

[Renthorin]

I was under the impression drywall was "limited combustible" but again, I want to be safe, not make excuses for why the stove might be ok. : - )

 

[rdust]

I was under the impression drywall was "limited combustible" but again, I want to be safe, not make excuses for why the stove might be ok. : - )

I'm guessing you have studs behind that drywall.

 

[webby3650]

It sounds like you need to move the stove out 3". Just go ahead and do it, then you won't have any worries and then you can let er rip 24/7

 

[webby3650]

Although, it looks like you have double wall, right? So, I guess you will have to move it out 5" or so. Elbows back to back measure 5" or so on most 45's.

 

[KaptJaq]

CTC (clearance to combustible) is the measurement from the point on the stove to the nearest combustible material . Even through non-combustible materials(the bricks). If your bricks are on end, wide face towards the stove, then you have 4" between the stove and the bricks. About 2.5 inches of brick before 1/2" drywall. That is less than 7" until the combustible drywall (The paper cover can burn) and less than 8" to the wood studs. You do not meet the required 11" clearance.

As your installer mentioned, if there was a 1" gap between the bricks and the drywall with airspace top and bottom you could, if it is documented in the manual, reduce the clearance.

I would consider moving the stove to meet the required CTC as listed in your manual.

KaptJaq

 

[rideau]

Rough sketching, I would think if the stove is 24 inches wide it would have to come forward about 7 inches, if 28 inches wide, even more. He needs to draw lines 11 inches out from the wall on each side, then find where he can fit the back of that stove just touching the two lines....And has he checked what hearth protection the stove needs? He has brick on hardwood?

 

[mfglickman]

Is there any possibility of heat shielding to reduce clearances in the manual? Just another possible avenue if the mfr endorses it...

 

[BrotherBart]

Ya need to move it out from those walls. Bricks and Sheetrock are lousy insulators. The framing behind them is what you worry about. Be sure to observe pipe clearances when you do it too.

 

[KaptJaq]

And has he checked what hearth protection the stove needs? He has brick on hardwood?

and brick on the wood sub floor.

That stove requires an R value of 1.2 for the hearth pad. Since that is 2" thick brick (R~0.4) over hardwood floors it does not meet the requirements.

KaptJaq

EDIT: The manual also calls for the hearth pad to extend 25" in front of the stove.

 

[begreen]

Full bricks could gain you a 33% clearance reduction if the stove mfg. allows this. Unfortunately there is no allowance in the manual for clearance reduction. I'm not saying your installation is unsafe, but if you are worried about insurance coverage, it will need to be within documented compliance.

 

[Machria]

Ok, I am under the impression, and have been informed of such from 3 different reputable stove installers: clearance from any combustible surface INCLUDES non-combustible materials (aka bricks, tile, stone...) IF those materials are attached to a combustible material (aka drywall, wooden studs...).

If that is true, the OP needs to move the stove 7 inches further from the brick which is butted against a combustible material, and therefore considered a combustible. In other words, he needs to be 11" from the brick as per the stoves clearance directive.

Is this not correct?

 

[Renthorin]

So if I move the stove forward, it will be pretty much sitting at the front edge of the bricks. That means the 'floor' under the front of the stove is carpeting.

I can't tell for sure what is behind the bricks but they 'seem' to be on top of the drywall and since the last fireplace was added after the house was built by the previous owner, I suspect it is bricks (the solid type) on top of drywall, on top of pine studs.

I've contacted the installer to have him come back out and discuss my options. I see there are 'hearth rugs' for about 400 bucks that I can place in front of it, but not sure they are supposed to go over carpeting.

Hopefully he can make some suggestions. I know I can move the stove forward so at least that's a relief.

I really want to use it often this winter but I'm having such anxiety over the clearances it just isn't enjoyable : - (

Thanks for all the suggestions and help.

Will

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

Another vote for meeting the clearances . . . heck I even exceeded my clearances by a couple of inches to be on the safe side. As noted by others it's not so much the bricks you have to worry about it's the long time effect of the heat passing through the bricks and drywall to the studs on the other side . . . many folks realize that a spark or flame is the most obvious source of a fire from an improper woodstove install . . . but the other concern is the long term effect of heat on combustibles as it can lower the ignition temp of the material and cause it to catch on fire. Folks think that just by putting up a non combustible material they're all set . . . for some it's a dangerous mistake to be made.

Instead of purchasing an expensive hearth rug perhaps you could easily build yourself a temporary hearth that you can put down for the winter months and remove in the summer . . . I'm thinking with just a bit of change you could get some plywood, trim, durock and tile and make a hearth that looks good and provides some protection. Not as good perhaps as a permanent hearth extension, but it could get you by for now and be safer than the way you have it.

Size . . . I think going a little bit larger is a good thing usually. Better to be able to build a small fire in a larger firebox usually than it is to be in the dead of winter and have the stove fully loaded and still have a cold house.

Worried . . . it's a good thing to be a bit concerned and worried . . . it helps build good burning practices and causes us to make sure the installation is done right.

 

[Renthorin]

Yeah I was wondering about building a 'deck' of sorts that sits on top of the bricks in front of the stove and is suspended above the carpet on some kind of feet. I have tile left over from doing my kitchen so I could use that and it would match : - )

then, when not burning, it can prop up against the bricks out of the way.

 

[Machria]

So if I move the stove forward, it will be pretty much sitting at the front edge of the bricks. That means the 'floor' under the front of the stove is carpeting.

Then you need to extend the hearth out to at the minimum, the specs of the front of the stove clearance. You need to meet ALL the clearances of the stove. ALL!

I can't tell for sure what is behind the bricks but they 'seem' to be on top of the drywall and since the last fireplace was added after the house was built by the previous owner, I suspect it is bricks (the solid type) on top of drywall, on top of pine
Will

Check the minimum R value required for the hearth, that should be listed in the stoves clearances. The. Look up what you have and if it meets your clearances, if it doesn't, replace it all![/quote]

 

[corey21]

Yes you should move it out some and extend the hearth.

 

[rideau]

If his present hearth is brick on hardwood or subflooring, he needs to address that problem, not just build an extension of his already non-conforming hearth.

 

[rdust]

If his present hearth is brick on hardwood or subflooring, he needs to address that problem, not just build an extension of his already non-conforming hearth.

x2, I would personally pull all the brick off the wall and floor and start fresh.

 

[Rich L]

x2, I would personally pull all the brick off the wall and floor and start fresh.

Roxul sheets can be applied to the brick walls.These will repel the heat outward.They can withstand heat up to 2000 degrees.