I would like to install a potbelly wood burning stove in my house. I plan on doing it in the back corner of my house in my kitchen. The kitchen has lenolium flooring on top of concrete slab. My plan was to get a professional to install the chimney and tackle building the hearth on my own. For the floor I was simply planning to pull up the flooring and just lay brick directly on the concrete slab. The stove will be in a corner so I was planning on also bricking the walls on each side up to whatever height is needed. The one question I have right now is, can I lay the brick right up against the sheet rock wall or does there need to be a layer of insulation there, perhaps just a space for airflow? Do I need to rip out the sheet rock and put something else? Nothing perhaps? I don't have any of the supplies yet including the stove. I'm hoping that my grandmother can find the potbelly they used to use. Any advice or problems with my current plan that anyone has is welcome. Thanks!
Installing wood stove advice
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As I am just doing a similar project, I would advise finding a the stove that will suit your needs first. and then worrying about your hearth. We also began with a free inherited stove we were going to install, but it was an unlisted stove and theirfore could not be installed.
My wife and I just bought a small stove that has very tight clearances, that we will not have to install wall protection and very little floor protection with. The stove was a bit more expensive than similar btu stoves, but the savings in time and $$ for the hearth will be well worth it in my opinion.
My wife and I just bought a small stove that has very tight clearances, that we will not have to install wall protection and very little floor protection with. The stove was a bit more expensive than similar btu stoves, but the savings in time and $$ for the hearth will be well worth it in my opinion.
You might want to check with a local inspector and your insurance company first. Those old potbelly stoves probably aren't UL listed and are illegal to install anymore. Look for a new or used EPA certified stove. More heat with less wood and safe.
Ah, was not aware of that problem with old stoves. Thanks! Any suggestions on where to pick up a decent stove for relatively cheap? Also, does anyone know approximately how much it might cost for a contractor to install the chimney?
The only potbelly stove I could find new is from Vogelzang at: http://www.vogelzang.com/pb65xl.htm
Scary to think of this burning inside a house. They claim 200,000 BTU's from a stove less than 3 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter, with no firebrick inside. They may skirt EPA regs by claiming it's a "cook stove", but I can't see how this even gets past UL or W-H? My monster furnace is only rated at 140,000 BTU's, and you could fit this thing inside my stove!
If you plan on using an old stove, chances are it's not listed. You have no recourse if it burns your house down, and depending on how tough your insurance is, they might not/probably won't pay for damages caused by such a stove.
It's a free country, but I couldn't sleep at night with that stove burning in my house. Makes a neat decoration, but wouldn't burn it for any amount of money.
Scary to think of this burning inside a house. They claim 200,000 BTU's from a stove less than 3 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter, with no firebrick inside. They may skirt EPA regs by claiming it's a "cook stove", but I can't see how this even gets past UL or W-H? My monster furnace is only rated at 140,000 BTU's, and you could fit this thing inside my stove!
If you plan on using an old stove, chances are it's not listed. You have no recourse if it burns your house down, and depending on how tough your insurance is, they might not/probably won't pay for damages caused by such a stove.
It's a free country, but I couldn't sleep at night with that stove burning in my house. Makes a neat decoration, but wouldn't burn it for any amount of money.
It doesn't... they are not UL listed...Gibbonboy said:
Just as a side note. I saw that vogelsangs are also sold at lowes... buyer be wear.
Yep, just read at: http://www.vogelzang.com/Manuals/pb65lMnl.htm right at the top, "NOTE: This stove is NOT a UL listed stove.". How do these guys get away with selling this crap? If I make a rifle with an aluminum barrel, and you blow your face off, can I just pull the manual and show them where it says "WARNING: this gun is not for actual FIRING."? Just don't make sense, especially in our litigious society.
I think the manual for the VZ potbelly stove is very useful for anybody that is even considering installation of a non-listed stove. The useful part being the clearance to combustibles diagrams. To obtain the clearances required by the manual the stove would be sitting pretty much out in the middle of the average room. An example being the 42" required rear clearance and 36" side clearance requirements. As well as 54" X 63" floor protection.
The only places I could meet all of these requirements that wouldn't impede daily living here would be to install the stove in my front or back yard.
The only places I could meet all of these requirements that wouldn't impede daily living here would be to install the stove in my front or back yard.
jwhitehsv said:
Look up Craigs list, E-bay, local papers or shopper guides. Sometimes local hearth dealers have used stoves and also would have info on chimney installs. Home Depot and Lowes have the Englander line, which has a good rep on this site, and is also under $1k.
Gibbonboy said:
Run away. Those stoves are apparently a disaster waiting to happen. Good for a fishing shack maybe.
If looking for a kitchen placement stove I'd look at one of these:
http://www.woodstoves.net/bakersoven2.htm
or
http://www.woodstoves.net/napoleon/1150.htm
or for the expensive option
http://www.woodstoves.net/napoleon/1150.htm
Please note, I'm not affiliated with the seller in any way. I just know they have a bunch of cook stoves on their site.
Now of course any of the VC stoves would do nicely as well, they have cast tops that could be used for warming things. Also the Jotul 602 has a nice top that can be used for cooking and it's not so big as to over heat a kitchen.
You will need air space or insulation behind your brick. I wouldn't remove the sheetrock, I'd just put the brick in front of it.
jwhitehsv said:
It varies with every situation obviously, but for what its worth my chimney install cost me about $2000 give or take. My case is probably close to a highest cost possible situation though since I put my stove inside a great room with 26' ceilings and had to run double wall pipe all the way up on the inside and triple wall for another 8' outside...and pay the guys to climb up onto my roof and all that. Took a solid 6-8 hours.
If you have an existing chimney that you're tying into and it meets the code requirements in your area you may only need to plumb into it with the exhaust from the stove, which might only be a few feet.
For a 8' chimney through an attic space I was quoted 750$ for materials. Usually labor is about equal to that. so say 1500 to 1800 for a chimney(ceiling up) installed.
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