Old Stove, Old Fireplace, New Homeowner

[loquinho]

Here's my situation - I can get photos if needed.

I have a house built in 1949 with a solid masonry chimney. It has 2 stacks, one for a now defunct oil furnace and one for a functional fireplace. The chimney has been swept and inspected by a professional - it's in excellent condition.

I also have a woodstove. It was taken out of a home in the area the same sixe as mine from the same time period. It's a front loading square-ish plain black stove with a rear exhaust on adjustible 4 1/2" legs. The solid stove door has a farm scene cast into it and says "sunrise" if I'm not mistaken. It's lined with firebrick inside.

I'm fairly tight on money, and need to heat my house this winter. We can't afford the $400 a month electric baseboard heat, and we can't just freeze it out like we did last year because we have an infant. Ideally, we want a fireplace insert (one of the only ones that fits is a Lopi Revere), but we don't have the money right now to purchase it. We do, however, have a functional chimney, fireplace, and woodstove.

So, I'm trying to figure out how to make this thing fit. I've already determined that it won't fit back into the fireplace at all, so it's going to sit out in front. The rear exhaust, with the stove on the floor, would just barely not fit under the top of the fireplace opening - it's too high. And that doesn't take into consideration the height of the hearth pad I need to put in there as well, since the front end of the stove will be extending over my hardwood flooring. The only solution I can think of is to build the hearthpad as thin as I can, and cut down the stove legs to closer to 2" to fit the exhaust pipe under the fireplace opening so I can run it into the chimney. That all said, my questions are as follows:

1. I have no manual for this woodstove - it's decades old. It's functional, it's just not new, so no manual. Without one, I don't know what R value is necessary to put under the stove, especially if I'm going to be shortening the legs. I was going to purchase a premade stoveboard, but it sounds like R value is all important, and I don't know what I'll get from a stovepad. What standard should I be building to?

2. Is it ok to cut down the legs to around 2"? I would really prefer to not damage the existing fireplace surround so that the stove can be removed in the summer months, and eventually be replaced by the insert when we have the money.

3. Am I a complete idiot for trying to get this to work?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Here's my situation - I can get photos if needed.

I have a house built in 1949 with a solid masonry chimney. It has 2 stacks, one for a now defunct oil furnace and one for a functional fireplace. The chimney has been swept and inspected by a professional - it's in excellent condition.

I also have a woodstove. It was taken out of a home in the area the same sixe as mine from the same time period. It's a front loading square-ish plain black stove with a rear exhaust on adjustible 4 1/2" legs. The solid stove door has a farm scene cast into it and says "sunrise" if I'm not mistaken. It's lined with firebrick inside.

I'm fairly tight on money, and need to heat my house this winter. We can't afford the $400 a month electric baseboard heat, and we can't just freeze it out like we did last year because we have an infant. Ideally, we want a fireplace insert (one of the only ones that fits is a Lopi Revere), but we don't have the money right now to purchase it. We do, however, have a functional chimney, fireplace, and woodstove.

So, I'm trying to figure out how to make this thing fit. I've already determined that it won't fit back into the fireplace at all, so it's going to sit out in front. The rear exhaust, with the stove on the floor, would just barely not fit under the top of the fireplace opening - it's too high. And that doesn't take into consideration the height of the hearth pad I need to put in there as well, since the front end of the stove will be extending over my hardwood flooring. The only solution I can think of is to build the hearthpad as thin as I can, and cut down the stove legs to closer to 2" to fit the exhaust pipe under the fireplace opening so I can run it into the chimney. That all said, my questions are as follows:

1. I have no manual for this woodstove - it's decades old. It's functional, it's just not new, so no manual. Without one, I don't know what R value is necessary to put under the stove, especially if I'm going to be shortening the legs. I was going to purchase a premade stoveboard, but it sounds like R value is all important, and I don't know what I'll get from a stovepad. What standard should I be building to?

2. Is it ok to cut down the legs to around 2"? I would really prefer to not damage the existing fireplace surround so that the stove can be removed in the summer months, and eventually be replaced by the insert when we have the money.

3. Am I a complete idiot for trying to get this to work?

1) A regular hearth pad available anyplace stove are sold will suffice. Remember - heat rises.

2) Cut away

3) Your timing isn't the best but I wouldn't say "complete" idiot. Last summer would have been a much better time to fiddle with the project.

 

[fredarm]

Another thought might be to hook the stove up to the former oil furnace flue--is it in the basement? People have heated their houses with a basement stove with varying degrees of success. If you hook it up to the fireplace be sure to install a blockoff plate at the damper. There are several threads and articles here on how to do that. And start getting your wood lined up, now.

 

[DAKSY]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't use your stove per NFPA 211.
Unless you can find a rating plate - which will also appear in the manual,
it's considered as "not listed."
Per NFPA 211 section 12.5.1.2.2:
"Room heaters, fireplace stoves, room heater/fireplace stove combinations or ranges that are set on legs or pedestals providing 2 in. to 6 in. of ventilated open space beneath the fire chamber or base of the appliance shall be permitted to be placed on floors of combustible construction, provided the following conditions exist:
1. The floor under the appliance is protected with one course of hollow masonry not less than 4 in. in noinal thickness.
2. The masonry units are laid with end unsealed and joints matched in such a way as to provude free circulation of air through the core spaces of the masonry.
3. The top surface of the masonry is covered with sheet metal not less than 24 gauge.
4. The floor protection extends not less than 18 in. beyond the sides of the appliance.

Gobbledy-gook, I'll admit, but thems the facts...

 

[loquinho]

Unfortunately, I'm building over a short crawl, so I can't put the stove in the basement. I had a basement stove as a kid, and it worked great. I've got about a cord at the house right now, I'll be getting some more soon.

The NFPA isn't gobbledy-gook, I work for an architecture firm. I guess I'll go out and check for a rating plate. Any ideas where that would be?

And, modern building code is way over protective. I want to make sure I won't burn my hardwood floor and catch the house on fire. Building "to code" will be more important when I aim to sell the house, and I won't be selling it with that stove in place.

 

[ROBERT F]

Here's my situation - I can get photos if needed.

I have a house built in 1949 with a solid masonry chimney. It has 2 stacks, one for a now defunct oil furnace and one for a functional fireplace. The chimney has been swept and inspected by a professional - it's in excellent condition.

I also have a woodstove. It was taken out of a home in the area the same sixe as mine from the same time period. It's a front loading square-ish plain black stove with a rear exhaust on adjustible 4 1/2" legs. The solid stove door has a farm scene cast into it and says "sunrise" if I'm not mistaken. It's lined with firebrick inside.

I'm fairly tight on money, and need to heat my house this winter. We can't afford the $400 a month electric baseboard heat, and we can't just freeze it out like we did last year because we have an infant. Ideally, we want a fireplace insert (one of the only ones that fits is a Lopi Revere), but we don't have the money right now to purchase it. We do, however, have a functional chimney, fireplace, and woodstove.

So, I'm trying to figure out how to make this thing fit. I've already determined that it won't fit back into the fireplace at all, so it's going to sit out in front. The rear exhaust, with the stove on the floor, would just barely not fit under the top of the fireplace opening - it's too high. And that doesn't take into consideration the height of the hearth pad I need to put in there as well, since the front end of the stove will be extending over my hardwood flooring. The only solution I can think of is to build the hearthpad as thin as I can, and cut down the stove legs to closer to 2" to fit the exhaust pipe under the fireplace opening so I can run it into the chimney. That all said, my questions are as follows:

1. I have no manual for this woodstove - it's decades old. It's functional, it's just not new, so no manual. Without one, I don't know what R value is necessary to put under the stove, especially if I'm going to be shortening the legs. I was going to purchase a premade stoveboard, but it sounds like R value is all important, and I don't know what I'll get from a stovepad. What standard should I be building to?

2. Is it ok to cut down the legs to around 2"? I would really prefer to not damage the existing fireplace surround so that the stove can be removed in the summer months, and eventually be replaced by the insert when we have the money.

3. Am I a complete idiot for trying to get this to work?

1) A regular hearth pad available anyplace stove are sold will suffice. Remember - heat rises.

2) Cut away

3) Your timing isn't the best but I wouldn't say "complete" idiot. Last summer would have been a much better time to fiddle with the project.

Ok I have to disagree with this one, cutting the legs down is not a good idea, particullarly without no info on the stove. heat rises yes, but it also radiates. radiant heat on a less than proper "R" value hearth could = more heat than house can handle.

 

[loquinho]

Well, just in case this helps, here are some photos of the stove and situation - maybe someone will recognize the stove and know it's required R-value. My plan was to do a base of 2 layers of 1/2" Micore with tile on top. This is the fireplace - the rug would of course be removed.

This is the flue in my fireplace - it's about 4" wide open, so I'd have to bend the 6" pipe leaving the stove into a 4" wide oval to get it through here. I don't think that's a problem.

And here are all the photos of the stove. The U shaped metal pipes inside and the two holes in the stove top are part of a blower system. One of the photos shows the holes with directional pipes in them to direct the heat:

 

[fredarm]

Looks like an old Fisher knock-off from the 70's or early 80's. Love the directional blower pipes!

 

[loquinho]

So I've got one guy saying go for it and another saying no go. Any more opinions?

 

[Shari]

Seriously, check with your homeowners insurance company first. They may not allow you to install this stove unless the stove is UL or EPA accredited.

Shari