Specific clearence to combustables question

In the process of rebuilding and enlarging our house I switched from a Lopi Answer that was located in the middle of a wall, to a Jotul F600 in a corner installation. The functional location of the stove could not better; it is in a slightly sunken entry room that is open on three sides, has a cathedral ceiling above with direct venting to all bedrooms, and the fourth side downstairs has a large window and door adjacent to it. One minor drawback of this location is that one side of the corner is a window, but given how clean the install is it is not much of a detractor.

Here is the info & question: The Jotul manual states that in a corner installation with the optional rear heat shield and double wall pipe, that the clearance from the closest corner to a combustible surface is 9". I have 18" off the corners, and the timbers closest to the stove are getting quite hot when the stove is at operational temp (say in the 450 degree range for stove temp). There is no scorching, discoloration, or melting of the urethane, but these surfaces get hot to the touch (almost too hot to hold your hand on). Should I be concerned about the high surface temps on the wood?

Picture attached

oops. Image fixed.

I guess I will have to look into some small heat shields for the posts in question. I just measured again, and I easily have twice the required distance. Odd.

Thanks for the input. I will see if I can get a sense of what the actual temp is on the next burn, and then decide what action is warranted.

Reese Eshun said:

window is going to love sucking heat from stove.

Click to expand...

I considered that, but for a number of other reasons this was still the best location for the stove. I have insulated window blinds for hard winter, and it it gets to be a problem I plan to cover a piece of 2" foam with fabric to fit snugly over the window.

Even though I didn't need a burn yesterday I decided to fire up the stove to test the hot surface issue. After letting the stove run for a couple of hours with an average stove top temp of about 450 I started checking the surfaces of the corner by hand. I think I may have overreacted in my initial assessment. The posts are certainly hot, but I can place my hand on them and leave it there, and they seem to cool quickly with my hand there. I would like to find a way to get an accurate reading of the temps just for piece of mind. I assume that an infrared thermometer would be the right tool for this job? If so i finally have an excuse to get one. Somebody please tell me I need one for safety's sake!

BeGreen said:

I'm reading "the clearance from the closest corner to a combustible surface is 9”. In the manual, that's the min. distance from back corners of the stove as measured perpendicular to the wall. The 18" info is a bit confusing as it appears to being measured from the front corners of the stove?

Click to expand...

18" is the the clearance I have as measured from the back corners on the stove.

tutu_sue said:

Could the window be causing a convection current and keeping the heat toward the rear of the stove?

Click to expand...

It doesn't feel overly warm to the rear of the stove, so I don't think there is much air flow back there. It could become an issue when it gets cold, but I don't expect temps in the 20's to have that much of an impact through the window. I might put the thermal blinds on to see if that changes the equation at all, and as I mentioned earlier if need be I could put 2-4" of foam between the blinds and window for the hard winter months (no issues with temp or clearance where the window is).

Adios Pantalones said:

I don't have advice, just wanted to say nice looking install. Simple, clean, and natural wood.

Click to expand...

Thanks. It seemed to have worked out well. I am particularly happy that I was able to keep the stove pipe run straight from top to bottom; all 25 feet of it.

Now I just need to get my old Lopi installed in the shop.