Question of Weight

very good subject.. i dont think i know anyone who installs additional support of a 2 story floor around here for a wood stove.. i think its no different then 2 fat chicks standing in the same spot in your living room. but reguardless this is a good subject im insterested to see the anwsers in, thanks for bringing it up.

southbalto said:

Should I be worried about putting a 300-450lb stove in the living room without any additional floor support?

It's new construction with 2/10 construction over a 16' span. I plan to but down cement board with whatever I need on top to get the appropriate R value. All and all, I'll probably be looking at 400-500lb when the stove is fully loaded.

The basement below is finished and I could support the unit from underneath if needed. I'd rather not have to do it.

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What are you using for hearth or floor protection? Than should be enough to spread the weight out over the floor joists. Unless its just a pc of tin.

It would be best to place the stove at a wall where the floor joist end with that span , I think. Don

Certainly couldn't be any worse than 2-3 average sized people standing close together on the floor. Most residential construction is 40 pounds per square foot live load, a 15x15 foot room = 225 square feet x 40 lb/sf = 9000 pounds. I doubt 500 pounds - even if it were setting in the middle of the floor would make much difference. Now if you have rotten floor joists or crumbling plywood decking....

I agree with Corey. Should be no problem. But the fat guys helping install the stove has some merit.

Hey ya'll, just in case you are not aware, fat chicks like beer too! and some can even lift stoves! And given enough of that beer...................

PINEBURNER said:

Hey ya'll, just in case you are not aware, fat chicks like beer too! and some can even lift stoves! And given enough of that beer...................

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I will leave the fat chicks at your house. 6 skinny ones will be more fun in my own opinion. Who cares if the stove is not moved. ;-P

The stove is not going to wind up in the basement, but a more important consideration is potential flexing of the floor. It's possible that this could lead to cracking of whatever you plan to use for your hearth surface. A 4x4 post or two directly beneath the hearth - assuming they won't interfere with something vital in the basement - would prevent flexing and provide some pretty inexpensive peace of mind.

I'm assuming you have a drop ceiling in the basement. If so it wouldn't hurt to remove some tiles and install some 2x10 bridging between the joists. That should prevent flex without having posts in the way.

Guys?!?! Maybe they build houses different out east, but I've had 15+ people in a room during parties / family holidays, never cracked a ceramic tile, disturbed a grout joint or caused sheet rock in the basement ceiling to crack. 15 people x 150 lb average = 2250 pounds - hardly a third of what the floor was designed for as a minimum, but over 4 times what that stove would weigh.

If you have props under your dining room table, refrigerator, entryways and any place 3 people might happen to stand, you might want to beef up under the stove, too. In a normal floor, that little bit of weight is a non issue.

Should not be an issue . . . but as Hog mentioned your hearth will also help disperse some of the weight across a larger area (again assuming you have something more substantial then a sheet of tin.)

Hello, people, this is America. We aren't talking about 3 fat chicks, or whatever, even fully loaded with wood that's ONE fat chick (as long as it's by US standards)

10 skinny chicks probably put off around 5,000BTUs per hour. at that rate you don't need a stove.

I think you have a valid concern. I have been in no less than 200 new homes this yr . (hvac)
If your living in a high end house built by a builder who's nitch is a solid quality or an old house thats built with lumber of days gone by I woulden't be that concerned. Like hog said you can distribute the weight with a solid pad. But some new homes i would give it real consideration.

I wouldn't worry about it. 40 lbs/square foot is the standard and you're not close to that when you spread the load out. The possibility of sagging or bouncing isn't really too much of a concern either. I have to assume the stove isn't going to be in the middle of the room?

Danno77 said:

10 skinny chicks probably put off around 5,000BTUs per hour. at that rate you don't need a stove.

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5000 BTU ? I'm confused , Are the chicks hauling the stove or drinking beer when they hit 5000 BTUs ?

The average person puts off about 600BTUs per hour....

I put off 900 BTU/hr, but that's only if I've had too many bean burritos.