Installing a wood stove need floor help

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badbowtie

Member
Oct 10, 2011
42
Indiana
I am installing a drolet savannah wood stove in my mobile home I checked all the manual stuff and from what I am hearing I only need ember protection. Here is the link to the manual. http://www.drolet.ca/upload/documents/manuels/drolet/45061A_16-06-2011-0009.pdf
I really want to put a pad that is 4'x5' foot under it but I am not sure if I can just leave my carpet and install a cement board or thought about just using 3/4" plywood with paving stones on top of this. I am trying to locate some ideas I am looking for safe but also not wanting to spend 100-300 on a pre made one. I can make the same way cheaper.
 
I installed a Summers Heat 13nc also in a mobile home. I took steel studs, welded them together. I put 3 layers of cement board with a sheet of thin metal flashing between the second and third layers to distribute heat and help with hot spots. I used screws to attach the layers and thinset also. To top it off I used ceramic tile to finish it out. I did not fasten it to the floor so it can be moved if I choose to. It turned out pretty good and it may have been overkill but I do have peace of mind. Mobile home installations also require an outside air kit.
 
jasong, sounds like you and I may be related....you overkilled it, and that should MORE than do the trick....I overkill everything as well, in the kitchen where we put our Napoleon 1900p I formed the surround directly to the wood floor, installed expanded metal lath (screwed with #10 x 2" screws, 8" on centers), poured reinforced mortar 1" thick, and tile it with thick Brazialian slate......in the living room I just finished pourning the raised hearth this afternoon.....a whopping 2 1/4" thick, with raised expanded concrete mesh welded to #10 x 2" screws that were raised out of the cement board underlayment 1", to keep the metal suspended in the concrete pad.......lesson here?.......It NEVER never hurts to go overboard......so whatever you choose to do, don't be afraid to do a little extra, makes you sleep better at night....good luck with your project.....BTW I would say definately NOT install that pad directly over the carpet, think of it as if you and your family's lives depend on it.......
 
The 13NC has unusually high hearth insulation requirements. jasong did it right, but the same design hearth would be serious overkill for badbowtie's savannah installation which is just ember protection.

If you want to make your own hearthboard for the savannah, use a layer of cement board on top of the plywood and screw the two together using the recommended screws at the recommended interval (every 8"). That will provide a more rigid structure and a much better bond for the tiles in the thinset.
 
Yea I new the other ways were way overkill but are you telling me that I can't just put plywood down then cement board and be done. I would still have to tile. Or should I just use plywood and then put paving stones down and be done.
 
I think I am going to home depot tonight and get maybe 1/2 or 3/4 plywood and get some ceramic tile and glue it and grout it and put it under my stove I guess I will be doing 4'x5'. This sound like a good idea to all you that have done this.
 
Latex modified thinset is best for setting the tiles. Glue is not appropriate around heat.The tile will need to be on cement board attached to the plywood base. Use at least 3/4" plywood to reduce the risk of warpage. Tile does not bond well to plywood. . You could skip the tile and just have the raw cement board, but it is not going to look as good and the legs will dig into it. If that is the choice at least put a small metal plate under each stove foot.
 
I dont have feet it is a pedestal style stove. Also you are saying I can't glue the tiles down to plywood even though I am don't have heat issues I all I need is ember protection.
 
Your call. My concern is not so much the heat, it is warping.
 
Unless I'm mistaken, mobile home installations require that the stove be fastened down securely to the floor. That means, so far as I can figure, that you can't just place the stove atop some hearth you've built and call it good. The whole thing will have to be fastened to the floor of the home. Details should be found in the manufacturer's documentation for the appliance. Rick
 
I did read about mounting it and from my understanding that is only if my mobile home is not on a permanet foundation and it is tied down already.
 
That's a question better asked of the insurance company and the local inspecting authority.
 
badbowtie said:
I did read about mounting it and from my understanding that is only if my mobile home is not on a permanet foundation and it is tied down already.

If you've got some sort of definitive authoritative reference for that you can cite, then go for it. Otherwise, the manufacturer's installation documentation trumps your "from my understanding". Rick
 
badbowtie said:
I did read about mounting it and from my understanding that is only if my mobile home is not on a permanet foundation and it is tied down already.

aww, ya beat me to it.
I'm assuming there's some subflooring under the carpet... just buy some cement board, put down thinset, screw the cement board down... and tile away.
Or just use the cement board without tile on it. your call really.
if thickness is an issue, cement board comes in 1/4"
since all you need it ember... 1/4" is fine.

Why wouldn't you want to cut the carpet?
Cutting carpet is probably one of the easiest things you can do, lol.
Aside from the fibers being annoying, it's extremely easy.
Maybe tack it down before you cut it, so that way if your carpet is pulled tight it won't loosen up.
 
Okay well I called the wood stove manufacture and contacted insurance company and I was able to go to home depot and get cement board. I got the carpet cut and got the cement board screwed down and got the tile down. Tomorrow I will get it grouted and should be good to go. Stove will be delivered on wednesday so I will be able to set it in place then.
 
In the documentation for the stove you are about to install, it states, that an Outside Air Kit (aka OAK) is required (page 27). OAK's maybe required for manufactured home approved wood stoves, but I am not totally positive on that statement.

The outside air could possibly come up thru the floor and the hearth you are constructing, or thru the wall. But you should double check the documentation and regulations prior to proceeding with the hearth construction.

I would hazard a guess that if there were an issue, and the stove was not secured to the structure, you would not win that argument with the idea that "tie downs" and permanent foundation theory....

Copy and Pasted info from mother earth news:
PLAYING BY THE RULES

Before a woodstove may be installed in a mobile home, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that specific regulations be satisfied. First, the stove model must have been tested by a HUD-approved laboratory and listed for use in mobile homes. A metal tag permanently fastened to the rear of the appliance indicates the name of the testing facility and the stove's compliance with HUD Standard UM-84. Second, a tested and listed prefabricated chimney system—connected directly to the stove and installed properly—must be used. Third, a hard ducting system for bringing outside combustion air directly to the stove's air inlet is required. And finally, some means of securing the stove to the floor of the home is called for.

In addition to the HUD requirements, some basic clearance and installation guidelines, provided by the stove manufacturer and based on testing to Underwriters' Laboratory Standard 1482, should be adhered to.

As a mobile home owner, your choice of woodstoves is limited to those approved by HUD, but you won't be disappointed by the selection. Most manufacturers either make stoves specifically for use in mobile homes or have adapter kits available to bring standard models into compliance with the established regulations. In general, HUD-approved units burn wood rather than coal, have a moderate Btu output, and incorporate a top-exiting flue collar.
 
Yea I am sorry about the outside air kit was not sure what you were talking about. I am goign to end up going through the wall for it. According to my insurance company they don't require it but can be installed if need be for drafting reasons. We put one in my neighbors mobile home last year not even a mobile home approved one and insurance company came up and looked over it and said it was all fine and passed.
 
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