Clearance Issues/Concerns

[EchoWhiskeyOne]

Hey all, new to the site! Seems like the place for any and all info...

My wife and I just purchased a home up in Manassas, VA. It's a split level and we're looking to have a Class A installed in the living room/dining room portion of the main level.

Here are my concerns: The Duratech installer who came out said that the standard (even with Durock on the walls) clearance for a stove like mine (Timberline) is 16". Well from back to front (including the lip on the bottom under the dampers) my stove is 28" which will add up to 44 inches over all from the wall to the front of the stove with I'm assuming an additional 16 inches in FRONT of the stove shooting total distance from wall to the front of the hearth at 60 inches (5ft)!

Then I'm also assuming that there will be a standard 16" on each SIDE of the stove (stove is 26" wide) putting us at nearly five total feet from side to side as well.

I'm sorry, but that just seems HUGE and WAAAAY overkill to me! The room really isn't that large and maybe we should have gotten a slightly smaller stove, but I have never seen anybody with a stove taking up that much space. Most folks I know are running their stoves wide open 8-10 inches away from the wall with Durock.

Would that be unsafe? Just seems that 16" with Durock on the walls is overkill...my dog used to lay behind our stove all night long when I was growing up and I know that he wasn't 16" away from that stove and it just seems to me that if he is comfortable back there, I can't see how the wall will catch on fire!

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!

Derek

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

36" cleartance to any unlisted appliace, dura rock, is that sheet rock? if so it IS COMBUSTIBLE

google nfpa211 for the scoop.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

ps, scrap the old stove, not worth the effort/cost to install imho
2009 tax credit!! yeah baby!!

 

[begreen]

The old stove is going to need 36" clearance to combustibles unless it has documented lower clearances. These can be halved to 18" with NFPA approved wall shielding. That means the Durock is spaced 1" from the studs or sheetrock behind it with an air gap top and bottom to allow air circulation behind the wall shield. The clearance is to combustibles, so it is measured to the stud (or sheetrock) behind the wallshield. The front measurement is now 18" in front of the stove door, not the front of the stove ash lip. That should cut you a little slack.

FWIW, there are several modern stoves that can cut these clearances way down, without a wall shield. And they will cut the wood consumption down compared to the Timberline by a significant percentage.

 

[EchoWhiskeyOne]

Thanks for the info, ya'll.

It's not going to impose that much on OUR personal space...we have plenty of room for the stove, I was just thinking that the spacing numbers he had given us were overkill. Safe is where it's at, in our opinions, though...so if it needs 18" on the back and 36" from everything else (which is completely feasible) then so be it. All I was saying is that I don't remember our folks and friends maintaining their stoves that far away from everything...course they might have been pushing safety a bit too.

Oh, and as for the Timberline, it will be staying. It is in amazing condition, looks brand new, and we have used it in our other home (brought it with us when we sold) and let me tell ya, it will heat this entire house we're in. We just couldn't see forking over more than $1,000+ for a new stove when this one heats like a champ and looks pretty to boot. We looked into that tax credit and modern stoves all and if it's anything like that stimulus forced down our throats last year, will be lost on next year's taxes anyways, meaning that we will have payed regardless...so we passed on that and kept "the old junker"!

She might burn a little more wood than these new stoves, but I have the wood to burn every year, not a problem...and I like the way our stove looks better is all.

Thanks again for the info...I was answered with the quickness!

Derek