clearances...my set up--seeking advice

[tomo]

I just finished building my little dream shack--10 x 12, and installed a Jotul F100 Nordic. I'm afraid I haven't quite given it the clearance needed. It says 7" of clearance with a protected surface. I screwed Dura Rock (sp) into the studs, and left about half an inch before putting bricks in. We left little gaps in the bricks, but nothing major. The stove itself, at its closest, is about three and a half inches from the brick. So I reckon I've got about 6 1/2" of clearance. I afraid that this will not be enough--though it is kind of too late, or that I should provide more gaps in the brick to allow for air flow. The bricks get very hot, of course. Thoughts? This place is a treasure trove of information! Glad I found it.

 

[tomo]

Here is another pick of the set-up...

 

[84td]

That looks really cool, what do you use the room for? I want to do a similar setup in a small 500sq ft wood cabin.

 

[tomo]

It's a little writing shack/guest space. It has a bed, a desk, a bookcase, rocking chair and, of course, a wood stove.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I recommend you change your setup in some way to ensure compliance. You have the right idea with a protected surface but you are not quite there yet. Plus, you have to look at the clearances for your Jotul for a 'protected surface' if you decide to do it right.

http://www.woodheat.org/safety/safeinstallation.htm

 

[tomo]

My manual says 7" inches with a protected surface. That means 7" away from a combustable wall, right? With my about 3 1/2 inches from stove to bricks, 2 1/2 inch bricks, a bit of an air pocket behind bricks, and a sheet of Dura Rock, I'm on the cusp of 7". Am I reading the manual right in that regard? Man, I'm going to be so bummed if I have to fiddle with the hole location in my roof...but to be on the safe side, I might just have to.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'd be a bit leery with the way this is installed.

Also, neat hearth idea . . . I assume there is a non-combustible surface under the loose rocks . . . also I wonder if it's going to be miserable to clean up . . . even most diligent wood burner gets ash and wood debris on the hearth near and under their stove which they have to sweep up.

 

[begreen]

Nice cabin tomo! Welcome aboard. You may not need to move the stove, but the wall shield should be redone. The current setup is not a proper wall shield for reduced clearances. All that really needs to be done here is to remove the bricks, unscrew the cement board, and create the air space - behind the cement board - using some vertical, doubled-up strips of cement board on the studs to create the 1" air space. Be sure to leave a 1" gap at the bottom and at the top so that the air space is ventilated. Then you can put back the bricks if desired, just stagger them with gaps on the bottom and top so that air can convect easily behind the wall shield.

With this new shield, if you have 7" from the stove corner to the wood studs behind the wall shield, you are good to go with peace of mind.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/stove_wall_clear

 

[tomo]

Thanks for the replies. Regarding underneath the stove; I've got Dura Rock under the rocks, so things should be good--though it might be a pain to clean! If I'm reading this correctly, the gap needs to be between the studs and the Dura Rock, right? So if I provide a one inch space between the Dura Rock and the studs, and then have the bricks flush with the Dura Rock (removing some of the lower bricks to foster air flow, I should be good to go, provided I can reach the 7" minimum clearance? What about if I just moved the stove forward and had a bend in the stovepipe?

 

[tomo]

Just to round out the pictures of the place, here is the other side...bookcases waiting to be filled. There is a bed (semi-lofted) on the other side of the bookcase.

 

[begreen]

So if I provide a one inch space between the Dura Rock and the studs, and then have the bricks flush with the Dura Rock (removing some of the lower bricks to foster air flow, I should be good to go, provided I can reach the 7" minimum clearance? What about if I just moved the stove forward and had a bend in the stovepipe?

For a proper wall shield, the top of the wall shield will also need some bricks removed (one per wall cavity) to assist ventilation. Moving the stove so that there is 10" between the stove corner and the studs is another solution that makes the wall shield issue moot.

 

[tomo]

I know 'by the book' is probably the way to go, but I want to play devil's advocate for a minute. If wood needs to be around 450 degrees to combust, I'm just not seeing how my set-up, while not up to code, isn't satisfactory for the way I'm going to heat the space. The space is 10 x 12, so it's unlikely I'm going to get the stove itself much over 500 degrees, and I definately won't keep it at that temperature for long. I've got bricks--with some gaps, an air pocket behind the bricks, and a sheet of Dura Rock nailed directly into the studs. I'm just hard-pressed to think that the studs behind the bricks and Dura Rock would ever see temperatures that high, especially given that the stove is not going the be 'humming' 24/7.

As an aside, though I really don't want to re-do my set-up (though I am open to it as I want to have peace of mind), I can see moving the stove forward about three or four inches and installing a little bend in the stovepipe. Is that a reasonable solutuion versus removing the bricks and redoing the whole backside? Thanks for all your suggestions; I'm really not trying to be contrary. Just trying to weigh out real-life scenarios and probabilities versus manufacturor's recommendations.