Finally bought my stove. Need advice on floor protection

[jcrem1187]

I purchased an Avalon 796 EPA cert stove for my log cabin. I have been going thru the manual checking clearances and have a couple of questions. First off with regards to floor protection the manual states non-combustible material with a minimum thickness of 26 gauge floor protection. What does that mean? I plan to build the hearth and want to be sure I’m meeting all requirements. I had planned on using 3/4 in plywood then 1/4 inch wonderboard topped with porcelain tile. Any suggestions?

 

[Beer Belly]

We had ours inspected, and fell 3 inches short on the front clearances....just dropped down a piece of Cement Board....it passed, then picked it back up and use a Hearth Rug.....not promoting the idea of bending the rules, but the Cement Board qualified....sounds like your going in the right direction

 

[begreen]

If the stove only needs ember protection then a simple tiled hearth will work. Use 1/2 cement board on the plywood for your tile base. It is much more stiff and stable with the large temp changes.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd consider options for increasing the R-value of the floor protection, just in case you eventually want a different stove. It might simply require the use of different materials. Also check some recent threads on cement board. Some brands use cellulose and therefore aren't non-combustible, whereas other brands are non-combustible.

 

[mayhem]

When I built mine, I made a frame out of 2x4's and then covered it with 6 layers of cementboard and then porcelain tile on top of that in order to get the required R and K factors for my stove, plus a bit more to be sure I exceed code requirements...no way in hell I was going to risk a rejection. I secured the cement board layers with long cement board screws around the perimeter only so I didn't inadvertently create a steel heat path into the 2x4's right under the stove legs or something.

Cement board is fire proof, but it does not have a high R factor (essentially a rating for heat transmission or insulation) so you may have to use multiple layers to get it right. You need to first consult your stove specs and see what is required for clearances and R and K factors.

 

[raybonz]

When I built mine, I made a frame out of 2x4's and then covered it with 6 layers of cementboard and then porcelain tile on top of that in order to get the required R and K factors for my stove, plus a bit more to be sure I exceed code requirements...no way in hell I was going to risk a rejection. I secured the cement board layers with long cement board screws around the perimeter only so I didn't inadvertently create a steel heat path into the 2x4's right under the stove legs or something.

Cement board is fire proof, but it does not have a high R factor (essentially a rating for heat transmission or insulation) so you may have to use multiple layers to get it right. You need to first consult your stove specs and see what is required for clearances and R and K factors.

Durock NexGen has an R-value of .39 per 1/2" and is improved over the original Durock which had an R-value of .26 per 1/2".. Two layers with tile on top equates to R-value of .8 .. I needed ember protection only and took that route to exceed requirements.. If a stove required more R-value than this I would shop for different stove and there are many that would be happy with this R-value..

Ray