I NEED Help. This Do it yourselfer doesn’t want to burn his house down

Let me start off by saying I have already found some very helpful info on this forum. You guys are awesome.
Here is my dilema.

I bought a house a couple years ago that was trashed. The nicest thing about the house was an old woodburning stove that had been ditched in the garage. Over the years I have been slowly fixing up everything that has been wrong with the house, and now its time for the wood burner to get a home in the basement. In the basement there is a cutout/ indent to put a gas fireplace in. I have had the six inch stove pipe professionally installed.


I have no idea what brand this stove is, ( it looks exactly like a fisher stove but doesn't have any markings that i can see. The stove measures 32" H 37" W 29" Deep) hence i dont know an r value. If I put it in the basement right now it would be on tile over cinderblock over the concrete floor.... no issues there with combustibles.
the stove would be six inches from the back wall, tile/cement board/ metal studs/ concrete foundation.... no combustibles behind the stove.

The spot that scares me is the stove would be 30" from drywall and wood framing on either side.

What suggestions do you guys have, How do I tell what kind of stove this is. The building inspector says just to follow manufacturers guidlines.

Get rid of the side walls. A stove that old will need 36" clearance to combustibles. The old gal is going to be a hungry wood eating beast. You might want to think about getting a new stove, something inexpensive like an Englander 30.

Most of those older larger stoves had 8" outlets. Are you sure yours is 6" and not 8"?
when you say stove pipe, do you mean single wall regular black stove pipe? how is it run, and where?
Pictures would be real helpful.

No plate on the back with manufacturer info? Check the bottom also.

thanks for your reply,
It is for sure a 6" opening. double wall pipe from basement to the roof. it will be single wall black from the stove to the wall. I will check the bottom of the stove when I get home.
Taking the walls down isn't an option. but puting up somthing fire resistant and tiling slate over it is an option (suggestions?). Getting a new stove isn't an option either, I am over my budget to finish the basement as it is. LOL

How about some photos of your stove and basement?

I know what a challenge a renovation is, especially on a budget and with DIY. Compliments on the professional pipe install, and making sure you do it right. :coolsmile:

Tiling with slate will make it look good, but slate has virtually no insulation value. Someone will post a link to the info on heat shields and clearances, which is what you'll need to go by to provide a safe installation.

The general rule is that a non-combustible shield (like sheet metal) correctly mounted with proper airspace behind (minimum 1" airspace) and proper venting top and bottom, can reduce minimum clearance to combustibles (either general for non-listed, or specific if UL listed) by 66% to vertical surfaces (walls) and 50% to horizontal surfaces (ceilings).

Verify all this before you proceed--shields must be properly mounted, vented, etc. There's an article here in the Informational Articles section, and can be found other places by Googling.

HTH and good luck!

you guys are awesome. i will try to post some pics. thanks again for all your help

There are also clearance to combustible minimums for anything overhead. What is above where the stove is going? Just ceiling, or is it boxes out for the old gas set up, and lower than ceiling level?

So after everything I read on this website, and talking to the company that installed my double wall pipe. I figured it would cost about 600 in extra material to make the big stove work. which isn't worth it to me. So I bit the bullet and bought and englander 30. Thanks for your help and suggestions everyone. especially hogz for suggesting the englander

I was about to suggest a new stove. For the same cost you'll get a new stove that shouldn't have any of the problems an old stove can have (leaky gaskets, rust, etc.) and you should save wood due to increased efficiency. Plus you can join the small but dedicated group of burners on this forum who share the same stove. You have new stove buddies!