Looking for a better solution

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The stove's manual will specify in detail. Download the manual for all the stoves you're looking at while you are still in the planning stages.

Local codes could add restrictions on top of what the manual says, but I don't know how common that is.

If you're still thinking about the englander 13nc:

View attachment 222660

That is for the 13NCi which is definitely an option if the OP and landlord are ok with putting in an insert. I I was thinking the 13NC which is their freestanding stove. At this point it's unclear whether this is an issue. We don't know if there is a mantel and if there is, what are the distances.


Yes, I have looked at manuals but it appears the clearances are to combustibles. Usually the diagram shows distance from a wall, but the "walls" I'm dealing with are the inside of a fireplace. If that means I only have to worry about the mantel how much clearance do I need? The mantel is 18.75" from the fireplace opening to the underside of the mantel, and it juts out 4.5" from the fireplace front. Thanks.
 
A further back picture would verify, but it sounds like the current installation is not within code. At a minimum the clearance from the current stove top to the mantel should be 36". If there are side legs to the mantel, they also need to be considered as combustibles.
 
the one I had to the lowes Englander is about half, getting the one I did. I think the boxwood was 36 and the new one is 18, they all have different ratings though not every Englander would be
 
A further back picture would verify, but it sounds like the current installation is not within code. At a minimum the clearance from the current stove top to the mantel should be 36". If there are side legs to the mantel, they also need to be considered as combustibles.

I measured from the top of the stove to the underside of the mantel - it's 35", maybe 35.25". The underside of the mantel to the floor of the fireplace is 51". So maybe I need an insert rather than a freestanding stove? Can you heat a house with an insert? I saw a mention in another thread somewhere about alcove stoves, maybe I need one of those? Thanks for all your help.


fireplacefull.jpg
 
I measured from the top of the stove to the underside of the mantel - it's 35", maybe 35.25". The underside of the mantel to the floor of the fireplace is 51". So maybe I need an insert rather than a freestanding stove? Can you heat a house with an insert? I saw a mention in another thread somewhere about alcove stoves, maybe I need one of those? Thanks for all your help.


View attachment 222783

Yes you can heat a house with a insert! There are many on here doing just that! For no more than what you are heating a insert would work...cost maybe a limiting factor for you..
 
Yes you can heat a house with a insert! There are many on here doing just that! For no more than what you are heating a insert would work...cost maybe a limiting factor for you..

Ah, so inserts cost more than freestanding stoves I take it. Ok, back to the drawing board. Thanks.
 
Ah, so inserts cost more than freestanding stoves I take it. Ok, back to the drawing board. Thanks.
Well my friend I am not aware of any cheap ones...maybe something used?
 
Well my friend I am not aware of any cheap ones...maybe something used?

Have you found the classified pages on this forum? There may be something there that would help. There was an old Timberline insert for 150 in Maryland, for example. Don’t know that it would be best for this application, but it’s a place to look.
 
I measured from the top of the stove to the underside of the mantel - it's 35", maybe 35.25". The underside of the mantel to the floor of the fireplace is 51". So maybe I need an insert rather than a freestanding stove? Can you heat a house with an insert? I saw a mention in another thread somewhere about alcove stoves, maybe I need one of those? Thanks for all your help.
That helps. The mantel is pretty high, so it's probably ok. If it is getting too hot on the underside then a simple mantel shield will work. Yes, you can heat a house with an insert, but that will cost more. The non-insert version of the Englander 13NC still looks like a good fit and is about $400 less than the insert version of the same stove.
 
That helps. The mantel is pretty high, so it's probably ok. If it is getting too hot on the underside then a simple mantel shield will work. Yes, you can heat a house with an insert, but that will cost more. The non-insert version of the Englander 13NC still looks like a good fit and is about $400 less than the insert version of the same stove.

Thanks for the information about inserts. So we keep coming back to the Englander 13NC. I'm guessing it's the best quality at that price point that ticks all the other boxes (house size, ash drawer, fire brick, size)? However, will it meet clearance requirements? I ask because it's apparently 28.25" tall, which leaves 4.75" between it and the top of the fireplace opening, 22.75" between it and the underside of the mantel. The back wall is about 14" tall and then it slopes upward in a forward manner. I did not measure to see at what point the slope would accomodate a stove height of 28.25", I need to do that. There is 23" of floor from the back wall to the fireplace opening, 35" in total to the edge of the hearth. How many inches, ideally, should it be back from the edge of the hearth? It's only 20.25" deep so even with that slope eating up usable floor space there should still be plenty of room.
 
Have you found the classified pages on this forum? There may be something there that would help. There was an old Timberline insert for 150 in Maryland, for example. Don’t know that it would be best for this application, but it’s a place to look.

I did. Last I looked I didn't see anything, but I will look again. Thanks.
 
Just a thought, but why the insistence on a ash drawer? I don't even use mine, and I only have to shovel out the ash like once every 3 weeks or so.
 
me either, shovel and a pail, is what i use. they have big drawers but the manual says to leave it for heat retention.
 
also i chose the lowes one for a few reasons, if you look at the clearance and stuff in the manual, the summers heat at least in the 30 nc size comes with a bunch more stuff free. the heat sheilds for clearance, two sets of knobs for the colors, auto set back, i liked the height too its easier to load. plus they were about the same money
 
Just a thought, but why the insistence on a ash drawer? I don't even use mine, and I only have to shovel out the ash like once every 3 weeks or so.

I have issues with my hands and I feel that handling a drawer will be far easier than repeated use of a shovel followed by carrying a pail.
 
also i chose the lowes one for a few reasons, if you look at the clearance and stuff in the manual, the summers heat at least in the 30 nc size comes with a bunch more stuff free. the heat sheilds for clearance, two sets of knobs for the colors, auto set back, i liked the height too its easier to load. plus they were about the same money

The 30 is definitely way more stove than I need. As it is the 13 is big for my house. I've seen the Lowe's version and can keep an eye on it, but as of right now it's also more expensive than Home Depot (both the 13 and the 30).
 
To bad you can't swing a cat stove...that would be the best of both worlds for you..
 
I have issues with my hands and I feel that handling a drawer will be far easier than repeated use of a shovel followed by carrying a pail.

I don't have a stove but my boiler has an ash drawer. I never use it. A pail is MUCH easier to carry than a pan/drawer when full of ash.
 
Wont hurt a thing to have the ash pan if thats what he prefers...he can always change his method of operation.
 
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I feel that handling a drawer will be far easier than repeated use of a shovel followed by carrying a pail.
When I had to shovel, I used a shallow, long pan which I held right under the door to let the draft pull as much of the dust back into the stove as possible. The shallow pan allowed me to slide the ash off the shovel rather than using a bucket, which seemed more awkward and harder to contain the ash dust with. Yes, holding the pan required some hand strength but you could use a stool or something at the correct height under the door to hold the pan in position.
Not all ash-handling systems are as easy as the grate in the floor that my stove has. Some require removing and reinstalling a plug, or they have too small an ash dump opening, so that using the pan is a chore.