need advice for wood stove clearance.

[tammylee]

My daughter and and son in law just installed an old timberline wood stove. They put fire rated plywood, then put 2" field stone (it's a type of quartz stone) on the entire wall and the same for the hearth base. The stove is only 12 inches from the wall. Is this non-combustible enough and/or would making a heat shield for the back of the stove make it ok?

 

[begreen]

This doesn't sound very safe, but I don't know the clearances that this stove is tested for. Is there a UL tag on the back of the stove listing the required clearances and floor protection requirements?

Fire Resistant Plywood is not suitable for a heat shield and it is not a great substrate for mortaring stone to. Cement board would have been much more appropriate. If the old Timberline has no UL testing tag, it is considered unlisted and requires 36" clearance from combustibles. That means the current setup does not qualify for a legal clearance reduction. The stove needs to be move a lot further away from the wall. I'm not sure about the hearth base.

 

[tammylee]

Thanks a lot! I wish they would have checked on this before building the wall.Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[yooperdave]

why don't you check out the clearances suggested on nfpa wall clearances...they even tell you how you can reduce the clearance by using a non-combustible wall with an air space behind it...

 

[pen]

deleted. I confused threads.

pen

 

[soupy1957]

The only concern I would have is the integrity (long term) of the adhesion of the field stone on the surface its mounted to.
Other than that, "I" personally would not be concerned about igniting the field stone (lol).

Personal installations go under the Insurance Company microscope with more scrutiny than a "Professional" install does. I'd recommend they have a "Professional" come out to their home and advise them, after having viewed their install "up close and personal."

-Soupy1957

 

[firefighterjake]

I guess I would first take a look at the stove installation specs -- what does this stove need for clearance to walls and is there any specific requirements for the hearth (i.e. R value -- insulation value). Knowing this information would help us develop a somewhat intelligent answer . . . in other words . . . if the stove had say a clearance reaquirement of only 8 inches and the hearth only needed to have ember protection I would guess that things would be OK . . . but if the clearance requirement to the wall is 16 inches and there is a specific R value requirement the space and stone hearth may not be enough.

 

[BrowningBAR]

The only concern I would have is the integrity (long term) of the adhesion of the field stone on the surface its mounted to.
Other than that, "I" personally would not be concerned about igniting the field stone (lol).

Personal installations go under the Insurance Company microscope with more scrutiny than a "Professional" install does. I'd recommend they have a "Professional" come out to their home and advise them, after having viewed their install "up close and personal."

-Soupy1957

1. The plywood behind the stone can still heat up and cause an issue.
2. If it does not pass the Insurance Company's scrutiny they will not cover damage.