Pellet Stove in a Bedroom?

[CT-Mike]

Some of you have been following my "Pellet Stove Install Advice" thread where I am in the process of finishing the bonus room over the garage and had Scott install the Lopi Leyden I picked up off Craigslist:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/pellet-stove-install-advice.88692/

I thought the general rule of thumb was "no solid fuel heater in a bedroom." When I originally pulled the building permit for the bonus room over the garage, I spec'd it as a bedroom. Because of that windows had to be a certain size for egress (larger than years past since we are the fattest nation on earth), smoke detector, etc.

I am in the process of replacing all the smoke detectors in the house with combo smoke/CO detectors and there is one in the bonus room so I have no problem with that.

With the decision to install the pellet stove in the room, I went back to the building department and changed it to a 'bonus room' to meet the 'no solid fuel . . . " rule. The manual even states "Do not install in a bedroom."

Yet when the building inspector came by to sign off on the insulation prior to sheet rocking, he told my son that it could still be listed as a bedroom.

I know that typically local codes are the bottom line, but if I were to call this a bedroom and a fire were to break out, how would things go down typically with my homeowner's insurance?

Thanks all.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Ding ding ding, we have a viable candidate for a Darwin.

While the inspector may be happy the insurance company ain't going to be happy because the install isn't to the manual.

Personally I wouldn't trust the CO detector to warn me in time that I could actually figure out what was going off let alone what to do about it before I croaked as in done did die.

But to each his, her, or its pleasure I guess.

 

[CT-Mike]

That is why I changed the room use on the building permit to rec room, knowing that a solid fuel heater couldn't be installed in a bedroom. I read the manual from cover to cover prior to purchasing the stove and it is installed by Scott per the manual.

I just wanted to verify that the building inspector didn't really know what he is talking about.

I don't expect to have any issues with the insurance company. USAA is awesome.

 

[seige101]

Is there a closet in the bonus room? If so technically it's considered a bedroom

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Maybe the inspector was incorrect? Do they make mistakes?

 

[CT-Mike]

Is there a closet in the bonus room? If so technically it's considered a bedroom

No closet.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

It doesn't matter to me what you call the room....the real question is...is someone going to be sleeping in that room???

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Besides if a closet defines what rooms are a bedroom then one of my bathrooms is a bedroom as is my living room and kitchen. The only areas in my house that don't have a closet are the garage although if I wall up part of it to use as a root cellar it will have a closet and 2 bathrooms.

 

[Wachusett]

Is there a closet in the bonus room? If so technically it's considered a bedroom

Closet makes no difference. The ICC (Inernational Construction Code) which most states have adopted makes no mention of a closet determining a rooms definition. The closet idea is realtor marketing, nothing more. The ICC has sections on combustion air and solid fuel burning appliances which permit the stove in a "sleeping room" after a lot of criteria have been met. These sections also state the appliance is to be installed per mfg. specs.. Its a long and involved reading and explaination. I'm not condoning nor condeming the installation in a "sleeping room", but I wouldn't do it. If you need the room for an occasional sleepover/guests just turn the stove for the night, odds are better you'll live to enjoy another day.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Actually the ICC/IBC/IRC come in multiple flavors and consistency in and the application of such codes is less than stellar.

 

[Wachusett]

Actually the ICC/IBC/IRC come in multiple flavors and consistency in and the application of such codes is less than stellar.

Well stated and true

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Do I understand this correctly? Is it ok for the rec room to catch fire but not ok for a bedroom to catch fire? Does the fact that the stove is one room over from the bedroom buy you anymore safety? Perhaps someone could fill me in on what I am missing. I know I know it's a code and we must follow it.

i suspect its due to proximity first off and someone sleeping rather than being awake and alert. smoke and CO in an enclosed room with a sleeper could overcome them before detectors went off, where if the stove were in another part of the house the time it would take for the smoke and CO to get to that room allows a better chance at reacting to the detectors.

 

[CT-Mike]

It doesn't matter to me what you call the room....the real question is...is someone going to be sleeping in that room???

No, no one will be sleeping in the room, other than an occasional guest for an overnight.

 

[DirtyDave]

I guess I better take all heating devices out of my house as I sleep in the greatroom livingroom den bedroom and on occasion the bathroom. I wonder how they did that over the centuries with fireplaxes and later wood stoves and centry old east coast houses?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

i suspect its due to proximity first off and someone sleeping rather than being awake and alert. smoke and CO in an enclosed room with a sleeper could overcome them before detectors went off, where if the stove were in another part of the house the time it would take for the smoke and CO to get to that room allows a better chance at reacting to the detectors.

To put it bluntly you can die from CO poisoning before you figured out the alarm was sounding if you are in the same room with the heating appliance.

Older houses were seldom as tight as houses built in the last 75 years or so and had whopping big air flows up all those flues. Do not confuse what folks got away with in days of yore as applying today.

If you want a good case in differences read any old book on canning tomato sauce and any new book on the same subject. The acid content of todays tomatoes make them unsafe to can using the old methods in those recipes.

Now all you pellet pigs and non pellet pigs are big boys and girls, if you want to play dodge the bullet so be it, just don't whine if by some chance the docs bring you back and half of your body has trouble working.

ETA: You tired of this question yet Mike, I am.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

To put it bluntly you can die from CO poisoning before you figured out the alarm was sounding if you are in the same room with the heating appliance.

Older houses were seldom as tight as houses built in the last 75 years or so and had whopping big air flows up all those flues. Do not confuse what folks got away with in days of yore as applying today.

If you want a good case in differences read any old book on canning tomato sauce and any new book on the same subject. The acid content of todays tomatoes make them unsafe to can using the old methods in those recipes.

Now all you pellet pigs and non pellet pigs are big boys and girls, if you want to play dodge the bullet so be it, just don't whine if by some chance the docs bring you back and half of your body has trouble working.

ETA: You tired of this question yet Mike, I am.

LOL, there are plenty of questions i get tired of answering bear, however, i'd rather keep answering them than have someone not knowingly make a terrible mistake.

its the price of possessing knowledge bro. fighting the good fight.

 

[DBCOOPER]

ETA: You tired of this question yet Mike, I am.

I thought his question was about his insurance not weather it was safe to put a pellet stove in a bedroom...

 

[stoveguy2esw]

I thought his question was about his insurance not weather it was safe to put a pellet stove in a bedroom...

it may have been about insurance, but the reasons are more than just that. the reason insurance companies SHOULD have issues with this is due to personal safety as well as code which was applied for the same reason. the insurance company issues a policy "betting" on our not having an issue. this is how they make money. naturally they should expect code to be followed so they arent shortening the odds of losing their bet (i know this sounds callous, but im just trying to make a simple explanation.) using a different analogy, which is actually truthfu but probably not very fair to insurance agents, for that i apologize to any of them who may have found it offensive. i know these folks care more than that, but im trying to make a point.

OTOH, myself and other members of the hearth industry, as well as my friends who run TOWARDS the fires on our behalf have a personal as well as professional reason as well as a responsability to our customers and our communities. we advise and advocate for code such as the one in question because of the SAFETY aspect. in my industry we want our customers to have a safe enjoyable experience with our products, in the case of our firefighters and public safety officials, they dont want to be there with a body bag that could have stayed in its package due to an accident that could have been avoided had code been followed.

folks, its simple. code is there for the individual safety of every family, first and foremost, it saves lives.

 

[DexterDay]

it may have been about insurance, but the reasons are more than just that. the reason insurance companies SHOULD have issues with this is due to personal safety as well as code which was applied for the same reason. the insurance company issues a policy "betting" on our not having an issue. this is how they make money. naturally they should expect code to be followed so they arent shortening the odds of losing their bet (i know this sounds callous, but im just trying to make a simple explanation.) using a different analogy, which is actually truthfu but probably not very fair to insurance agents, for that i apologize to any of them who may have found it offensive. i know these folks care more than that, but im trying to make a point.

OTOH, myself and other members of the hearth industry, as well as my friends who run TOWARDS the fires on our behalf have a personal as well as professional reason as well as a responsability to our customers and our communities. we advise and advocate for code such as the one in question because of the SAFETY aspect. in my industry we want our customers to have a safe enjoyable experience with our products, in the case of our firefighters and public safety officials, they dont want to be there with a body bag that could have stayed in its package due to an accident that could have been avoided had code been followed.

folks, its simple. code is there for the individual safety of every family, first and foremost, it saves lives.

Very well said Mike....... Very well.

You are a huge asset to this Forum. The help for your stoves is one thing (business) Then you read a well wrote post like this and see the other side of you (compassionate man who is looking out for others).

Thanks for all you do.

 

[smwilliamson]

the issue has to do with running a solid fuel appliance in a sleeping room. you will be fine so long as there is no bed out in front of the stove

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

the issue has to do with running a solid fuel appliance in a sleeping room. you will be fine so long as there is no bed out in front of the stove

Or behind it or along side it .

 

[DBCOOPER]

it may have been about insurance, but the reasons are more than just that. the reason insurance companies SHOULD have issues with this is due to personal safety as well as code which was applied for the same reason. the insurance company issues a policy "betting" on our not having an issue. this is how they make money. naturally they should expect code to be followed so they arent shortening the odds of losing their bet (i know this sounds callous, but im just trying to make a simple explanation.) using a different analogy, which is actually truthfu but probably not very fair to insurance agents, for that i apologize to any of them who may have found it offensive. i know these folks care more than that, but im trying to make a point.

OTOH, myself and other members of the hearth industry, as well as my friends who run TOWARDS the fires on our behalf have a personal as well as professional reason as well as a responsability to our customers and our communities. we advise and advocate for code such as the one in question because of the SAFETY aspect. in my industry we want our customers to have a safe enjoyable experience with our products, in the case of our firefighters and public safety officials, they dont want to be there with a body bag that could have stayed in its package due to an accident that could have been avoided had code been followed.

folks, its simple. code is there for the individual safety of every family, first and foremost, it saves lives.

Hey, Smokey said he was tired of the question and I said it was an insurance question not an install in the bedroom question, and I never saw anybody ask the question before. I agree its not a good idea to put a pellet stove in a bedroom. But putting one in a "bonus room" that is listed on a building permit as a bedroom is no more dangerous than putting one in a dining room that is listed as a living room on a building permit.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Hey, Smokey said he was tired of the question and I said it was an insurance question not an install in the bedroom question, and I never saw anybody ask the question before. I agree its not a good idea to put a pellet stove in a bedroom. But putting one in a "bonus room" that is listed on a building permit as a bedroom is no more dangerous than putting one in a dining room that is listed as a living room on a building permit.

it gets asked a lot, not just in here but in other places, smokey and i both deal with issues such as this outside of the forum as well.

the reason i bolded part of your post is to highlight what i was saying before, why even though it gets tiresome at times answering the same questions repeatedly. its important that we do so because not everyone HAS asked or researched this before.