Please help me figure out how to heat my living area safely.

[sapper]

Hello, I'm brand new to any kind of wood burning. I bought a wood burning insert, a Drolet 1400i and I would love to get it running by snow fall this year. The minimum safe distances to combustibles from the user manual doesn't exactly match my current mantel set up.
This is a picture of my insert in my fireplace with the dimensions.

Here is a picture from the manuals minimum safe distance.

The manual also states that the insert must be raised a minimum of 4 inches from the floor, which I can do but then my top mantel and top shelf distances are decreased even further. My questions are:
1) how should I raise the insert? Can I just use fire bricks or something?
2) My top mantel distances are too short, can I use something to block or deflect the heat so that I can safely use the insert without modification to the mantel?
3) My side combustible distances are 1-2 inches short. Should I just cut away 1-2 inches off of each side of the wood to make it proper safe distance? (It looks like there is brick behind the wood for at least 2-3 inches).

I'm really concerned about accidentally burning down my house. Thank you for your help.

 

[Beer Belly]

I can't help ya out on how to raise it, nor about the side clearances.....but we also had an issue with the mantle, if you can see in the picture, we had to purchase a Deflector for ours that shields the Mantle from too much heat....actually like the look of it.

 

[sapper]

Oh, that's nice. Is that a pre-fabricated shield that you can just buy, or did you have to have it custom made? How did you go about mounting it?

 

[Beer Belly]

Bought it with the stove.....it just slides in behind the panels

 

[snowleopard]

Hi Sapper,

Nice job with the photo and the measurements. Very clear and easy to understand.

I don't live with an insert, so other folks will chime in with useful advice in that area. Just wanted to welcome you to the forum and wish you luck. Woodburning can be a little intimidating at first, but it's a very satisfying way to heat when you get all the pieces in place. I'd encourage you to be patient with the process and yourself, and take it a step at a time. Even if you don't beat the first snowfall, you can still make a big impact on your heating bill this winter.

If there's no other options for making that insert fit without radical changes, you might consider going back to the dealer and swapping your insert for a freestanding stove that would fit in front of the fireplace. One person here converted his/her fireplace to a wood storage unit and installed the stove next to that. It looks great! Just saying you have lots of options, so don't panic. And you're in a good place for getting advice. Look at the post counts on the different members--we wouldn't still be here if we weren't getting something out of it.

 

[begreen]

Your setup looks ok for side clearances. I think your main concern should be the upper clearances. The side woodwork is shallow until the fluted columns which look to be more like 12-14" away. The manual says:
Note: If side mantle protrudes more than 1.5†(38mm) in front of face of fireplace, then use sidewall clearance.

It looks like you'll need a mantel shield to protect the woodwork above the stove. The problem is the manual does not cover this. I am pretty certain it would be safe, but you should call Drolet tech support and get a definitive ok from them. Ask them to put it in an email so that you have it in writing.

Question: Are you going to install it with a surround or not? If not, it can be attached to the bottom of the lintel. You can buy these prefabricated or have a local sheetmetal shop make one up. I'm not sure if Drolet makes one for the insert, but Travis does.

http://www.countryside-stove.com/public/userfiles/17601027.pdf

 

[sapper]

Thanks begreen, that is helpfull guidance. I may also consider building a new mantel face depending on what the brick layout is like behind the wood. Does anyone have advice for raising the actual unit itself to the 4 inch minimum height requirement? I was thinking of stacking firebrick underneath it to absorb and radiate heat, but I don't know if this is a good or bad idea.?

 

[begreen]

The hearth requirements section in their docs sux. It's poorly written and confusing. The way I read it, you don't need to raise the hearth 4". That is just an alternative to way to reduce the R value of the hearth extension to ember protection only after the raised hearth. It is not applicable here. For your installation what you need it at least 16" of R=1.0 hearth in front of the stove. This could be a commercial hearth extension board or one you make yourself to the proper R value. 3 layers of Durock NextGen cement board with tile on top would do the trick. Or, if that 20.5" of current hearth is really thick concrete (>12") you may be all set.

Here's the paragraph from the docs. If you want a flush hearth, the section in bold is what is applicable. Unfortunately they don't specify the actual R value until later: (Total R is greater than 1.0, the system is acceptable.)

If the non-combustible hearth is flush with the floor, then the hearth must be 16â€/406mm (18â€/450mm in Canada) in front of the fan housing (see Figure 2.1.2). If the non-combustible hearth is a minimum of 4†(102mm) above the floor, then the hearth can be 6†(152mm) out from the fan housing with a 10†(254mm) floor protection (sparks) extended beyond the hearth (see Figure 2.1.1). The non-combustible hearth must be a minimum of 8†(203mm) on each side of the unit (Canada & USA).