Hello. We just had an Encore by Vermont Castings installed in our fireplace. The stove company came out, evaluated and installed the stove. But now I am wondering about safety issues.
My first question is about the mantel - it is 19 1/2 inches above the stove top. The installer said we had to remove the wood mantel and replace it with something noncombustible. So we removed the outer shell of the mantel, and replaced it with a fairly thin stone (slightly less than 1/2 inch. The installer said that would be just fine. However, when the stove is up to 400 or 500 degrees, that stone becomes too hot for me to touch.
The stone is glued to strips of wood that are the base of the mantel.
Is this a safe installation? Or do we need to put some kind of shield on the bottom side of it? Or remove it completely and install something with no wood inside it? Or just not worry about it?
I want to be able to have a fire all night and not wonder if things are okay... Many Thanks!
My first question is about the mantel - it is 19 1/2 inches above the stove top. The installer said we had to remove the wood mantel and replace it with something noncombustible. So we removed the outer shell of the mantel, and replaced it with a fairly thin stone (slightly less than 1/2 inch. The installer said that would be just fine. However, when the stove is up to 400 or 500 degrees, that stone becomes too hot for me to touch.
The stone is glued to strips of wood that are the base of the mantel.
Is this a safe installation? Or do we need to put some kind of shield on the bottom side of it? Or remove it completely and install something with no wood inside it? Or just not worry about it?
I want to be able to have a fire all night and not wonder if things are okay... Many Thanks!
