Wood stove surround/air space questions

[fadetoblack72]

Hey everyone,
I'm new here and I am just starting to burn wood this winter. I am getting a vogelzang durango wood stove and have had a block chimney installed inside my house. I'm just wondering about reducing the clearances on the stove. I was planning on spacing durock off the wall 1' and tileing it but was wondering what to do to make the vent space at the top and bottom look finished. Is there some sort of "chair rail" tile that would hide the top edge of the durock and still leave an airspace? Another thought I has was to put the durock tight to the studs, tile the entire wall, and then space 26 gauge steel off of the wall. Anyone have any clever ideas to deal with the sharp edges of the metal? Also it is in a corner between 2 cased opening with carpet all around. Should I worry about the casings on those two openings burning? I can post photos and measurements if that will help. Just don't want to burn the place down. Thanks in advance,
Jason

 

[begreen]

Welcome Jason. Wall shields don't have to vent right at the top. You could cap it on top, then have a 1" x 14" slot per spacer support, (assuming the shield is to be attached to normal stud spacing), a couple inches from the top cap to allow the warm air to escape. Or you could have it open at the top and use a corner edge trim tile (shaped like an L) to dress the top edge.

How close are you intending to put the stove to the back wall, side wall?

FWIW, this is a pretty cheap stove. You might want to look at a similar Englander or Drolet too. IMHO, for a similar price the Englander 13NC is better constructed with a nicer fire view.

 

[fadetoblack72]

Thanks for the help begreen. Why do you think that the durango is cheap? It is on it's way here. I'm not really worried about seeing the flame. I thought that it was supposed to be safe, efficient, and cleaner burning. Oh and as far as the clearance on the stove it is supposed to be 11 on the back and 22 on the sides. I read somewhere that by putting up these "shields" it can be reduced to 50% of that.

Thanks again,
J

 

[sapratt]

Vogelzang quality isn't as good as other stoves. That is why BG is saying there cheap.

 

[fossil]

You're not, I think, gonna find many fans of Vogelzang's here. They seem to have a poor reputation. That said, if it works for you, then you're all set. Just make darn sure you install in accordance with the required clearances from combustibles in all three dimensions. There have been many discussions here about building heat shields for rear, side, and bottom (hearth). Try doing some searches of both this forum and the entire Hearth.com site. There's valuable information to be found in both the discussions and in articles that have been submitted. Best of luck, and be safe! Rick

EDIT: Disclaimer...just passing along my impressions from participating here, I've never owned a Vogelzang stove. I considered the little boxwood stove for my shop, but didn't like the footprint required, and I bought a CFM stove instead and I'm real happy with it.

 

[fadetoblack72]

Ok so I know it's still a vogelzang but it doesn't come out until september 2008. At least that's what the website says. It's plate steel, 3/16. Here's the link to the manual... http://www.vogelzang.com/Manuals/tr008durangoMnl.htm It kind of leaves the heat shield thing out of it.

 

[sapratt]

From what I have read Vogelzang gets the bad rap from its china made cast iron stoves. It's UL tested and EPA certified
so I don't see why it wouldn't be a good stove. The only thing I see that may not be a good thing if your going to
use it all the time is the thickness of the steel. My firebox is 5/16 inch steel that stoveis 3/16 inch. I don't know if
there is a big difference in durabuility. If thats the stove you want and you like it then use it.

 

[fadetoblack72]

This is a link to a picture of what I have to work with http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...&MyToken=2f606dd0-4164-41c7-9684-13990be2ebb2. It is still kind of ripped apart.. The wall isn't even framed yet and the "brick" tiles on the left are coming off and the wall will get the same as the other one. I am thinking durock the walls then completely cover the first 4 feet up on the two walls with sheet metal, spaced 1 inch off the durock, vented top and bottom. I'll tile the wall later when I get the funding. Should the 8" to the carpet on the corners be a problem? Or the 12" to the carpet in the front where the loading door will be? What about if the carpet was taken out and wood floors were installed? Still combustible I guess. The 12 clearance on the back I got from this chart... https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/NFPA_Wall_Clearance_Reductions/

Thanks a million,
J

 

[fadetoblack72]

Thanks for the reply no man! That is what I was thinking about the epa/ul thing. I was going to get one of those boxstoves but it looked cheap so I didn't get it. Choose this one instead for under 800 shipped. Hopefully it works good

 

[begreen]

That link doesn't work without logging into myspace. Can you post the picture directly to the forum? I'm not sure about the 8" to the carpet on the corners, that may be ok, but the stove needs 18" of hearth in front of the loading door. From VG: "The floor protector must extend at least 18” beyond the front of the access door, 6” to the sides, and must extend under and 2 inches beyond either side of the stove pipe if it is elbowed towards a wall."

As far as the wall shield goes, you should get approval for the clearance reduction from your inspector first. It will probably be fine, but good to get an endorsement in writing with a signed off permit for insurance purposes.

As far as the stove, the Vogelzang name is not exactly synonymous with quality. 3/16 steel is not heavy duty. The door, legs and air controls are cheap compared to some stove in that price range. But it could be a good performer. I would watch the welds and see how she does. It may be that you are right and could be rubbing ashes in our face in a few years.