Zero clearance, Zero Patience...

Ok so with the fan on the Whitfield not working a friend mentioned he knew someone with several stoves and fireplaces for sale. For pellet stoves he had a Tasman 40000i (insert) and a Country Stoves Winslow PS40. These were store demo models and he offered me my choice for $400. Paid him over the phone for the Winslow but after driving an hour and half to pick it up it is actually a Winslow PI-40. I felt obligated to take it as I had already paid for it. I do not have a fireplace. There is a zero clearance kit available for the Winslow however it just looks like a $420 sheet metal shroud. Do I really need it or can I just build a faux mantle using the offsets provided in the install manual? Thoughts and suggestions?

Thanks,
Mike

well, unless you want to invalidate the warranty for the unit and arouse the possible ire of your homeowners' policy and any local building officials, you'll get the zero clearance kit made by the manufacturer.......but, that being said, Im sure the tinkerers here will chime in about how their ideas or contraptions would be better, etc....

You felt obligated to take it, even when it was not the same product as described?

You're way too nice.

Thanks Lousyweather, I'm not afraid to tinker and I doubt the manufacturer will honor any warranty. This was bought from a friend of a friend who bought it from a landlord of a building a stove shop was in that went bankrupt and abandoned the site. Whew that sounds complicated! I think I may build a temporary shell out of double layered cement board to house it just to get me thru the remaining season. I need to remodel the living room anyways.

Boondoggie - It's a friend of a friend that owns an autobody shop and restores antiques on the side. I figured it wouldn't hurt to be too nice this time. Especially since he has a Viking Gas Stove I want .

I paid $3200 for mine. you got a bargain and a half.

I would suggest ordering the kit. There's more to it than it looks i think.

and if you don't want the OAK hook up, and it has one, sell it to me. seriously.

Why bother? put it up for resale and see if you can get enough to get your money back and maybe a a ltttle more, then go get the unit you can use.

No response on the OAK hook up from the dealer or manufacturer??

Mike - for insurance, you should probably go with the kit... Still a better deal than briansol and his is missing parts...

nope. everyone is useless.
I even submitted an RFP to Scott's business, linked the thread, asked for a quote..... got the automated response. and that was it. and that was 2 weeks ago. and he's posted up 10 threads since then. So, clearly, he doesn't want the job either. no one wants my business.

Thanks for all the replies folks. I spoke with a contractor friend that does new construction. He is doing some work for me at the end of April and will add one of the zero clearance pre-fab fireplace boxes for me. I'll be ordering the zero install kit from Lennox No OAK included in that one, sorry Brian. Isn't an OAK just an outside vent for intake air with an insulated vent pipe?

Briansol,
check this out ... looks like only a flange welded on with no actual connection to anything in the interior of the stove ... see page 33, figure 55. May explain why nobody is getting back to you if that's all there is... an OAK going to nowhere Doesn't make sense to me....
http://www.lennoxhearthproducts.com...earth_Winslow_Insert_Installation_775229M.pdf