Adding a Surround, What's it all about Alfie?

[PaulGuy]

Ever since installing my Hearthstone Homestead I've considered adding the optional surround mainly for asthetic reasons. Hearthstone also claims increased efficiency when adding the surround to the stove. Has anyone here run a stove with a hearth type installation then added a surround? How did you like it? Notice any of the claimed increase in efficiency. I'd like to pick you're collective brains on this topic.

Oh and Merry Christmas to all here at HearthNet.

 

[Rhone]

I was going to say when I saw your picture, that you didn't have a surround covering the opening. As I understand radiant heat and I've been learning a lot about it recently, radiant heat is focused towards the center of flat panels. Your stove design is particularly susceptable because the majority of it's surface is in the front and back, and very narrow (probably so it can fit on a hearth). By looks, looks like 30% or so of your radiant heat is coming out the front, another 30% coming out the back, and 40% coming out around the rest. If that 30% of your radiant heat is coming out the back, it's shooting out and hitting the firebrick in the back of your fireplace and warming it up and any air in turn it warms will rise to the top of your block-off plate if you have one. It's worse if your chimney is on the outside of your house, as the heat will be whisked to the outside.

Putting that surround on, means the radiant heat will be coming out the back and hitting that plate which is inside your living space, in turn warming it up and any air it warms will also be in your living space.

<Update> It won't be a 30% improvement by the way, I don't want you getting scared. Your stove is making convective and radiant heat, and this is only dealing with mostly the radiant heat part but I can see why it should help increase the heat to the living area.

 

[elkimmeg]

Rhone is right the heat is being lost up the chimney ,behind the stove. The suround will prevent the loss and deflect it back towards the room or living area. One other consideration, you did not mention whether the damper area is plated and sealed?
Doing this would help by preventing heat loss up your chimney cavity. Probably a lot cheaper than the suround pannels