Alcove Finishing and New Stove Purchase Question

[kgrigio]

After responses to one of my earlier posts about our 1984 Lopi in an alcove (original post https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/39377/) I have decided just to get a newer stove so that we don't have to alter the dimensions of the alcove to meet fire regulations. I have two questions now. We are trying to decide between two different stoves, but both will meet the required dimensions to the combustible walls with inches to spare, but the stove will be in an alcove.

My first question is, can these walls be just sheetrock with normal wall paint or should I at least tiles the walls? We just ripped down the wall which was sheetrock with tile backer board and 1/4 thick brick plastered onto the wall. These bricks had been painted white and were ugly and some of the bricks had been cracked so we decided just to start over.

The second question is the stove we will be replacing is the 1984 equivalent to the lopi liberty. Our house is 2200 sqft with a main floor (where the stove and alcove are located) and this floor is roughly 1400 sqft. The upstairs is roughly 800 square feet and the four bedrooms are up there. The room in which the stove is located has a hole in the ceiling to the upstairs hallways and there is a fan to help in the circulation from the main floor to the upstairs. In addition, all the bedrooms have ceiling fans to help circulation. My question is, do we get the Lopi Liberty or can we go with something a bit cheaper that will heat a bit less? We are thinking of the Lopi Lyden which says it will heat 2000 sqft, just under what we have. We will be kicking ourselves come this winter if we say $500 or will we be okay?

Thanks for any help.

 

[BrotherBart]

code is code. clearances can be lessened with heat shields.. shtrock has paperface & is flammable but if stove is cranking & u can hold hand on hot wall its supposed to be fine.
chimny stays clean huh. i'd keep that stove & install a MAGIC HEAT in the fluepipe which has fan & makes noise but blows heat good & will push heat out of alcove. as the MH cools the fluegas it'll be prone to condense more creo in chimny as it will also help prevent stove from overfiring if someone forgets to adjust primary air intakes. chimny should be checked frequently for creo & installed properly = male end down.
i'm the only MH fan here so this might get exciting & i hope u can evaluate comments scientifically.

Buy a wood stove and then a Magic Heat Pook and then you can evaluate scientifically until the cows come home or you burn your shack down. Whichever occurs first.

 

[fossil]

Whatever new stove you purchase will come with the manufacturer's requirements for minimum clearances to combustibles in all directions, including those for an alcove installation. Unless those instructions specifically state that clearance(s) may be reduced though the use of an approved heat shield attached to a wall, then they cannot be. If that's the case, then it doesn't matter how you finish the wall(s), because the stove is going to end up being at least the minmum required distance from combustibles. The wall finish can be anything that suits your fancy from a decorative standpoint. If you can afford it, buy the larger stove. Rick

 

[Bobcatter]

Here's a quote from the following link that may help you- they are referencing National Fire Protection Association codes:
(broken link removed to http://www.nasdonline.org/docs/d001001-d001100/d001052/d001052.html)


CAN RADIATING-TYPE WOOD STOVES EVER BE INSTALLED LESS THAN 36 INCHES FROM COMBUSTIBLES?

Yes. If a UL-listed stove has a heat shield attached, the clearance can be reduced as specified. Or build a heat shield to be mounted 1 inch off the wall on non-combustible spacers. To reduce the standard clearance to 12 inches, the heat shield should be of 28-gauge sheet metal, mounted off the floor to provide unrestricted circulation of air between shield and wall (see Figure 1).

WHAT SIZE HEAT SHIELD DO I NEED?

Any area within 36 inches of the wood stove should be covered as shown in Figure 2.



As far as your stove choice, I looked at the Leydon and it appeared to have the potential to throw off some major heat! A larger stove will give you longer burn times ( while you are at work, or overnight). A larger stoves gives you more "cushion" for the deep freeze. You will have to live with it, so think carefully .... remember, this is fun stuff!

 

[fossil]

Here's a quote from the following link that may help you- they are referencing National Fire Protection Association codes:
(broken link removed to http://www.nasdonline.org/docs/d001001-d001100/d001052/d001052.html)


CAN RADIATING-TYPE WOOD STOVES EVER BE INSTALLED LESS THAN 36 INCHES FROM COMBUSTIBLES?

Yes. If a UL-listed stove has a heat shield attached, the clearance can be reduced as specified. Or build a heat shield to be mounted 1 inch off the wall on non-combustible spacers. To reduce the standard clearance to 12 inches, the heat shield should be of 28-gauge sheet metal, mounted off the floor to provide unrestricted circulation of air between shield and wall (see Figure 1).

WHAT SIZE HEAT SHIELD DO I NEED?

Any area within 36 inches of the wood stove should be covered as shown in Figure 2.

This information is misleading, please be careful putting this kind of stuff out here. First of all, NFPA 211 is not a "code", it's a "standard", published by a group of industry professionals...just like so many other standards in so many other disciplines. A code, which has the force of law, is issued by a local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)...which might be the state, the county, or some other agency, depending on how the local government is organized. Many jurisdictions have simply adopted the NFPA 211 Standard as Code...while many have not. The only way to be certain about what's required where you live is to determine who the local AHJ is and find out what they have to say about it.

Having said that, I'll repeat, and try to clarify, something I said in my previous post. If the manufacturer's installation instructions for whatever stove you purchase DO NOT specifically address reducing the nominal minimum clearances to combustibles through the use of additional installed wall shielding, then those clearances CANNOT be reduced below what's shown in the installation instructions. For example, let's say you buy a stove and the book from the stove builder says the minimum rear clearance to combustibles is 12", period, and is mute about reducing it further through the installation of wall shielding, then you're wasting your time & money (and fooling yourself) building and installing additional shielding thinking it's OK to reduce that further by 33% or 66% like is shown in NFPA 211. Clear? Rick