anyone built their own insert surround?

[iamquaker]

just got my stove installed. "avalon model 945"

and i need to get a surround for it, and was thinking since its just for looks
i should make my own surround.

anyone make their own on here? was thinking some small angle iron and some
sheet metal tack welded on and painted up to make it pretty.

think the fireplace store in town wants like $200 for a surround.

 

[Hogwildz]

My old insert had no surround. The previous owner made a top & side surround with thin angle & a mesh screen, then painted it. Did the job & didn't look too bad.
I would prolly have looked around for some nice cast iron decorative stuff to try and work around it.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

just got my stove installed. "avalon model 945"

and i need to get a surround for it, and was thinking since its just for looks
i should make my own surround.

anyone make their own on here? was thinking some small angle iron and some
sheet metal tack welded on and painted up to make it pretty.

think the fireplace store in town wants like $200 for a surround.

the stove didnt come with a suround stock????ya gotta buy a plate that covers the rest of the fireplace seperately???? you gotta be kidding me! i can understand if the fireplace is huge , or of an odd shape or configuration, but the stock one isnt part of the base purchase? wow

as for your idea, yeah that could be done easily by anyone with a basic knowledge of working with metal, you could get as ornate as your imagination and skill level allowed, shouldnt be hard to do

 

[elkimmeg]

Is the moon cycle such, that all regard for safety is tossed? The only concern is how cheaply something can be built?
I approve what has been tested and certified. If you have a spare 40 g's sitting around and can afford independent testing and approvals, I will accept their reports
If not ,then install what the manufacture has tested and received approvsls for. Want to bet no permit was ever pulled for this installation?

 

[Hogwildz]

Is that Avalon an insert or freestanding stuck into a fireplace? That might explain why no surround.

 

[iamquaker]

i bought the stove used. they had the legs on it and used it as a free standing stove. thus no surround.

yes doing it all legal, got a permit and the inspector came by today and gave the thumbs up. had it professionally
installed with pipe all the way up and sealed the top of the chimney.

from what i have read and seen the surround is just for looks and to keep junk from getting behind your stove right?

i also cut out the carpet and layed down cement board and tile out 18" in front of my existing hearth to extend my non-combustable area.

just thought i would like fab my own surround instead of just buying one.

i enjoying fabricating and have all my welders and the skills to pay the bills with it!

 

[Shane]

Download the surround installation instructions. You can pretty well copy construction from there if your so inclined. Depending on your tool set it might be worth the 200 dollars.

 

[Gooserider]

I think the concern is that the surround might block ventilation of the area around the stove, and allow potentially hazardous temps to build up in the firebox. Inserts are designed with ventilation to prevent this, but a free standing stove wouldn't have the same design.

What I would probably do is put in a block off plate at the bottom of the chimney if you don't already have one (you didn't say) to keep heat from escaping up the chimney, which is a good idea regardless.

I would then make a surround that provided good ventilation of the firebox - probably use expanded steel or louvers, or some other material with lots of holes on the top and bottom. That would probably meet your desire for a prettier look around the fireplace while also handling the concerns about safety. I would also try to design so the surround was attached to the fireplace rather than the stove.

Gooserider

 

[iamquaker]

think there is some confusion...

i am not trying to do some crazy hillbilly ductape job here. was thinking of making my own surround
that is matching the factory specs and needs of the stove.

just figured that with my welding and metal working skills that i could copy and make my own surround.

from what i have seen there is not much to them. just some sheet metal and a mounting bracket and some
black paint.

the surround for my stove i saw down at the local store just looked like 3 pieces of flat sheet metal. is there some more science involved in them? some of you spoke of needing the surround to vent? i thought that it needed to seal off the hole tight?
i only have the chimney blocked at the top. there is no lower blocking. would it be a good idea to get some kind of insulation to block off the chimney down lower to help save heat from going up the chimney?

again there is no "jimmy-rigging" going on here. keeping it all to code and safety. just trying to throw in a personal touch to my stove.

 

[karl]

Hey what do you have against hillbillys and duct tape?

 

[Mike Wilson]

Is the moon cycle such, that all regard for safety is tossed? The only concern is how cheaply something can be built?

I built my new insert surround out of 3/4 inch plywood in March of this year, and so far its been fine. It was cheap, seems to work quite well,and hasn't warped at all...

-- Mike

 

[Gooserider]

think there is some confusion...

i am not trying to do some crazy hillbilly ductape job here. was thinking of making my own surround
that is matching the factory specs and needs of the stove.

just figured that with my welding and metal working skills that i could copy and make my own surround.

from what i have seen there is not much to them. just some sheet metal and a mounting bracket and some
black paint.

the surround for my stove i saw down at the local store just looked like 3 pieces of flat sheet metal. is there some more science involved in them? some of you spoke of needing the surround to vent? i thought that it needed to seal off the hole tight?
i only have the chimney blocked at the top. there is no lower blocking. would it be a good idea to get some kind of insulation to block off the chimney down lower to help save heat from going up the chimney?

again there is no "jimmy-rigging" going on here. keeping it all to code and safety. just trying to throw in a personal touch to my stove.

There are arguements over the exact interpretations of the codes in terms of surrounds and sealing. NFPA does specify that there should be NO WAY for room air to infiltrate into the chimney. Some folks, Elk (our resident code expert and building inspector) among them, believe this means a sheet metal blockoff plate just above the end of the liner, or in the throat of the fireplace. Arguably this is a PITA to make and install (there is an article on how to do it in the wiki BTW) but it is probably the best and most effective way to do the job. Just stuffing insulation around the liner won't work as it will evenually sag and fall out, plus it doesn't really block the airflow that well. The other school, which includes some stove manuals, says to make the surround air-tight and seal it against the fireplace opening. Depending on what your fireplace front is like, it can be difficult to get a good seal when doing this.

Personally, I think the best approach is to use a block off plate, with a layer of kaowool (NOT fiberglass, it doesn't have the needed heat rating!) above it to keep the heat in the firebox, and a vented surround to let as much of that heat out into the space you want to heat.

Gooserider

 

[Hogwildz]

Check your manuial, that cement board & tile alone does not meet "R" & "K" values. Not enough protection for combustibles below.

 

[thechimneysweep]

The Avalon 945 is listed as both a free-standing stove and an insert. You buy the firebox and then add legs or pedestal for free-standing installs, or attach panels for installation as a fireplace insert. Avalon's surround panels consist of three sheet metal panels, a top and two sides, that bolt to the convection shell on the stove. We have made our own panels many times, to fit oversize, arched or rough stone fireplace facias that the standard panels won't cover. The advantage of the factory panels is a nice 1" roll-back edge around the perimeter that looks good and adds rigidity to the completed assembly.

 

[Shane]

It is three pieces of sheet metal. No holes no louvers. They just scew into the convection chamber shell. I understand that one has to be careful not to modify things that have actual bearing on safety. However in this case the surround is not going to burn this guys house down. As Tom stated surrounds are fabricated and modified all the time.

 

[elkimmeg]

My post I made I had no idea the stove was being placed in front of a fire place opening. I assumed it was an insert as the post tipic indicated.
Really it sounded like gerry rigged situation Simmilar to another on going post ,where all have given correct advice and the poster is not listening
So I appoligise if I over reacted ,but in all fairness the additional facts came out long after I posted Same thing happened after I had a simmilar reaction more facts then came out
In this case it was disclosed that the ZC was only a year old Had that been established in the first place I assumed it was an older unidentified ZC 11 other post occured before I entered mine and that info did not surface till after I posted and questioned the actual ZC's condition and wheter it was even fit to install an insert In this case I received 2 PM from fustrated posters ,they were not getting this info heard so, I posted my comments as they requested Me to do so

Bact to this post, there is no code govering your building a suround behind yor stove to cover up the former fireplace opening It is not attached to the stove right?

The only requirements would be that it be non combustiable because a pipe pass threw it and that it be removable for pipe cleaning and inspections

I still recomend a damper block off plate and would require it I were doing the inspection This should be no big deal to a metalworker welder

Good luck and I hope you post pictures of the finished product Welcome to the Hearth

 

[stoveguy2esw]

The Avalon 945 is listed as both a free-standing stove and an insert. You buy the firebox and then add legs or pedestal for free-standing installs, or attach panels for installation as a fireplace insert. Avalon's surround panels consist of three sheet metal panels, a top and two sides, that bolt to the convection shell on the stove. We have made our own panels many times, to fit oversize, arched or rough stone fireplace facias that the standard panels won't cover. The advantage of the factory panels is a nice 1" roll-back edge around the perimeter that looks good and adds rigidity to the completed assembly.

ok thanks tom , i get it now. didnt know it was an "either or" unit guess i retract the incredulous post i placed earlier about the surround not coming stock with the unit.

 

[MrGriz]

What difference would it make if the stove was being placed in front of a fireplace opening or inside one as far as the face plate is concerned? I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't see the difference. If there is a blockoff plate installed in either case, isn't the surround really just for looks?

I know that the factory surround that came with my insert is certainly not air tight to the front of the fireplace or to the insert itself for that matter. There is also a long slot in the surround for the air control. Thus, it is the blockoff plate that does the job of containing flue gasses.

 

[karl]

The surround that came with my Summit is literally 3 pieces of sheet metal. The ends are bent over on two sides of them. That's it.

 

[iamquaker]

thanks guys.

i am still a rookie at all the woodstove terminology. i figured you all thought i was up to some major corner cutting, from the responses. but its just my lack of explaining.

i have read so many posts on this forum and you all base your responses on safety first and i have learned alot! when i first wanted a stove i was just gonna shove the insert in there and let it vent out the big'ol chimney and let it be. but after reading on here about how that is bad and unsafe i went with a professional install.

will post up some pics tonight.