BK King in Alcove

[samwe]

Our new house has two Heatilators, one in the family room (basement) and one directly above in the living room. The basement has concrete block walls and so does the chase. The chase becomes normal stick framing above that.

We have hot water baseboard, but would like a fireplace/wood stove because we like fire and we want an backup heat source.

The chase is 4' wide, 2' deep, and about 8' to the bottom of the next story. The opening is only about 5' high though. I do not wish to make the opening bigger, but I do wish to stick a BK King in there. I meet all the other dimension requirements listed in the manual, assuming block is not combustible!

So my two question are: Is there anything wrong with using the chase as an alcove, and is should I be concerned about the alcove only being open on bottom half?
Thanks.

 

[samwe]

OK, here is a pic. The opening is more than 5', but the blocks are only cut cleanly to about 5'. I would consider opening the chase up higher if I could verify the structural impact.

 

[kingquad]

As per the manual, Total Alcove Height for the King Classic is 81.25in and for the Ultra is 85.50in. Your going to have to make the opening taller.

 

[begreen]

This is a fairly unique situation. I would contact BK. If they are willing to give you a written variance based on the completely non-combustible construction of the alcove then you should be ok. If not, then I would examine the construction carefully. For example, is there a metal lintel supporting the block at the top of the opening? How high does the block go above what is currently visible? Is there a weight carrying beam or rim joist at the top of the block?

From the looks of this current setup, I'd lean toward the full alcove opening. As it currently stands, this space looks like a giant heat sink that would trap the heat in the cavity above the stove and send it right outdoors through the block. By opening up the space you can slope the lid toward the front to encourage heatflow into the room. However the final plan works out, I would also insulate the wall behind the stove.

 

[samwe]

I can see a sill plate and a rim joist but no metal lintel. The floor joists above are 2x12.

 

[begreen]

What is holding up the cement block at the opening? If just cement, it is definitely not structural.

 

[samwe]

I see nothing holding it up.
My wife likes the idea of opening it up, so that is surely the way to go.

I can frame in the side using metal studs, cement board on top of that then than tile. I was thinking for the top would make some brackets to hold a metal heat shield with a slight angle to it.

 

[begreen]

If the alcove ceiling height is the same as the room ceiling height, and that is at 96", then I think you can skip the metal heat shield. You could just continue the drywall from the existing ceiling.

 

[samwe]

The ceiling is only 7' in that room for some reason.