Building/buying/installing a hearth pad

[firedave]

Hi all, I've got a question about how to "install" a hearth pad, if that's even the right word. Let me describe the situation.

We snagged a nice deal on a Vermont Castings Montpelier on clearance from a local dealer:

It'll be replacing this old Citation unit that came with the house (from the 80's maybe?):

You can see the current hearth setup there. It's 16" from the brick out to the rug. Not enough.

We won't have the new unit installed for at least 3 or 4 weeks, but in the meantime, we need to get the hearth in order. The unit's manual says it requires 18" from the front and at least 8" on each side. It goes on to say that an approved floor protector will be "24 gauge galvanized sheet metal or equivalent, and the equivalent of 1.25" of a material with k-value 0.84 or less."

So we could buy something like this, or it sounds like we could build one with Micore, Durock, and tiles. But either way, it'll be 1.25"+ of thickness.

Can we just build/buy a hearth pad and stick it in front of the insert? Or do we need to rip out the tile + some carpet and embed it in the floor? And even then, how would we know if we could get the hearth pad flush with the floor?

One more complication: to access the unit's fan control, the bottom louvre needs to be removed:

I'd imagine a 1.25"+ pad sitting in front of the unit will block that and make it hard to open up. Maybe we just set it once and leave it alone, but, is that the right way to go about it? Should we be building a pad into the floor, or building some sort of platform to go inside the firebox that will elevate the wood insert? Is there a preferred way of fixing this problem?

Thanks for your help.

 

[begreen]

Well, the old Citation install was far from proper with the little hearth before the carpet. This should be an improvement. You should be ok with a basic hearth pad like this. http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Wood-...ns/HY-C-Black-Type-2-Hearth-Extension-18-x-48

 

[firedave]

Well, the old Citation install was far from proper with the little hearth before the carpet. This should be an improvement. You should be ok with a basic hearth pad like this. http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Wood-...ns/HY-C-Black-Type-2-Hearth-Extension-18-x-48

That seems like a nice thin option. It doesn't look all that great though. Are there more attractive options in a thin form factor like that? It's strange how it seems the nicer looking ones are 1.5" thick to get the same R-value as the utilitarian thin ones.

 

[Simonkenton]

Clearance sale on Vermont Castings. I wonder, why would they sell this stove so cheap?

 

[firedave]

Clearance sale on Vermont Castings. I wonder, why would they sell this stove so cheap?

Apparently that black enameled coating ("Ebony Black", I think) is being discontinued and this was their floor model.

 

[Grisu]

That seems like a nice thin option. It doesn't look all that great though. Are there more attractive options in a thin form factor like that? It's strange how it seems the nicer looking ones are 1.5" thick to get the same R-value as the utilitarian thin ones.

Why not put a layer of brick into the firebox to raise the insert and then you can place one of the nicer looking, taller hearth extensions in front?

 

[firedave]

Interesting idea with the bricks. I'd need to measure to be sure the insert would still fit at that height. Do you think the bricks should be mortared in or just placed on the firebox floor?

 

[Grisu]

I don't think they would need to be mortared in. With 400+ pounds on top they are unlikely to move. Just make one flat, tightly packed layer. You can also ask your installer if he sees a problem with that.