Can you make your own heat shield for an insert?

[jdlev]

Hi Guys,

I've got my new Century CW2900 insert installed and ready to go. Prior to the starter fires, I decided to check the clearances again the insert required. Combustible mantle/surrounds have to be 12" on the sides (ok!) and 20" above (DOH!) I've only got about 14" on top. If I add a heat shield, 8" will suffice.

I looked around for the AC01317 heat shield the unit would take. Turns out it's god awful expensive. I mean...it looks like it's a simple thin piece of either aluminum or stainless steel that has a slight bend in it, and connects to the faceplate with two sheet metal screws.

Can I not just make something like that myself? Most places want $100 for the shield, but the cheapest I've found is a Drolet shield for $63 before shipping...I'm guessing I could get a piece of sheet metal from Lowe's for around $20. Any idea what gauge metal the heat shields are? I'm guessing thick enough to be rigid, but beyond that, it probably doesn't matter that much. Any other advice, please let me know. Thanks

~Jeff

 

[begreen]

Yes you can, the key is to make it so that the protection is sufficient. Can you post a picture of the installation that includes the mantel?

 

[jdlev]

The black faceplace above the insert is just under 10" in size to give you a sense of scale...the bricks are a little over 3" of additional space. So the white surround is about 14" from the top of the insert.



It sucks, but the faceplate is like 1" too wide. So I'll have to trim that back as well I suppose.

 

[begreen]

I don't see any issues with you making your own mantel shield. You could paint it black and it looks like it could be attached to the surround just above the insert.

 

[jdlev]

So tried a test fire, and didn't go so well since the wood was damp (big surprise there!) But it got me thinking. The fireplace has a propane line that runs to it. Are there any small propane starters that I could install in the insert to make starting the fire 10x easier?

 

[bholler]

Are there any small propane starters that I could install in the insert to make starting the fire 10x easier?

no and you cant drill a hole into your stove to install one anyway

 

[jdlev]

no and you cant drill a hole into your stove to install one anyway

Really? There's no means of adding any type of small starter to a fireplace insert? That's weird. I would have thought you could have run a small line in through the fresh air intake to a small burner or something like that. Does the insert get too hot or something to run a copper propane line into it or something?

 

[bholler]

Really? There's no means of adding any type of small starter to a fireplace insert? That's weird. I would have thought you could have run a small line in through the fresh air intake to a small burner or something like that. Does the insert get too hot or something to run a copper propane line into it or something?

nope there is one stove that I can think of that has an electric lighter but nothing that I know of with gas and you certainly cant retrofit one.

 

[weatherguy]

Get some super cedars, better than propane.

 

[Marshy]

Just buy a propane hand torch or get dry wood.

 

[bholler]

Get some super cedars, better than propane.

the biggest thing is dry wood. With good dry wood and adequate draft modern stoves are easy to start. I typically just use a little card board on the bottom then fill the firebox and light the cardboard.

 

[peakbagger]

If you need a propane starter, then you shouldn't be burning wood especially damp stuff. Buy some dry wood and learn how to start a fire. Burning damp wood is almost a guarantee that you will be building creosote in the chimney. There are no short cuts to this, many folks learn the lesson that buying a stove without dry wood is an exercise in frustration. I expect many folks try to push their way through it and that's where all those 2 year old like new stoves show up on craigslist

 

[begreen]

dry wood +
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/cheapest-super-cedars-ive-found.157583/#post-2114430