Clearances to Wall

[thebeatlesrgood]

I bought an Englander 30-NC a few months ago (things a beast) and i am getting ready to start installing it. i'm kitty cornering it in my family room and needless to say the hearth pad im building is HUGE. oh well i guess we can always watch tv in the hall 8-/ The corner it is going in has a window on either side and the walls are regular drywall and plaster. also the stovepipe is going straight up and through the cathedral ceiling.

my two concerns:

1. The manual gives a clearance of 15 inches from the corners of the stove to the wall. Are they referring to a flame retardant wall (ie. brick, tile, stone) or can i be 15 inches away from standard drywall/plaster wall? Also will the wood window sill pose any problems in terms of adhering to codes? I've read you must be 36 inches from combustibles such as furniture, couches, and as the wood in the window is, i believe combustible 8-/ , do i need to be 36 inches from them?

2. I havent purchased the stove/chimney pipe yet so i cant cite clearances; however, as with any cathedral install, as you bring the stovepipe up to the ceiling you will invariable breach the clearances. I know the ceiling box is used to connect the stove to chimney pipe. but, because my ceiling is approximately 45 degrees, the box would have to come down about 8 inches or so to stay within an 8 inch clearance. And i dont think this is the case. Do i need to connect some kind of stove pipe heat shield on the last vertical foot of the stove pipe?

thanks in advance for helping

 

[fossil]

The manual should be pretty specific about showing you the minimum clearances to combustible materials. Standard wall construction (drywall) is considered a combustible, as are your wood window sills & trim. The numbers in the manual are applicable. If you want to decrease those clearances, then you need to install wall shielding of some sort. Going up through the cathedral ceiling there will need to be an adapter box installed to transition from connector pipe (stovepipe) to Class A chimney pipe. The adapter will be sufficient to take care of the clearance problem you're talking about between stovepipe & ceiling. It should be manufactured (or installed) to conform to the pitch of your ceiling and protrude down far enough to where the stovepipe meets the Class A that the clearance is adequate. Rick

 

[KeithO]

See page 5 of the stove manual - note 3 near the bottom of the page. If you use double wall pipe and heat shields, minimum clearance is reduced to 7". In your situation that seems to be the right way to go.

 

[thebeatlesrgood]

thanks guys. i think i heard the 36 inch clearance from national fire protection association (NFPA.org) but all their clearances seem really excessive. i wasnt sure if i was going to have to add wall protection but thanks for clearing that up. as fun as it sounded i coul do without the extra work. keitho ill definitely look into double wall pipe to lower clearances. do you know if i can go up with single wall then add double wall for the last foot section? i wanna milk as much heat out of this thing as i can... i could always try soaking my splits in oil before i toss them in the stove, that'll heat things up... or kill me

 

[KeithO]

The NFPA clearances are a guideline for unlisted appliances. But installing an unlisted appliance is typically very problematic anyway (typically not EPA compliant).

If you intend to reduce instalation space, you need for your own safety to consider the specified shielding and connector as MINIMUM requirements. I used double wall pipe in my previous install, as well as stove shields and on the occasions that the stove ran really hot, it is quite enlightening to touch the nearby combustibles to get an idea of how hot they get. I am ready to believe that I would have burnt my house down the first time my stove overfired if I had not done the install by the book.

We do see enough burning homes here every year, so don't test fate.

 

[Elfin]

I built my own pad, with ceramic tile and glass on the back walls behind my stove (corner installation) and was nervous whether the building inspector would still measure clearances from the drywall or from the tile, some of which is a moulding style and is over 2" thick. He did measure out from the drywall, as my installers said he would. That wood windowsill definitely needs to comply with clearances, but tile, brick, stone etc can come closer, it seems. At least in my experience.

Just pay close attention to all clearances and give yourself a little wiggle room so you don't cut things too close. I knew my clearances on my pad were good, but I left the front/side edges of it unfinished just in case we hit an issue with the actual stove install and I needed to bump it out further.

 

[thebeatlesrgood]

thanks guys. yeah giving the clearances a bit of wiggle room seems like a good idea. the corner in which i am installing the stove. has baseboard heat on either side and when i measured the pad i went underneath the heater. well theres no way im slipping my 5 inch high pad underneath it so this gives me an extra 3 inches to play with. im sure the building inspector will be happy about that and then maybe he'll go easy on me...