Fire blocking between a wood stove and a wooden stair case.

[Hegnan]

Question about a wood stove that is way too close to our basement stairs. For some reason the previous owners have the basement wood stove 8 inches away from a wooden stair case that connects the basement to the main level of the house. The previous owners claim they used the wood stove all winter long with no problems but I feel like I should put some sort of heat shield in place.

Would a 3' x 5' sheet of cement board (tile under layer board, hardiboard/masonite type panel) between the stove and the stairs be sufficient? I will leave the panel an inch off the ground for cold air to get under and the stove is freely exposed on the front and opposite side for plenty of air. I also plan to leave an inch gap between the cement board and the stairs for more air to get through. Maybe I'm overthinking it but I feel like over time the stairs being exposed to that much heat would only become more combustible with time, eventually leading to a fire.

 

[EbS-P]

Question about a wood stove that is way too close to our basement stairs. For some reason the previous owners have the basement wood stove 8 inches away from a wooden stair case that connects the basement to the main level of the house. The previous owners claim they used the wood stove all winter long with no problems but I feel like I should put some sort of heat shield in place.

Would a 3' x 5' sheet of cement board (tile under layer board, hardiboard/masonite type panel) between the stove and the stairs be sufficient? I will leave the panel an inch off the ground for cold air to get under and the stove is freely exposed on the front and opposite side for plenty of air. I also plan to leave an inch gap between the cement board and the stairs for more air to get through. Maybe I'm overthinking it but I feel like over time the stairs being exposed to that much heat would only become more combustible with time, eventually leading to a fire.

Does the stove have a tag on the back listing clearances to combustibles?

 

[begreen]

The cement board (not masonite) would help shield the stairs, though it may not be kosher or in accordance with the stove documentation. What make/model stove? Are there other places where the previous owner played loose with safe installation requirements?

 

[Hegnan]

It's a Warner, when I look it up it also seems to come under the name Alpine. The previous owner also fibbed about chimney sweeping, I pulled a half of a 13 gallon trash bag of creosote out of the flue...that was before climbing up on the roof and shoving a brush down it. I have a friend that does HVAC for a living and he said everything about should be fine except for how close it is to the stairs, he recommended a sheet of stainless but I can't afford that right now. The stove was clearly used right up until we bought the house, I just don't know why someone would let it be that close to exposed framing and stairs. The chimney is swept bare, we even took apart all of the black iron and scrubbed that too. I think the stove will run just fine, I just don't trust having that much heat next to bare wood.

 

[begreen]

That's not good. Based on the description it would be safe to assume there may be additional clearance and safety issues. That's nice of the HVAC friend, however, this system should be inspected by a certified chimneysweep for integrity and safety.

Pictures are always welcome, we may be able to spot issues, but trained eyes on-site are better.

 

[Hegnan]

The stove seems to be ready to go, I just don't like how close it is to the stairs.

 

[stoveliker]

Your stove and chimney may (or may not, see begreen) be ready, what about wood?
Excess creosote often results from burning wood that's too wet.

How long has your wood been split, and stacked off the ground?

 

[bholler]

The stove seems to be ready to go, I just don't like how close it is to the stairs.

View attachment 300887

Yes way to close to the stairs . Too close even with a heat shield

 

[EbS-P]

Yes way to close to the stairs . To close even with a heat shield

Would rotating the stove so the door faces to the right an option? Can’t tell how close to the block chimney the back of the stove is.

 

[bholler]

Would rotating the stove so the door faces to the right an option? Can’t tell how close to the block chimney the back of the stove is.

It's possible. It's hard to judge by that pic

 

[stoveliker]

Would not the clearance on the back of an unlisted stove be the same as to the sides...? No way rotating it is going to allow 3 ft. Or 12" with shields.

 

[bholler]

Would not the clearance on the back of an unlisted stove be the same as to the sides...? No way rotating it is going to allow 3 ft. Or 12" with shields.

They might get 12"

 

[stoveliker]

Good to be optimistic 😊

 

[Hegnan]

The back of the stove is 12" from the Chimeny itself (16" at the pipe but 12" from lower half/firebox.) However, it's only 6" from the stairs. I just might reframe the stairs. I'm a carpenter by trade so I could probably reframe the stairs in a day, especially since I'd just be reusing most of the assembled parts. I'd stop the stairs at a half way point a few feet back from the chimney, add a landing and then change the direction of the stairs 180 degrees, this would leave the stairs and any supports 3ft from the stove and pipe.

The Chimney itself is clean, I opened the flue door and cleaned out everything, then climbed up on the roof and ran a 6 inch scrub brush through until nothing else will fall out. I can look straight down the chimney with no obstructions or visible caking. The chimney is a double flue, the 2nd flue shares's the chimney but is it's own chase and has a calibrated R-C draft control on it.

As far as wood, the previous owner left stacks of different degrees of seasoning. Some is so dry that it echo's if you tape the pieces together, most is only 1 season old, we also just had a cord dropped off that we are not going to use this year, that is stacked to dry for next winter. I do have a moisture meter and don't plan on using anything unless it's under 20%

Can't thank you enough for the responses. *Chimney sweep is coming, but they are booked til December in my area, all of them.

 

[stoveliker]

That would look better than a shield.

 

[begreen]

Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Yes, too close, so is the stovepipe.

The stovepipe alone needs 18" clearance from the wood. And the galvanized elbow at the bottom is not stovepipe. It should be replaced.

 

[Hegnan]

And the galvanized elbow at the bottom is not stovepipe. It should be replaced.

The pipe is all black iron, the bottom piece looks shiny because it was recently wiped and there is a bright white spot light shining on it. I left a high lumen flashlight on the floor out of frame when I took the picture because that part of the basement is too dark to take a picture.

I'm just going to reframe the stairs in a different location, it's the only thing anywhere near the stove, the closest wall is 44"s away, once the stairs are moved I'm hoping it's good to go.

It's crazy to think is the previous owner used this stove all winter for years, however I don't think the handrailing was always there, nor the post that holds the handrailing, those look like they were added prior to sale. They only look old because they used scrap wood. The post isn't even load bearing, it just holds the railing.

 

[bholler]

The pipe is all black iron, the bottom piece looks shiny because it was recently wiped and there is a bright white spot light shining on it. I left a high lumen flashlight on the floor out of frame when I took the picture because that part of the basement is too dark to take a picture.

I'm just going to reframe the stairs in a different location, it's the only thing anywhere near the stove, the closest wall is 44"s away, once the stairs are moved I'm hoping it's good to go.

It's crazy to think is the previous owner used this stove all winter for years, however I don't think the handrailing was always there, nor the post that holds the handrailing, those look like they were added prior to sale. They only look old because they used scrap wood. The post isn't even load bearing, it just holds the railing.

In cases like that it can actually take pretty long for the wood to pyrolize to a point where it will ignite. So you may get away with it for quite a while but it's still a big gamble not worth taking

 

[Hoytman]

…I just don't know why someone would let it be that close to exposed framing and stairs.

Because … “you can’t fix stupid”.

Nothing like burning down your avenue to get to a space to turn down the stove.

 

[Hoytman]

Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Yes, too close, so is the stovepipe.

The stovepipe alone needs 18" clearance from the wood. And the galvanized elbow at the bottom is not stovepipe. It should be replaced.

Could getting away from 90 degree elbows and using 45’s or something different help move the stove away from the chimney and the steps? It would extend the distance the stove is away “some” at least but still maybe not enough, but would also put the stove pipe on a diagonal incline. Seems if getting the stove away some, even by a foot or three would help. Probably have better draft than two 90’s anyway.

Maybe a bad thought.

 

[begreen]

The pipe is all black iron, the bottom piece looks shiny because it was recently wiped and there is a bright white spot light shining on it. I left a high lumen flashlight on the floor out of frame when I took the picture because that part of the basement is too dark to take a picture.

Good deal, I see that now.

A thought here, if the goal is to use the stove 24/7 then it's worth considering replacing it with a modern stove that has much tighter clearances. It will burn a lot less wood, cleanly, for the same amount of heat. If a big stove like the Drolet Legend III was installed at a 45º rotation from the present position, with double wall stove pipe it could have 8" corner clearance to the stairs. In the present orientation the side clearance for the Drolet is 12".

 

[Hegnan]

Could getting away from 90 degree elbows and using 45’s or something different help love the stove away from the chimney and the steps? It would extend the distance the stove is away, but would also put the stove pipe on a diagonal incline. Seems if getting the stove away some, even by a foot or three would help. Probably have better draft than two 90’s anyway.

Maybe a bad thought.

My HVAC friend originally wanted to pull the stove further into the middle of the basement using 45° bends instead of 90's. If I did both the 45's and removed the railing and post closest to the stove then no wood would be within 36" of the stove and because of the height of the pipe nothing would be within 18"s of the pipe.

It's a walkout basement, basement at the front of the house but level grade with the backyard at the back of the basement. I can enter the basement through the backyard or flee the basement in an emergency but I think we'd all like to avoid an emergency, especially one cause by operator error.

My neighbor suggested removing the one handrail, removing the post and putting a Hardiebacker between the stairs and stove. If I remove the railing and the post the only thing close is the last two steps, they would be 8 inches from the bottom of the stove. A Hardiebacker 1 inch off of the steps would give me 6" from stove to backer then 1" of air to cool of the backer. This would be the fastest fix but probably not the best.

 

[Hegnan]

A thought here, if the goal is to use the stove 24/7 then it's worth considering replacing it with a modern stove that has much tighter clearances. It will burn a lot less wood, cleanly, for the same amount of heat. If a big stove like the Drolet Legend III was installed at a 45º rotation from the present position, with double wall stove pipe it could have 8" corner clearance to the stairs. In the present orientation the side clearance for the Drolet is 12".

Thank you, I will look into that stove. We definitely want to upgrade and most importantly, do it right.

 

[begreen]

There are other options, some with closer clearances, but the Drolet is one of the most affordable.

 

[Hoytman]

Could getting away from 90 degree elbows and using 45’s or something different help move the stove away from the chimney and the steps? It would extend the distance the stove is away “some” at least but still maybe not enough, but would also put the stove pipe on a diagonal incline. Seems if getting the stove away some, even by a foot or three would help. Probably have better draft than two 90’s anyway.

Maybe a bad thought.

Good deal, I see that now.

A thought here, if the goal is to use the stove 24/7 then it's worth considering replacing it with a modern stove that has much tighter clearances. It will burn a lot less wood, cleanly, for the same amount of heat. If a big stove like the Drolet Legend III was installed at a 45º rotation from the present position, with double wall stove pipe it could have 8" corner clearance to the stairs. In the present orientation the side clearance for the Drolet is 12".

I think if you combine the two above ideas you can lick this problem without moving the steps. Landings are usually big headaches for moving things in and out of a basement. That’s a decision you have to consider.

Stove pipe with a slight diagonal incline and to the side will draft better than two 90’s anyway, and combined with a more efficient stove sounds like a winner to me.