Heat shields question (remove or not?)

[Wyld Bill]

Ok so I just got that VC Defiant NC. It has a heat shields all over it.
It is going on a stone hearth that I built with a stone faced block chimney behind it. (see picture of current old junk stove)
Now wouldn't I want to heat up all that rock to get more even heat out into my house & so when the fire dies down I continue to get heat from the hot rocks? So should I just remove the lame heat sheilds? I already took off the big sheild on bottom & it looks better without it but when I took the rear one off it seemed maybe like that one needs to stay on because it has the nameplate info on it & it looks kind of "naked" without it.
THoughts?
Opinions?

 

[begreen]

Leave the heat shields on and check the right side clearance to combustible. Drywall is a combustible.

 

[soupy1957]

I agree........the clearance to the right side wall (reference the picture) is a concern in my mind. Nothing wrong with the radiant heat potential from the rock wall behind, but that's not the only thing in the room that will absorb the heat, and radiate it off.

Lemme say it this way................I know how annoying a heat shield can be when the spot welds pop, when you are talking about the rattle that comes from a rattling heat shield on a catalytic converter on a car exhaust..........but I wouldn't pull it off to get rid of the rattle..........it's there to keep the floorboard metal from overheating and causing a fire on the inside of the car.

-Soupy1957

 

[Wyld Bill]

I agree........the clearance to the right side wall (reference the picture) is a concern in my mind. Nothing wrong with the radiant heat potential from the rock wall behind, but that's not the only thing in the room that will absorb the heat, and radiate it off.

Lemme say it this way................I know how annoying a heat shield can be when the spot welds pop, when you are talking about the rattle that comes from a rattling heat shield on a catalytic converter on a car exhaust..........but I wouldn't pull it off to get rid of the rattle..........it's there to keep the floorboard metal from overheating and causing a fire on the inside of the car.

-Soupy1957

Actually I remove them too LOL

 

[Wyld Bill]

I guess I don't really get the heatshield thing. The point of the woodstove is to produce heat. So aren't the heat shields blocking the heat from getting out to heat the space? Wouldn't it just keep more heat in the stove & thus more heat just escaping up the chimney?

 

[Pagey]

Heat shields are there to reduce the required clearances to combustibles. If you remove them, the stove will require more distance between it and a combustible surface, such as dry wall.

 

[webby3650]

A heat shield doesn't keep heat from escaping from the stove, it redirects the heat. The air gap allows cool air to be drawn through, displacing the hot air, and protecting the surface behind the shield.

 

[firefighterjake]

A heat shield doesn't keep heat from escaping from the stove, it redirects the heat. The air gap allows cool air to be drawn through, displacing the hot air, and protecting the surface behind the shield.

+1 . . . on my Oslo with the rear heat shield in place the back wall is simply warm . . . and you can often feel the hot air rising from the space between the stove and the heat shields.

My own take . . . I would leave them on.

 

[VCBurner]

Hey W. Bill, I've been following your other thread here. Do you have it up and running?

Do you have a manual for the stove? I would think from all your posts that you are aware of the clearance issues, but it looks really close to things on the sides. Do the rear or bottom heat shield affect the side clearances that much? I don't know. The manual should state such clearances with or without the heat shields. Remember, the heat that is stored in those stones would be otherwise released into the air and circulate through the house. However, storing the heat in the hearth will probably help with the heat output longevity somewhat.

I guess you'll never know the difference between heat output with shields or no shields, unless you test it out. But I would certainly check on the clearances you have now. Be safe.

EDIT: I was looking at a manual for a non cat Encore. It doesn't seem too clear what category you'd fall into seeing as the unprotected wall to the right of the stove is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the stove, right? But it seems to need at least 18" to a side wall (parallel to the side, which is most similar to what you have.)

Fireplace and Mantel Trim Clearances
Unprotected
Mantel 38â€
Top Trim 27â€
Side Trim 10â€
Side Wall 18â€

 

[Wyld Bill]

It looks really close in that picture so here are some other ones with measurements & yes maybe it is too close. So 5/8" Firerock is considered a combustable? What if I faced it with the faux rock veneer & mortor in the joints? I'm thinking the Defiant is DEFINENTLY out of the question then because that is going to go back further & be within like 2" of the edge on that side.
I might end up trading the Defiant for a better Encore.

 

[begreen]

Yes, this area looks pretty tight. Just to clarify, are we talking the original Defiant here or the Defiant 1945?

A bit of rock, may help a little, but also it may not reduce clearances dramatically. It's a decent conductor of heat.

The hearth is a bit tight, especially for the Defiant. What about extending it into the room (where the pail is, on the side opposite the door) and rotating the stove about 40 degrees so that it faces more into the room? Would that help?

 

[VCBurner]

It looks really close in that picture so here are some other ones with measurements & yes maybe it is too close. So 5/8" Firerock is considered a combustable? What if I faced it with the faux rock veneer & mortor in the joints? I'm thinking the Defiant is DEFINENTLY out of the question then because that is going to go back further & be within like 2" of the edge on that side.
I might end up trading the Defiant for a better Encore.

Drywall is considered a combustible material. It is a fire retardant barrier in case of a fire, but is encased with paper and if exposed to extreme heat can light up. Paint will too. Each layer of drywall will provide 1/2 hour of fire resistance in case of a fire. Materials such as stone and ceramic tyle are non combustible materials and would probably make that part of the wall safe. However the manual states the clearances better and an air space may be necessary between the stone and the gypsum wall. That wall is pretty close to being compliant I would think, but you better get a closer look at the manual to be sure it is OK.

 

[Wyld Bill]

Yes, this area looks pretty tight. Just to clarify, are we talking the original Defiant here or the Defiant 1945?

A bit of rock, may help a little, but also it may not reduce clearances dramatically. It's a decent conductor of heat.

The hearth is a bit tight, especially for the Defiant. What about extending it into the room (where the pail is, on the side opposite the door) and rotating the stove about 40 degrees so that it faces more into the room? Would that help?

I really hate to get into doing stone work like tha tin my basement again but yeah maybe I should do that. It would actually make some sense because then I could have the stove connection centered over the hearth pad. Right now it is a little off to the left.

 

[Wyld Bill]

I'm going to rebuild the Defiant anyways but I think I may be stuck with a stove the size of the Encore because of the tight space & the size of the hearth base.
The Encore heated the house just about perfect as far as tempture wise. I just wanted somthing that was a lot newer, in better shape, had a ash pan, top feed, glass viewing, etc.
I did think it would be nice to be able to burn longer lengths of wood & have longer burn times and also a functioning auto temp control but,..those weren't huge factors.
So I may just rebuild the Defiant, sell it, then buy a used Encore in good shape. Or swap for a mint Encore.
My house is a 4 year old ranch 28X52 with a finished basement. So on the below zero nights the Encore would heat it but just barely but I also have a perfectly fine hot water boiler system to pickup the slack. My other worry is that the Defiant will be too big & it will drive you out of the basement & I'll have creosote issues from runningit closed up on mild days. Thoughts??

 

[Wyld Bill]

Good "heated" discussion about sheetrock being combustable or non-combustable>



http://forums.mikeholt.com/archive/index.php/t-66569.html

 

[VCBurner]

Good "heated" discussion about sheetrock being combustable or non-combustable>



http://forums.mikeholt.com/archive/index.php/t-66569.html

I'm a union carpenter, we deal with fire proofing and fire codes all the time, in some major commercial projects. As far as wood stoves are concerned, drywall is not a non-combustible material. Never was and never will be. No matter what those other guys said on the other, rather interesting discussion. Drywall is a fire retardant, 5/8 board can resist fire for 30 minutes. But please don't ever put it closer to your stove than your manual will allow any combustible material or someday you might wake up warmer than you wished to be!! :ahhh:

Good luck with the Defiant Bill!

Take care,
Chris