Hiding the Backside of the Stove Question

[leeave96]

I have a living room and kitchen that are divided by a non-loadbearing wall with a "door" opening between the two. I am thinking widening the width of the doorway (and raising the top of it up a bit) and setting my Woodstock Keystone in the opening with the front/glass side of the stove facing the living room and the backside of the stove towards the kitchen. The stove pipe would exit from the top of the stove straight-up through the ceiling of the kitchen and through the roof. The stove would be somewhat centered below the wall opening with part of it sticking into the living room and the other half into the kitchen. I would reconstruct the door opening to be wide enough for combustable clearances and wide enough on the stove side door side to continue to use the door opening as the go-between the kitchen and living room.

The idea is to do a couple of things:

1. Rather having the stove free standing in the living room, taking-up floor space in an otherwise small room and getting in the way when walking through, if it is centered between the kitchen/living room it would be less obtrusive.

2. Being centered between the kitchen/LR, with the backside of the stove in the kitchen, makes the stove's heat easily able to radiate in the kitchen too. It also puts the stove almost dead center to my house vs. a living room install - so all of the house would benefit to some extent.

Questions is - should I consider covering the back side of the stove from a decorative point of view with something? Anyone done a freestanding stove in the middle of a room and if so, was the look of the backside of the stove offending?

Lastly, how far up from the top of the stove should I move the door opening? I see a lot of info on side clearances, but what about the top?

Thanks!!
Bill

 

[Todd]

I think you have the right idea, a centrally located stove will distribute the heat more evenly throughout. As far as looks go the Keystone doesn't look all that bad from the rear, it has that nice slab of stone back there. I believe the Top clearance is 30" on the Keystone.

 

[leeave96]

Todd,

Yea, I was thinking about the slab of soapstone on the backside. I think if I do this install, I will leave the backside exposed. I looked at my Keystone last night and it doesn't look to bad from the backside.

One thing I may do to help dress the backside-up a bit (since I would be venting from the top) is to replace the block-off plate with a steel/custom made one that will hold the spare piece of soap stone that normally sets onto the factory block-off plate on the topside when one does a rear vent install. This way I would get another patch of soapstone in the rear view.

BTW, are you using 6 or 7 inch stove pipe on your Keystone?

Thanks!
Bill

 

[begreen]

One thing I may do to help dress the backside-up a bit (since I would be venting from the top) is to replace the block-off plate with a steel/custom made one that will hold the spare piece of soap stone that normally sets onto the factory block-off plate on the topside when one does a rear vent install.

Might be worth asking the folks at Woodstock if they already have the parts for this.

 

[leeave96]

Good idea, I just sent Woodstock an e-mail.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[Todd]

Todd,

Yea, I was thinking about the slab of soapstone on the backside. I think if I do this install, I will leave the backside exposed. I looked at my Keystone last night and it doesn't look to bad from the backside.

One thing I may do to help dress the backside-up a bit (since I would be venting from the top) is to replace the block-off plate with a steel/custom made one that will hold the spare piece of soap stone that normally sets onto the factory block-off plate on the topside when one does a rear vent install. This way I would get another patch of soapstone in the rear view.

BTW, are you using 6 or 7 inch stove pipe on your Keystone?

Thanks!
Bill

Yeah I wonder if you could glue it on there with some stove cement? I'd try that with mine but I dropped it and it broke in two. :-S

I went with the 6", cheaper and easier to reline and insulate my chimney. Last breakin fire the draft was awesome even though it was 70 out.

 

[soupy1957]

Have you considered a large Pot Belly Stove? They look great ALL around!!

-Soupy1957

 

[leeave96]

"Have you considered a large Pot Belly Stove?"

Not really. The stove I have is a Woodstock Keystone.

Thanks,
Bill