Is 1.5" the end of the world?

[Hunker Down]

I've been lurking for awhile. Very thankful for finding this site, and to all that contribute. The hearth pad specs for my stove is 39"x52" . Yesterday I seasoned my new stove outside to remove the smell, my daughter has asthma and did not want to fire it inside. I'm getting ready to build the hearth pad. But I noticed the side heat was very minimal to say they least. I fired the stove for about 10 hours. Now I realize it was out side, but I even put some news paper on each side of the stove to see if it would ignite. Nothing happened . So my question, Durorock and Hardibacker come in 36"x60" sheets. They are 1/2 inch short on each side. The floor that the pad will be on is hardwood oak. I'm not one to cut corners. And the ember protection in the front of the stove I get. But how important is the 1/2" on each side? Any input would be appreciated.

 

[jeff_t]

Durock is pretty cheap.

I like an oversize hearth. Gives me a place to keep tools, a small wood rack, and a bucket with some kindling, firestarters and gloves.

 

[weatherguy]

I would think the inspector wouldn't sign off if it didnt meet minimum specs. I would prefer to have it larger anyway.

 

[DougA]

You could get some ceramic tile trim edging that goes in bathroom or kitchen walls that might just look great and it would be about an inch wide x 5 or 6" long. That's more than you need on each side.

 

[Thislilfishy]

Your insurance company will go to great lengths to deny a claim if you ever make one...I built my hearth pad exactly 1.5" larger on all sides then I needed on purpose.


Ian

 

[Poindexter]

Mine is quite oversized and I wish I had gone a little bigger. I am diagonal in a corner with 22" from the edge of the hearth to the door opening on the stove. Besides the stove I keep tomorrow morning's firewood on the hearth, and the poker and broom and wee shovel in a rack, and a BBQ lighter and a fire blanket and the humidifier and we bought a distiller this year to make our own distilled water for the humidifier. Didn't have room for the still on the hearth.

I get a jumper out of the stove across the hearth all the way to the carpet once or twice a week, but I do burn a lot of spruce.

Things not on the hearth end up on the living room rug. Have you got enough room to use two sheets of Durock and build 72x60? I haven't fooled with Hardibacker but Durock was pretty cheap. I guess if your tile over the Durock is expensive that could be a problem.

 

[begreen]

It will require 4 layers of 1/2" Durock NexGen to achieve the R = 1.5 requirement for this stove or 5 layers of 1/2" Hardibacker. 39" x 52.5" is the minimum required hearth size. You can use two of the 21" leftover cuts from the 60" piece in a layer build up.

 

[firefighterjake]

Truthfully . . . probably that wee bit of length wouldn't make a difference . . . but in reality . . . it is far better to exceed rather than go below any specs -- whether it be from the manufacturer, insurance company requirements, local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), etc.

As mentioned . . . if anything happened the insurance company could use a non-compliant installation to deny or limit pay-out . . . or the AHJ or insurance company could deny the permit or coverage . . . plus . . . honestly . . . as others have said, while some folks may view a larger hearth as a bad thing as it "eats" into living space, that first time when you have a hot coal fall out and skitter across the hearth you may be glad for that extra inch or two or five.

 

[Hunker Down]

Thank you all for snapping me back to reality. All of the info given is spot on. Now that I'm back from York, I've decided to make it bigger. I am very grateful for finding this site. It must be the jets 1-6 record clouding my thoughts.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

I would think the inspector wouldn't sign off if it didnt meet minimum specs.

my inspector only asked two questions and never measured a thing.

 

[DougA]

Some are ill-informed, some are lazy and some are very careful. I had one that was ill-informed and passed me but it would have been better to show me the mistakes and make sure I corrected them.