Mantle clerence plane question

[rob bennett]

Ok, before I go talk to my inspector.....
I have a oak mantle that sticks out 5 inches. It is 43 inches above the hearth floor. I am looking at a lot of different stoves. Here is the question.
If a stove requires lets say 30 inches of clearence behind a stove, then does that mean that I have to go out 30 inches from the front of the mantle? Is the distance include everything in that vertical plane?

Most instal instructions do not list the distance from stove top to combustalbes above if any. What is the regualar codes I should be looking at?

Rob

 

[Vic99]

Welcome!

I went through a mantel issue leading up to my late Novemeber install.

Many of the manuals I have seen actually do address the height of the mantle. They usually give a distance above the top of the stove. Every stove is different.

In the manual for my Homestead stove, the drawing takes into account how far the mantle actually sticks out. It's drawn as with different mantle widths on a linear scale, I believe.

Some company websites allow you to download a copy of the manual. Don't go by the specs (if any) in the brochure. Sometimes they are different. The stove manual is your bible.

Good luck.

 

[RedRanger]

Yep you have to go by what the manual says. It is usually possible to get that clearance reduced somewhat with the installation of a mantel sheild.

 

[rob bennett]

Sure the manual is where it is at. However Woodstock keystone simply says 30 inches from mantle, Pacific energy freestanding stoves it isn't listed. There are other freestanding that do not list it in the manuals. I have downloaded them and don't see it is many.

 

[STOVEGUY11]

I have run into at least one stove that I can remember that did not have the mantle clearance in the manual. Most of the time they are in there. If not, try calling the company and asking. What happened in my case, they just said to go by the alcove height clearance.

 

[DriftWood]

Just get on the phone to any stove manufacture you are interested in. If you want to buy a stove from them they will have a answer to any questions like this.

 

[bcnu]

Installed a mantle this past summer for our Homestead. I hoped the clearance was from the top shelf, but found that anything that stuck out over a certain amount was where I had to measure from the stove top. That affected the entire layout for our mantle. It sits a little higher than we wanted but it still looks good to us. Fortunately, Hearthstone had very good info in the manual. Good luck.