Masonry Alcove

[newbietothestove]

Please excuse me if this has already been talked about....

My husband is a bricklayer/mason. We are looking to create a solid masonry alcove in our living room and install a wood burning stove within. Stove not purchased yet - still in the research stage. We are looking to build a non-combustible alcove for smaller clearances. Pictures attached show our idea.

The alcove would "bump" into the garage which is on the other side of the living room wall. What constitutes a non-combustible wall? Do alcoves complicate things? Are the close clearances below possible? We would like a wood mantel and tv mounted in front.

We are so unsure on how to move forward.

 

[begreen]

I think this is the first time for this question. If the alcove is entirely non-combustible then it should be ok, but the clearances for wood above the opening should still be taken into consideration. A lot of heat will be coming out of the top. That gets into a grey area depending on the stove and whether the stove projects at all outside of the masonry alcove.
One way to build would be to make the walls and lid two courses thick. Then it would resemble a masonry fireplace in construction. But this would depend on the stove's documentation or a written ok from the stove manufacturer.

Will this installation be inspected? How tall will the flue system be on this stove? Is the garage roof lower than the house's roof?

 

[EbS-P]

I think this is the first time for this question. If the alcove is entirely non-combustible then it should be ok, but the clearances for wood above the opening should still be taken into consideration. A lot of heat will be coming out of the top. That gets into a grey area depending on the stove and whether the stove projects at all outside of the masonry alcove.
One way to build would be to make the walls and lid two courses thick. Then it would resemble a masonry fireplace in construction. But this would depend on the stove's documentation or a written ok from the stove manufacturer.

Will this installation be inspected? How tall will the flue system be on this stove? Is the garage roof lower than the house's roof?

How would you vent? through double wall in the garage to classA support box In Garage ceiling?

Would The whole TV wall assembly need to be non combustible because it is closer than the alcove ceiling minimum height?


Other things to think about. You have just made a very nice garage masonry heater. 4 walls will radiate heat to garage and you get the convection heat and fans will help.

Other options are a zero clearance fireplace. Would be straight forward no grey areas there. Follow install instructions to the letter.

I have a stove set deep in my fireplace and it looks nice but it’s not the best heater. It’s an interior chimney and I have to run it 12 hours to get the masonry and stone up to temp before it really starts heating well.

And I have my TV over my fireplace. The tv is too high and gets hotter than I want it too when the stove is running and I have 6” stone mantel helps shield it some.

Just some thoughts

 

[newbietothestove]

How would you vent? through double wall in the garage to classA support box In Garage ceiling?

Would The whole TV wall assembly need to be non combustible because it is closer than the alcove ceiling minimum height?


Other things to think about. You have just made a very nice garage masonry heater. 4 walls will radiate heat to garage and you get the convection heat and fans will help.

Other options are a zero clearance fireplace. Would be straight forward no grey areas there. Follow install instructions to the letter.

I have a stove set deep in my fireplace and it looks nice but it’s not the best heater. It’s an interior chimney and I have to run it 12 hours to get the masonry and stone up to temp before it really starts heating well.

And I have my TV over my fireplace. The tv is too high and gets hotter than I want it too when the stove is running and I have 6” stone mantel helps shield it some.

Just some thoughts

oh wow. I'm so new to this I didn't know zero clearance was an option. It might fit the bill?

 

[begreen]

How would you vent? through double wall in the garage to classA support box In Garage ceiling?

It should be class A from the alcove ceiling on up.

oh wow. I'm so new to this I didn't know zero clearance was an option. It might fit the bill?

Yes, that option should be considered as well as a freestanding stove in the room with a brick hearth and backwall. There are some very good, clean-burning ZC fireplaces made.

 

[john26]

While on the subject of non-combustible alcoves could the same concept by executed using steel studs mineral wool insulation and non-combustible wall covering?

 

[begreen]

While on the subject of non-combustible alcoves could the same concept by executed using steel studs mineral wool insulation and non-combustible wall covering?

Yes, possibly.

 

[EbS-P]

oh wow. I'm so new to this I didn't know zero clearance was an option. It might fit the bill?

The FP30 would be my choice. There are units that qualify for the the tax credit.
https://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/?swoof=1&_sft_product_cat=wood&product_class=fireplaces

You have options

 

[newbietothestove]

The FP30 would be my choice. There are units that qualify for the the tax credit.
https://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/?swoof=1&_sft_product_cat=wood&product_class=fireplaces

You have options

Thanks! When looking more into these models the HHV is below 75% - I don't think they qualify.

Anyone know of zero clearance wood burning fireplaces that qualify for the 26% tax credit?

 

[begreen]

There is only one, the Astria Montecito Estate. Run the numbers. This is a price ZC. There are good ones at half the cost which may offset the tax credit savings on the Montecito.

 

[newbietothestove]

There is only one, the Astria Montecito Estate. Run the numbers. This is a price ZC. There are good ones at half the cost which may offset the tax credit savings on the Montecito.

Ah, yes. Looks like it would make sense to go with a less expensive version without the tax credit.

The TSC90 pellet stove has a top of stove to combustible clearance of 7inches. This seems to be more feasible for an alcove build. That is if we want to go with a freestanding unit.

Currently between a zero clearance wood burning fireplace or the TSC90 pushed halfway into an alcove. Digital sketch of both builds below. Any advice?

 

[begreen]

That could work, though they are very different animals. A woodstove like the Jotul F45 or the BK Ashford 30 will be relatively silent and will work in a power outage. Likewise for a good ZC fireplace like the FP30. A pellet stove requires power, has a less attractive fire, requires more frequent maintenance, and has the noise of 2 blowers running. That said, pellet stoves are convenient, just pour in the fuel once a day, they can be thermostatically operated, and they burn cleanly.

For more information on Pellet stove reliability, noise, maintenance, etc. post inquiries in the Pellet forum.

The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves

Wood Pellets and Corn, as well as mixed biomass agri-fuels are becoming popular due to local availability and ease of use. A wide choice of stoves, inserts and central heaters are currently available in this category. This Forum room is for discussion and troubleshooting of these appliances and...

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[stoveliker]

The Ashford may (...) better not be pushed into an alcove/fireplace. Its thermostat is in the back, and might dial down too much if it's hotter there.

The dots are because I don't know how the scale of the fireplace w.r.t. the stove is (clearly photoshopped), and what the needed distances are for the Ashford to have its thermostat work properly. I think that might be discussed in the manual (alcove installation distances).

 

[begreen]

The Ashford may (...) better not be pushed into an alcove/fireplace. Its thermostat is in the back, and might dial down too much if it's hotter there.

Good point. The same would go for VC stoves. Though we have seen a couple Ashford alcove installs, they had a higher ceiling in the alcove. One option would be to have the alcove ceiling at room ceiling height inside the chase and venting grilles above the TV set to vent out accumulated heat.