New build - Stove in an alcove or wood insert?

[Mark218]

Greetings all, new member her and I've been learning as much as possible from past posts and hopefully I didn't miss anything obvious. I'm building an 1800sf new home in the West Virginia hills and I'm looking for a wood burning heat source mainly for the ambiance but also for if the electricity goes out. The unit will go in the corner and my preference is a stove in an alcove but I'm seeing a lot of issues related to clearance. Pictures are attached but the face will be about 5'6" wide. My preference right now is a Drolet Columbia II with the stove sticking out about half way beyond the face. My thought is to frame my alcove with steel 2x4s then line it with Durock and a non-combustible brick veneer. I believe this would give me 6"+ clearance around the sides with plenty of open air to exterior walls which are framed with lumber. The top of the alcove is where I see my biggest problem. I prefer a smaller opening so an alcove enclosure 6"-8" above the stove top would be ideal. Again it would be framed with steel 2x4s and either the Durock/brick veneer combo or just 24 gauge steel plate. My issue there seems to be the Drolet manual doesn't clearly define clearances for non-combustible alcove tops. I've reached out to Drolet and waiting so hear what they say but I'm guessing unless they put it in black and white, it will ultimately be up to the building inspector?

I did see that Lopi has what seems to me, clearer instructions on above alcove clearances, 6" for non-combustibles. I noted that for non-combustible alcove construction, Lopi requires 3 1/2" of non-combustible material. They cite, brick, stone and concrete as examples but would I be able to stack several layers Durock to achieve the same level of mass?

Finally, if I simply can't get my wood stove in the alcove, would a zero clearance wood insert be my next best option? I just started looking at them (not wanting to accept defeat on the wood stove just yet) and while I'm not crazy about the cost, it seems like the Lopi Evergreen NexGen Hybrid Insert would fit in my enclosure and it does not seem to have any clearance requirements that I can't meet.

Thank you all in advance, I look forward to the responses!

Mark

 

[KDubU]

If you are building a house and want a woodstove, I suggest you plan to have the stove on its own and not in an alcove. It will perform better, easier to maintain, look nice (depending on a few factors), and because that is what they are designed for. I have one partially in an existing hearth and hate it being there but the hearth was there when I bought the house. I may still decide to pull it out and place it in the center of the house with a chase on the second floor to hide the chimney pipe. If you want the look of an alcove, go with an insert IMHO.

 

[Mark218]

Thanks KDub, I totally agree on the efficiency and performance of a free standing stove but the house is probably half way done and as I've seen others mention, my better half likes this particular look. The other fact is this is the only place a TV would work so it's going to be an an alcove or insert. Here's a look at the floorplan, stove will be the upper left corner.

 

[stoveliker]

See this post and the one of bkvp below ..

Converting an open hearth to stove in (combustible) alcove

I had some trouble finding examples of people who had done this conversion. I don’t claim to know the codes where you live - I shared my plans with my local town inspector, got permits, and scheduled inspections at the requested intervals. For me, this was relatively cheap insurance in case I...

www.hearth.com

 

[xman23]

Yes they need to breath. The intense stove heat needs to circulate the cold air along the floor and heat the house.

 

[Eman85]

You won't get much beneficial heat with what you're designing. A fireplace is ambiance, not heat. If you want both a freestanding stove with a glass front fits the bill.

 

[bholler]

Thanks KDub, I totally agree on the efficiency and performance of a free standing stove but the house is probably half way done and as I've seen others mention, my better half likes this particular look. The other fact is this is the only place a TV would work so it's going to be an an alcove or insert. Here's a look at the floorplan, stove will be the upper left corner.



View attachment 324715

You cannot use an insert unless you have a working fireplace. What you would want to look at is a high efficiency prefab fireplace

 

[Mark218]

So summarizing what I learned today and clarifying a few points. Yes, I get a wood stove in an alcove is tricky and significantly cuts down on the heat and efficiency of the unit, but the heart wants what the heart wants

I did see U 235's post and initially had high hopes as that is pretty darn close to what I want but as you may have read, his insurer didn't like the build so he's kinda flying without a parachute. I did pour over a bunch of manuals today, I think I can make the sides work using shielding as I described, basically a free standing skeleton of steel 2x4s and non-combustibles with plenty of air flow. My headaches comes with the alcove ceiling. If I seal it off 8" above the stove, with a sloped top a lot of hot air will roll out the front and likely force me to move the mantle way up which means the TV gets moved up and I don't get the look I want. I also thought about leaving the alcove open all the way to the ceiling. I've got vaulted ceilings and could put a vent or two with a blower but then most of my hot air just goes straight to the top of the room. I do have a large ceiling fan that could circulate it. I'm not an expert on fluid dynamics so I don't know how effective that would be. My main concern is ambiance but I do want some heat.

This leaves me looking more and more at the zero clearance high efficiency wood burning fireplaces. The research has been frustrating since not all websites define and classify those stoves. I even found one that is listed as zero clearance yet requires six inches around the sides.

Taking efficiency out of the equation, thoughts on building the air gapped steel non-combustible alcove around a stove? Thoughts on leaving the alcove open to the ceiling and venting hot air out there? Finally any recommendations on a zero clearance wood burning fireplace?

Thanks again everybody.

 

[tcurrie]

Seems like the idea of making it an alcove giving you the problems. Why not just do the zero clearance fireplace? Here's a pic of mine I just snapped. New build last year, thats a Kozy Heat z42. To the bottom of my mantle is 61", but you could not have the raised hearth (14") and drop the tv height down if thats part of the issue. And btw, it heats my house

 

[Mark218]

@tcurrie - I think you may be spot on. I do like the look of the wood stove in an alcove but with so many variables and possible inspection issues, this would be a reasonable compromise.

So two outstanding questions, what is the best zero clearance fireplace? I've seen the KozyHeat and the Ventis a lot. Second issue does anyone want a Pleasant Hearth High Efficiency Medium Wood Stove? That was the direction I was originally going and unbeknownst to me, my builder already ordered it and it apparently arrived yesterday. If you're in the Northern VA/Eastern Panhandle WV region, hit me up, I'll make you a deal.

 

[EbS-P]

Look at pacific energy’s options. They even have a duct kit that might be able to duct some heat upstairs

 

[tcurrie]

@tcurrie - I think you may be spot on. I do like the look of the wood stove in an alcove but with so many variables and possible inspection issues, this would be a reasonable compromise.

So two outstanding questions, what is the best zero clearance fireplace? I've seen the KozyHeat and the Ventis a lot. Second issue does anyone want a Pleasant Hearth High Efficiency Medium Wood Stove? That was the direction I was originally going and unbeknownst to me, my builder already ordered it and it apparently arrived yesterday. If you're in the Northern VA/Eastern Panhandle WV region, hit me up, I'll make you a deal.

I think the recommendation is to find out what your options are from your local dealer. My town has 2 shops, one is always open helpful and has great service, the other you cannot get a call back from the one-man operation. Anyway, my builder has had multiple of the Kozy units put into houses he's built here so there it was for us. I confirmed with the dealer that they recommend it and don't have any issues with it. Different brands will have different sized units and different clearances so check into that if your mounting the tv above.

 

[JamesGuido]

...this is the only place a TV would work ...

no offense but placement of a television, in my case, is a very low priority.

 

[xman23]

Curious why you are creating the alcove out of the corner? My corner install made use of what would have been a unused space.
I thought the zero clearance fireplace I have seen didn't have a large firebox. I assume to limit the fire size. But there maybe others out there.

 

[Mark218]

no offense but placement of a television, in my case, is a very low priority.

Until you get the urge to binge watch a 12 part History Channel special on the Civil War.

Agreed, but in the existing layout the TV goes in the corner or you watch it on your phone.

 

[Mark218]

Curious why you are creating the alcove out of the corner? My corner install made use of what would have been a unused space.
I thought the zero clearance fireplace I have seen didn't have a large firebox. I assume to limit the fire size. But there maybe others out there.

With the way the room is laid out and the windows, I really don't have many options. Right or wrong, I do want/need a TV and if you look at the floorplan, that's really the only place for it.

I'm starting to focus in on the Ventis models HE275CF/HE250R and maybe the Buck Stove 21ZC fireplace. With the two windows on either side of the corner I can't go too big unless I do some kind of a bump out in the face to give me a little more clearance toward the back.

 

[Doublebogey]

Eliminate the window to the right of the stove and put the tv there. There is a double door right next to it anyway. Make sure there is plenty of glass in the door. Then put a free standing stove where you are thinking but ditch the alcove. No brainer.

 

[tcurrie]

Eliminate the window to the right of the stove and put the tv there. There is a double door right next to it anyway. Make sure there is plenty of glass in the door. Then put a free standing stove where you are thinking but ditch the alcove. No brainer.

Yep I thought the same thing just didn't wanna start changing his design! But you're right!

 

[Mark218]

For better or worse, that ship's sailed...

Really leaning toward the Ventis HE250R at this point.

Thoughts on whether I need a fresh air supply? Seems some people say it's a must but I have also seen a few arguments that say for a full size house, even a new one, there's no need.

 

[stoveliker]

I would put in a fresh air supply. New homes are often tight.
Moreover it does make the heating more efficient given that you are not exhausting air you already heated from your home.

 

[FPX Dude]

TV above, it's the only way to go, the fan will direct the heat away the mantle will deflect as well, you wanna know how I know, here...

 

[ericm979]

Many if not most ZC fireplaces need to have the built in fan running to get significant heat out into the room. Mine does. I can run it during our extensive power outages but I let the fire die out when I'll be turning the generator off for the night. When the power is on the fan noise can get annoying, especially at night when the house is quiet.

 

[jesse72]

Mark218, I went through so many of the same questions and issues when I converted my ZC to a wood stove 'aclcove'.

I had originally wanted to do a TV above the stove as well but I ended up with a less conventional plan and alcove. This was the best way I found to build it in the space I had. Here is a link, let me know if you have questions

Removing FMI 42GC zero clearance and alcove build for Hearthstone Mansfield 8012

Hello all and thanks for all of the helpful info you have created on this forum. I am in the process of removing an FMI 24GC zero clearance fireplace that was original to the home when it was built in 1988. It has a wood framed / wood sided exterior chase on our 2 story home in which the...

www.hearth.com

 

[Mark218]

Thanks Jesse. We ended up going with the ZC FP in large part because the layout of room wouldn't fit a TV anywhere else. We ended up going with an RSF Pearl 3600. I'll post some picture soon as it should be installed in the next couple weeks.