New member, just purchased a PE Super 27

[Cornflakes]

Hello! I'm Matt from Western MD. I just bought a home a few months ago and have been tinkering around the idea of getting a wood stove installed.... Finally took the plunge!

After much lingering on the forums, I have decided to get a PE Super 27.

I have a 1600sq ft cap cod, and the stove will be placed in the only central location possible. (Will post pics later)

While I wait for my chimney pipe installer, I wanted to get the stove and hearth setup and ready for him to do the final install.

The wife and I have been looking for a nice, sleek, modern looking hearth pad (will be over our hard wood floors).

We decided to go with a 40x48inch piece of 1/4inch plate steel painted black.

Since the super 27 requires only ember protection, will I be okay to simply have the steel flush to the wood floor, with maybe some type of non combustible material as a buffer?

My stove dealer recommended I put cement board between the floor and the steel.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hogwildz]

If it only calls for ember protection, you should be good to go. If you want to add some extra safety measures:
Put a layer of micore underneath.
Come out a good 24" or slightly more in front of the stove to help protect if any ember pops etc that may land out further than the standard 16" requirement. It also helps when cleaning up debris from loading & cleaning the stove.

 

[Cornflakes]

Thanks for the reply Hogwildz. I will have some extra space in front of the stove as the minimum for a pad is 34x40.5.... and I have plate steel cut to 40x48.

Is there a substitute for Micore that I can buy at home depot or Lowes? Or what other store could I look to buy it?


The stove will be located roughly there the Radio Flyer is sitting.

 

[begreen]

Durock NexGen cement board has an insulation value of R=.39. That will be plenty if you want some additional protection, but the metal plate alone is sufficient for this stove.

There are a few issues with the stove location. It is supposed to be no closer than 10ft to a return air register. Check with your local inspecting authority on this to avoid a surprise on inspection. The thermostat will probably have to be moved. And a lot of heat is going to go right up the stairwell. Not sure if that is what is desired.

 

[Nick Mystic]

Welcome to the forum Cornflakes. If your new stove only needs ember protection you sure don't need 1/4" thick steel as a floor protector. And if you are set on using it for some reason you won't need anything like Micore under the steel for safety reasons. I would be shocked if you could damage a wood floor with a sheet of 1/4" steel on top of it even if you built a fire right on top of the steel! If you do go with that thick steel sheet you should probably put a wooden frame around the edges to keep from tearing up someone's foot if they are tending the stove barefoot or in socks/slippers. Good Luck with the installation.

 

[Cornflakes]

Welcome to the forum Cornflakes. If your new stove only needs ember protection you sure don't need 1/4" thick steel as a floor protector. And if you are set on using it for some reason you won't need anything like Micore under the steel for safety reasons. I would be shocked if you could damage a wood floor with a sheet of 1/4" steel on top of it even if you built a fire right on top of the steel! If you do go with that thick steel sheet you should probably put a wooden frame around the edges to keep from tearing up someone's foot if they are tending the stove barefoot or in socks/slippers. Good Luck with the installation.

The requirement for the stove is ember protection that is 1/4 inch thick.... hence the thick steel. I just wanted to plot it down on the floor so it would be flush and modern looking.

 

[Cornflakes]

Durock NexGen cement board has an insulation value of R=.39. That will be plenty if you want some additional protection, but the metal plate alone is sufficient for this stove.

There are a few issues with the stove location. It is supposed to be no closer than 10ft to a return air register. Check with your local inspecting authority on this to avoid a surprise on inspection. The thermostat will probably have to be moved. And a lot of heat is going to go right up the stairwell. Not sure if that is what is desired.

Unfortunately, if we want a stove on our living level, that is the only central location possible. Your return air register comment just sent panic down my spine. The guy that will be installing already came out to the house a few weeks ago and didn't say anything about the register being an issue. He has been doing this for 30 years, so i would hope he knows about things like this. ..... crap. .... now I'm thinking "what have I done"....

hmmmm..... did i just waste my time and money already.

 

[begreen]

The stove only requires ember protection. It doesn't need to be 1/4" thick sheet metal. 24 ga would be fine.

 

[begreen]

Unfortunately, if we want a stove on our living level, that is the only central location possible. Your return air register comment just sent panic down my spine. The guy that will be installing already came out to the house a few weeks ago and didn't say anything about the register being an issue. He has been doing this for 30 years, so i would hope he knows about things like this. ..... crap. .... now I'm thinking "what have I done"....

hmmmm..... did i just waste my time and money already.

The sales person may not know mechanical code. Is this job being inspected? If so, ask the inspector. Worst case might be that the return needs to be relocated.

 

[Cornflakes]

The sales person may not know mechanical code. Is this job being inspected? If so, ask the inspector. Worst case might be that the return needs to be relocated.

This wasn't a sales person, he is a licensed chimney sweep/stove & chimney installer local to my area.

 

[begreen]

Will the job be inspected? Is the sweep csia, nfi or ncsg certified?

 

[Cornflakes]

The stove only requires ember protection. It doesn't need to be 1/4" thick sheet metal. 24 ga would be fine.

I must be on crack.... I could have sworn it said 1/4 inch thick ember protection somewhere in my research. Oh well, I guess my 1/4inch steel plate will be sufficient.

 

[Nick Mystic]

Yes, don't sweat the cold air return. As begreen mentioned it is relatively easy to move it. Getting back to your 1/4" steel hearth pad - have you checked out any of the commercially available hearth pads? They come in a multitude of designs and are much more attractive that a piece of steel painted black. Once you start using your stove and have some ashes get on the painted steel you might not be too happy with the appearance. Look at any cast iron stove that has a lip in front of the doors and they are always smudged with ash that you can't really remove with just a quick brush up. The commercial hearth pads are designed to hide a lot of that sort of debris. Do a google search for "hearth pads" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[Cornflakes]

Will the job be inspected? Is the sweep csia, nfi or ncsg certified?

He is ncsg, csia, and is affiliated with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission. It will be inspected.

 

[Cornflakes]

Yes, don't sweat the cold air return. As begreen mentioned it is relatively easy to move it. Getting back to your 1/4" steel hearth pad - have you checked out any of the commercially available hearth pads? They come in a multitude of designs and are much more attractive that a piece of steel painted black. Once you start using your stove and have some ashes get on the painted steel you might not be too happy with the appearance. Look at any cast iron stove that has a lip in front of the doors and they are always smudged with ash that you can't really remove with just a quick brush up. The commercial hearth pads are designed to hide a lot of that sort of debris. Do a google search for "hearth pads" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Yes, the wife and I have been looking at pads. We couldn't find any that we liked, and she found pictures of some people with modern stoves that simply used plate steel and they had a look we like; hence where we got the idea. You do have a point as I can now envision our black steel covering in ashy gray dirt..... hmmmm

 

[begreen]

Sounds good. Ask the inspector. Regional enforcement varies.

 

[begreen]

Yes, the wife and I have been looking at pads. We couldn't find any that we liked, and she found pictures of some people with modern stoves that simply used plate steel and they had a look we like; hence where we got the idea. You do have a point as I can now envision our black steel covering in ashy gray dirt..... hmmmm

Sheet copper looks really nice. Or maybe glass?

 

[Cornflakes]

Sheet copper looks really nice. Or maybe glass?

Maybe a layer of glass over the black metal... What type of glass would I get, and where - to sustain the weight of a stove on top of it?

 

[begreen]

I would speak with a glass shop about the right thickness and type of glass to use. I'm assuming tempered but could be wrong. Morso makes a glass hearth pad. Someone recently installed their stove on it. I'll see if I can dig up the thread.

edit: here it is:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...o-glass-hearth-plate-install-complete.130142/

 

[Cornflakes]

I just googled, looks like their glass pad is the same style as this steel pad they sell. I had previously saw this steel pad, which also reassured my steel pad idea.

I wonder if I applied any other kind of finish to the steel if it would help resist a dirty ash look.

I already purchased my steel plate... so i really want to do all i can to still use it since its non returnable.

 

[begreen]

You can do all sorts of finishes on steel. Or paint it a charcoal or lighter pewter grey.

Steel can also be chrome plated, aluminum coated, etc.
http://wasatchsteel.blogspot.com/2013/04/metal-finishes-and-coatings-for-steel.html

 

[Cornflakes]

You can do all sorts of finishes on steel. Or paint it a charcoal or lighter grey.

I think that will be the way I go. Paint it an ashy grey of some variance.

Ok so, just to beat the horse into the ground - I should feel 100% secure about placing my stove on 1/4 inch steel and no other buffer underneath? I may adhere some felt to the underside of the metal so I won't scratch my floors if I need to reposition the plate.

 

[begreen]

Correct. If using the felt pads do a lot of them, maybe with 8" spacing so that the weight is evenly distributed.

A satin, pewter grey paint would be a nice finish. Powder coated would be even better.

 

[Cornflakes]

Correct. If using the felt pads do a lot of them, maybe with 8" spacing so that the weight is evenly distributed.

A satin, pewter grey paint would be a nice finish. Powder coated would be even better.

I was going to pad the entire surface area with felt fabric. Do they sell thicker pads? Thanks for you input and suggestions BTW. This is a bit daunting! (for a newb)

 

[Jags]

I should feel 100% secure about placing my stove on 1/4 inch steel and no other buffer underneath?

Yes - 1/4" plate far exceeds "ember" protection.