Seems every stove regardless of dimension and output has different clearances for combustible surfaces, do they need to be followed to the "t" if i want to pass inspection or should i plan on dodging the permit process if my top facing is an inch lower the the manufacturer call for? any thoughts on this?
New to wood burning, how important is following combustible exposure distance recomendations by the
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Each stove is tested to different clearances due to the specific ways that the stoves throw off heat. Clearly the manufacturers have an incentive to try and bring those down as close as possible so I'll bet you can assume that they have brought them in as close as they can and still pass the criteria for certification.
So - with that said if you 'dodge the permit process' and install an inch closer than required will you have a fire? Probably not, but if you follow the recommendations you KNOW you will not have one. It is not a matter of first time you light up - it can be the additive effects of long term burning then some bad event such as an accidental over fire or chimney fire situation that will then ignite that surface. The specs allow for this and protect your home from making a bad situation worse.
It is, of course, your call. But also understand that if/when you sell your home you may well leave that install behind and put someone else at risk. Is 1" really worth that?
EDIT: I don't want anyone to misunderstand my statements here - I don't advise violating clearances. I would never knowingly do it and in fact promote exceeding them for added buffer 'just in case'.
So - with that said if you 'dodge the permit process' and install an inch closer than required will you have a fire? Probably not, but if you follow the recommendations you KNOW you will not have one. It is not a matter of first time you light up - it can be the additive effects of long term burning then some bad event such as an accidental over fire or chimney fire situation that will then ignite that surface. The specs allow for this and protect your home from making a bad situation worse.
It is, of course, your call. But also understand that if/when you sell your home you may well leave that install behind and put someone else at risk. Is 1" really worth that?
EDIT: I don't want anyone to misunderstand my statements here - I don't advise violating clearances. I would never knowingly do it and in fact promote exceeding them for added buffer 'just in case'.
"should i plan on dodging the permit process" - not if required by law in your locale and/or if HO ins co requires it.
This is a fire safety issue. In practical terms - some safety variances are more risky than others. IE, 1. Stove part is 5" from combustibles when 6" is called for. 2. Stove part is 17" from combustibles when 18" is called for. 1. is more risky.
This is a fire safety issue. In practical terms - some safety variances are more risky than others. IE, 1. Stove part is 5" from combustibles when 6" is called for. 2. Stove part is 17" from combustibles when 18" is called for. 1. is more risky.
dougand3 said:
And to add to that it may also depend on the stove. example - I believe that all single wall requires 18" unshielded. My old VC ran 500* all the time, my new FV hasn't hit that yet and cruises at 200* (all surface temps). I would expect risk of violating clearance is higher with the VC than with the FV during normal operations although in case of a chimney fire I'll bet the temps would be through the roof for either stove...
Dodge the permit process, go ahead, throw the dice, it will end up costing you more if when you get caught ie, during the refinance, holding up the future sale, title search. Just to name a few off the top of my head.
Also, throw the dice with the clearances, I hope you and your family can sleep well with your decision. If your house burns down, that stove will be sitting in the basement where you have already put it, the insurance company will be measuring that distance while they are calling the building inspector, and denying your claim.
Also, throw the dice with the clearances, I hope you and your family can sleep well with your decision. If your house burns down, that stove will be sitting in the basement where you have already put it, the insurance company will be measuring that distance while they are calling the building inspector, and denying your claim.
I always kinda assumed that the clearances were determined by using some mild over-firing scenario for a certain period of time and checking the temps at certain distances. SO, i figure that if I NEVER EVER EVER EVER overfire then i'll be safe to a distance closer than prescribed.
I've read too many posts by respectable long-time users and their "got away from me for 2 minutes" stories to believe that I'm perfect and will never heat mine up a little too hot every once in a while. I'm sure that even specified clearances go out the window if you are burning your stove at 800 degrees for three hours straight, but knowing what I know about every engineered device I've ever seen, they usually like to make a little room for error and allowances for temporary deviations from prescribed usage. This is why my car doesn't actually blow up when I rev over redline a teensy bit. Now, if I held it as high as it would go then we might have some problems. make sense?
keep the distances as best as you can. you'll sleep better if you can remove the combustibles and replace with non-combustibles.
BESIDES, you'll look like you really know your sh*t if you ever sell the house and you talk to the potential buyers about "yeah, this particular model calls for 8inches of clearance on the left side there, so, i just ripped open that there wall and put in metal framing and covered her right back up with hardibacker, so you don't have to worry about anything if you burn in it" then you can always throw in a little "yeah, most people don't know what they are doing, so if you have another house you are looking at, and it's got a wood burning device in it, it's probably not up to code, even if an inspector says so, It's been my experience those inspectors can't know every stove well enough to determine what's right and what's not" LOL, you'll have them marking off the other houses on the list before they even leave your house, lol.
I've read too many posts by respectable long-time users and their "got away from me for 2 minutes" stories to believe that I'm perfect and will never heat mine up a little too hot every once in a while. I'm sure that even specified clearances go out the window if you are burning your stove at 800 degrees for three hours straight, but knowing what I know about every engineered device I've ever seen, they usually like to make a little room for error and allowances for temporary deviations from prescribed usage. This is why my car doesn't actually blow up when I rev over redline a teensy bit. Now, if I held it as high as it would go then we might have some problems. make sense?
keep the distances as best as you can. you'll sleep better if you can remove the combustibles and replace with non-combustibles.
BESIDES, you'll look like you really know your sh*t if you ever sell the house and you talk to the potential buyers about "yeah, this particular model calls for 8inches of clearance on the left side there, so, i just ripped open that there wall and put in metal framing and covered her right back up with hardibacker, so you don't have to worry about anything if you burn in it" then you can always throw in a little "yeah, most people don't know what they are doing, so if you have another house you are looking at, and it's got a wood burning device in it, it's probably not up to code, even if an inspector says so, It's been my experience those inspectors can't know every stove well enough to determine what's right and what's not" LOL, you'll have them marking off the other houses on the list before they even leave your house, lol.
Madison, i haven't "dodged any permit or clearance issues" yet, in fact, i haven't even purchased a stove insert yet. To add to this question, what about heat shielding? I know some manufacturers list reduced clearances with introduction of heat shielding in their maunals and the NFPA talks about it as well in NFPA211. but is it possible to shield a combustible facing under NFPA 211 and reduce a clearance to say a combustible top facing? For example, my fireplace, has a combustible facing that protrudes outward about 1 3/4"and is 40" in height from hearth. If I were to shield the facing with a 24 gauge steel mantel shield by bolting it to the the brick fireplace front underneath the combustible overhang, would that lower my clearance as described in the 211 or must it be listed by the manufacturer?
when a unit is submited for UL safety testing he unit is fired and tested in a room with moving walls that have thermocouplers mounted to it every so many inches.. the clearance is determined by the temp readings off these walls at different distances. as long as the unit is mounted with these listed clearances the wall surfaces should not be in any danger of damage from the heat of the unit. these clearances are determined for the safety of the user and should NEVER be compremised! "dodging the permit or inspection" to try to sneak the unit in a little closer is horrible advice.
thing to remember folks is this, in installing a woodstove in your home you are inviting fire to share your house. it has to be done right every time. the life you save may be your own.
thing to remember folks is this, in installing a woodstove in your home you are inviting fire to share your house. it has to be done right every time. the life you save may be your own.
reiserrob2003 said:
The mantle shield will lower your required clearance. (My manual lists the clearance - it does not list the reduced clearance a shield provides.) Try a forum search to find out by how much.
reiserrob2003 said:
Different stoves are constructed and often heat differently. Stoves that radiate a lot of heat need larger clearances. These can be reduced somewhat by the manuf. designing and testing the stove with built in heat shields. Some stoves actually have a jacket on the sides and back which can reduce clearances.
From experience, I would err in the direction of exceeding clearances not trying to undercut them. When a stove has been running hot in the middle of winter for days at a time, you will be feeling the walls and woodwork, checking to see how hot they are getting.
Chiming in late . . . there's a reason for the clearance specs . . . stove manufacturers have a vested interest in most cases in being able to reduce those clearances as much as possible since most folks prefer to be able to maximize their space in a room with reduced clearances (i.e. and more living space) and so trying to "dodge" the clearance issue is not a good idea simply from the safety standpoint. Personally, I sleep well at night knowing that my woodstove installation was not only done to meet the manufacturer's minimum clearance requirements, but rather I built in some additional distance for the peace of mind.
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