Question about New Construction, VC Encore, Brick Chimney and Firebox Surround

[George_Gordon]

Hi All,

We are building a small house in Connecticut with a wood stove. We are planning for a Vermont Castings Encore.

The house will have a true brick chimney and a brick firebox "surround" that supports the chimney above and simulates the appearance of a fireplace. The wood stove will be nested inside this brick surround.

Our question is about minimum clearances. I assume that we need to adhere to the minimum NFPA clearances on the attached illustration (even in the case of brick), in order to give the stove ample "breathing" room to dissipate heat. Is this correct? Is it safe to reduce any of these clearances so we can build a smaller "firebox"?

Are there other considerations for this kind of brick surround / wood stove setup? I realize it would be much easier to simply use stovepipe, but the house really calls for a brick chimney and we feel the expense is worthwhile.

Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[clancey]

Sounds like its going to be very nice and I am just wondering now that if you put a insert in the brick fireplace would all the heat go to the brick and just stay in there and not spread out to the rest of the area ---would a fan be necessary here? old clancey

 

[jalmondale]

I believe that counts as an 'alcove' installation, which can have an entirely separate set of clearances because of the way the heat gets trapped. If the manual doesn't specifically mention those, you should be able to find out from the manufacturer if (a) the stove is approved for an alcove installation and (b) what the clearances are.

Practically speaking, a wood stove (likely rear-vented up the chimney for aesthetics) set just in front of the opening will heat more effectively, unless the brick is set up to be a radiant heat source/heat sink (so if the brick were freestanding in the middle of the room, cool, against an exterior wall, not so much). You'd definitely need a fan setup to get the heat out into the room.

 

[BrianVA]

Isn't the clearance requirements based on "clearance to combustibles"?

 

[bholler]

Isn't the clearance requirements based on "clearance to combustibles"?

Yes unless it is built as a code compliant fireplace which means 8" thick solid masonry walls if the inner wall is firebrick and 10 if it's all standard brick. Unless it is built that way it is infact an alcove and you need to follow clearances to combustibles and see if the manufacturer allows reduction because of the brick.

 

[George_Gordon]

Yes, the alcove installation has been a concern for a few reasons:

First, the alcove assembly becomes very large after you factor in the stove, clearances, and brick on either side.

Second, we worry that the stove will not radiate heat very well insofar as some is "trapped" in the alcove. Obviously the brick will absorb heat and dissipate it, but still, I cannot see how it would be as efficient as a free-standing stove open on all 3 sides.

I think, for simplicity sake, we are going to design for a square columnar chimney strucutre that rises from the crawlspace all the way up through the roof, that allows for a stovepipe penetration and then a flexible stainless liner all the way. We will save a lot of floorspace and labor over the alcove.

What do you all think?

 

[BrianVA]

Yes, the alcove installation has been a concern for a few reasons:

First, the alcove assembly becomes very large after you factor in the stove, clearances, and brick on either side.

Second, we worry that the stove will not radiate heat very well insofar as some is "trapped" in the alcove. Obviously the brick will absorb heat and dissipate it, but still, I cannot see how it would be as efficient as a free-standing stove open on all 3 sides.

I think, for simplicity sake, we are going to design for a square columnar chimney strucutre that rises from the crawlspace all the way up through the roof, that allows for a stovepipe penetration and then a flexible stainless liner all the way. We will save a lot of floorspace and labor over the alcove.

What do you all think?

Have you looked into masonry heaters? More efficient than a wood stove with a more comfortable and steady radiant heat.

 

[George_Gordon]

Thank you for this suggestion. We haven't really looked into them. At first glance the size strikes me as a bit large, but maybe there is a smaller design that could work for our application. It certainly seems like a nice alternative to the traditional wood stove.