Questions on Ideal Steel

[rdsherman]

It looks like we' re decided on an IS for our house. I think we are leaning towards just an essential stove without any ornamentation, but we haven't been able to find many pics of one. Anybody have any they clap post? Preferable in matte black?

I'm also a little confused about clearances. I'm including a pic of where it will be going. Do I need a heat shield? I think i'll need a hearth pad. The top of the fireplace opening is 281/2", so if I'm calculating right we would set the legs at 25 1/2? Is the ashpan available at that height? We prefer the Progress Hybrid but an ashpan is mandatory for us and I think the opening is too short to accommodate the PH. Thanks for any insight

 

[Grisu]

Are you sure the Ideal Steel will fit? That's from their website: HxWxD (Min. Leg Height): 30.5"x29.5"x27.5" (Ash Pan Not Available)
Even without the ash pan I don't think it will work.

The Progress Hybrid will fit with the short leg kit but you have to skip the ash pan.

 

[rdsherman]

I was under the impression it's the flue height that I needed to clear, not the total height. It would have to sit in front of the fireplace with the flue connecting to the liner in the firebox

 

[Grisu]

You are right, brain fart on my side. Flue height will be about 27.5" with the short leg kit. However, with that you don't have the ash pan option. Another problem that you will have is getting the pipe with enough clearance under the mantel since it goes right down to the lintel. Even double-wall needs 6" clearance to combustibles.

With heat shield the stove will need to be 6" from the mantel. Do you know the construction of your hearth?

 

[rdsherman]

The hearth and surround are all iron

 

[Grisu]

Interesting. I was not quite sure if the surround was wood but it did not look like iron to me. You would not need the rear heat shield then although it may still be a good idea or the surround will get pretty hot.

And the hearth looks like tile. Do you know what is underneath? The IS needs thermal protection of r = 0.41. Tile over hardibacker won't quite get you there: (broken link removed to http://chimneysweeponline.com/horvalue.htm) I cannot see in the picture how far out the hearth goes but it needs to be at least 16" beyond the stove in the front and 6" more at the sides. You could put a hearth pad down to comply with those requirements but since you will need a type 2 pad its added thickness will make the flue a tight fit to get under the lintel.

We prefer the Progress Hybrid but an ashpan is mandatory for us and I think the opening is too short to accommodate the PH.

As I understand Woodstock's specs, you won't be able to have an ash pan with either stove but you can call them to make sure. What do you mean with the opening being too short? The Progress needs only 26" lintel height with the short leg kit. That will give you more room to fit a hearth pad underneath and still being able to get the flue under the lintel. The big difference will be that the PH is a sideloader and your hearth needs to be wide enough for that. You will need less front clearance, though.

 

[Rearscreen]

My experience is that the amount of times I emptied the stove without an ashpan was minimal. This year we moved and got the longer legs, but opted not to have the pan because so few times it was emptied over the season. Stove was used for primary heat. This is a different stove alltogether and leaves little ash comparatively.