Removable mantle shield project- done

[newatthis]

We bought an Oslo last summer, and had the stove shop install it, with single layer, insulated flue. The Oslo was placed on the stone hearth, in front of the fireplace, for more heat and cooking capability. I wish the installers had pointed out that this installation did not meet clearances in several ways. We gradually became aware that the mantle was getting too hot. It measured up to 110F, and sometimes higher. As a stopgap, we wrapped bricks in aluminum foil and used them to prop up temporary heat shields (cookie sheets set at an angle) to deflect the heat, until we could get a definitive fix.

In the spirit of other helpful posts, I took pictures of our project as it went along. The shield is galvanized steel, I had it fashioned from a duct shop. We opted for "thick" (other option was "thin") and the edges are folded and crimped. $60 covered this, and another mantle shield (that is a work in progress). The goal was not to make any obvious marks in the mantle, and have it completely removable for the off-season.

Before:


Diagram, and some parts. The steel plates were scraps lying around here, only 2 holes were needed, but they were otherwise perfect for size (salvaged from an old electronics project):


Lintel, marked with grease pencil (so the shield is centered): left side is marble slab (front of mantle), right side is the iron lintel. The front hole is already tapped, the rear is in process in this photo. Wanted to put as many threads into the 1/4" think lintel, so used 1/4-28 tap:


Left bracket, with shield in place:


Right bracket:


Final look, although it isn't painted yet. Even unpainted, the reflected surface makes it blend in:


Side view- it come out almost an inch beyond the mantle. This shows, unfortunately, how dark and discolored the mantle became. Needs repainting.


Measurement of mantle is now 77F. The shield angle can also be bent up or down, if we want to later.

 

[begreen]

That's a nice improvement. If painted black it will almost disappear from view. Will the hearth get extended to reach 16" in front of the stove door?

 

[newatthis]

Will the hearth get extended to reach 16" in front of the stove door?

haha- yes, begreen, that's next on the list.

 

[Pellet_Pete]

Nice stove & nice mantel solution. Thanks for taking the time to take pics & write it up.

 

[Adahn]

Nice work. What is the clearance listed in the manual?

 

[Nick Mystic]

It looks like your project came our really well. How are you going to extend your heath out front? I take it you only load through the side door. Having carpeting right in front of the stove is pretty risky if you are loading through the front door. I have a similar installation with my F 600, except my stove sits up on a hearth extension. I keep my front doors locked and only use the side door where I have six feet of brick hearth. I keep an ember rug in front of the stove in case a hot coal happens to fall out the side door and off the extension. So far, that hasn't happened.

 

[newatthis]

How are you going to extend your heath out front?

Considering two things for the front of the hearth- the stove store sells some "ember protection" pads in a variety of sizes, they are no more than 1/2" thick- not sure if I can put that under the legs without disconnecting stove from flue. That would be quick/cheap. Other is to add stone to the marble front, would cut away the carpet, but not sure how hard it would be to match the stone. I do have a fiberglass rug, it wasn't in the picture- I know, I know, it's not up to snuff.

 

[newatthis]

What is the clearance listed in the manual?

On page 18 of the Oslo manual, it says "30 inches stove to mantel, maximal mantel depth 12 inches" . Our mantle is only about 8" deep. Here's another reference showing NFPA codes, and allows for different mantle depths: http://www.fireplacesnow.com/mantel.asp