Replacing insulation board on top of wood cook stove oven

[jessiebird]

We own a 1980-ish Heartland Oval wood cook stove, a repro of 1905 stove. It's showing its age, but we're keeping it going and cook on it all winter. The company closed its doors a few years ago, so online resources are scarce. Under the cook top, on top of the oven box, there is a layer of some sort of board/paper (hopefully not asbestos!) that is deteriorating. We'd like to replace it but haven't found anyone who can tell us what it might be and how necessary it is. I'm assuming it is to keep more heat inside the oven, not as some sort of fire safety material. If so, we could possibly replace it with a sheet of "ceramic fire board" I have seen online. But is that even necessary? Is there a better material? If it's not a safety issue, we could leave it as is or even remove it altogether and see how the oven performs. Can anyone weigh in? Thank you.

 

[River]

Under the cook top, on top of the oven box, there is a layer of some sort of board/paper (hopefully not asbestos!) that is deteriorating.

It should not be asbestos in a 1980ish stove, but I do not know what it is.

We'd like to replace it but haven't found anyone who can tell us what it might be and how necessary it is. I'm assuming it is to keep more heat inside the oven...

No, that is not it. The flue gases flow from the firebox over the oven, then down the right side of the oven, then under the oven and out the flue. Heat is transferred to the oven from the flue gases. Insulation between the flue gases and the oven would keep the heat out of the oven.

I have never seen a cookstove (including my own) with any kind of insulation installed between the flue gases and the oven. Some people try to maintain a layer of ash on top of the oven to reduce the heat transfer rate, but that is not what you have.

Unless I found some information showing the Oval came with this insulation from the factory, I would remove it, completely. You will probably have to adjust your oven-temperature management style, but you would be rid of a problem.

I wish you the best.

 

[jessiebird]

Thanks for your reply. You have given me more information than any of the cook stove dealers I have called.