walls too hot???

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chuck1020

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Nov 10, 2008
15
south jersey
i have no wall protection behind my stove, but it is 20'' from the wall. the min. that the book said was 13''. my wall behind the stove gets to around 110F. is this ok?
 
Yeap... they can get up to 117F above room temp and be safe, which would put it around 180F. Thats the number we use for mantles and I think its the same thing for walls. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I'm assuming the wall is sheetrock. 110 should be fine. Hot water pipes that get close to 180 lay directly on sheetrock without a problem. People say as long as you can press your hand against it for three full seconds it's fine.
 
How hot is the stove when the wall gets to 110? If your stove is at the highest temp and all you have on the wall is 110, then you are ok. Wood is ok up to about 165. Hopefully some one here as the temp that is dangerous to wood. If you are concerned, you could add a heat shield.
 
Doesn't sound to me like a problem. Rick
 
thanks for the replies. sounds like im good to go. im gonna install a rocked wall behind it eventially, just cant fund it right now.
 
chuck1020 said:
thanks for the replies. sounds like im good to go. im gonna install a rocked wall behind it eventially, just cant fund it right now.

why? you can get rocks outside for free... :)
 
believe the standard is twice the ambient room temp, factored at 72* average that would give a safe temp of up to 144*
 
pyro68 said:
believe the standard is twice the ambient room temp, factored at 72* average that would give a safe temp of up to 144*

Even then, if you could get wood to ignite at 144* I believe you would win the science fair. ;-)

Many materials in our environment, including wood products, burn “indirectly” in the sense that the materials do not actually burn, but combustion takes place as a reaction between oxygen and the gases released from a material (an exception from this rule is the glowing combustion of charred wood where oxygen reacts directly with carbon). Under the influence of heat, wood produces easily substances that react eagerly with oxygen, leading to the high propensity of wood to ignite and burn.

Ignition and combustion of wood is mainly based on the pyrolysis (i.e. thermal decomposition) of cellulose and the reactions of pyrolysis products with each other and with gases in the air, mainly oxygen. When temperature increases, cellulose starts to pyrolyse. The decomposition products either remain inside the material or are released as gases. Gaseous substances react with each other and oxygen, releasing a large amount of heat that further induces pyrolysis and combustion reactions. This combustion occurs around 300* C or 572* F, therefore; I would suggest that if you keep the temperature of that wall well below 572*, you should not have a problem.
 
Ok Ok, BI guy, I give up :-) you win!! :-P way out of my depth now. When I really want something to burn I pour an accelerant on it, light a match, and run!
Happy thanksgiving
 
one evening last summer I was preparing to light a fire in our back yard firepit, the neighbor's boy (about 13) came over and was telling me all the different certifications he has w/Boy scouts lighting fires. Flint ect. ect. as he finished he looked at me like, well, how do you start fires. .. . . I grabbed the jug of Tikki torch fuel, poured it over the wood, lit the match and told him, " I'm good w/ accelerants! " :coolsmile:
 
pyro68 said:
one evening last summer I was preparing to light a fire in our back yard firepit, the neighbor's boy (about 13) came over and was telling me all the different certifications he has w/Boy scouts lighting fires. Flint ect. ect. as he finished he looked at me like, well, how do you start fires. .. . . I grabbed the jug of Tikki torch fuel, poured it over the wood, lit the match and told him, " I'm good w/ accelerants! " :coolsmile:

beats the hell out of whacking rocks together :lol:
 
pyro68 said:
one evening last summer I was preparing to light a fire in our back yard firepit, the neighbor's boy (about 13) came over and was telling me all the different certifications he has w/Boy scouts lighting fires. Flint ect. ect. as he finished he looked at me like, well, how do you start fires. .. . . I grabbed the jug of Tikki torch fuel, poured it over the wood, lit the match and told him, " I'm good w/ accelerants! " :coolsmile:

I have never been opposed to accelerants (except in the stove). On occasion I have been known to use a little used motor oil or kerosene on a wet brush pile. Keep warm and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
 
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