Picking Out a Stove and Preparing for Installation
Decide on a location for your stove. You don't want to have to make the decision of where to put your stove as you are wheeling the 500-lb iron behemoth around on a dolly. Designate a site in your house for your stove well in advance of when you plan to buy it. Since stoves are space heaters, generally, you'll want the stove on the first floor of your house where you spend most of your time so that it can warm you effectively throughout the day. To further maximize the efficiency of your wood stove, try to pick a spot in a room with especially good insulation so that the heat from the stove is not lost through the walls or windows. Keep in mind that every wood stove requires a chimney. Take this into account when choosing a spot for your stove. If you plan for your chimney to extend straight up through the roof, for instance, you may not want to pick a spot for your stove that's directly under one of your second floor's main support beams.
Observe your stove's clearance rating when picking a suitable spot. Wood stoves can get very, very hot during use. Radiating heat from the stove can pose a hazard to nearby walls and furniture, so wood stoves generally have a specified clearance - a minimum safe distance between the stove and nearby floors and walls. Your stove clearance can depend on where you live, whether your residence's floors and walls are combustible, and the type and size of wood stove you have. If in doubt about your stove's clearance rating, contact your stove's manufacturer. This applies only if your stove is UL or CSA listed - please check the label. If not you may still be able to install it. Check if your locality allows non-listed solid-fuel appliances (this is what wood stoves are officially called). If yes then check next with your insurance company. If all is good you can install your unlisted stove according to NFPA211. This will specify all clearances.
Choose a certified wood stove. As you shop for wood stoves, be sure to check that any stove you're considering buying is properly certified as meeting criteria for safety and environmental friendliness. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies wood stoves as meeting certain emissions standards. The EPA regularly publishes exhaustive lists of certified wood stoves, but certified stoves should also be labeled with both a temporary paper label and a permanent metal label.
Pick a stove that's the right size for your needs. Generally, the larger a wood stove is, the hotter it can become when it's full of burning wood. Thus, small rooms can become uncomfortably warm from the heat provided by an especially large wood stove. Most wood stove manufacturers list their stoves' maximum heat output per hour in British Thermal Units (BTU) - most popular stoves fall between 25,000 to 80,000 BTU. The average medium-sized house requires only about 5,000 to 25,000 BTU - in other words, the maximum output of a small stove or less - even during winter. However, your home's heating needs may differ based on your climate and the size of your house, so, if you have any questions, contact your manufacturer. Burning your wood stove at its maximum capacity for long periods of time can damage the stove, so you may want to opt for a stove that's slightly larger than what you'll typically need so that you can use it at sub-maximum capacity most of the time.
Installing Your New Stove
Before starting, notify your local officials. Like many building projects, installing a wood stove may require permission from your local government to ensure that you comply with safety regulations. However, rules will vary from town to town, so, before you buy a stove or start modifying your house, get in touch with the building or planning department of your city or town's government to get a sense of what is and isn't legal. If you need to get a building permit to install your stove, the officials in this department should be able to help you get one. You may also want to call your local fire marshal, as, in some jurisdictions, installing a wood stove requires an inspection to approve the validity of the installation. Finally, you may also want to contact the issuer of your homeowner's insurance, as installing a wood stove may change your liability.
Lay a non-combustible floor pad in the spot where your stove will be.This pad, made of brick, ceramic tile, concrete or another noncombustible substance, should be flush with your home's existing flooring. Floor pads are essential for safe wood stove operation, as they ensure that any stray sparks or embers that fall from the stove will only come into contact with the pad, not the floor, reducing the risk of fire. Floor pads are especially crucial in the case of houses with wood or carpet floors directly adjacent to the stove. Certain laws dictate the use of floor pads - in the United States and Canada, the floor pad must stretch at least 18 inches (45 cm) in front of the stove door and 8 inches (20 cm) from the other sides.
Add a heat shield to protect combustible walls. Installing heat shielding on the walls around the site of your stove can further reduce the risk of damage or fire. Heat shields are often made of sheet metal, which is relatively simple to lay over existing walls. Check your local building codes to find out whether any special permission is needed to mount the shield as well as any other related clearance requirements. Note that the installation of a heat shield can reduce the clearance requirements of your stove.
Carefully move the stove into position. If you haven't hired professional movers to help you get your stove into position, you'll need to move it yourself. Wood stoves are made from metal and can be incredibly heavy, so be sure to take any and all measures necessary to protect yourself as you move the stove. A sturdy dolly or hand truck that's rated above the weight of your stove is a great way to get the stove to its position without hurting yourself. Minor adjustments to the stove's positioning at the site of installation may need to be done by hand, in which case you should enlist the help of a friend or family member so that you don't have to bear the full weight of the stove yourself. You may also want to try rolling the stove into position on lengths of sturdy PVC pipe.
Install a chimney and connect it to your stove, if necessary. A well-functioning chimney is absolutely crucial for getting the most out of your wood stove. Your chimney should carry smoke and sediment safely outside your house - a poorly-installed chimney may not effectively remove the smoke, leaving your living room a gloomy, smokey mess. Chimneys can be an existing part of the house's construction or can be installed along with the stove, but in either case, the chimney must be well insulated and made of a non-combustible material. New chimneys installed for wood stoves are often made of a special kind of insulated stainless steel piping. You may need to use a length of stovepipe to connect your wood stove to the chimney. This is fine, but remember that stovepipe is relatively thin and poorly-insulated, so by no means can stovepipe be used as a substitute for an actual insulated chimney. Generally, the taller and straighter a chimney is, the better. The greater distance that smoke must travel horizontally (through curved sections of stovepipe, for instance), the less effective the chimney will be at removing smoke from the stove.
Consider hiring certified professionals to install and inspect your stove. Installed properly, wood stoves can be a tremendous boon for your house, but installed improperly, they can be a hassle and even a serious danger. If you encounter any problems while installing your wood stove or you are unsure of how to proceed safely, enlist the help of a professional. Similarly, if, after installation, you have even the slightest doubts about the safety of your stove, schedule an inspection with an expert. The safety of your home and family is well worth the minor expense of hiring outside help. The National Fireplace Institute (NFI) is an agency that certifies fireplace and furnace experts. If you have any doubts about who to contact to install and/or inspect your new wood fireplace, search for an NFI-certified expert in your area on the NFI website.
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