If I use a rear exit for my new stove (Jotul Castine), my front clearance will drop from 16 inches to 8 inches. I know code is 16 inches. What I am asking, is this 16 inches for heat, or for ember/log rolling out protection? I know woodstock keystone is 8 inches in the front, because the front door doesn't open. I don't have any height to my hearth. My hearth is a piece of bluestone only 1/2 inch above the hardwood floor. Can I safely rely on the 8 inches of bluestone, and then put a big fireproof hearth rug in front to make up for the missing 8 inches?
Does the Jotul Castine require ember protection or thermal protection? If it needs thermal protection then no, a hearth rug will not work. If only ember protection then it is up to the authorities having jurisdiction & your insurance company. I know around me the hearth has to be permanently installed, a rug ( or anything removable) will not do it. First read your manual, then talk to the people that have to sign off on it. IMHO I would not use a rug. It can so easily slip out of the way or might help someone slide into the stove. KaptJaq ps: From the manual: The Jøtul F 400 requires one of the following two forms of hearth protection: 1. Any noncombustible material that has a minimum R- value of 2.0. (No bottom heat shield required.) 2. Any noncombustible material with the use of the stove’s bottom heat shield. Do you have the bottom heat shield installed?
Yes we will get the bottom heat shield. And I know what I suggest is not to code. I was only wondering from a safety perspective, should one chose to knowingly deviate from code, if those 16 inches were meant for thermal protection, or just the ember protection.
That far in front of the stove it is ember protection. Especially with the bottom heat shield. The viewing window is high enough that there will not be too much radiant heat at floor level. The only place I use hearth rugs is to protect finished floors/rugs from the occasional ember that fly out of an open stove door beyond the required hearth. KaptJaq
We used a hearth rug at one point beyond the hearth and they are NOT fireproof but instead fire retardant. We had one light on fire and it smoked the house up really bad. The biggest issue is dropping hot embers they will burn through the rug and get into the floor beneath the rug causing fires. You are better off extending the hearth a little. It's a big cost but also a big life saver.
Your castine is a smaller of the mid size breed, that will ultimately get stuffed to the gills with wood. The ash lip is ok for catching ashes, however anything bigger than ashes, its a trampoline. Taking shortcuts with woodstove clearances isn't recommended.
I was trying to get as much of the stove outside of the fireplace as possible, so the heat radiates up into the room instead of up into the block off plate. The hearth only projects 24 inches into the room. So 16 inches of clearance, and 13 inches of castine still means 5 inches of stove inside the fireplace.
Unless I'm missing something, page 6 of the manual says 18". The hearth in front of my BK is at least 2' out, and I've had a couple of pops go past that. You can never have too much.
The rug I have is not fire proof but can have a pretty big hunk of burning log on it. I had a hunk of coals fall out onto rug and it did not really smoke but smelled funny and burned all the pretty t the backer but I had plenty of time to pick it up with the welding gloves I wear and throw it back in fire. There not going to burst into flames more like you will have to have not seen it hit. And the small embers just burn out as the rug is not decent fuel.
Just get a hearth extender. They are pretty affordable and you should be able to fins one that matches the fireplace. I completely understand the desire to get the stove pushed out from the fireplace.
Why not? Does the picture provide enough information? What's the difference between that and say a slab of bluestone?
Putting clearances aside because we have no info on that, I really don't like the idea of a heavy stove and metal to glass contact. Bluestone will not shatter.
