Englander NC30 - Alcove Install

I just placed the order for all of the Chimney materials. I should have everything I need from the stove to the chimney cap. I can't wait till things start arriving, although it's not expected to come till the end of the month. I'll take pictures of the project and post them here when I start building. Thanks for all the help guys. Really grateful for this forum.

 

Ok, now that the stove and chimney parts are ordered, and it time for to start planning on rebuilding the firebox that the wood stove will rest in. I will be opening the fireplace up to the dimensions shown in the attached picture. I will be adding steel reinforcement where the new top of the opening will be. As far as the hearth in front, I will be extending it out a few inches to ensure it has a minimum of 16" from the door of the stove. I will also be adding a new material with R value of 1.5 under the brick hearth.

The current firebox is loose and can be pushed out of the way easily, which is good because I need to remove as it is too small and shallow. I am curious as opinions on how to rebuild the firebox with bigger dimensions.

1. What kind of brick should I use? The brick currently pictured is grey and bigger than the brick of the fireplace breast, and hearth. Should I stick with this type of brick? Does the brick I choose matter with respect to safely or heat production (reflection) or is it simply a matter of style/taste and cost.

2. Should I make the firebox completely square, or should I make it curve in on the sides and in at the top of the back as currently pictured? Is that just a stylistic choice, or do the curved walls help push the heat back into the room? I was guessing the curved walls and curved back was more of a necessary thing for an open fireplace, and not really necessary when the firebox is used to host a wood stove in an alcove. Any thoughts on why I should or shouldn't create a square firebox would be appreciated. I imagine a square firebox would be a lot easier, require less planning and cutting, etc...

3. Above the firebox will be a steel block-off plate that separates the firebox from the rest of the hollow area behind the fireplace breast. I was thinking I'd line the inside of the fireplace breast above the block-off plate with cement backing board (non-combustible) so that I can use 6" clearance from my stove pipe vs. 18" to combustibles. Any thoughts on this I would appreciate.

 

Get the fire box out and then when see whats back there. then formulate plan. Check what ever suporting members are there sides and bottom. More than once there has been some nasty surprises. There have been reported cases where supporting members have become charred due to use and age. Current fire box doesn't have much weight vs the400+ # of the NC-30.

 

I have a question. Is there no insulation in the exterior wall behind the "fireplace"?

 

I have a pretty good idea of what is behind the firebox. I removed a brick and snapped a picture up in there. I do not believe the firebox has ever been used before. There is no chimney or flue and I don't think there ever was (house was built in 1884). It is just hollow behind the firebox. See attached picture. Underneath the firebox is a few feet of brick going down into the basement, resting on concrete, so it is quite sturdy. The hearth in front of the firebox is just a single layer of brick resting on the sub-floor.

 

Correct, this is no insulation behind the firebox anywhere in the chimney breast. In fact, there is very little insulation at all in the entire house (built-in 1884).

There is 21" of space between the front facing wall of the fireplace and the wood of the exterior wall in the picture.

The plan is to line the inside of the chimney breast with cement backing board to protect the wood.

 

One thing I haven't yet accounted for, is how to clean the chimney. Currently with my designed setup there is no tee, or anywhere to get access to the chimney except at the chimney cap.

1. Is this is acceptable?
2. Can a chimney sweet just remove the cap and clean the entire chimney from the top?
3. Will my 2x 45 degree stovepipe elbows pose a problem with this?
4. Is another option to remove a piece of stovepipe and pull the stove out of the alcove every year to clean from the bottom up?

 

You could pull the baffle out of the stove and clean bottom up with a Sooteater...

 

I don’t have dampers because they wouldn’t work well with chimney sweeping. Turns out I don’t miss it!

 

Englander specifies 15 ft minimum, I have 18. I have a friend with about 25, and his seems to work ok. I have heard that 30 really pulls. Translation: not sure.

 

The masons have begun their work opening the fireplace, and should be finishing up today. I have changed the plan yet again, and am now going to be going through the wall which I really wanted to avoid, but I think has to be done due to clearance at the ceiling.

Here are some pics of the masony work so far. Today they will be adding steel reinforcement, reinserted half-bricks, and cleaning up the edges.
After that we will be building up the firebox, and extending the hearth a bit.

 

Filling the brick sides back in...steel reinforcement is next...

 

Steel reinforcement in, firebox built. I am going to paint the cement backing board black and see how that looks. If it's too noticeable, I'll be adding thin-brick to the cement board.

 

Got the stove and set it in for a test fit.

Will be installing the feet before final install.

 

Better check your clearances and required R values.

 

Chimney is finally complete. Hoping tonight to finish up a few small things and light it up for the first time!

 

Cool thread Nice job , Chimney looks great
Looks like one of your images is not showing up In your last post

 

Does your stove have the side & rear heat shields?
How far is the cement board from the exterior wood ?
How far are the top & sides from wood? Even if it is through brick or cement?
Is the hearth over wood?
Did you comply with the clearances in the nc-30 manual & NFPA-211 for combustible surfaces behind or below the brick/cement board?

Before you light it makes sure you are in compliance.

KaptJaq

 

Yes, I purchased and installed the side heat shields and the stove came with the rear shields.

The cement board is spaced 1" from the exterior wood.

The rear of the stove is 7 inches from the rear wall, so even without the cement board, it meets the 5" of required clearance (I am using Duravent DVL stove-pipe (double wall)).

The sides are 18" from combustibles, and I have a couple spaced out layers of sheet metal, and a 1/2" Microre 300 on the sides and above the stove. The Mantle is 25" above the top of the stove, and I have a mantle guard installed underneath it to deflect heat away from it.

The hearth is 4" of brick, with several inches of concrete under the brick. I will be adding a hearth extension to meet the 18" required from the front surface of the stove.

I read through the manual and was very careful to meet all of the clearances to combustibles on all sides of the stove.

Thanks for the check list though. It is good to double and triple check everything, but I am confident that I am in compliance.

 

The pictures above of the stove set in place are pretty out of date. Since then, I have removed the pedestal and installed the legs. I've added the larger optional blower (AC-30). I've added the side heat shields. I also removed the brick side walls, and rebuilt the firebox surrounding the stove in the alcove. It is now a couple layers of sheet metal and tonight I will be fully encasing it with Microre 300 on the sides and above the stove.

The reason I removed the brick surround was because it was installed before I decided to add the side heat-shields, and the stove would not fit properly after adding the them.