Vermont Casting 1990CE - Manual (Page 9)

9
Intrepid II Woodburning Stove
30003840
Costructional Hearth
Dimensions as below
At least
300 mm
At least 150 mm
or to a suitable
heat resistant wall
At least
150 mm
Hearth Surface
Free of Com-
bustible Material
Perimeter should be
clearly marked e.g.
edge of superimposed
hearth
Perimeter should be
clearly marked e.g.
edge of superimposed
hearth
Appliance
Doors
Appliance
Doors
ST912
Fig. 10 Noncombustible hearth surface dimensions.
a) Fireplace recess b) Free standing
Floor Protection for Fireplace Installations
Do not assume your fireplace hearth is completely
noncombustible.
Many fireplace hearths do not satisfy the “completely
noncombustible” requirement because the brick or
concrete in front of the fireplace opening is supported
by heavy wood framing as in Figure 9. Because heat
passes through brick or concrete readily, it can easily
pass through to the wood. As a result, such fireplace
hearths can be a fire hazard and are considered a com-
bustible floor.
Keep in mind that many raised hearths will extend
less than the required clearance from the front of the
heater when it is installed. In such cases, sufficient
floor protection as described above must be added in
front of the hearth to satisfy the minimum floor protector
requirement from the front of the stove: 406 mm (16”)
from the front. Fireplace hearths must also offer the
required protection of 152 mm (6”) on either side.
Optional 76 mm (3”) short legs may be used only on
such hearths that meet the width and depth require-
ments outlined previously under “floor protection.”
Hearth rugs do not satisfy the requirements for floor
protection.
Fireplace installations also have special clearance
requirements to the side walls, side decorative trim, and
fireplace mantle. Refer to the information on fireplace
and mantel trim shields in this section.
Keep the Stove a Safe Distance from
Surrounding Materials
Both a stove and its chimney connector radiate heat in
all directions when operating, and dangerous overheat-
ing of nearby combustible materials can occur if they
are too close to the heat. A safe installation requires
that adequate clearance be maintained between the
hot stove and its connector and nearby combustibles.
Clearance is the distance between either your stove
(measured from the back edge of the stove’s top plate)
or chimney connector, and nearby walls, floors, the
ceiling, and any other fixed combustible surfaces. In
addition, furnishings and other combustible materials
must be kept away from the stove as well. In general, a
distance of 1220 mm (48”) must be maintained between
the stove and moveable combustible items such as dry-
ing clothes, furniture, newspapers, firewood, etc. Keep-
ing those clearance areas empty assures that nearby
surfaces and objects will not overheat.
Clearances
As with any solid fuel heating stove, extremely high
surface temperatures can occur, particularly in the
event of uncontrolled operation, e.g. if the doors
are inadvertently left open. It is crucial that suf-
ficient clearances are allowed to any combustible
surfaces, e.g. wooden mantels or lintels, and to
timber framed (studded) walls even if they are faced
with noncombustible board. Detailed information
on fireplace and hearth construction is provided
in section 2 of Document J, all installations must
comply with these requirements or with the relevant
National or local building standards.
Clearances to timber framed (studded) walls are includ-
ed below. There are no specific minimum clearances
to solid noncombustible surfaces (e.g. the sides and
rear of Inglenook fire openings constructed from solid
masonry) other than to allow safe access to the controls
of the stove. For this reason minimum side clearances
of 125 mm, and a minimum rear clearance of 50 mm
are recommended.