Installing a wood stove in your home can lower your heating bills, provide heat during power outages, and adds an aesthetically pleasing accent to the home. When installing a wood stove, it is very important that the stove maintains all the proper clearances from combustible material. One of the clearances that often gets ignored is the proper floor protection and floor protection type. Having the correct floor protection will prevent costly damage to the home and is as easy as adding a hearth rug or a stove board.
There are two types of floor protection: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 floor protection is known as Ember Protection and Type 2 is known as Thermal Protection.
Type 1: Ember Protection
Type 1 Ember Protection is used for wood stoves that are rated without thermal protection. This means the stove manufacturer has tested the stove to be placed directly on a combustible floor. However, all stoves do require front floor protection to protect the floor from rolling logs and embers. Type 1 Ember Protection types are most often found in the form of a hearth rug. Most hearth rugs claim to be flame retardant. Type 1 Ember Protection will offer no thermal protection for a wood stove.
Type 2: Thermal Protection
Type 2 Thermal Protection is used for wood stoves that have not been tested to sit directly on a combustible floor. Thermal floor protection types are manufactured in the form of a stove board. The stove board safely allows a wood stove to sit on it. Type 2 floor protection stove boards are rated with an R-Value. The R-Value rating on the stove board must meet the R-Value requirement that is stated in the wood stove installation manual. The size of the floor protection must also be the correct size all the way around the stove per the installation manual of the stove. Each stove manufacturer states the appropriate clearance to combustible material in the installation manual. Provided the stove board is large enough, then it can usually be used as Type 1 Ember Protection as well.
Most Type 2 Thermal Protection stove boards can also be used to reduce a wood stoves clearance to a side wall. The stove board must have a 1" air space between the combustible wall and the stove board to be used to reduce clearances. Non-combustible spacers can be used to ensure there is ventilation on all four sides of the stove board. The clearance reduction can be up to 66%. However, after the reduction of listed clearances, the clearance should not be less than 12". If you're looking for a safe and economical way to reduce the clearances of a stove, a stove board is the answer.
FAQs
What do you put on floor under wood stove? ›
The floor pad can be brick, concrete, slate, ceramic tile or another noncombustible material; in most cases, it may not be installed on top of carpeting.
What happens if you don't have a Hetas certificate? ›Hetas is known as a 'competent person' and therefore need to contact the Council when work is carried out under its umbrella. As said previously though not sure if by asking the Council and if no record can be found then it may make indemnity insurance impossible to get - so could be a risk to contact the Council.
What is the best thing to put under a wood burning stove? ›Cinderblock Fireproof Mats
You can use cinderblocks to create fireproof mats for wood stoves. A layer of heat-resistant material over the backer board helps raise the stove and distribute heat, which protects the floor.
PermaBASE® Building Products are the industry-preferred choice and the only cement board approved for heat shield applications.
What can be used as a heat shield for a wood stove? ›What can be used as a heat shield? Heat shields can be made from a number of different materials. These include brick, stone, tile or vitreous enamel. What's important to bear in mind, however, is that the heat shield is fitted with an air gap between it and the wall surface behind it.
What can I put under my stove to protect the floor? ›To protect your new flooring from scratches, divets and tears, install rubber coasters or rubber mats beneath your appliance.
What do you put under and behind a wood stove? ›Heat shields are a type of heat-resistant board placed behind a wood-burning stove or other heating appliance. They are necessary for protecting your walls and floors from damage and decreasing the risk of fire.
What should a wood stove sit on? ›The most common and best hearth material for a wood burning stove is stone, especially slate and granite. However, you will also find hearths made from glass and steel. These can withstand high temperatures without cracking or posing a fire hazard.
How do I protect my hardwood floors from the stove? ›Area rugs.
For instance, placing a rug in front of your kitchen and your stove can help protect the floor from any splatter, which can leave unsightly watermarks if left unchecked. This is also an area that receives heavy foot traffic, so it's best to put rugs down to minimize regular wear and tear. 2.
Stoves with an ash drawer or ash dump allow you to clean the excess ash from your unit without stopping to let the stove cool down. Ashes are raked or sliced through slits in a cast grate or a small opening in the stove bottom into an ash container below.