Inexpensive, safe, inspectable woodstove installation in a 100 year old barn..?

[JayPowHound]

Title says it all.

Cleaning out my grandfather's place I drew the straw for his old woodstove.

Have one in the house already, so I am hoping to install this one in my barn/garage.

Not sure exactly when it was built, but the house is 1847 and the barn is definitely old.

Floors are rough wood, with a 2-3' crawl space below them. Some of the supports are dwindling, so a couple of the floorboards have a little bounce. This will be addressed before installation.

I am looking for ideas on base and wall protection that will a) pass inspection b) be easy to install and c) not break the bank.

This will be my first job like this.. I have read about some options, but thought there must be someone here who has tackled something with similar requirements?

Will post pictures tonight of the stove sitting where I want to put it.

[glademaster]

Most municipalities won't let you install a woodstove in a building that is classified as a "garage," so before you get too far into this, do some research and determine whether or not it is even a legal install. Barns and shops are usually kosher, but garage installs are iffy.

The Building Inspector will reference the clearances to combustibles (CTCs) and required R-value of the hearth that is spelled out by the manufacturer of the woodstove you are installing.

If you are getting an inspection I assume you will be applying for a permit through the building department. They will want to see the installation manual for the woodstove, the specs on the hearth you're using (if it's pre-fab), or an assembly detail if you're building your own. They'll also want a floor plan calling out the distances to any combustible materials, and may want a letter from a Structural Engineer attesting to the fact that the floor in the barn/shop and your proposed reinforcements will be sufficient to support the stove.

Will you be installing new stove pipe and Class-A chimney too? If so, you'll want to have specs on those materials, cross sectional drawings of any internal penetrations, and an exterior elevation showing where the chimney will penetrate the wall/roof, and how high above grade it will be at it's termination point.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. I more or less do this stuff for a living in a place that is extremely rigorous in its permitting requirements.

Remember that air space is often an integral part of vertically mounted heat shields, and those must be called out along with the R-value of the insulative material you're using. However, the first thing we need to do is get the exact make and model of the stove, so that we can determine manufacturer specified CTCs. Once we have those established, we will evaluate what shielding (if any) is needed for a safe install.

I can also walk you through the safe way to do a bandit-install on a stove, as I did a few of those in a previous life too.

[::: :::]

If this is a historic wood stove (or just old), you may be SOL without a cert label (or at least doing it rogue as far as the jurisdiction is concerned). Archaic (or no) certifications for these things can be a problem.

but check your local jurisdiction for any regs
and, ^^^ what glademaster said




if going rogue, use non-combustible framing & finishes for at least 24" away in every direction purely for safety's sake (floor, walls, roof)

[edit to be a little more helpful] locate it away from walls if you can and create an island on the floor: think cement board + tile. I think slate flag might look awesome, especially some nice thick pieces with some cleft & character. you can pick your pieces at a landscape stone supplier. you pay by weight but you only need so many pieces for your zone, right?

[JayPowHound]

It's a 28" Cast Iron Martin Stove and Range that as far as I can tell is from the early 20s at latest.. so no, I dont have any documentation or specs on it. We are talking about a 95+ year old stove going into an even older barn.

I will look into the local regs and return with more info / plans once I determine if it can be legit or not.

FWIW, Yes.. i plan on buying stovepipe and whatever external chimney pipe I will need. I assumed that is relatively standard, so the actual install space / protection is what I really need to figure out.

[Peruvian]

Just install it in the middle of the barn with a rug under it. You know...original style.

[sb]

Gaming wheel optional

[glademaster]

That's a really neat old stove, a lot of municipalities don't allow the installation non EPA certified solid fuel appliances, but if it will be a part-time burner, and you aren't in a smog-hole, you should go for it.

Make sure to replace every gasket you can on the stove itself, and apologies if that is stating the obvious. As far as shielding and a hearth pad are concerned, you are going to want to use backing material and a baseboard that is UL1618 Type 1 and 2 Certified (i.e. USG Micore SB). This might be harder to track down, but it is certified for the exact uses you are describing, and most cement boards like Durock are not.

Stovepipe and Class A clearances are generally standard, but if you are going to get a permit, you'll probably still have to demonstrate that you're installing it in compliance with the manufacturers clearances met, beyond that, it is straightforward.

[Rideski]

Maybe you could just set up a fire pit type area outside near one of the doors. Maybe even a stove pipe into and back out of the barn for radiant heat.

[wooley12]

Not bothering to get a permit, installing it right and tending to it so the barn doesn't burn down might be an option. Depends on the location, situation and nearest nosy neighbor. What would be the downside of getting caught?

[BigDaddy]

You can use metalbestos to safely exhaust the stove. For cheap non-combustible materials, use a couple layers of durock cement board.

[Shadam]

Barn reno, s are my thing at the mo. Id post pics if I could. No codes here so we do wotev we want. My buddy sells and installs fireplaces and stoves so I can call him anytime. He said old stoves code is 4ft to combustible. I laughed coz that basicly means I cant put it in the barn I live in.
6" pipe 6" clearance, insulated chimney pipe 2". So we went with that and im still alive.

oh and it snowed abunch up top last night, barn life is treating me well

[Micol]

Just install it in the middle of the barn with a rug under it. You know...original style.

that is sweet !

[goldengatestinx]

In JeffCo CO I found it's 36" to combustible materials when researching installing an old Timberline wood stove. Made the spacing at 36" to two walls, on a tile floor. Walls barely get warm. Floor stays cool.