It should be noted that there is no ‘legal’ minimum distance to combustibles, only what’s recommended by the manufacturer and the stove installer, but these guidelines are there to keep you and your home safe and they are worth adhering to. No HETAS engineer will install a stove below the minimum distance, so it’s best to ensure you have plenty of wriggle room to save any hassle. Heat Shields Just want the supply only of the very best products at the guaranteed lowest prices in the UK, exclusively for Essex residents? Without adequate clearance from your stove, a combustible wall or object can overheat, dry out and present a fire hazard. The Fire Protection Association recommends that in general the common radiant-type stove maintain 900mm of space from a combustible surface. When this is not possible a heat shield is your only option. Situated between your stove and the exposed surface, a heat shield can reduce the required distance for safety. For more information on the minimum standards for heat shields and their installation, HETAS provides a comprehensive guide. A heat shield with good air circulation protects combustible material from pyrolisis and fire and the clearance reduction gives you more room! VLAZE, our sister company, fabricate heat shields from vitreous enamel, a superior material known for its many outstanding properties. It is heat-resistant up to 650°C, which allows you to reduce the distance between your stove and another surface to 95mm. For Charnwood stoves that reduces even further, to just 75mm – a vast improvement on HETAS regulations. This allows you to maximise space, providing greater flexibility when configuring your room layout. VLAZE’s heat shields are easy to install and available in 3 sizes and 30 luxurious glazes – ample options to match your fireplace dimensions and your style.

You could also build a heat shield from masonry materials, provided that you include means for air flow to dissipate the heat radiating from your stove.In addition to being made from a sufficiently heat-resistant material, it’s also important that your heat shield is of the correct height. This code also allows for 1/2" "non-combustible insulation board over 1 in. (25.4 mm) glass fiber or mineral wool batts without ventilated air space." It’s this risk of combustion which is the main reason why you’ll potentially need to install a heat shield. Thus, the combustible materials are insulated both by the air space and the heat shield, and don't get too hot. What Should Heat Shields be Made of? Although adhering to installation regulations may seem like a hassle sometimes, it’s worth remembering that the rules are made to keep you safe. Stoves are often the main feature of a room, and understanding the rules before you’re ready to install gives you an opportunity to incorporate them in the décor. Surrounding your stove with painted heat shields or non-combustibles like stone tiles can complement your stove and transform a simple wood burner into a striking centrepiece. Don’t want to make or fit a heat shield? We have a range of stoves with optional heat shields which fix to the stove’s rear.

Under standard conditions a stove flue pipe can reach between 150 and 200 degrees centigrade. But, they have been known to get much hotter – particularly if the stove’s fire is burning fiercely. A huge amount of work, research and study goes into stove safety each year. The regulations that are set out here are tried and tested, so as long as you follow them, your stove will be as safe as another other type of home heating appliance.Hold the sheet metal against the wall, and using a sharpie marker, mark each hole through the sheet metal and onto the combustible wall. According to the relevant British Standard, BS 8303:2018, the ‘distance from the appliance rear to the outer surface of the shield’ must be ‘at least 95mm and at least 90mm from the side of the appliance to the outer surface of the shield (if near to an adjacent wall)’. Stove safety and installation So, without proper safeguards, a wood stove configuration may SEEM fine, but over time the degradation of material slowly lowers its ignition threshold, then suddenly you have a house fire on your hands! This may seem like a rather obvious point, but if you’ve not used a stove before, you may not realise quite how hot both the stove and its flue pipe can get.

As such, when you’re selecting a heat shield you should have first measured the width of both your stove and your hearth. How should heat shields be installed? I just had a chat with Gill saying how delighted we are with our little Hobbit stove, and to also thank you both for your attention to detail and excellent customer service!" As such, pyrolysis is a real concern for stove safety; especially if you have combustible materials situated near your stove. No. Provided that you are installing your stove into a proper fireplace that features a hearth, chimney cavity and a firebox, then you don’t need to install a heat shield.National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) generally calls for a 36" clearance between your stove and the walls and ceiling.

I will also be writing to the London-based fireplace companies to put the Hobbit on their radar. Best wishes."Well, as their name suggests, heat shields are panels made from heat-resistant materials such as vitreous enamel, which are designed to protect (and enhance) the wall behind a stove. Just wanted to share a picture of our newly installed Hobbit. Absolutely delighted with it, and so pleased we were able to retain our existing fireplace as well. Brilliant product, thank you!" I take my half-a-century of wood heat experience and my research skills, (I've been a high school English teacher for 30 years), and put them to work to answer your wood burning questions. Methodology The Hobbit Stove is a small cast iron multi-fuel stove that is able to burn wood, coal, or eco logs, and it fully complies with the new Eco Design 2022 regulations, which makes it suitable for any installations after the 1st January 2022. The Hobbit Stove is specifically designed for installations where the space for a stove might be more limited, and this makes our stove the ideal choice for small fireplaces where larger stoves simply won’t fit.