# Potbelly Stove Installation



## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

I have an old No. 7 potbelly cast iron stove in perfect condition. It is one of the big ones that stands about 4 feet tall on 8" legs. Although we put a modern wood stove in the living room fireplace, the kitchen stays a bit too cool--hard for heat to move out of the original dogtrot footprint of the house back into the L shaped addition. So, I am building a hearth in the back of the kitchen, going to use 2 x 8 for framing on the floor and put cement board and brick tile on it. Plan to frame a heat shield on the wall with 2 x 4s and cover it with cement board and tiles as well. The $100 question I have, can anyone tell me what kind of clearance I need between the stove and the heat shield on the wall beind it? Since this is an antique stove, there is of course, no owner's manual to tell me this and I can't seem to find it online. Thanks.


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## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

Nevermind LOL I just found the answer. A company Vogelsomething in Maine, makes modern potbellies. So, they say 3' clearance on theirs and that sounds reasonable to me. Just happened to think about looking for modern ones instead of info on antique ones.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

That 3' thing is kind of a rule of thumb here. Might be fine. I like room.

That big beast might be too much stove for what you need and/or might need a little more space around it.

Would be a drag to install it and have an ins agent freak out because it was 3" too close.


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## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

frankva said:


> That 3' thing is kind of a rule of thumb here. Might be fine. I like room.
> 
> That big beast might be too much stove for what you need and/or might need a little more space around it.
> 
> Would be a drag to install it and have an ins agent freak out because it was 3" too close.


That part of the house is about 24' square(kitchen 14x24 with pantry and second bedroom opening off it) so hoping it works as good as Daddy said it would when I bought it. The front of the house stays warm with the stove in the living room but the back does not, hence installing this beast.

What would you recommend for clearance if over 3'? I really want to err on the side of safety. This old farmhouse is built of old (over 100 yrs) , virgin growth yellow pine and old virgin growth oak so, basically it is tender, gotta be super careful. At the same time, this stove is bought and paid for and funds are low so trying to use what is available. Insurance company (State Farm) has already approved the house and done their pictures. At that time the stove was in the living room, they didn't not bat an eyelash as long as we have thermostat controlled heat (we do HVAC system) so don't think they will care about adding another.


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

i dont want you to get into trouble so proceed at your own risk. that being said i think the 3' distance is fron combustable surfaces. concrete board is non combustable. i think you can get closer.


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

I put my stove a lot closer to the wall but I used ceramic fense post insulators to make a space between the cement board and the wall. I left it open an inch or two at the top and bottom so the air can circulate. Be sure to use the regular cement board, not the type with little foam balls in it.


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## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

dkhern said:


> i dont want you to get into trouble so proceed at your own risk. that being said i think the 3' distance is fron combustable surfaces. concrete board is non combustable. i think you can get closer.


I was hoping that by doing the dead air space on the wall as well as the floor that would work. I have plenty of room to put it 3' to 4' out into the room, as a matter of fact, at one time where it is going to set there must have been a woodburning cookstove since the old brick flue is still in the ceiling and coming out through the roof. Not using that though, don't trust it, we will dismantle it and do triple wall pipe and all the modern bells and whistles like that.


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## I_don't_know (Sep 28, 2012)

Would firewall expansion foam help?


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