A Safe Woodstove Installation: How to Use Thermal Barriers

(Page 2 of 2)

January/February 1981
By Mother Earth News Editors 
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In addition, the wooden supports should be insulated to prevent conductive heat transfer from the steel. We accomplished this by nailing the wood strips to the wall independently—deep-sinking each nail a quarter-inch into the lumber—and then slipping a section of aluminum window molding between the steel and the wood before tacking the pieces together with 1-1/4" aluminum roofing nails. (Because aluminum helps to rapidly dissipate heat, there is very little temperature rise in the wooden stock.)

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Constructing the two "tin" barriers displayed in the accompanying photo took roughly two hours, and the cost of materials (including a 4' X 12' sheet of 24-gauge galvanized steel, 24 feet of window molding, three 1-1/16" X 1-1/16" X 8' boards, twenty 1-1/4" roofing nails, and a can of flat black high-temperature paint) totaled less than $20. (And part of the steel sheet was actually used to underlie the brick base upon which the stove sits.) The heater is now a mere 16 inches from the wall, and the wood behind the barrier is barely warm to the touch, even when the stove is hopping hot!

INSULATION BOARD HEAT SHIELDS

Another—perhaps simpler—answer to the woodstove heat dissipation problem can be found right at your local heating supply store. Buy a 4' by 10' sheet of foil-covered fiberglass duct board, and slice it to match the dimensions of the wall area you're going to protect.

After the thermal barrier's been cut to size, it's a simple matter to locate the studs in the wall and secure the panels firmly—foil side out—using 1-1/4" aluminum roofing nails. (You can also "trim" the exposed edges with aluminum tape for a neater appearance.) Finish the face of the boards with heat-resistant paint (The Dampney Company Dept. TMEN, 85 Paris Street, Everett, Massachusetts 02149—makes an excellent product in at least ten different colors) ... and your project's complete. The insulative material will absorb heat evenly over its entire surface, and—providing the stove is positioned a commonsense 18" or so from the wall—the wood behind the shield will remain protected ... at an easy-to-live—with cost of about $20!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Woodstove owners: Don't miss the report on page 99.

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