Looking for a Coal Stove With Reduced Clearances

Hello. I have been a member for some time but have mostly been reading , not posting. A while ago I was thinking of putting a stoker in my basement and ducting the heat upstairs. I have since decided to go with a hand fired stove upstairs in the living area. We are really looking for something that looks like Readings new "mahantongo" stove. We really like the look of that stove. The problem is that we need something that can go a little "tighter" into a kitty corner installation. That stove requires the 18"clearance all the way around and they don't make any shields for it. Are there any other stoves that are similar to that stove or if we cant find one that looks like that, other style stoves that would do well in a kitty corner install with less than 18" clearances. Im looking to heat approx 1500 sqft. I definetely am going to need something this year as the wood stove is now gone and all I have left is electric baseboard which is "not going to happen"! Thanks for any ideas/help.

Don't have any suggestions but since any of those stoves are going to be radiant stoves they are going to require a good distance of clearance. To tell you the truth I'd be leary of putting any stove like that against a wall without a decent clearance unless it was stone or brick all the way the through.

The law (and common sense) says we need clearance from combustables. One way to legally be close to a combustable is to make a heat shield. You can make one quite easily. It isn't much money, and very safe. Get a sheet of aluminum, .04" is fine, even a bit thinner is OK, but the thinner stuff gets bent easily. Using 1/2" copper tubing, cut a bunch of one inch pieces. Cut the aluminum so it covers the wall that needs protecting. Whatever you need for clearance, make it so that after it is installed you have the proper distance from any part of the stove to any combustable. Find where the studs are in the wall ( a magnet will find screws or nails telling there's a stud there). Drill holes in the aluminum so they line up with the studs. Before drilling, you need to know one thing: The alumium must be one inch off the floor when you are done. That is what makes the shield work.... air gets drawn up from the bottom, making a chimney of sorts. It's this moving air that keeps the wall cool. Using sheet rock screws, go through the aluminum, through one of the copper spacers and into the stud. At least four spacers per sheet of aluminum, use your own judgement. At a corner, the aluminum stops an inch from the wall. The aluminum on the other wall meets it in mid air.
Don't forget to do behind the stove pipe if it is a bare pipe. Another way to do stove pipe is, if it's a 6" pipe, use 8" and screw it to the 6" so it makes a one inch space all around.

Note: Bricks ON a wall do not protect it from heat. ANY shield needs air space behind it and a way for that air to move. The only reason bricks or slate on a floor are OK is that heat rises.

I just checked with the fire chief. A heat shield provides a 50% reduction. Like: a soid fual appliance needs 36" clearance, with a heat shied you can go 18". He said you can get down to nine inches if you build a non cumbustable wall THAT IS SPACED from the combustable wall. This can be made of brick or two layers of gypsom board. The last thing he said was to check with your local fire department. Different states have different laws, and even some cities have tighter laws.

Freddy wrote: Note: Bricks ON a wall do not protect it from heat. ANY shield needs air space behind it and a way for that air to move. The only reason bricks or slate on a floor are OK is that heat rises.

Note that I said "all the way through", e.g. solid stone or brick.

Richard S. wrote:

Freddy wrote: Note: Bricks ON a wall do not protect it from heat. ANY shield needs air space behind it and a way for that air to move. The only reason bricks or slate on a floor are OK is that heat rises.

Note that I said "all the way through", e.g. solid stone or brick.

I did notice, but make darn sure you're at least an inch from the next door neighbor!

My husband's uncle is wanting to sell his Koppe stove -- it burns both coal and wood. ~32 in x between 32-36 in wide x 18 inches deep. He is willing to include 1 ton of left over coal if he sells it. It was purchased for over $1000 when new. The fire department approved it to be about 1 foot away from a sheilded wall (cement and tile wall and floor). Location is Farmingville, Long Island.

Freddy wrote:The law (and common sense) says we need clearance from combustables. One way to legally be close to a combustable is to make a heat shield. You can make one quite easily. It isn't much money, and very safe. Get a sheet of aluminum, .04" is fine, even a bit thinner is OK, but the thinner stuff gets bent easily. Using 1/2" copper tubing, cut a bunch of one inch pieces. Cut the aluminum so it covers the wall that needs protecting. Whatever you need for clearance, make it so that after it is installed you have the proper distance from any part of the stove to any combustable. Find where the studs are in the wall ( a magnet will find screws or nails telling there's a stud there). Drill holes in the aluminum so they line up with the studs. Before drilling, you need to know one thing: The alumium must be one inch off the floor when you are done. That is what makes the shield work.... air gets drawn up from the bottom, making a chimney of sorts. It's this moving air that keeps the wall cool. Using sheet rock screws, go through the aluminum, through one of the copper spacers and into the stud. At least four spacers per sheet of aluminum, use your own judgement. At a corner, the aluminum stops an inch from the wall. The aluminum on the other wall meets it in mid air.
Don't forget to do behind the stove pipe if it is a bare pipe. Another way to do stove pipe is, if it's a 6" pipe, use 8" and screw it to the 6" so it makes a one inch space all around.

Note: Bricks ON a wall do not protect it from heat. ANY shield needs air space behind it and a way for that air to move. The only reason bricks or slate on a floor are OK is that heat rises.

I just checked with the fire chief. A heat shield provides a 50% reduction. Like: a soid fual appliance needs 36" clearance, with a heat shied you can go 18". He said you can get down to nine inches if you build a non cumbustable wall THAT IS SPACED from the combustable wall. This can be made of brick or two layers of gypsom board. The last thing he said was to check with your local fire department. Different states have different laws, and even some cities have tighter laws.

I was thinking of something like above. I also was wondering about those prefab stove boards. Do you know how much of a reduction they make and also do you know any manufactorers that make ones that look like brick or stone. The only ones I see around here are those ugly shiny black ones and the stove is going in our living room so we kinda want something that looks good too.

coal nut wrote:Hello. I have been a member for some time but have mostly been reading , not posting. A while ago I was thinking of putting a stoker in my basement and ducting the heat upstairs. I have since decided to go with a hand fired stove upstairs in the living area. We are really looking for something that looks like Readings new "mahantongo" stove. We really like the look of that stove. The problem is that we need something that can go a little "tighter" into a kitty corner installation. That stove requires the 18"clearance all the way around and they don't make any shields for it. Are there any other stoves that are similar to that stove or if we cant find one that looks like that, other style stoves that would do well in a kitty corner install with less than 18" clearances. Im looking to heat approx 1500 sqft. I definetely am going to need something this year as the wood stove is now gone and all I have left is electric baseboard which is "not going to happen"! Thanks for any ideas/help.

Here's my stove
**Broken Link(s) Removed**
A Harman TLC-2000 that you can kitty corner 12" from a combustible wall. Great stove!