Steel Hearth Pad Help

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Johnny357
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Post by Johnny357 » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 9:52 am

Going with the Legacy TLC2000 but I am trying to save on the hearth pad. I know I can use the steel pad made by emberking but its about 350$. A local company (logan steel) can make a steel pad for me that's longer, wider, and thicker than the emberking for 130$ but it is not "UL Listed" because they don't do that testing.... The specs on the tlc2000 say nothing about requiring a pad that is "UL Listed"....Called the local building department and they really were a bunch of a**holes... I mean seriously would they even check that? To my knowledge steel is steel.

Someone please shine a light on this for me..

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 10:46 am

The problem with steel that won't burn if hot embers are dropped on it, is that it's great at transferring heat to a floor that would. The stove pads (hearth pads) are usually a lamination to reduce heat transfer to a floor.

The stove pads I see in the hardware store are only $45.00. I wonder what the code says about them ?

If UL rating isn't required, for $350.00 you could have a sheet metal shop cut the steel, fold the sharp edges under, and then place some insulating fireproof sheeting under it and have lots of money left over.

Paul

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 11:29 am

What's a code???????????????? Good Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is common sense dying here???

 
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Post by franco b » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 11:39 am

A hearth pad of 4 ft. by 4 ft. gives room for tools and coal scuttle as well as good clearance for most stoves..

What I have used is a sheet of metal 4x 4 on the floor followed by a layer of 1/2 inch cement board followed by whateve 16x 16 tile Home Depot has on sale. The TLC 200 should have very little heat radiating from the bottom.


 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 12:38 pm

freetown fred wrote:
Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 11:29 am
What's a code???????????????? Good Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is common sense dying here???

Sometin' dat makes ya nose 'tuffed up. :D

Paul

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 12:44 pm

franco b wrote:
Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 11:39 am
A hearth pad of 4 ft. by 4 ft. gives room for tools and coal scuttle as well as good clearance for most stoves..

What I have used is a sheet of metal 4x 4 on the floor followed by a layer of 1/2 inch cement board followed by whateve 16x 16 tile Home Depot has on sale. The TLC 200 should have very little heat radiating from the bottom.
Some wood trim to act as a retaining frame, then fill and level the space with play sand and then put the sheet metal over it all, works, too.

Paul

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 1:31 pm

Yep, that'd do it well.

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 1:39 pm

The UL listing has a design 'U' or 'K' rating...
For the inspector this gives them a valid insulating value...
That meets code...
And they don't have to decide if your home brew pad is 'safe'...
Liability also if they screw the pooch on design factors...
And The Nanny State has allowed common sense...
To be not so common...
Darwin has not been allowed to do his work...
Few Code Inspectors that I have met have much common sense...
They do know how to collect revenue thru fees...
Their office is very good at generating fees...
Rather than taxes and common sense solutions...


 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 1:55 pm

Luckily, we have more of the common sense ones around here. If they ask, just show them that the recommendations in the National Fire Codes were followed and they are happy.

It's my understanding that most municipalities and insurance company inspectors base their fire codes on the National Fire Codes.

And a hearth and stove surround don't have to be "UL listed", or even a "store bought" system to meet National fire code

A bed of sand under a fireproof surface, such as sheet metal, slate, tile, cement board, or blocks is one of the accepted methods of making a hearth. . There are recommendations in the code of accepted materials and how/where to install them for a DIY installation.

And based on that, I used a bed of sand under the slates that are the hearth for my range.

Paul

 
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Post by cntbill » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 3:01 pm

When I installed a fireplace in our living room there was nothing about UL listing regarding the hearth pad. I just followed the manufactures specs and the NFC requirements. That was all the inspector was interested in, besides suggesting I put a big screen tv above it..

I used "Micore board" along with the granite to exceed the NFC I think "K" specs, (forget what letter), the board is light some kind of fiber board which cut easily and is not that thick. So if you don't want to high of a hearth pad this stuff is nice. Some googling should come up with a inexpensive price.

Below is a couple of pictures showing the board and how I joined them eliminating any space, as I could only get certain sizes shipped UPS.

DSCF2673.jpg

Showing my joint

.JPG | 932.2KB | DSCF2673.jpg
DSCF2677.jpg

What it looked like before the granite

.JPG | 905.1KB | DSCF2677.jpg
DSCF2753.jpg

You can see the board under the granite hearth pad.

.JPG | 286.4KB | DSCF2753.jpg

 
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Post by Johnny357 » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 4:30 pm

Thanks for all the replies.

I received some more information about this... Apparently it becomes an insurance issue should my house burn down. If it were found by the insurance company that the protection I used was not "UL Listed", the insurance company could decline coverage for any and all damage to the home. Still frustrated because if it came down to that the insurance company would see that the steel plate I had cut exceeded the specs of UL Listed steel pads... All in all, I have not come to a clear cut answer on this. Below is the link for the "UL Listed" Emberking pads that are made of 10 gauge plate steel - that's it. My father tried to stop by the building department with the TLC2000 product manual at 3PM today but they were closed - go figure.

http://emberking.com/standard

 
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davidmcbeth3
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Post by davidmcbeth3 » Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 6:56 pm

franco b wrote:
Fri. Oct. 13, 2017 11:39 am
A hearth pad of 4 ft. by 4 ft. gives room for tools and coal scuttle as well as good clearance for most stoves..

What I have used is a sheet of metal 4x 4 on the floor followed by a layer of 1/2 inch cement board followed by whateve 16x 16 tile Home Depot has on sale. The TLC 200 should have very little heat radiating from the bottom.
I had a cloth \ 1/2" plywood \ sheet metal \ ceramic tile structure it worked well and cost about ten bucks

But I dropped it and am looking for new ideas on a 2nd one to build....

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Sun. Oct. 15, 2017 8:23 pm

True about the code...
the insurance will find a way to wiggle out from paying...
Get a nice ugly cheap ul rated metal hearth pad...
Build what you want on top without destroying integrity of the cheap pad...

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