Installing a wood stove can be somewhat difficult, but if you follow the instructions that came with your wood stove, everything will go smoothly. Remember, though, that you have to pay very close attention to safety. You don’t want to install your wood stove improperly—if you do, there’s always a chance that your stove could catch fire.
Before you even start installing your wood stove, you’ve got to take a look at your chimney. You must have a chimney to use a wood stove in your home—simply putting the stovepipe out the window or putting it through your roof will not work at all! You have three options for a chimney: a masonry (brick) chimney or an insulated metal chimney. If your home already has a chimney or a fireplace, you can adapt them to work with your new wood stove. There are several different options for installing a metal insulated Class A chimney. Note that your existing chimney or fireplace may not work with your wood stove—be sure to make certain you can follow all safety regulations before you attempt to install your wood stove in an existing chimney or fireplace.
Once you’ve got your chimney issues figured out, it’s time to install the stovepipe. This pipe is used to shunt the smoke from the wood stove to the chimney. It should not pass through any walls, ceilings, or floors. There are a few different types of stovepipes, including a single stovepipe and a close clearance stovepipe. The type you have depends on the wood stove you purchased. Both get the job done. Single stovepipe connects your stove to a nearby chimney, while close clearance stovepipe can be used for spaces that are smaller since they can actually be placed closer to combustible walls.
You need to make certain that the floor you’re going to be sitting your wood stove on is not going to catch fire. If you’re sitting the wood stove on concrete, you’re OK. Likewise, if you’ve got ceramic tile, slate, marble, or brick laid down over cement, you don’t have much to worry about. However, if you have wood floors, you’re going to need to install a UL approved stove board to absorb the heat. If you don’t, it’s very possible your floor could catch fire. This can even be true if you sit your wood stove on a fireplace hearth. Sometimes, the hearth (the area right in front of the fireplace) isn’t designed to withstand much heat at all.