One of the most important aspects of installing a wood stove in your house is safety. You certainly don’t want your home to be in any danger of catching fire because of your stove, especially since there may be some instances in which your insurance does not cover the damages (if you build your own wood stove, for example, that does not meet safety regulations). One important aspect of wood stove safety is to know how to protect the wall from the heat your stove will put out.
Your wood stove will, of course, need a chimney. It’s not enough to use a stovepipe—you’re going to have to put in a lined masonry chimney or install one made out of insulated metal that is rated Class A. You will use the stovepipe to connect your wood stove to this chimney. The stovepipe should be about 45 cm from the wall, although this can be shorter if you have heat shields.
It’s very important that you keep your stoves a safe distance from any walls, especially in older homes where walls may catch on fire very easily. This distance does vary from stove model to model. Some need only about 20 cm, while others need 65 cm or more. If you’re in doubt, go for more distance. Always err on the side of caution when it comes to your home’s safety.
You can also install non-combustible wall protection if you like. This can include creating a stone, cement, or brick wall, or installing UL approved shielding. You can check the local building codes or look in the manual that came with your wood stove (if you have a manual) to learn more about creating wall protection.
On the other hand, you may want to install a rear heat shield on your wood stove instead of shielding the wall. If you’ve purchased the wood stove from a company, they should know if a rear heat shield is available for the model you’re installing in your home. If you’ve inherited an older model of wood stove or purchased your wood stove from somewhere else (an auction or personal sale, for example), you may have more difficulty finding a rear heat shield that fits perfectly. If this is the case, don’t use a heat shield that almost fits. It won’t block all of the heat, and it can cause a fire.