Hearthstone Homestead "re"install

[wingarcher]

This is on the other Hearth forum, forgive the cross post if you're seeing it again. Long story short we bought house, stuck a new Homestead in where the previous owners had a wood cookstove. Survived last winter without wall insulation and lots of drafts. This spring/summer we gutted half of the house and insulated, vaulted the ceiling and re-arranged the stove location. Much more better now!

N

 

[wingarcher]

One more- the finished product!!

We aren't using as much wood now that the place is tight and INSULATED. R42 in the middle of the ceiling, R21 walls, and new windows.

 

[Ductape]

Wow............ that looks great !

 

[chainsaway]

awesome!!!

congrats on the great work, you obviously took great care of the details... a pro job! cheers alain

 

[Dok]

That looks terrific! Good work all around.
Dok

 

[JFerg65]

Great job, you can certainly tell some thought went into that project and well executed!!

 

[weimedog]

That looks absolutely beautiful. What a nice job!

 

[adseegs]

Looks great! I just picked up a used Homestead. I'm in the process of repainting it and replacing the gaskets. There isnt much info about it on the net. How has your experience with it been? Any suggestions about the instalation of it? I'm hoping it uses a lot less wood than my ancient bullard insert.

 

[wingarcher]

Last year (the "before" picture) we had just plunked it down under an existing chimney the previous owner had installed. The house was drafty, etc etc. The new install is against an outside wall and we went for the outside air kit (OAK).

Last year without the OAK, there was a noticeable draft crawling across the floor towards the stove. This year we ran the stove without the OAK hooked up and there was a draft heading to the stove again, this time from a soon to be replaced door. Got the OAK connected outside, no drafts. I like it.

Make sure the ash pan seals properly in its slot. There is a tab at the back that needs to be almost horizontal to mate with the gasket in the front of the ash pan. Also, make sure the spin-y part of the ash grate seats flat down against the casting it sits on. Ours didn't, and we couldn't control the stove at first. The ash pan opening wasn't sealed and the grate leaked- we had a forge, not a stove. A little bending and grinding, voila.

Ours has the heat shield, we need it for clearance. Our stove store said the blower is a waste of time and money.

If you've got specific questions let me know.

Nat

 

[adseegs]

Thanks for the tips. My house is old, uninsulated, and very drafty. Over time I would like to work on insulating it , but untill the funds become available it'll have to wait. Funny the things you dont think about when you buy your first house in july.

I will be venting this out of my existing interior chimney with a stainless liner. As for the OAK I was thinking about pulling air from my basement. I know that would make the basement drafty but it is unfinished so its not a big concern. Another thought would be ducting the OAK out through the basement. My only concern is that I would need 8 or 9 feet of ducting to get it to fresh air. I'm afraid that would interfere with the performance of the stove. I'll just have to experiment to find the best solution.

If I come upon any issues after I get it installed I will definitly be calling upon you for help again. I appreciate your help Nat. Also you have inspired me to make a hearthpad. I can only hope it turns out as nice as yours.

Adam.

 

[wingarcher]

The Hearthstone requires a pretty high R value for a hearthpad like the one we built. The manual says you can use a commercial pad with a UL 1618 listing or a homebuilt pad with an R factor of 2.5. The pad must be 16" in front of the glass and 8 inches to either side.

R 2.5 is easy if only you could put the stove on fiberglass batts......

Our pad is 5 layers: 1/2" durarock, 1/2" micore board, micore board, durarock, slate. Thinset holds the layers together, bottom layer is screwed to the subfloor. The hickory hardwood floor is laid beside the pad thus reducing it's apparent height by 3/4".

Following the manual is the only way and will keep the inspectors happy. Of course, my inspector said "that looks nice" and didn't inquire about the specifics...

I can give you details from the manual if you don't have one.

N

 

[Wife'nHubby]

As for the OAK I was thinking about pulling air from my basement. I know that would make the basement drafty but it is unfinished so its not a big concern.Adam.

Adam,

Check the specs on the OAK as I don't think you can draw air from your basement 'if' you have a gas water heater or other central heat (like a furnace) in your basement.

Shari

 

[adseegs]

I downloaded the manual, when I saw how thick the hearthpad was going to be using reasonably priced materials I was a little discouraged. I'll just have to make it look that much better. Its going to be tough getting my setup to code but I plan on doing it. Must have been frustrating to make sure you did things by the books only to have the inspector assume you didnt tile over some plywood. At least you know its done right and will serve you for years to come.

Adam.

 

[adseegs]

Thanks Shari. That makes sense. I do have a gas hot water heater as well as oil heat. Looks like I'll be piping the OAK out throught the basement. Maybe if I run the majority of the length with 4" drier vent then couple it down to the OAK it wont create as much resistance.

Adam.