Floor Protection
Specifications herein are primarily for common timber frame construction.
The floor beneath the stove requires protection from radiant heat and direct contact with sparks or embers.
Heat protection is provided by a Vermont Castings Bot- tom Heat Shield, part #0307.
Spark and ember protection is provided by a floor protector, which may be any noncombustible material. Consult your local building code for floor protection size and composition. Figure 9 indicates specifications for the U.S. and Canada.
For new hearth construction specifications and require- ments, refer to your local building codes.
When using brick, tile, or stone, individual pieces must be mortared so sparks cannot fall through.
Floor protection also must extend under the chimney connector and 2” to either side (‘C’, Fig. 10) For 6” (150mm) connector used with the Intrepid
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| Rear Exit |
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| D |
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| B |
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D |
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| D | D |
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| A. | 34” | 38” | (965 mm) |
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| B. | 40” | 44” | (1118 mm) |
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| C. | 10” | 10” | (254 mm) |
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| D. | 6” | 6” | (152 mm) |
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| E. | 16” | 18” | (457 mm) | ST500 |
Fig. 10 | Required floor protector dimensions. |
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Floor Protection for Fireplace Installations
Do not assume your fireplace hearth is completely noncombustible.
Many fireplace hearths do not satisfy the “completely noncombustible” requirement because the brick or concrete in front of the fireplace opening is supported by heavy wood framing as in Figure 11. Because heat passes through brick or concrete readily, it can easily pass through to the wood. As a result, such fireplace
Vermont Castings Intrepid
hearths can be a fire hazard and are considered a com- bustible floor.
Keep in mind that many raised hearths will extend less than the required clearance from the front of the heater when it is installed. In such cases, sufficient floor protection as described above must be added in front of the hearth to satisfy the minimum floor protector re- quirement from the front of the stove. Fireplace hearths must also offer the required protection of 6” (152 mm) on either side.
Optional 3” (75 mm) short legs may be used only on such hearths that meet the width and depth require- ments outlined previously under “floor protection.”
Hearth rugs do not satisfy the requirements for floor protection.
Fireplace installations also have special clearance requirements to the side walls, side decorative trim, and fireplace mantel. Refer to the information on fireplace and mantel trim shields in this section.
Wood framing requires pro- | ST247a |
tection form radiant heat |
Fig. 11 Supporting timbers under fireplace hearth are consid- ered to be combustible.
Keep the Stove and Connector a Safe Dis-
tance from Surrounding Materials
Specifications herein are primarily related to common timberframe construction. Both a stove and its chimney connector radiate heat in all directions when operat- ing, and dangerous overheating of nearby combustible materials can occur if they are too close to the heat. A safe installation requires that adequate clearance be maintained between the hot stove and its connector and nearby combustibles.
Clearance is the distance between either your stove (measured from the back edge of the stove’s top plate) or chimney connector, and nearby walls, floors, the ceiling, and any other fixed combustible surface. Your stove has special clearance requirements that have been established after careful research and testing. These clearance requirements must be strictly ob- served.
2000970 | 9 |
