Wood stove installation is easier now than ever before! These old style heating systems have come a long way since first invented in Europe in the 1500s. In the modern-day, there are many styles of freestanding stoves from which to choose! Before central heating was invented, wood stoves were essential in many homes. However, those early DIY wood stoves could also be dangerous, with fire and smoke inhalation hazards. The new, more advanced wood-stove options are a very different story.
With the proper installation of your new woodstove system, by a professional hearth installer, you can enjoy this classic source of home heat safely all year.
If you’re not sure which steps to take to install a wood stove in your home, then you’ve reached the right post. Let’s take a look!
If you’re looking for How to Choose Between a Freestanding Stove and the type that slide inside your fireplace, then you’ll want to check out our post on Wood Fireplace Inserts.
Can You Do the Install Yourself?
First, we’ll answer a question that many people have:
Can you set up your own stove?
Well no, it’s not like a space heater.
It may be tempting to do this project by yourself. After all, in past centuries, people often built their own home heating stoves. However, this project came with a side dose of major risk to the safety of the home and family.
Source: “Old cabin” by deborah.soltesz is marked with CC0 1.0
While our example is an exaggeration… it’s not too far from how we imagine a homemade wood burner might look without professional help!
Now, in the 21st century, you can easily avoid the risks of a poorly-installed stove by hiring a professional instead. Installing a wood-burning stove fireplace yourself isn’t safe. Hire professionals who are trained and certified to install wood stoves.
Hiring an experienced installer means you’ll get to enjoy all the benefits of a home wood stove, with none of the risks. Now, here are the steps to follow for a professionally-installed hearth stove!
Proper Steps to Wood Stove Installation
While a professional will take care of most of the work for you, there are a few things you’ll need to do to get ready for your new wood-burning stove.
Follow these steps for a successful wood-burning stove installation in your home:
1. Choose the Right Location
One of the most important questions is: where to install a new wood stove in your home? Having space is just one of the considerations. However, the most important thing is that your stove is placed safely away from anything combustible, including flammable flooring, furniture, and walls. This precaution helps ensure that a stray spark can’t cause damage to your home. For example, you won’t want your stove to sit too close to furniture that could catch fire.
Placing the stove farther away from the furniture also helps with comfort. These stoves burn hot, and you may want to sit near it, but probably not right next to it!
If your new freestanding stove will serve as a primary heat source in your home, you’ll also want a central location. This helps your home heat evenly. Since heat rises, you should put the stove on the bottom floor in a multi-story home.
2. Plan for Firewood
When considering location, you should also plan for your firewood.
A wood stove can go through a lot of wood! You’ll want to find a space where there’s room to keep a bit of firewood nearby, reducing trips outside. However, you may also want to put your woodstove near an entrance to your home, so you can easily get more wood from outside.
3. Add Safe Flooring
A bare section of floor in a material like stone, brick, or tile is ideal for a wood stove. If you don’t have any fire-resistant flooring in your house, you’ll need to add a section of flooring below where the wood stove will go.
When you add wood to your stove, some hot sparks are sure to jump out. The right flooring below your wood stove fireplace keeps your home safe.
4. Protect the Walls
Similarly, once you’ve decided on a location for wood stove to be installed, you’ll need to add protection to the walls behind it. Like the flooring, tile, brick, or stone are all ideal materials for the wall. You’ll want something heat and flame resistant.
Professional hearth installers will make sure your stove is a safe distance from the walls. Still, you need to have safe materials on the walls to protect from stray sparks and high heat.
5. Make a Plan for the Ashes
Wood stoves produce a lot of ash. Before you embark on the installation of any stoves in your house, it’s wise to have a plan on how to handle all those ashes.
For example, ash can make a valuable contribution to a garden or compost heap, if you have one. However, if you don’t have a garden, you’ll need to plan for a different disposal method.
You can throw them out with the rest of your garbage if need be, but there are also many great ways to recycle or reuse wood ashes. No matter which method you choose, though, ash must be handled with care. You’ll need to keep ashes in a non-combustible metal container, and be aware that ash can remain very hot and flammable for days after a fire.
6. Prep for Regular Maintenance
In addition to handling the ashes, you’ll need to get ready for routine wood stove maintenance.
For example, you’ll need to get the chimney cleaned regularly by a professional. Your wood stove should also get inspected annually to make sure it’s functioning properly and still safe to use. Eventually, you may even need wood stove repairs.
This loyal customer’s been using their Freestanding Wood Stove regularly for many years with no problems because they keep the system maintained by having a Certified Technician out every year for inspection and cleaning.
Ready to Install a New Wood Stove?
If you’ve started or completed these steps, it’s time to start thinking about hiring a professional. A CSIA Certified Chimney Technician can help guide you through this preparation process, and help safely install your wood stove when you’re ready!
Make sure you hire a trusted company with experience for the job. A wood stove can be a benefit to your home, but only if it’s properly setup.
Looking for wood stove installation help in the Kansas City area? Call us today at 913-642-6171 for a consultation.