Distances For A Wood Burning Stove Surround
As a fireplace specialist we frequently get asked what distances a fire surround should be from a Wood Burning Stove. The answer is unfortunately not as straight forward as it may initially appear. The majority of fireplace manufacturers will typically state a minimum distance of 6 inches (150mm) on the side of the stoves and 12 inches (300mm) above the stove. The majority of stove manufacturers will specify 9” (225mm) in front of the stove.
What determines the minimum distances?
1.The stove manufacturers will typically require a minimum distance away from non combustible materials as per their vigorous testing procedures in order to gain optimal performance from your stove.
2. Stoves emit a large amount of heat (as compared to gas fires and electric fire), for this reason it is important to ensure you have adequate spacing between the stove and the fire surround. The typical stove heat output is in excess of 5kw (depending on the make and model you opt for). For this reason it is important to specify adequate distances away from the fire surround to avoid any risk of the surround cracking.
3. Fire surrounds manufactured from combustible materials (such as timber) must be installed with great care and advice from the manufacture and qualified HETAS engineers. We would strongly suggest you opt for a more heat resistant material such as Marble or Stone.
At Creative fireplaces we manufacture a large range of marble fire surrounds in our very own Nottinghamshire factory. The fireplaces can be fully customised to suit your requirements.