How to find the right position for a wood-burning stove
A wood-burning stove heats best if it is centrally positioned in the room, so that convection heat can be easily distributed throughout the room. In addition to the convection heat, the front pane of the stove will also radiate plenty of heat. This means that if you want to position your stove in a corner, it makes best sense to angle it so that the heat from the front pane is distributed as well as possible into the room.
You should consider the following before positioning your new stove.
- How central can I place the stove to make the best use of the heat it produces?
- If you need to install a chimney, avoid positioning it under roof beams etc. so your chimney can go straight up. This is also the cheapest solution.
- Ensure that it will be possible to comply with legal requirements for distances from flammable materials.
- Do not place the stove in front of your chimney’s cleaning hatch.
- If your stove will have air intake from outside, position it at the outer wall to keep air intake tubing as simple as possible.
If in doubt, consult your chimney sweep.
If you have walls made of wood or another inflammable material, you must ensure compliance with legal safety distance requirements for the stove AND the chimney.
Read more about safety distance regulations in the section “Chimney installation”.
Floor materials
If the stove is to stand on a floor made of flammable materials, the floor must be covered by a non-flammable material, such as a steel or glass plate or tiles.
The floor plate must cover a minimum of 15 cm to each side of the stove and 30 cm in front of the stove. However, we recommend 50 cm at the front. The floor must be able to bear the weight of the stove and the combined weight of the chimney.
See our range of floor plates here.
Installation distances
If the wall is not flammable, the stove can be pushed back to the wall. However we recommend a distance of 5-10 cm, which allows cleaning behind the stove. Access to cleaning covers must be possible.
If your walls are flammable, you must adhere to the stated safety distances for your stove. You should also be attentive to the chimney’s safety distance to flammable materials. The stove must be positioned in compliance with safety distance requirements for stoves AND chimneys.
