Do I insulate around hearth

[Homerdoh]

I've finished insulating between my new timber floor joists but am wondering what I need to do around the hearth, should I insulate right up to it or will it be too hot for the insulation?
The hearth will be concrete filled within brick walls, topped with a slate slab which will have a wood burning stove on it.

Any advice appreciated

Untitled

• Homerdoh
• 11 Nov 2014
• 1

 

[Burnerman]

So long as the stove has reasonable clearance from the hearth (100mm or more) you'll find that the hearth remains quite cool......I'd pack the area with rockwool or similar, rather than a foamed material.
John

 

[Homerdoh]

So long as the stove has reasonable clearance from the hearth (100mm or more) you'll find that the hearth remains quite cool......I'd pack the area with rockwool or similar, rather than a foamed material.
John

Ok thanks, do you mean a 100mm clearance in height or from the hearth edge, or both?

Regards

 

[Burnerman]

Typically, a wood burning stove has a clearance gap of 100mm or more from its base to the hearth - some have different leg lengths to suit the installation.
As the heat from the stove rises, you find the hearth itself remains comparatively cool.....hence the heat around the hearth is minimal, and even less below the adjacent floor boards.
I would doubt if insulation here would be much benefit, to be honest!
Smart work you've done there.
John

 

[Homerdoh]

Thanks John, I'd feel better knowing I'd blocked all the gaps beneath the new floorboards as there's one hell of a draft from the air bricks (which is good I know).
Also, is it worth putting down a layer of dpm before the final concrete pour?

Regards

 

[Burnerman]

All hearths, in the early days, were made of concrete poured directly onto the ground.....therefore damp was always likely to be there to some degree. Of course, this didn't really matter because the fire would simply dry things out and no one noticed or cared.
I've found, with both of my wood burning stoves, that damp would still appear, so this summer I dug one hearth out to earth, in with a DPC and then concrete, finally facing with some black slate, 30mm thick. No sign of damp now!
John