How to Install a Pellet Stove in a Corner

Pellet stoves create the warmth and beauty of a fire with far less work or mess than is involved with traditional fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. Wood pellets burn so efficiently that little ash is produced and few particulates released into the air, meaning they are often used in areas where fireplaces and wood stoves are banned. While fireplaces are usually centered along a wall, pellet stoves are often placed in corners. They warm the room equally well from their corner locations, and only a few adjustments are required for installation.

Things You'll Need

• Corner hearth of brick or floor tile
• 45-degree chimney pipe elbow piece
• Electric outlet
• Mastic tape
• Screws
• Screwdriver

Instructions

1. Determine the best location for the stove. It should be near an outside wall and an electric outlet. Lay down floor tiles or bricks to form a corner hearth that will provide a burn-proof spot to place the stove. Refer to the stove’s installation manual for the minimum size of this hearth.

2. Place the stove on the hearth, making sure the minimum clearance from walls, carpeting, furniture, draperies and any other combustible materials are met. For a corner location, as well as checking on clearances to the back, front and sides of the stove, you must also be sure that you have allowed sufficient clearance from the left and right back corners of the stove. Those two back corners will be the parts of the stove that will be closest to a wall.

3. Vent the stove by running either 3-inch or 4-inch chimney pipe from the back of the stove through an exterior wall or upward through the roof. A 4-inch pipe can be used in almost any pellet stove pipe configuration, while 3-inch pipes are less expensive. Many stove companies require a 4-inch pipe in corner installations because, if you want the chimney pipe to go out the side wall, the pipe will not be able to run straight out of the back of the stove. Instead, it will have to make a 45-degree turn. Special 45-degree chimney elbow pieces are available for this pipe configuration. The stove’s instruction manual will give detailed instructions on location of the clean-out tee, as well as the number of bends you can make in the chimney pipe to maintain a good draw of air.

4. Wire the stove’s thermostat, if it has one, to the control panel in accordance with the instructions. Fasten it to a wall using mastic tape or screws.

5. Plug the stove into the electric wall socket to complete the installation. Accessories such as battery packs and generators are available for areas with frequent power outages.

References

• The Warmth of Jamestown Pellet Stoves: Pellet Stove Owner’s Manual
• Pellet Stoves: Installing a Pellet Stove