You can also taper the chase above the fireplace.
Can you put a wood stove in a prefab fireplace.
The short answer is yes you can indeed put a wood burning stove into a fireplace.
Field modifications it is extremely inadvisable to install a wood stove such as a wood burning insert into a prefab fireplace.
Unlike factory built fireplaces a wood stove insert is not designed to be installed into a framed wall on its own.
Smaller dimensions for a rough frame of a chimney chase are about two square feet.
One of the biggest problems that homeowners run into with prefabricated fireplaces is the wood inside the walls that is only a few inches away from their fireplace then adding any old insert will not always meet the clearance requirements.
A wood burning fireplace insert must be used in a properly rated manufactured fireplace or masonry fireplace.
The size of the stove however must be right for both the fireplace and the chimney it uses.
There are also other considerations that need to taken into account when looking to have a wood stove installed a your fireplace.
An outer frame called a surround helps cover the gap between the edges of the insert and the fireplace.
There are however some considerations.
Doing this leaves room to encircle the chimney pipe.
As a practical matter installing most inserts into a prefab fireplace will require a unit with a very small firebox.
Or there is wood in the walls a few inches from your fireplace and a stove in front with its connecting pipe will not meet the required clearances.
A fireplace is already fireproof in a sense so you should be able to use it for a stove location with little work involved.
Now wood burning inserts can also be placed in prefabricated fireplaces but again you are going to need to be careful on what insert you buy as not all inserts will work.
The base of the chase must accommodate the framing dimensions of your fireplace.
A wood burning stove can be installed in an existing fireplace subject to there being a sufficient amount of space available in the fireplace to hold a stove and there being a proper chimney.