Can You Shorten Wood Stove Legs?

You probably should not, as this may void the stove’s warranty, and for a good reason.

Legs are designed to be of such height not just for looks – they elevate the wood stove off the ground just enough to reduce the heat output, particularly coming towards the floor, that is, hearth.

The hearth in your home might not be insulated enough to take the heat of a wood burner that is sitting closer to the ground, even if it’s only a couple of inches or so.

Contact the manufacturer

Whether or not doing this is smart in your particular situation purely depends on your stove’s manufacturer’s recommendations.

If the wood stove can indeed be lowered, the company probably offers shorter leg kits for that reason, therefore no cutting may be needed.

Get an insert instead

The main reason why folks ponder on the thought of leg shortening is, I think, to fit a stove in a tighter space, such as an old fireplace.

If you want a unit that will sit flush right in there, an insert will work so much better. A wood stove is not that designed to go inside such a small space.

If you are dead set on a freestanding stove anyway, then what you can do is install the thing just a bit outside of the fireplace.

This way you’ll be able to use the existing chimney for venting purposes, without compromising much on the stove’s heat output and its leg length. Though this doesn’t end up as pretty to the eye, if you ask me.