Sealing around gas line to log lighter in Mfg. WB Fireplace

[Michael Thomas]

Where is the requirement for sealing around the gas line where passes through the wall of a manufactured wood burning fireplace documented ?

I can't find it in the manufacturer's installation instructions.

Thanks

[Bob Harper]

Michael, most mfrs have been slow to pick up on the need to address this issue in their manuals. Heatilator/ Heat&Glo are one exception. They clearly prescribe how to seal the knockout around the pipe and with what material. However, you don't need it in a manual. Look at it this way:

If this was a masonry Fp with a hole in the sidewall, would you call it out for a breach in the firebox?

If you were able to get into the chase cavity and spotted a 1" hole in the side of a factory built fireplace that communicated directly with the combustion chamber, would you call it out?

If you found any other type of crack or breach in the firebox of either a masonry or factory built fireplace, would you call it out?

It is a breach that must be sealed---period. FYI, Dale Feb's course shows a fire that resulted from an unsealed gas knockout but it happens more often that you'd think. With homes being weatherized and getting central HVAC, the chance of chase depressurization is increasing all the time. This is the similar problem with no sealing the perimeter of a facing.

Bob