Thread: Pre-Fab Fireplace

Hi:

This fireplace was retrofitted into a mobile home.

My question is if the clearance to combnustibles is a problem. There is 6" clearance from the top of the fireplace opening to the wood paneling, and 4" at the sides. The fireplace opeing is less than 6sq.ft.
No spec manual available.

How would you report this?

Thanks,
Joe

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I would state what you saw...that the firebox opening is too close to combustible materials and that the fireplace needs to be repaired so it is installed per the manufactures installation instructions.

Aren't only certain prefab fireplaces rated for mobile home use?

Is that real brick in the hearth or some other material (...that might be combustible)?

with mobile home you have to have outside air

Originally Posted by Jon Errickson

Is that real brick in the hearth or some other material (...that might be combustible)?

It's a metal liner at the sides, and the back is some sort of faux-brick panel that had a crack.

Hard to know with out the manual. Would need to know what is the unit listed for and is it even listed to be installed in a mobile home. I dont believe all of them are. I would also check the sq. footage of the room it was in. May not even be large enough, square footage wise for a wood appliance unless listed for such.

I think such a unit with screen/curtain would require a proper hearth, and distance from combustible floor covering, not just an asbestos pad. That would include ratios (width) to the firebox opening. Not sure about the projection and distance for those brackets for the faux mantel shelf.

I have never seen such in a manufactured home, especially not one pre-76. A wood stove, bolted to the floor, a gas log with glass doors, but not an insert or manufactured wood burning fireplace.

No grate. Lower right front looks warped. I don't recognize this, doesn't seem right but my brain is tired. You say there is a crack in the panel at the back of the firebox.

Property potentially changing hands, and two concerns anyway, reason enough to defer to a fireplace and chimney professional. Should get a Level 2/II anyway with property changing hands. Let a specialist deal with it.

Was there no identifying information on the unit itself?

First, does the data plate state that the Fireplace is approved by HUD for use in a mobile home?

What do the manufacturer's instructions say about clearances to combustibles? You need to follow that. If the homeowner doesn't have the instructions, you need to download another copy so you can accurately report if the combustibles are too close, otherwise you cal back on NFPA 211. It states that "woodwork, such as wood trim, mantels and other combustible material, shall not be placed within 6 in of a fireplace opening." and "Combustible material above and projecting more than 1 1/2 in from a fireplace opening shall not be placed less than 12 in form the top of the fireplace opening.

The second part is moot if it isn't approved for use in a mobile home.

Originally Posted by James Duffin

I would state what you saw...that the firebox opening is too close to combustible materials and that the fireplace needs to be repaired so it is installed per the manufactures installation instructions.

How can you say " needs to be repaired so it is installed per the manufactures installation instructions " when you do not have or know what they are?

You might say that " The manufactures installation instructions should be obtained and the installation method verified for correctness......"

Joe
This appears to be a Zero clearance fireplace That you say the rear fire block is cracked so it needs replaced. So you know it needs repairs So refer it to a Certified Chimney sweep. For repair and further evaluation.
Check with manufacture of unit to see if it is manufactured for a Mobile home. And that it meets the clearances of the manufacture. Put the manufactures installation instructions in with your report. I have had chimney sweeps tell me that there is nothing wrong when the manufacture has said that it is not to be installed in a mobile home. This unit looks like it is large for a mobile home. I personally think that there is no safe fireplace in a mobile home. The first thing I say when I see a fireplace in a mobile home is have it cleaned and further Evaluated by a Certified Chimney Sweep.
Bruce

.Pre-1976 mobile homes were not certified for wood-burning appliances of any kind. Units built after 1976, referred to as HUD code manufactured homes did allow for zero clearance wood burning units. They were not seen often, but gained in popularity in the mid '80s and early '90s. Most HUD code manufacturers offer them as options today, but gas units are far more popular.