Dangerous wood burning unit & Gas vent route - InspectionNews

Jon mackay · #1 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 07:16 AM

In the first picture, the fireplace was supposedly removed from another location in the house and placed in the basement. The owner stated it is a zero clearance unit and should be ok.. I told him to remove the unit. I said it is intended for installation in a masonry fireplace, can anyone identify the type of unit?

The second picture has a gas fireplace with a metal flex vent visible in the attic. I always thought that these units had to vent directly up or out the back. is it acceptable to vent to one side and then up?

Both units have chimneys that are installed too low and borderline too close which indicates other poor installation methods may have been used.

Bob Harper · #2 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 07:40 AM

Jon, from what I can see, the first unit is a factory built fireplace. Please, everyone eradicate that term "zero clearance" from their lexicon. You would need to find the rating plate to identify the make, model, serial number and listing number such as UL127. The chimney must be listed for use with this fireplace, which, btw, if a 127 box, would need to be installed into framing and not have the unit exposed like that.

The second unit appears to be a see thru, which usually do vent out one end. The type of venting is dictated by the listed instructions so don't guess. There are gas fireplaces listed for use with flex venting.

The heights of those vents and chimneys are determined first by the listing then the codes. Vents do not have the same 3/2/10 rule as chimneys. That looks like a Metalbestos factory built chimney, which would need to meet 3/2/10. The proximity of the vent to the chimney would be determined by the vent listing. I would want to make sure that vent termination was listed for a vertical application. The storm collars need to be caulked. You need to know if those roof flashings need to be vented. They may have installed an unlisted flashing so check the manual.

The best answer here is, of course to get a Level II inspection by a hearth pro. In this case, you would hope to get one NFI Certified in gas and wood as well as other credentials such as FIRE or CSIA.
HTH,
Bob

Jon mackay · #3 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 07:47 AM

So if they were to box in that fireplace in the basement, it may be ok to leave? I thought for sure that the wood crate it was sitting on would ignite. I could not find any information plate on the unit to tell what the clearances should be.

Bob Harper · #4 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 10:15 AM

If it cannot be identified and the listed instructions located then I recommend it be removed. You are asking me questions that can only be answered by the manual. At the very least, it would need a proper hearth extension with spark strip and be enclosed and that's just for starters.
Bob