framing in chimney in closet - reduced clearance question

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The Dude

Member
Jan 17, 2011
78
Central PA
Hello,

I'm building a chase in my daughter's closet to frame in the section of double wall chimney that runs up through it. The chimney guy told me that the clearance to combustibles is 2", and I verified this on the Selkirk page, which is the brand they used. My question is about reduced clearance. He told me that if I used non-combustibles like metal studs or cement board, I could reduce this clearance by 2/3, just like I did with measures taken for my wood stove installation. Can anyone verify this? The pipe does get pretty hot to where you can only put your hand on it for about 1 or 2 seconds. I know we're only talking about saving an inch on each side. This is valuable closet space that I'd like to keep if possible.

The clearance reduction for my wood stove involved an inch of air space behind the noncombustible material. If that concept is used here, it would cancel out any reduction I made. I'll just scrap the whole reduction idea if that is recommended.

As a side note, the chimney company told me they would be using Selkirk Super Pro, but then I found out that the foreman was buying pieces from Lowes and said it's "the same stuff," so who knows if it's actually the Super Pro line that they charged me for. Selkirk lists Super Pro as only being available through professional markets, and another line called Sure-Temp that is available only at DIY stores. I used their online parts calculator for both types and Sure-Temp is 2/3 the price ($1800 vs. $1200 in my case). Does anyone know about the differences, and how I could find out which one I have?

Thanks!
Tom
 
The Dude said:
Hello,

I'm building a chase in my daughter's closet to frame in the section of double wall chimney that runs up through it. The chimney guy told me that the clearance to combustibles is 2", and I verified this on the Selkirk page, which is the brand they used. My question is about reduced clearance. He told me that if I used non-combustibles like metal studs or cement board, I could reduce this clearance by 2/3, just like I did with measures taken for my wood s' tove installation. Can anyone verify this? The pipe does get pretty hot to where you can only put your hand on it for about 1 or 2 seconds. I know we're only talking about saving an inch on each side. This is valuable closet space that I'd like to keep if possible.

The clearance reduction for my wood stove involved an inch of air space behind the noncombustible material. If that concept is used here, it would cancel out any reduction I made. I'll just scrap the whole reduction idea if that is recommended.

As a side note, the chimney company told me they would be using Selkirk Super Pro, but then I found out that the foreman was buying pieces from Lowes and said it's "the same stuff," so who knows if it's actually the Super Pro line that they charged me for. Selkirk lists Super Pro as only being available through professional markets, and another line called Sure-Temp that is available only at DIY stores. I used their online parts calculator for both types and Sure-Temp is 2/3 the price ($1800 vs. $1200 in my case). Does anyone know about the differences, and how I could find out which one I have?

Thanks!
Tom

Tom, I wouldn't mess around with this. Follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter and overbuild to your satisfaction. If it were me, I'd go at least 2" and would also go with the metal stud/cementboard. Maybe put some paneling on the outside of the cementboard.
 
Save the entire framing space. Buy round sheet metal HVAC duct 2" or so greater diameter than the OD of your stainless. Paint it an attractive color and install with a one inch gap at the top and the bottom. Probably use hardware screen at the top and bottom openings. Your daughter will have the warmest pajamas in town.
 
Great advice, guys, thanks. Thanks for setting me straight, southbalto.

Jimbo, your advice sounds appealing. I was thinking about venting the chase on top and bottom so that the room would benefit from how warm that pipe gets. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of framing vs. the flue shield idea. With framing, I can attach shelves to the side. The square shape will take up more closet space though, and the vent idea might not distribute as much of the heat as the large surface of the metal shield.
 
Any adivce on how to space the duct pipe from the chimney pipe so that it is stable and will hold that 1"+ space on all sides? I'd like to avoid screwing into the stainless chimney. Thanks.
 
Vertical metal studs or metal track placed flat 90 or 120 degrees apart. Screw to the sheet metal duct and not attached to the stainless. The track can be spread a little easier than studs if the space is to much.
 
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