Barn Chimney question

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stinger440

New Member
Nov 18, 2008
3
GR, MI
I did a search and couldn't find anything on this so I have to ask. I understand the 3ft above the peak of the roof rule and the 10'-3' rule. My pole barn is a standard 30'x40', if I put my stove along the short wall so the chimney will be say 13' from the peak,do I still need to extend above the peak. I have 10' celings so the peak is about 25' up. Or can I just extend the 3' above the roof. I just want to make sure before I do something unsafe. Thanks in advance.
 
Yo don't technically need to extend above the peak in this case - you need to measure 10' from your chimney in the direction of the peak and build 3' abouve that elevation. In other words, if your peak is 13' away, you need to be 3' above the elevation of the roof 3' away from the peak. I think.
 
stinger440 said:
I did a search and couldn't find anything on this so I have to ask. I understand the 3ft above the peak of the roof rule and the 10'-3' rule. My pole barn is a standard 30'x40', if I put my stove along the short wall so the chimney will be say 13' from the peak,do I still need to extend above the peak. I have 10' celings so the peak is about 25' up. Or can I just extend the 3' above the roof. I just want to make sure before I do something unsafe. Thanks in advance.

Maybe I'm restating what you and Meathead already have, but the way I read it:

3' is the minimum right at the highest point it comes through the roof; so if coming through near the peak, 3ft.
You now need to find the highest part of the roof 10ft (or the peak if that comes before 10ft) any direction away from the chimney, and go 2ft above that height; it is possible that this is less than the height of the peak, but at the 13ft you note and not knowing the pitch - I'd guess you're going to be somewhere between 1 and 2 ft above the peak.

I have a tin roof on the workshop I just put a stove in; while I didn't have shingles to catch fire, I was glad I went plenty high to keep the wind from swirling around the roof and blowing the draft backward.
 
Rereading meathead's post we're talking about the same thing; I was measuring from the pipe; and he from the peak (13' from the peak - 10' = 3' away from the peak).

However, just checked and my SuperVent instructions did read that the measurent (@ 10ft) is 2ft - rather than 3ft, assuming you meet the 3ft at the point you come through as well; however, I have no idea what standard they go by.
 
Here's the deal: In no case may the chimney extend fewer than 3 feet above the point at which it penetrates the roof. It must then further extend, if necessary, to reach a height of no fewer than 2 feet above any part of the structure within 10 feet of it horizontally. So, 3 feet is the absolute minimum, and you may need to go higher than that to get to 2 feet above any part of the building within 10 feet. If the chimney comes out low on the roof (well below the ridge), you probably don't have to go clear up to 2 feet higher than the ridge...just 2 feet higher than whatever's 10 feet away. Make sense? Rick
 
My situation is almost exactly the same as yours -- my barn has a reasonably steep 8/12 pitch and my chimney exits near the short exterior wall. Fossil is right: As long as you are a minimum of 2' above anything within 10' of the chimney top you are fine -- even if (as in my situation) that still has the top of the chimney well below the roof peak. But this might, in fact will likely mean, that your chimney will extend higher than the 3' code minimum above the roof opening. In my case the chimney is 6' above the opening to satisfy the 10-2 rule.
 
I have a pole barn as well 40x60 and am a ft. under what I should be in reguards to height. Being the stove is anything but airtight it draws fine. I intended to add another section but never got around to it. I think you will be fine loosely following the advice given. Is your barn for storage/workshop or livestock?
 
"Loosely" following the advice is dandy if you don't have an issue with your local building inspector, town hall or insurance company. If you think you know better than everybody else, go right ahead.
 
I am zoned agricultural, no permits of any kind required for any out building,this includes water and electric .My building is an all metal one. And your damn right "I think I do know better than anybody else" (At least in reguards to my own situation). If you live in a highly regulated suburban/urban enviroment where most decisions are made for you, then by all means you must do as you are told or risk receiving your government issued spanking.
 
My building is pretty much just for storage. I am putting in a wood stove for the few times I need to work on some equipment or thaw something out. So its not even insulated. I will probably have about 10 fires a winter in it. My county has no zoning and I am 400+ft from the road, I don't worry about inspectors. I did have the building inspected when it was built only because I had a licensed contractor helping me so I had to follow the rules.

Another thought was to go through the back wall and up the outside of the building, If I do that do I just need to follow the general clearance rules and then go 3' beyond the peak.

And since I am here I will throw this out, What grade stovepipe do I need to punch through a sheet steel wall?

Thanks for all the advice so far everyone.
 
You don't use stove pipe, you use chimney pipe, also called "class A". You've built a nice building, don't cheap out now. Your chimney rule is 10', 2', 3'. 2' above anything within a 10' circle, if nothing is in that circle then at least a 3' penetration. Your height will be determined by the pitch of the roof
 
polaris said:
I am zoned agricultural, no permits of any kind required for any out building,this includes water and electric .My building is an all metal one. And your damn right "I think I do know better than anybody else" (At least in reguards to my own situation). If you live in a highly regulated suburban/urban enviroment where most decisions are made for you, then by all means you must do as you are told or risk receiving your government issued spanking.

I can understand your point. Much of Oklahoma where I live is totally unregulated. I do my own building, my own wiring, own pluming, and my own water company in regards to the numerous water wells. There are no inspectors, and no one has time to check on me. Nobody else really cares - but me.

On the other hand, when I do these things I want them to last, and be safe. These codes are not just rules some big shot decided to push off on everybody (I agree there are exceptions). For the most part they are observations on how things work, and how to get the best usage out of these things.

My point is these codes are consistent with what you want to do. Nobody wants to do an important project half-ass. You want it to work right every time. You don’t want anyone getting hurt as a result of what you did. Most of these code guys already figured out how to get the results you want. It may sound stupid at times, but most of this stuff is already figured out for us.

I don't blame you a bit for questioning and even challenging the codes. That just comes from having to do your own thinking. At the same time keep an open mind. There may be a good reason they came up with some of the stupid stuff and they came up with some ways to deal with these things. Go ahead and question away. You can learn a lot from doing that.

In the end nobody really cares if what you do is successful as much as you do. Take all the help and good advice you can get. It will make it easier and you project will be more successful.
 

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^ That's an excellent post, Bobby. I do most of my own work, as well. Just as I wasn't born knowing how to make a nice dovetail joint, I wasn't born knowing how to properly and safely wire and plumb a workshop. I don't run out and pull a permit every time I'm going to do something that actually requires one. I'm my own inspector. Over the years, I've taken care to learn how to do it correctly before I do it. I see building codes as a compliation of generations of lessons learned, and a knowledge of those codes as an important tool in my toolbox. Developing the requisite skills is one thing...knowing how to properly apply them is just as important. Rick
 
BJ64 said:
polaris said:
I am zoned agricultural, no permits of any kind required for any out building,this includes water and electric .My building is an all metal one. And your damn right "I think I do know better than anybody else" (At least in reguards to my own situation). If you live in a highly regulated suburban/urban enviroment where most decisions are made for you, then by all means you must do as you are told or risk receiving your government issued spanking.

I can understand your point. Much of Oklahoma where I live is totally unregulated. I do my own building, my own wiring, own pluming, and my own water company in regards to the numerous water wells. There are no inspectors, and no one has time to check on me. Nobody else really cares - but me.

On the other hand, when I do these things I want them to last, and be safe. These codes are not just rules some big shot decided to push off on everybody (I agree there are exceptions). For the most part they are observations on how things work, and how to get the best usage out of these things.

My point is these codes are consistent with what you want to do. Nobody wants to do an important project half-ass. You want it to work right every time. You don’t want anyone getting hurt as a result of what you did. Most of these code guys already figured out how to get the results you want. It may sound stupid at times, but most of this stuff is already figured
I don't blame you a bit for questioning and even challenging the codes. That just comes from having to do your own thinking. At the same time keep an open mind. There may be a good reason they came up with some of the stupid stuff and they came up with some ways to deal with these things. Go ahead and question away. You can learn a lot from doing that.

In the end nobody really cares if what you do is successful as much as you do. Take all the help and good advice you can get. It will make it easier and you project will be more successful.
Great pic. Just curious how deep do you have to drill to hit water out there? Are there any kind of water regulations? Are your wells for cattle or domestic use? Sorry for all the Q's I just don't know much about agriculture in your neck of the woods and I'm just curious.
Joe
 
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