A friend of mine lost her house this week....

[TedyOH]

All I really know is her room mate broke up and threw a wicker dresser in the fireplace and caught the house on fire, I'm guessing from flames coming out of the firebox, she sent me some pictures of the fireplace, I don't know much about zero clearance fireplaces, or if this even a ZC, but this install looks like a major code breaker to me. What do you guys think? Can you tell anything from the picture? Can wood framing be that close to the box? It's the only one picture I have....

Thanks

 

[Alpine1]

I have no idea of the laws regarding fireplace clearance in the US but common sense suggests that that insert is waaay too close to the wood framing for my taste

 

[begreen]

Looks like a cheapo contractor FP designed more for ambience than heating. Not sure what the framing requirements are, but from the look of things the fire was too big and on the hearth, spreading to the walls.

Hope she is ok and her mate is doing some cooling off time in the clinker. She did well to cut it off with the jerk.

 

[Poindexter]

The heatilator i took out to make way for a freestanding stove was very similar.

 

[TedyOH]

Yeah everyone is ok.....also I don't think it was done out of spite or anger....it was just "pure stupidity" as she put it.

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[Sodbuster]

When I tore out our zero clearance, the framing was very similar. They are highly insulated and designed for....well zero clearance. Glad no one got hurt. Now she can install a good wood stove as long as everything is "opened up". Does homeowners insurance cover stupidity? I often wonder that, because I've been know to do stupid stuff from time to time.

 

[Corey]

Fireplace looks fine... the wood isn't even charred. 'Zero clearance' pretty much means what it says..zero clearance. From putting in my gasser, I believe they allow wood right up to the sides of the unit and there are stand-offs on the top - the wood can touch those too.

I think this is what we call I.O. error... idiot operator. Reminds me of the story on the fool around here who was burning tree branches in his fireplace. They were about 8-9 feet long and he didn't want to saw them up, so he was just poking them in the fireplace as they would burn down. Well, he got distracted or fell asleep and they burned right on out of the fireplace, onto the living room floor and set the house on fire.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Wood isn't charred. Probably fine. The firefighters may have opened it up to be sure it wasn't burning back there.

 

[xman23]

From the picture It's hard to tell what caught on fire. It looks light the fire dept took the front wall down. I'm guessing the wall went up as the flames came out the fireplace. Those things can't have much of a fire in them. I bet this is a common fire when some one dosen't know the limits of the fireplace.

 

[BrotherBart]

Husband of a friend of my wife did the same thing. Got laid off at work and went home, got drunk, loaded up the fireplace and burned the end off of the house. Lost his job and house in the same day.

 

[bholler]

When I tore out our zero clearance, the framing was very similar. They are highly insulated and designed for....well zero clearance. Glad no one got hurt. Now she can install a good wood stove as long as everything is "opened up". Does homeowners insurance cover stupidity? I often wonder that, because I've been know to do stupid stuff from time to time.

No most are not insulated much at all they are air cooled as nd I have yet to see one that was actually zero clearance. But the clearances on that unit looks reasonably close to right.

 

[TedyOH]

Thanks for the responses......it amazes me that the clearances are good on that unit, yet code for SS liners says you need 1" clearance from cumbustibals all the way around to skip insulating, even though the liner is encased in at least 18" of clay and brick. Brilliant.

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[bholler]

Thanks for the responses......it amazes me that the clearances are good on that unit, yet code for SS liners says you need 1" clearance from cumbustibals all the way around to skip insulating, even though the liner is encased in at least 18" of clay and brick. Brilliant.

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Yes but there is typically only 4" of masonry between the liner and framing. And masonry conducts heat really well. These systems are engendered to work with cooling air passages. And they work very well at keeping temps down.

 

[TedyOH]

Yes but there is typically only 4" of masonry between the liner and framing. And masonry conducts heat really well. These systems are engendered to work with cooling air passages. And they work very well at keeping temps down.

I'll take your word for it but to me that set up looks like a loaded gun pointing right at you....i was only at her house once as she lives in MD now...townhouse and basement install as I remember.....

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[bholler]

I'll take your word for it but to me that set up looks like a loaded gun pointing right at you....i was only at her house once as she lives in MD now...townhouse and basement install as I remember.....

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They are pretty safe when installed operated and maintained properly. But they make little to no heat at all.

 

[TedyOH]

They are pretty safe when installed operated and maintained properly. But they make little to no heat at all.

I believe that as well.....check out the tiny little chimney, hard to see but upper left side of picture (hopefully tapatalk doesn't flip the pic) my chimney is 4 times that size.



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[bholler]

Hard to see but it looks like a pretty standard 16 by 16 chimney. 8" flue And 4" of chimney all around. And yes many are bigger but it is still pretty common to have a flue right up against the outer layer of brick anyway. So the total size doesn't matter.