Clearance to Combustibles, no prob. (Now)

[webby3650]

I gave an estimate to these folks today for a liner. They had a severe flue fire, everything touching the block is either charred or burned. That is a main load beam in the picture minus about two feet that burned. The nails used to attach a floor joist are still there, but the joist is gone. Happy burning everyone!

 

[nojo]

Think they would have been any better if they used some durock on there or somthign? It was a flue fire, not a chimney fire correct? woops.

 

[begreen]

Don't bug me, we don't got no code in this stinking state.

Clearance to combustibles, bad burning and I'll bet a half-baked thimble (if there was one) is what did it in.

 

[webby3650]

Think they would have been any better if they used some durock on there or somthign? It was a flue fire, not a chimney fire correct? woops.

Durock or or anything else for that matter, would have done no good with wood attached to chimney. The flue fire was so intense that the the block got hot enough to ignite the wood attached to it. The owner said two hours after the event, he could not leave his hand on the block without being burned.

 

[albertj03]

Similiar situation happened near my house a week and a half ago. Wood was too close to the thimble and caught on fire.

 

[jotul8e2]

We can see what happened to the wood, but what does that kind of heat do to the concrete blocks? I would be concerned that the blocks themselves had become friable.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

So they had wood and regular drywall within 6 inches of the flue? not at least 18"?

I am so scared of burning down my house, my built hearth is literally twice the "r" given in the owners manual, and where I had to do NFPA 211 protectors, they are about twice what the book gives as acceptable. Steel sheet and wonderboard over every bit of wood framing left within 2 feet of the stove.

 

[oconnor]

Good reminder on why insulating the liner is a good practice - in the worst case, even with a liner, that heat can build up thru the brick to start a fire. Most houses in these parts with brick flues have lots of structure wood hard up against the chimney structures.

 

[oconnor]

Did the fire stay confined inside the brick? On second look, it looks to me that the fire broke thru the smoke pipe between the 11 and 2 o'clock position on the thimble. It seems "fire cleaned" between those positions.

 

[webby3650]

Did the fire stay confined inside the brick? On second look, it looks to me that the fire broke thru the smoke pipe between the 11 and 2 o'clock position on the thimble. It seems "fire cleaned" between those positions.

Yeah, I think it did, but there is damage behind and on the sides as well, out of reach of the flames. The tiles are completely recked, sure makes them easier to remove!