House was on fire and never knew it.... what to do?

[mountainman010]

I started a renovation of our Fireplace today and when I went up in the wall behind the stone and looked at the insert I found 2 or 3 linear feet of 2x4 burned and missing above the insert. It appears the stove pipe was placed too close to the wood with no fireproof insulation. There was a piece of concrete board, but that appeared to do little.

How should this insert been installed or is this just one of those stupid things people did in 1979? Any thoughts on the correct way to fix this problem?

Thanks,

Greg

More info-

The insert is the fireplace. Unlike all of the ones I've seen there is no fireplace that the insert was placed in. Looking at it, it all looks very traditional. with a stone mantel and stone up to the ceiling.

 

[jtp10181]

It was probably a heatform unit. A metal shell with masonry all around it. It would have to be built to meet NFPA 211 guidelines. Consult a local mason who knows the codes and can build fireplaces. They should be able to inspect it and suggest repairs. Also a lot of chimney sweep do chimney repairs.

 

[begreen]

Oh boy. Good that you could get in there and check it out. Sounds like pyrolysis. Have every inch of it closely inspected and confirm that clearances and the stove pipe type are correct.

 

[Jags]

Holy catfish, my knees would still be shaking. As said above...get a pro in there. After all, this is your house and possibly life we are talking about. Sounds like the original install was blown. Get-R-Done correctly and be at peace with it.

 

[oconnor]

Truly glad you found it. Sound like they wanted a zero clearance, but didn't actually get one.

I was having a chat with an installer who commented that while most of us are focused on chimney codes and clearances, that in fact most of the fireplaces he is asked to install inserts into aren't up to code at all. He often rips out the old fireplace and rebuilds it before his installs (this isn't the guy who did my install unfortunately - he seemed switched on).

Craig posted a report he did a while back on a house fire that came from a non-code fireplace burning the walls - https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Masonry_Firepaces_-Not_up_to_Code/

 

[savageactor7]

Holy Cow...you should thank God for that save.