Hello all I have a question regarding my heat shield. I’m in Nova Scotia, I have just recently installed a new Drolet stove and subsequently failed a Wett inspection. My installation for both the stove, the chimney, the hearth pad, the heat shield, etc, were all to the “T” perfect according to the inspector with only one exception. He failed me due to the materials of my DIY heat shield, specifically the cement board. All dimensions, spacing, etc, for the shield was perfect. I made my heat shield out of 1/2" Durock Cement Board and skim coated the surface with 1/4" of mortar. (My wife and I didn't like the look of a tiled heat shield). So nothing in my heatshield is "combustible", the Cement Board is advertised at Home Depot for use as a heatshield (I know this means very little), it is Non-Combustible according to everything I can find on the internet, and the masonry coat on top is certainly not combustible.
His reasoning cited somewhere in the B356-17 building codes that since it was a "built on site" heatshield, I can't use cement board because if the house was on fire, the cement board would eventually crumble. Yes.. the absurdity. He agreed with me, that it doesn't make any sense that if your house is already on fire (caused by some other means) to such a large degree that your heatshield crumbles, well its as non-issue. Additionally in further sillyness, if I was to add tiles to the front of my cement board, (on top of my 1/4" skim coat) then my heat shield would pass inspection. Regardless of the same logic, that a pre-existing house fire would still crumble my cement board heat shield "with tiles"...arghh
My stove manufacturer states that I can reduce my clearances with a heatshield constructed of "ceramic tiles, or equivalent non-combustible material, on non-combustible board spaced out at least 1" by non-combustible spacers". I would like to think that a 1/4" skim coat of mortar can be considered equivalently non-combustible material, on-top of cement board. If so, I would be complying with the manufacturers rules which should supersede anything else.
Anyway, I would appreciate any of your thoughts on the matter. Do I have any recourse to get a second opinion on this or to contest this? Has anyone ever contested a Wett inspection? I need one for my insurance so I am a little stuck and really don't want to pointlessly tile over this heatshield. Thanks in advance.
![[Hearth.com] Need Help, Heat Shield/ failed Wett inspection regulations [Hearth.com] Need Help, Heat Shield/ failed Wett inspection regulations](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/269/269485-755e7d6299e13415a1df58ebe4c248c5.jpg?hash=DdkehRc1K6)
His reasoning cited somewhere in the B356-17 building codes that since it was a "built on site" heatshield, I can't use cement board because if the house was on fire, the cement board would eventually crumble. Yes.. the absurdity. He agreed with me, that it doesn't make any sense that if your house is already on fire (caused by some other means) to such a large degree that your heatshield crumbles, well its as non-issue. Additionally in further sillyness, if I was to add tiles to the front of my cement board, (on top of my 1/4" skim coat) then my heat shield would pass inspection. Regardless of the same logic, that a pre-existing house fire would still crumble my cement board heat shield "with tiles"...arghh
My stove manufacturer states that I can reduce my clearances with a heatshield constructed of "ceramic tiles, or equivalent non-combustible material, on non-combustible board spaced out at least 1" by non-combustible spacers". I would like to think that a 1/4" skim coat of mortar can be considered equivalently non-combustible material, on-top of cement board. If so, I would be complying with the manufacturers rules which should supersede anything else.
Anyway, I would appreciate any of your thoughts on the matter. Do I have any recourse to get a second opinion on this or to contest this? Has anyone ever contested a Wett inspection? I need one for my insurance so I am a little stuck and really don't want to pointlessly tile over this heatshield. Thanks in advance.
![[Hearth.com] Need Help, Heat Shield/ failed Wett inspection regulations [Hearth.com] Need Help, Heat Shield/ failed Wett inspection regulations](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/269/269485-755e7d6299e13415a1df58ebe4c248c5.jpg?hash=DdkehRc1K6)
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