Building inspector was here for 5 minutes. Checked the stove manual for clearances. Didn't measure anything. Told him who installed it. He was actually glad we did a fire before it was inspected. He's worked with installer and said he knows what he's doing. He said it would be easier to know if stove is installed correctly if he could see it burning, even though he said you really shouldn't according to law and for insurance purposes. Quickest inspection I've ever seen.
Passed inspection!
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Good for you! What part of the country are you in? I'm in Ohio and my inspection took longer but sounds the same. It seemed like I asked the inspector more questions than he asked me.
From Conneaut near PA border. Inspector is from Conneaut, went to school with my brother. I expected a little more of an inspection.
Live on Lake Erie, and anyone who ever fished for perch and walleye know him. He cut and filleted almost all of the perch around here for 35 years. So I guess he has a reputation as a "fish cutter". Stinky job!
Elk recently posted about what SHOULD ideally happen before & during an inspection . I know my experience was nowhere near ideal .
The only thing my inspector did was check the clearances & look at the literature that came with my stove pipe .
It passed . I am confident in the installation because of the professionals who did it , and because of the research I did prior to buying my stove.
Still , there are so many things to know...and I would have liked to think that the people who decide if something is safe or not , were knowledgeable about what they are inspecting.
In my city , that is clearly not the case .
The only thing my inspector did was check the clearances & look at the literature that came with my stove pipe .
It passed . I am confident in the installation because of the professionals who did it , and because of the research I did prior to buying my stove.
Still , there are so many things to know...and I would have liked to think that the people who decide if something is safe or not , were knowledgeable about what they are inspecting.
In my city , that is clearly not the case .
I would have felt much better having a "stickler" inspector. I don't even feel like it was inspected.
Especially, since stove was installed by a builder, not a stove installer. Isn't there more to a safe stove installation than clearances being met and connections being tight? Yes, builder has installed other stoves, but I don't think he has installed any new or EPA approved ones. He was also surprised at low clearances on this stove. I was there and asked questions when stove was installed, so I actually know more than inspector, installation was correct. I hope. All clearances are met, with stove, hearth, double wall pipe, and chimney. Box is nailed to 2 x 6 framing. Chimney height above roof is correct. Stove works great, no spillage. No leaks when it rains. Brick placement is correct in stove. Does this all make for a safe installation? Couldn't afford a
wood stove installer. He wanted $800 just for labor. I had it done for $200. Parts were about $450. It took him about 4 hours. Wood stove installers make $200 an hour these days? Wow!
Especially, since stove was installed by a builder, not a stove installer. Isn't there more to a safe stove installation than clearances being met and connections being tight? Yes, builder has installed other stoves, but I don't think he has installed any new or EPA approved ones. He was also surprised at low clearances on this stove. I was there and asked questions when stove was installed, so I actually know more than inspector, installation was correct. I hope. All clearances are met, with stove, hearth, double wall pipe, and chimney. Box is nailed to 2 x 6 framing. Chimney height above roof is correct. Stove works great, no spillage. No leaks when it rains. Brick placement is correct in stove. Does this all make for a safe installation? Couldn't afford a
wood stove installer. He wanted $800 just for labor. I had it done for $200. Parts were about $450. It took him about 4 hours. Wood stove installers make $200 an hour these days? Wow!
I too , would have felt better if I'd had a thorough inspection.
It just wasn't/isn't gonna happen here .
Unfortunately , where I live , they don't seem to encounter this all that much .(within city limits)
It was like they were following a script . You can tell when some one is winging it .
I asked a lot of questions and the inspector spent a lot of time looking through the manual .
He eyeballed a few measurements and that was it.
But if you ask me , the whole process should have been handled differently from well BEFORE the install.
When you call to see what is required of you prior to your install , there is NO involvement of the inspector .
You just pay the 50 bucks for the permit , schedule your inspection and go forward with the install .
When I read Elk's post about what he does for an inspection....
I was amazed , because my inspection was NOTHING like that.
Apparently there's no standard from city to city/state to state.
Not all inspectors know what they are looking at /what they are doing .
The world needs more Elks.
On another note . You're right. The installation is terribly expensive. I think my installation was about 700 bucks(credit card -ouch!).
If I knew a reputable builder, I might have gone a different route.
But I wanted someone to install it who knew what they were doing.
There were two men . It took about 3 1/2 hours. They also lined the chimney...
They definitely knew what they were doing. And they didn't mind me hanging out to observe how it all goes together and asking the occasional question.
It's an investment . (a big investment)
When you are not able to do something by yourself, you find the most qualified person you can to do the job.
It sounds like you did fine.
Some people install it themselves.
My insurance company would not allow that. I was required to have a professional installation.
It just wasn't/isn't gonna happen here .
Unfortunately , where I live , they don't seem to encounter this all that much .(within city limits)
It was like they were following a script . You can tell when some one is winging it .
I asked a lot of questions and the inspector spent a lot of time looking through the manual .
He eyeballed a few measurements and that was it.
But if you ask me , the whole process should have been handled differently from well BEFORE the install.
When you call to see what is required of you prior to your install , there is NO involvement of the inspector .
You just pay the 50 bucks for the permit , schedule your inspection and go forward with the install .
When I read Elk's post about what he does for an inspection....
I was amazed , because my inspection was NOTHING like that.
Apparently there's no standard from city to city/state to state.
Not all inspectors know what they are looking at /what they are doing .
The world needs more Elks.
On another note . You're right. The installation is terribly expensive. I think my installation was about 700 bucks(credit card -ouch!).
If I knew a reputable builder, I might have gone a different route.
But I wanted someone to install it who knew what they were doing.
There were two men . It took about 3 1/2 hours. They also lined the chimney...
They definitely knew what they were doing. And they didn't mind me hanging out to observe how it all goes together and asking the occasional question.
It's an investment . (a big investment)
When you are not able to do something by yourself, you find the most qualified person you can to do the job.
It sounds like you did fine.
Some people install it themselves.
My insurance company would not allow that. I was required to have a professional installation.
My permit was $100. My insurance didn't require a professional, just the inspection, long form to fill out and photo of installation. Did your insurance go up? I didn't ask them if it would. Even if it does it will be worth it financially. You must have had a pre existing masonry chimney? Mine was new install with the stainless chimney. My installation seemed like more of a carpentry job, cutting hole in ceiling and roof, framing, installing flashing, etc. I know we could have done it ourselves, but why bother for $200?
I did have a pre-existing chimney .There was also a hearth and an old Fischer wood stove that was WAAAAYYYY too big for this house and installed on a hearth that was not to code & clearances that made my blood run cold at the thought of using the stove.
So, I sold the stove for $100 , ripped out the old hearth , researched my stove chioces , decided on a stove, got the clearances and specs for the hearth , built the new hearth myself .
From there I left the rest to the professionals. Stove dealer , chimney sweep , inspector ...
The inspection was supposed to be more $ , but the inspector gave me a break...He said that new install inspections are less than replacement stove inspections...So he charged me for the "new " installation, instead of the replacement.
So, I sold the stove for $100 , ripped out the old hearth , researched my stove chioces , decided on a stove, got the clearances and specs for the hearth , built the new hearth myself .
From there I left the rest to the professionals. Stove dealer , chimney sweep , inspector ...
The inspection was supposed to be more $ , but the inspector gave me a break...He said that new install inspections are less than replacement stove inspections...So he charged me for the "new " installation, instead of the replacement.
Our newly installed Lopi Declaration just passed inspection. The inspection took about 10 minutes, including various chatting. The inspector said he was primarily concerned that the stove be "certified" but he also stuck his flashlight in the hearth and looked to be examining the seam between the actual firebox area and the inside front of the insert. He also poked a couple of the firebricks. I asked about the coupling between the stove and the flue liner, which you can't really see, and he mentioned that it's hard to screw that up unless the installer starts pounding on it. I think our dealer has a good reputation with the county, which might have also helped with the speedy inspection.
I sent off a copy of the passed inspection to our homeowners insurance company. I had filled out a form and sent them photographs earlier. We did get a notice that our insurance is going up by $35/year but there was no indication that this was due to the insert being installed. It might have just been a "first of the year" type of increase. I believe they told me initially that there would be no increase. I still need to check this out.
I sent off a copy of the passed inspection to our homeowners insurance company. I had filled out a form and sent them photographs earlier. We did get a notice that our insurance is going up by $35/year but there was no indication that this was due to the insert being installed. It might have just been a "first of the year" type of increase. I believe they told me initially that there would be no increase. I still need to check this out.
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