Sometimes, minimum clearance is not enough

[56kz2slow]

I have a bit of a hick redneck neighbour, but he does have good ideas.

He was helping with building my hearth last winter. The manual and local regulations require 18" of non combustible floor in front of my fireplace. He told me, 18" is not that much, it's one thing to be up to code, it's another to really protect your floor. So he suggested I go to 24" in front instead.

This morning, I was glad I listened to him. While stirring the fire, a piece of red coal about 1/2" in diameter fell on the hearth and stopped about 2" from the edge. If I had gone with the minimum clearance instead of listening to my neighbour, I'd have a burnt spot on my wood floor.

For those that watch the Canadian TV show, Holmes on Homes, with Mike Holmes, you often heard him say that while it's good to follow minimum code, it's even better to exceed minimum code.

Marc...

 

[ansehnlich1]

Great topic and great reminder. I've been around hearth.com for a little while now and in the past couple months I've read several threads that bothered me in terms of meeting clearances/codes.

I was extremely focused on safety when doing my installation and it appears you were too. Thank that neighbor for telling you that recommended clearances are just that, MINIMUM!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum MarcL.

You have just added more evidence that even the most red of the rednecks can still have good ideas. I agree about the codes. Code does not mean that you follow it. It is only a minimum. It is sort of like what I told a bunch of college students. "You are correct that you can pass with a C average, but with that attitude you won't get far in life. You need a C, why not shoot for an A? Do more, not just enough to get by."

 

[56kz2slow]

Another thing I just though of. When building a permanent structure like an hearth, if it meets minimum code today, it might not meet minimum code in 5 or 10 years from now. So if the insurance company could decide to deny coverage because it no longer meets requirements. Or it may need to get fixed in the event the house is for sale. So by exceeding the minimum requirements, there is a better chance to still be covered with future requirements.

 

[NH_Wood]

I agree wth exceeding the minimum code specs to be safe, but I'd also guess that the 'minimum' code includes a certain level of 'extra safety' built in. If the specs ask for 18" clearance from combustables, I'm guessing that the danger zone would be quite a few inches fewer, but extra distance is added to be safe (with good reason). Cheers!

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm just a dumb firefighter and I've always thought it is better to over-build when it comes to fire safety which is why my hearth and clearances are a little bigger than the minimum standard . . . and if I thought I could have got away with it with the wife I would have been tempted to build it even larger . . . over-sized hearths are nice since not only do they have a little extra safety but they also provide a place for your tools, your cats or you.

Incidentally, the analogy our Fire Inspector uses is pizza . . . he says when it comes to following the code it's like ordering a plain cheese pizza . . . it's the minimum . . . but who really wants to eat a plain cheese pizza (well besides me . . . I kind of like a plain cheese pizza once in a while) . . . he says the code is a good starting point . . . it's almost always better to go beyond what is required . . . and add pepperoni and extra cheese when building your hearth.

 

[cmonSTART]

I have a bit of a hick redneck neighbour, but he does have good ideas.

He was helping with building my hearth last winter. The manual and local regulations require 18" of non combustible floor in front of my fireplace. He told me, 18" is not that much, it's one thing to be up to code, it's another to really protect your floor. So he suggested I go to 24" in front instead.

This morning, I was glad I listened to him. While stirring the fire, a piece of red coal about 1/2" in diameter fell on the hearth and stopped about 2" from the edge. If I had gone with the minimum clearance instead of listening to my neighbour, I'd have a burnt spot on my wood floor.

For those that watch the Canadian TV show, Holmes on Homes, with Mike Holmes, you often heard him say that while it's good to follow minimum code, it's even better to exceed minimum code.

Marc...

Well if you watch the Red Green Show you'll know you just have to duct tape two hearths together to make the extra safe model.

 

[LLigetfa]

When it came to the hearth, I built mine to minimum code and have a couple of burn marks on my wood floor to show for it. I wasn't so much concerned with that because I can quickly sweep a coal back onto the stone which is flush with the flooring.

When it came to rest of the install however, I did exceed minimum code. I used metal studs and cement board where none was called for and I chased the SS flue with a radiation shield the full length of the second floor. The metal studs were mostly extra insurance but also, I didn't want the wood to warp as it dried out. The heat shield too, was primarily extra insurance but a side benefit was to hold more heat in the flue to aid the draft.

 

[PapaDave]

As Jake mentioned, code IS minimum. Not what I consider good. I'd rather spend just a little more time and effort to provide an extra margin, than to build to "code", and maybe have a problem. I've seen way too many things done to "code" that I wouldn't want to stake my name or reputation on. Just me, just sayin'.

 

[begreen]

I'm a strong advocate for exceeding minimums where possible. We had a couple coals pop out while I was raking the coal bed earlier this week. One landed on the hearth, then one landed on the wood floor. Fortunately I had poker in hand and quickly nudged it onto the hearth. Otherwise our floor would have had its first burn tattoo.