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Chimney cleanout door hazards (C) Carson Dunlop Associates Chimney Cleanout Door Fire Clearance Distance

Fire clearance to combustibles for chimney cleanout opening doors:

What is the required distance between a chimney cleanout door and the nearest combustible material? Chimney Cleanouts are required but must be at a safe distance from combustibles.

This article describes fire clearances for chimney cleanout doors. We also explain some of the other hazards associated with chimney cleanout doors. These articles on chimneys and chimney safety provide detailed suggestions describing how to perform a thorough visual inspection of chimneys for safety and other defects. Chimney inspection methods and chimney repair methods are also discussed.

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Chimney Cleanout Doors Left Open or Close to Combustibles

Chimney cleanout door hazards (C) Carson Dunlop AssociatesA missing chimney cleanout door or a cleanout door left open  means that there is a fire safety hazard (sparks or ashes falling out onto the basement floor) and also that it is impossible to control the draft in the flue.

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we have found heating boilers with draft problems and "repair attempts" like removing the boiler's barometric damper, when all the while the root problem of bad chimney draft was that the cleanout door was open or missing.

A missing chimney cleanout door is most serious because it is unsafe.

But a missing cleanout door or simply a cleanout door that is left ajar makes it very difficult for the chimney to develop adequate draft.

In turn this means that a fireplace or an oil or gas fired heating appliance may be both unsafe (carbon monoxide gas, fire hazards) and also in poor operating state.

For example on oil fired heating systems and some fireplace chimneys we've found a draft inducer installed on a chimney to cope with inadequate draft when the root problem was a basement cleanout door that had fallen off.

See DRAFT INDUCER FANS

On gas fired appliances, inadequate draft from a missing chimney door could lead to dangerous or even fatal carbon monoxide poisoning in a building.

See CARBON MONOXIDE

Chimney Cleanout Codes IFGC 2015

501.15.3 Cleanout.

Masonry chimney flues shall be provided with a cleanout opening having a minimum height of 6 inches (152 mm).

The upper edge of the opening shall be located not less than 6 inches (152 mm) below the lowest chimney inlet opening.

The cleanout shall be provided with a tight-fitting, noncombustible cover. 

 




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Question:

(Dec 16, 2014) Jim said:
By typical code, how far do combustibles have to be from the chimney cleanout door? I'd like an answer in inches and feet. My chimney, which I've not used yet, needs both a ash dump door and a ash dump cleanout door. The masonry openings for both are in great shape, and are the proper sizes to utilize standard doors.

When I bought the house, believe it or not, the ash dump cleanout port (NOTE: no door) was covered with insulation and drywall. Very hazardous. I know.

I'd like to refinish the basement walls, again, with drywall and insulation, with proper clearance from the cleanout door. (Horizontal and vertical clearance requirements would be nice.) I don't intend to use the ash pit myself; I plan to clean the fireplace after every use.

This is the first house I've ever been in with an ash pit, so, personally, I am reluctant to use it. Seems like a real potential for messes and hazards

(Dec 16, 2014) Jim said:
Nevermind.....the answer is in the drawing itself at CHIMNEY CLEANOUT CLEARANCE to COMBUSTIBLES. I'll be sure to allow more than the 6" minimum distance from the door opening. That seems to be a little close for my concerns. I'll probably not have any wall/framing below the door, at a minimum.

Thanks.

Reply:

Thanks Jim. I agree that 6" is a minimum standard.

And watch out: inspect ash pit construction with care; sometimes we find problems with combustibles left in the structure where they don't belong, or shared flues whose draft can be a problem.


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