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 Mobile ViewCHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR Abandoned Chimneys - Indoor Inspection Abandoned Flue Openings List of Abandoned Chimney Hazards Abandoned Chimneys: Outdoors Angled Chimney Flues ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID Attic Chimney Inspection Holes in Masonry Chimneys Dark Stains on Chimney Surface White/Light Stains on Chimneys Backdrafting Appliances BAROMETRIC DAMPERS Blocked Chimney Flues Bracket Chimney Collapse & Fire Risks B-Vent Chimneys B-Vent Clearances Table CARBON DIOXIDE - CO2 CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CHIMNEY INSPECTION & REPAIR GUIDE Chimney Cap & Crown Inspection Missing Chimney Rain Cap Damaged Masonry Chimney Cap or Crown Masonry Chimney Top Damage Separation of Chimney Flues - Chimney Top Soot at the Chimney Top UNLINED FLUE INSPECTIONS Chimney Cleaning Advice, Procedures Chimney Cleaning Fraud Warning Chimney Cleanout Doors Chimney Cleanout Combustible Clearance Chimney Cleanouts Required ChimScan: Inspecting Flues by Cameras Masonry Fragments & Debris at the Cleanout Missing Chimney Cleanout Door Chimney Components Definitions Chimney Crack & Collapse Risks, Repairs Articles on Collapsing Chimneys Bracing for Masonry Chimneys Bracing for Masonry Chimneys, Lateral Bracing for Metal Chimneys Bracket Chimney Collapse & Fire Risks Earthquake Chimney Collapse Dangers Chimney Crack Detection & Diagnosis Chimney Leaning, Separation, Movement-Outdoors Cracked Brick Chimney Sides Cracked Concrete Block Chimneys Curved Brick Chimneys Split Openings in Brick & Chimney Collapse Chimney Draft & Performance Draft: Thermal Performance of Chimneys Chimney Flashing Mistakes & Leaks CHIMNEY HEIGHT & CLEARANCE CODE Adjacent Metal Chimney Separation B-Vent Clearances Table Chimney Too Short Chimney Height Extensions Chimney Height for Types L & Type B Vents Fire Clearances for Masonry Chimneys Fire Clearances for Metal Chimneys Fire Clearances, Single-Wall Metal Flues Masonry Chimney Roof Clearance Wood burning Fireplace Roof Clearance Chimney Height Extensions Chimney Inspection Checklist Most Frequent Chimney Defects Chimney Inspection Checklist - Outdoors Chimney Inspection Checklist - Indoors Responsibility of an ASHI Home Inspectors Chimney Inspection: Flue Interiors Chimney Interior Inspection Methods Barometric Damper view of Flue Chimney Thimble Requirements Chimney Thimble Damage Cleanout Door view of Flue Masonry Fragments & Debris at the Cleanout ChimScan: Inspecting Flues by Cameras Chimney Inspection Indoor Procedures Chimney Inspection Outdoors From Ground Abandoned Chimneys: Outdoors Chimney Crack Detection & Diagnosis Chimney Footing Defective / Missing Chimney Leaning, Separation, Movement Foundation Support for Masonry Chimneys Three-Sided Chimneys: Outdoors Chimney Inspection Outdoors at Rooftop Angled Chimney Flues Blocked Chimney Flues Chimney Cap & Crown Inspection Missing Chimney Rain Cap Damaged Masonry Chimney Cap or Crown Separation of Chimney Flues - Chimney Top Chimney Crack Detection & Diagnosis Chimney Exterior Spalling Chimney Flashing Mistakes & Leaks Chimney Height Extensions Chimney Shoulder Leaks Flue Tile Damage in Chimneys Masonry Chimney Top Damage Soot at the Chimney Top UNLINED FLUE INSPECTIONS Chimney Leaning, Separation, Movement Chimney Movement - Causes Chimney Movement - Ongoing vs Static Chimney Footing Defective / Missing Foundation Support for Masonry Chimneys Leaning Chimney Repair Methods Chimney Repair Fraud Warning Chimney Repair Methods Bracing for Masonry Chimneys Bracing for Metal Chimneys Bracing for Masonry Chimneys, Lateral Chimney Height Extensions Chimney Top & Clay Flue Tile Repairs Connecting Metal Chimney Sections Damaged Chimney flues: cracks, holes, spalling Draft Inducer Fans Leaning Chimney Repair Methods Re-Lining Choices for Masonry Chimneys Replacement Components for Metal Chimneys Chimney Safety - CPSC Alert Chimney Shoulder Leaks Chimney Spalling, Exterior Chimney Sweeps Chimney Types & Materials Device Categories vs. Chimney Requirements Double-Wall Metal, Type B & Type L Chimneys Draft Hood Appliances Factory Built Chimneys High Efficiency Heating Appliances High Temperature Plastic Chimneys & Vents Masonry & Clay Tile Chimneys Mid-Efficiency Heating Appliances New Vent Requirements Single-Wall Metal Pipe Chimneys Vents Three-Sided Chimneys: Problems Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues CO2 TOXICITY COALSTOVE SAFETY COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ COMPLETE COMBUSTION, Stoichiometric Dead End Chimney Flue Hazards Definitions of Chimney Types & Parts DRAFT HOODS - gas fired DRAFT MEASUREMENT, CHIMNEYS & FLUES DRAFT REGULATORS, DAMPERS, BOOSTERS EFFLORESCENCE, Salts & White / Brown Deposits Fire Clearances for Masonry Chimneys Fire Clearances for Metal Chimneys Fire Clearances, Single-Wall Metal Flues CHIMNEY HEIGHT & CLEARANCE CODE Reduction in Fire Clearance - Heat Shields Single Wall Metal Flues - Oil fired heaters Single Wall Metal Pipe Flues - Gas heaters Wood & Coal Stove Flues Fire Clearance Safety Hazards, other FIREPLACES & HEARTHS Chimney Cleanout Combustible Clearance Chimney Cleanouts Required Chimney / Fireplace Settlement Chimney / Fireplace Support Repair Creosote Deposits - Fire Hazard Dead End Flues / Dead Base Chimney Hazards Fireplace Damper Trouble Fireplace Fire Hazards: Carpeting Fireplace Hearth Size Fireplace Inserts Fireplace Inspections Fireplace & Woodstove Air Contaminants Inaccessible Connections Fireplace or Woodstove Wood Burning Fireplace Roof Clearance Fire stopping at Chimney Passage Through Floors FLAME COLOR, BLUE vs YELLOW COMBUSTION FLUE SIZE SPECIFICATIONS Flue Separation Requirements Flue Tile Damage in Chimneys Flue Vent Connectors - Boilers, Furnaces Blocked Chimney at the Flue Vent Connector Dead End Chimney Flue Hazards Extended Too Far into Chimney Joint Connections - Single Wall Metal Flues Length Limits for a Flue Vent Connector Loose, Leaky, Not Sealed, Flue Vent Connector Plastic Heater Vents Plastic Vents Goodman HTPV Recall Rusted Metal Flue Vent Connectors Slope, Proper Flue Vent Connector Fuel Changes for Heating Appliances HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table HEATING INSPECTIONS HOME HEATING SAFETY HEATING SYSTEMS Lennox SAFETY WARNING Metal Chimneys & Flues Bracing for Metal Chimneys Class A Chimneys, MetalBestos™ Connecting Metal Chimney Sections Continuous metal chimneys Definitions of Chimney Types & Parts Fire Clearances for Metal Chimneys Height required for L Vents & B Vents Indoor Hazards, Metal Chimney & Vent Manufactured Chimneys Offset from Vertical in Chimneys, excessive Replacement Components for Metal Chimneys Single-Wall Metal Vents & Chimneys Super Chimneys, 629 Chimneys Triple-Wall Metal Fireplace Chimneys Type B-Vents Type L Vents Wet time & Corrosion in Chimneys, Vents Wood Framed Chimney Chases Moisture Problems Damage Chimneys Nanomaterials Hazards NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS FROM HEATING SYSTEMS OIL HEAT SAFETY INSPECTIONS PLASTIC HEATER VENTS Safety Recalls, Chimneys, Vents, Heaters BLUE vs YELLOW COMBUSTION FLAMES BLUERAY Recall CHIMNEYS & Flues - Asbestos Transite Goodman HTPV RECALL Lennox Furnace Manuals Lennox SAFETY WARNING PLASTIC Plexvent / Ultravent RECALL Weil McLain RECALL Shared Chimney & Shared Flue Hazards Shared Chimney Flue Examples Exceptions: Shared Flues Permitted? Wood & Oil Fired Heaters Two Gas Fired Appliances Vent in One Flue Multiple Fireplaces Sharing One Flue STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS Stains on chimneys Three-Sided Chimneys: Problems Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues UNLINED FLUE INSPECTIONS WOOD, COAL STOVES & FIREPLACES Chimney Clearance & Condition Safety Coalstove Safety Creosote Deposits - Fire Hazard Dead End Flues - Dead Base Chimney Hazards Fire Clearance Safety Hazards Fire Clearance Wood & Coal Stove Flues Fire stopping at Chimney Passage Through Floors FIREPLACES & HEARTHS Fireplace Inserts Fireplace Inspections Fireplace & Woodstove Air Contaminants HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table Inaccessible Connections Fireplace or Woodstove WOOD STOVE SAFETY More Information |
This article describes the antique and modern fireplace inserts used for wood, coal, or pellet fuel heating. We discuss fireplace inserts and zero-clearance fireplaces, both antique and modern, and their hazards and inspection limitations. Watch out: Because a fireplace insert blocks direct access to the chimney flue from inside a building, the condition of an inaccessible flue is often unknown, and possibly dangerous fire or carbon monoxide hazards could be present. Expert inspection and cleaning are appropriate as at least an annual safety check. Our page top sketch of a typical fireplace insert is provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop & Associates. Readers of this article should be sure to review Fireplace Damage & Unsafe Hearths, and also see Fireplace Inspections for a professional chimney sweep's fireplace and chimney hazard checklist. At Fireplace Inserts we discuss fireplace inserts and zero-clearance fireplaces, both antique and modern, and their hazards and inspection limitations. Readers should also see Inaccessible Connections Fireplace or Woodstove. The inspection of chimney interiors is discussed at Chimney Inspection: Flue Interiors. This website also provides 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. As with most inspection and safety topics, this material may be incomplete. Readers should also see Chimney Inspection: Flue Interiors and ChimScan: Inspecting Flues by Cameras. © Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. Antique Fireplace Inserts - Coal-BurningBelow we provide photographs of the exploration of the condition of a cast-iron "fireplace" or fireplace grate that was originally intended for burning large chunks of coal, probably soft coal. This installation was found in a home built in Poughkeepsie NY ca 1900 and restored by the author.
Working carefully so as not to damage the ceramic tile fireplace facade and hearth, we removed and disassembled this antique coal burning fireplace insert (burning wood in our photo) to inspect the condition and construction of the chimney flue (above right). The flue was un-damaged, needed cleaning, and was also a bit small for any expanded fuel use in this installation.
Our fireplace photos above show the back and top of this coal burning insert (above left) and the grate assembly (above right). At below left we show the solid (8" or more) masonry firebox and the opening into a basement ash pit below this fireplace. Our reproduction of an antique fireplace grate insert (below right) was a Dixon's Low-Down Grate. Low fireplace grates were intended for use over an ash pit opening. For upper floor rooms where no ash pit connection was possible, Dixon sold an Elevated Fire Grate. The installation of low cast iron fire grates over an ash pit was made as shown in this sketch. Dixon's design intended to draw combustion air for the fire from the basement (cellar) or from outside, not from the room being heated - a design considered proper practice in modern homes and required by code in some areas. Here is another beautiful antique fireplace opening cover/grate observed in Minneapolis and contributed by Roger Hankey. Watch out: some older homes used a shared flue among fireplaces and heating appliances on different floors - a practice that is considered unsafe and is prohibited today.
Modern Fireplace Inserts for Burning Wood, Coal, Pellet Fuel
Zero-clearance Fireplaces
The clearance to combustibles is not "zero" but one or more inches, depending on the materials, construction, and manufacturers' instructions.
Watch out: we have found a few zero-clearance fireplaces improperly installed too close to combustibles. The installer did not understand the purpose of steel clearance-assuring projections welded to the zero-clearance fireplace, and s/he had hammered them flat to "shoe-horn" the zero clearance fireplace into a too-small wood-framed rough opening. The result was a serious building fire hazard and a building code violation as well. Our photo of a zero-clearance fireplace from inside the framed opening (above) shows the clearance guards intact next to our ruler. But inspection showed chimney leaks onto this unit - evidenced by the rust and white stains that can ultimately damage the flue (at upper right) and the fireplace unit, making it unsafe. Inspecting the Chimney where a Fireplace Insert for Wood or Coal is InstalledIn fact it is just about impossible to see the condition of these components and their connections unless the insert is removed or inspected from above using a chimney inspection camera system. If a woodstove/free-standing fireplace like this were to be used it would probably require at least three feet of clearance from combustibles. Local codes and fire regulations need to be consulted, and in most jurisdictions, a building permit and safety inspection are required for the installation of a woodstove or similar device. See WOOD STOVE SAFETY for important details and also see Chimney Safety Alert for Wood Burning Appliances - US CPSC Alert Document 5017, wood stoves, fireplace. More help with inspecting chimney flue interiors can be found in these articles: Chimney Inspection: Flue Interiors Abandoning or Removing a Fireplace Insert?Often when a fireplace insert has been installed, the original fireplace damper has been modified (cut to pass the flue vent connector) or simply removed entirely. If you are discontinuing a fireplace insert, you may need to repair or replace the fireplace damper, or perhaps install a chimney-top damper instead. Questions & Answers regarding this article. Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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