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Examples & List of Indoor Fire Clearance Safety Hazards
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about fire hazards that occur from various improper combustible clearances for chimneys and indoor building surfaces
Indoor fire clearance distances:
Fire clearance hazards - unsafe indoor combustible clearances, & hazardous chimney clearances to indoor surfaces: this article lists and describes common indoor fire clearance safety hazards.
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Indoor Fire Clearance Safety Hazards
Here is a list of articles describing in more detail a variety of fire hazards that occur because of inadequate distance between a heating appliance, flue vent connector, chimney, or other building component and combustible materials.
Our page top sketch of a three-sided chimney is courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing tool company [ carsondunlop.com ]. 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.
- Fire Clearances for several common types of manufactured chimneys are summarized at FIRE CLEARANCES, METAL CHIMNEYS and just below are links to the specifications of each type of manufactured or metal chimney:
- CHIMNEY CHASE, WOOD FRAME
- CHIMNEY CODES & STANDARDS
- CHIMNEY HEIGHT & CLEARANCE CODE - a chimney that is too short can cause a roof fire
- CLASS A CHIMNEYS, MetalBestos™
- FIRE CLEARANCES, FLUE VENT CONNECTORS - too often the flue vent connector between the heating appliance and chimney fails to have adequate distance from combustible framing or other materials
- FIRE CLEARANCES for MASONRY CHIMNEYS - are required from wood framing or other combustibles
- FIRE CLEARANCES, METAL CHIMNEYS - depend on the chimney material, type, fuel
- FIRE CLEARANCES, SINGLE WALL METAL FLUES & VENTS includes the following detailed articles
- Reduction in Fire Clearance - Heat Shields - to reduce the required fire clearance distance for a woodstove or other heating appliance or its flue vent connector
- Single Wall Metal Flues - Oil fired heaters - fire clearance requirements
- Single Wall Metal Pipe Flues - Gas heaters - fire clearance requirements - the distance to the nearest combustible surface
- FIRE CLEARANCES WOOD & COAL STOVES - fire clearance requirements - the distance to the nearest combustible surface
- FIRE STOPPING in BUILDINGS explains the need for a block to natural chimneys that can occur in building walls, speeding the spread of a building fire
- FLUE VENT CONNNECTORS, BOILERS, FURNACES, WATER HEATERS - the flue vent connector is a metal pipe connecting a heating furnace, boiler, or other heating appliance to its chimney. Failure to respect the necessary distance between the flue vent connector and combustible surfaces is one of the most common fire hazards in buildings.
See Indoor Chimney & Vent Connector Fire Clearances for details of this topic. - GAS FIREPLACE VENT CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS
- HOLES in MASONRY CHIMNEY often are not noticed by building owners who do not enter attics or attic knee wall spaces where an older masonry chimney, particularly a brick chimney, may have lost bricks, cracked, or moved, creating a serious fire hazard.
- THREE-SIDED CHIMNEYS - Three-sided chimneys - chimneys which do not provide full masonry thickness or fire protection around all sides of the chimney flue.
- TYPE B-VENT CHIMNEYS
- TYPE L VENT CHIMNEYS
- TRIPLE-WALL METAL FIREPLACE CHIMNEYS
- SUPER CHIMNEYS, 629 CHIMNEYS
- WOOD-OIL-BURNING BOILERS, FURNACES, STOVES are often installed without a building permit and without safety inspections.
Particularly when heating costs for conventional heating oil and gas are rising and high, these devices see extra service and may be run longer or hotter than usual in a home. The result is an increase in house fires where wood stoves, coal stoves, or fireplace inserts have been improperly installed or where the chimney has become creosote-laden and catches on fire.
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Continue reading at FIRE CLEARANCES, FLUE VENT CONNECTORS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- FIRE CLEARANCES INDOORS
- FIRE CLEARANCES, MASONRY CHIMNEYS
- FIRE CLEARANCES, METAL CHIMNEYS
- FIRE CLEARANCES, SINGLE WALL METAL FLUES & VENTS
- FIRE CLEARANCES, WOOD COAL & PELLET STOVES
- FIREPLACE CHIMNEY ROOF CLEARANCE
- FIREPLACES & HEARTHS
- FIREPLACE INSPECTION PRE-FAB
- GAS FIREPLACE VENT CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS
- WOOD-OIL COMBINATION HEATERS
- WOOD STOVE OPERATION & SAFETY
Suggested citation for this web page
FIRE CLEARANCES INDOORS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to CHIMNEYS & FLUES
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Arlene Puentes [Website: www.octoberhome.com ] , an ASHI member and a licensed home inspector in Kingston, NY, and has served on ASHI national committees as well as HVASHI Chapter President. Ms. Puentes can be contacted at ap@octoberhome.com
- Roger Hankey is principal of Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN, technical review by Roger Hankey, prior chairman, Standards Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI. 952 829-0044 - hankeyandbrown.com
- NFPA 211: Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances, (2024) at the NFPA Bookstore, (Older NFPA editions and standards are found at the same bookstore)
- NFPA #211-3.1 1988 - Specific to chimneys, fireplaces, vents and solid fuel burning appliances.
- NFPA # 54-7.1 1992 - Specific to venting of equipment with fan-assisted combustion systems.
- GAMA, VENTING TABLES, CATGORY I CENTRAL FURNACES [PDF] (1990 & 2000) Gas Appliance Manufacturers' Association,, includes also fan-assisted combustion system central furnaces.
SPECIAL METAL-FAB UPDATE AS OF MARCH 2000 The venting tables within this booklet have now been included in the National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54/ANSI Z223.1-1999). That code may also be used to size venting systems for drafthood equipped central furnaces or for fan-assisted combustion system central furnaces.
This booklet contains new venting tables designed specifically for use with Category I central furnaces.
These tables are unique, in that, industry wide venting tables now exist for fan-assisted combustion system central furnaces. Venting tables for these types of appliances are not contained in the National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54/ANSI Z223.1-1988).
All requirements contained in this booklet apply to both Category I drafthood equipped central furnaces as well as fan-assisted combustion system central furnaces. At no time should a venting system for a listed Category II, III, or IV central furnace be sized with these tables.
The National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54/ANSI Z223.1-1988) may also be used to size venting systems for drafthood equipped central furnaces.
However, at this time, the National Fuel Gas Code does not include alternate sizing methods for fan-assisted combustion systems.
Therefore, until engineering data is developed to allow alternate sizing methods for Category I fanassisted central furnaces, the enclosed venting tables must be used for fan-assisted combustion system central furnaces.
These tables apply to venting single appliances and common venting multiple appliances in both metal and masonry chimneys. - National Fuel Gas Code, an American National Standard, 4th ed. 1988 (newer edition is available) Secretariats, American Gas Association (AGA), 1515 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA22209, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Batterymarch Park, Quincy MA 02269. ANSI Z223.1-1988 - NFPA 54-1988. WARNING: be sure to check clearances and other safety guidelines in the latest edition of these standards.
- ICC, Fire Inspector Guide Based on the 2021 International Fire Code [ICC Digital Subscription] International Code Council
- Uniform Mechanical Code - UMC 1991, Sec 913 (a.) Masonry Chimneys, refers to Chapters 23, 29, and 37 of the Building Code.
- New York 1984 Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, Article 10, Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Requirements
- New York 1979 Uniform Fire Prevention & Building Code, The "requirement" for 8" of solid masonry OR for use of a flue liner was listed in the One and Two Family Dwelling Code for New York, in 1979, in Chapter 9, Chimneys and Fireplaces, New York 1979 Building and Fire Prevention Code:
- "Top Ten Chimney (and related) Problems Encountered by One Chimney Sweep," Hudson Valley ASHI education seminar, 3 January 2000, contributed by Bob Hansen, ASHI
- Chimney Inspection Checklist, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, Ontario
- "Rooftop View Turns to Darkness," Martine Costello, Josh Kovner, New Haven Register, 12 May 1992 p. 11: Catherine Murphy was sunning on a building roof when a chimney collapsed; she fell into and was trapped inside the chimney until rescued by emergency workers.
- "Chimneys and Vents," Mark J. Reinmiller, P.E., ASHI Technical Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2 July 1991 p. 34-38.
- "Chimney Inspection Procedures & Codes," Donald V. Cohen was to be published in the first volume of the 1994 ASHI Technical Journal by D. Friedman, then editor/publisher of that publication, but the production of the ASHI Technical Journal was cancelled by ASHI President Patrick Porzio.
Some of the content of Mr. Cohen's original submission has been included in this more complete chimney inspection article:
CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR - Natural Gas Weekly Update: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government
- US Energy Administration: Electrical Energy Costs http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelelectric.html
- Ceramic Roofware, Hans Van Lemmen, Shire Library, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0747805694 - Brick chimneys, chimney-pots and roof and ridge tiles have been a feature of the roofs of a wide range of buildings since the late Middle Ages. In the first instance this ceramic roofware was functional - to make the roof weatherproof and to provide an outlet for smoke - but it could also be very decorative.
The practical and ornamental aspects of ceramic roofware can still be seen throughout Britain, particularly on buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Not only do these often have ornate chimneys and roof tiles but they may also feature ornamental sculptures or highly decorative gable ends. This book charts the history of ceramic roofware from the Middle Ages to the present day, highlighting both practical and decorative applications, and giving information about manufacturers and on the styles and techniques of production and decoration.
Hans van Lemmen is an established author on the history of tiles and has lectured on the subject in Britain and elsewhere. He is founder member and presently publications editor of the British Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society. - Chimney Inspection Checklist, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, Ontario
- Chimney & Stack Inspection Guidelines, American Society of Civil Engineers, [Book] 2003 ISBN: 9780784475423
These guidelines address the inspection of chimneys and stacks. Each guideline assists owners in determining what level of inspection is appropriate to a particular chimney and provides common criteria so that all parties involved have a clear understanding of the scope of the inspection and the end product required.
Each chimney or stack is a unique structure, subject to both aggressive operating and natural environments, and degradation over time.
Such degradation may be managed via a prudent inspection program followed by maintenance work on any equipment or structure determined to be in need of attention. Sample inspection report specifications, sample field inspection data forms, and an example of a developed plan of a concrete chimney are included in the guidelines.
This book provides a valuable guidance tool for chimney and stack inspections and also offers a set of references for these particular inspections. - Fireplaces, a Practical Design Guide, Jane Gitlin
- Fireplaces, Friend or Foe, Robert D. Mayo
- NFPA 211: Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances, (2024) at the NFPA Bookstore, (Older NFPA editions and standards are found at the same bookstore)
- Principles of Home Inspection: Chimneys & Wood Heating, in (Principles of Home Inspection), Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, Ontario
- NFPA 211 - 3-1.10 - Relining guide for chimneys
- NFPA 211 - 3-2 - Construction of Masonry Chimneys
- NFPA 211 - 3-3 - Termination Height for chimneys
- NFPA 211 - 3-4 - Clearance from Combustible Material
- NFPA 54 - 7-1 - Venting of Equipment into chimneys
- Brick Institute of America - Flashing Chimneys
Brick Institute of America - Proper Chimney Crowns
Brick Institute of America - Moisture Resistance of Brick - American Gas Association - New Vent Sizing Tables
- Chimney Safety Institute of America - Chimney Fires: Causes, Effects, Evaluation
- National Chimney Sweep Guild [Website] 1255 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy Ankeny, Iowa 50023 USA, Tel: +1 (317) 837-1500 Email: office@ncsg.org NCSG certifies chimney sweep (cleaning) professionals.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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