Factory-built fireplace inspection procedures

Checklist for building inspectors

Building ID & Location: __________________________________________

Date & Time: _________________________________________________

Inspector: ____________________________________________________

Chimney cap and crown defects: 

missing chimney cap, damaged chimney crown or top seal, leaks into the chimney leading to rust damage on metal flues or frost and water damage to masonry flues, leading to an unsafe chimney.

Watch out: attaching anything other than the manufacturer's spark arrester to the chimney top cover and flashing violates the listing and the building code.

Chimney Chase:

Chase termination adapters and sections may be described in separate instructions from those provided with the chimney & firebox.

Inspect the chimney chase interior (it may be necessary to make or provide visual access, often feasible from inside the building attic).

Check the chimney chase interior surfaces for signs of flue or metal chimney leaks, soot, smoke, or darkening of surfaces that may indicate overheating or an usafe chimney.

if there has been a prior chimney fire in a metal flue the system should not be used again before it is replaced.

Baird (1991) reported that "certain chase termination-adapter kits were improperly installed, ... leaving a gap in the metal chimney near the top of the chase". [4]

FIRE STOPPING at CHIMNEY PASSAGES

Definition of pyrolysis

Chimney Chase insulation

does the manufacturer require or prohibit insulation within the chimney chase? Have those instructions been followed?

Note: insulation may be required or prohibited as may fire-blocking within the chimney chase. See the separate chimney chase inspection article cited at right.

CHIMNEY CHASE CONSTRUCTION

Chimney elbows, bends, angles

no section of the chimney should be angled or inclined more than 30 degrees off of vertical;

where chimney elbows or angled runs are used, the weight of the chimney must be adequately supported above the elbows (by elbow support straps or by other means specified by the manufacturer).

CHIMNEY INSPECTION CHECKLIST

PYROLYSIS EXPLAINED

Chimney passage through building interior living space: is the chimney enclosed where it passes through occupied space in the building?

Are any required fire-stopping materials (fire-sealant, fire stops) installed where the chimney passes through floors or ceilings in the building?

FIRE STOPPING at CHIMNEY PASSAGES

PYROLYSIS EXPLAINED

Chimney section connections,

connections, gaps, offsets: are connecting chimney sections adequately overlapped, connected, supported?

Baird (1991) reported that "... chimney sections are sometimes terminated at an elevation that does not allow for sufficient overlap of the various adapters and telescoping sections.

This lap distance is specified by the manufacturer.

If chimney offsets are used and not properly supported, the chimney is more likely to settle and open a gap in the flue.". [4]

Chimney top housing, covering, shroud: have the chimney top housing or termination assembly been installed and secured following the manufacturer's instructions?

Also see Decorative Shrouds in the checklist below.

Code compliance:

are components listed and labeled and installed according to the manufacturer's installation instructions and in accordance with local building codes for use of materials, clearances, etc.?

Watch out: only the local building official has authority to declare an installation "legal" or "code-compliant".

The local code official should not approve an installation or component if the manufacturer has not provided a listing (such as UL listing) for the the component as installed and used at a particular building or site.

Component Labels:

do all parts of the pre-fabricated fireplace & chimney bear labels identifying them as listed components intended for use with the fireplace model installed?

Watch out: Baird (1991) points out that some component labels will not be visible after fireplace or chimney construction & installation are completed and must have been inspected at rough-in or other appropriate times. [4]

CHIMNEY CLEANING PROCEDURE CHIMNEY CLEANING FRAUD

CHIMNEY FLUE INSPECTION CAMERA

CHIMNEY SHROUD, Decorative

Decorative shroud connected to wood:

a decorative shroud fastened to flashing that is in contact with combustible materials (wood chimney chase materials, roofing &c) is a common cause of fires [4]

Watch out: If the decorative cap on your chimney is not listed and approved and correctly installed, have it removed, leaving the chimney flue top cap and spark arrestor installed.

Doors to the fireplace insert

If a glass fireplace door or cover has been added to the original installation, is the fireplace rated-for and does the manufacturer permit the installation of add-on glass doors?

Add-on doors can make some fireplaces operate at a higher temperature than that for which the unit was designed.

Baird (1991) reported that "... glass doors had been installed on a fireplace that had never been tested for use with glass doors". [4]

CHIMNEY HEIGHT & CLEARANCE CODE

FLUE SEPARATION REQUIREMENTS

PYROLYSIS EXPLAINED

Fireplace insert clearance to combustible materials

in accordance with both manufacturer's instructions and building codes.

Note: Baird (1991) reported that numerous fires occurred as a result of long-term effects of placing wood-framing too close to the opening of the fireplace.

"A number of fires have occurred in a single development several years after prefabricated concrete tilt-up fireplaces were installed in violation of Section 3703 (h) of the Uniform Building Code™.".. [4]

Fireplace hearth extension:

is the hearth extension made of only non-combustible materials?

Are the thickness, depth, width of the hearth extension in compliance with both the manufacturer's installation requirements & building codes?

Is the hearth extension also pre-fabricated and is it a listed accessory approved by the fireplace manufacturer?

[Watch for wood trim that returns around a hearth extension and terminates in contact with the fire box.]

Fireplace insert add-ons:

no add-on fireplace insert should be installed unless it is listed by a testing laboratory as approved for use with the fireplace brand and model installed in the building.

Fireplace parts:

Are all parts of the fireplace installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions including connections and clearances from combustibles?

Are all parts of the fireplace un-damaged & un-modified?

Have fire clearance spacers been bent, cut, modified? Are there material intrusions into the fireplace space that violate the clearance distances intended by the spacers?

Note: Baird (1991) reported that all of the fires associated with factory-built fireplaces that he studied (n=4) were related to installation errors.. [4]

And in the article introductory text above we describe finding a fireplace insert whose welded-on extensions intended to assure adequate clearance from wood combustibles had been hammered-flat by the installer so that he could force the fireplace into a too-small wood-framed enclosure - DF.

Fireplace support:

is the fireplace adequately supported? Are there signs of tilting, settlement, movement, gaps?

Fireplace mantel & trim:

are all trim components around the face of the fireplace or applied to the actual face of the fire-box in compliance with the fireplace manufacturer's instructions & building codes?

Are there gaps or cracks between the trim and the fireplace? Are these gaps due to error or movement?

Are the fireplace mantel and trim around the fireplace hearth front at the required distance from the fireplace hearth front opening as required by the manufacturer's instructions & local building code?

Fuel used in fireplace:

most fireplace manufacturers do not permit use of manufactured "fireplace logs" made of compressed sawdust, wax-treated wood scraps, or similar products.

Fuel quantity used in fireplace:

don't build too big a fire, regardless of fuel type used. Piling on logs to make a huge bonfire in any fireplace is inviting a hazard of overheating and a building fire.

Watch out: the author's NY home [DF] caught fire in 1969 as a result of the combination of an improperly-constructed masonry fireplace (wood damper support left in place, in contact with wood wall framing, burned through) and the use of a wax log.

After the wax log had been ignited, visitors enjoyed poking at the log with a fireplace poker.

The log fell apart, suddenly and greatly increasing the level of combustion and heat in the fireplace, setting the wall above the hearth on fire.

Maintenance history:
fireplaces and in particular also fireplace chimneys require periodic cleaning, maintenance, inspection in order to avoid a chimney fire.

Note: The fireplace and chimney manufacturers recommend cleaning procedures and minimum inspection and cleaning interval.

The actual required chimney cleaning interval will vary depending on the types fo fuel used, how the fireplace is used (combustion heat for example), and the amount of fireplace usage.

Rusted or damaged chimney or fireplace components:

rusted, damaged, inoperative or missing fireplace dampers.

Examples include a damper that has rusted through, a metal damper enclosure in the chimney throat rusted through, a metal fireplace insert rusted out at the chimney base.

Watch out: damaged, leaky gas fireplace vents or flues or other fireplace components risk more than a building fire, also risking fatal carbon monoxide poisoning