Most installation manuals list a furnace's clearances. Heat on the outside
of ducts is not normally a fire hazard, but heat from a flue pipe can be.
Talk to the guy who normally does your service. I saw a wall that was next
to a flue pipe for 20 years and the wood finally dried out so much that it
caught fire.

"Sean M" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am starting to finish my basement. The first step in this process is
framing a wall to close off the furnace and equipment into a
utility/storage room. I have studied several books and read through
this great group. I hope I can count on some advice from this group as
my project progresses, I will keep the group updated with my progress.

My first question is about the placement of the wall. In order to
maximize the size of my finished basement I want to place the new wall
near the furnace. The problem is all of the ducts. I found a spot to
place the new wall about 5 feet from the furnace but the main hot air
duct from the furnace would run perpendicular and intersect the wall.
I am wondering how people deal with the top plate of the wall in this
kind of situation. Should I slightly lower the furnace duct by around
1 inch to give me clearance to install an un-interrupted top plate? Or
can I just frame around the duct and not use a proper top plate? The
wall is not load bearing but will run perpendicular to the joists.

My next question is about the Ontario Canada building code. Does
anyone know what the minimum distances are for the proximity of a wall
to a furnace?

Many thanks,

-Sean