SteveB wrote:
A neighbor of mine had a fire last night that caused extensive damage to his
house. They may total it.

Seems he came home from a month travel, and built a fire in a wood stove.
Not a good idea because there was time for bird to nest, and for other
reasons.

His is the same as mine, a double walled chimney pipe, about ten inches
diameter of the largest piece.

His ran from floor through a framed opening two stories up, then through the
ceiling, attic, and roof. Distance from ceiling to roof, approximately five
feet.

The stove had two pipes, one for a wood stove on each floor. Upon looking
at the framed vertical rectangular space around the two flues, it seemed
very small, with only about six inches clearance on the sides. At the time
of building, I'm sure it was code compliant. Not absolutely sure yet as to
what caused the flue to get so hot it ignited the framework.

I have a slightly similar situation, but my flue only goes through the roof
a distance of three feet, my pitch being less than his. I have the
sheetmetal standoffs (jacks, I think they're called) that go through the
ceiling and roof.

What else can I do to get up there and make sure that my framing and trusses
and roof are not getting too hot? Is there fireproof or fire retardant
sheeting that I can box in with as far out from the vertical flues as I can?
Is there special insulation wrap for the flues?

I'm going to go to a fireplace shop and ask for a pro to come look at it,
but wanted to get some slight idea of what is involved.

My insurance doubled this year upon installation of a wood burner, even
though all the measurements are within the limits set by stove manufacturer
and safety codes. I'd just like to give it a little extra margin of safety.

Thanks in advance.

Steve



A properly built and maintained chimney/flue does not just get too hot
and one day start a fire. However a chimney fire will do that. At over
2000 deg. F it will severely damage and even melt metal flue pipes.
Heat can burn through or transfer enough heat through a brick and morter
chimney to start a fire in surrounding structure. The key is to prevent
chimney fires from happening in the first place by having the chimney
inspected and cleaned.
Google [chimney fire]. Here is one with photos:
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/i...imneyfire.html

Kevin