Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Fireplace

We recently had our home inpected. Everything went well except for the firplace. We have a fireplace insert and in the attic the inspector said there was no covering in the ceiling around the flue pipe to stop a possible fire from spreading through the attic. I was wondering if you could tell me any specific reqiurements as far as material requirements and gap specifications to cover this area. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Dave Siemers

Check with your local Building Inspector for your local code. These can differ from place to place.
Good Luck!
Mike

From what I gather you have a factory built fireplace and chimney. When you say "insert" the first thing I think of is a wood burning stove slid into the firebox. If this is the case be certian that the stove is listed for use with a factory built fireplace, and that the fireplace is listed for use with the stove. Very few are.

If your're using the term "insert" to describe the fireplace and chimney the answer to your question is "Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions". All the ones I have seen normally require a 2 inch clearnace to combustibles.

What the inspector was refering to was a fire barrier, normally just a thick peice of plywood, and a fire stop which is a square peice of sheet metal that keeps the chimney pipe the proper distance from the combustible material.

There should be a fire barrier and firestop for every floor/ceiling the chimney passes through. This slows the fire down and hopefully prevents it from reaching the attic before the fire department arrives.