Maintaining Clearance All Winter Long

If you heat with wood, hopefully you have already had the system  cleaned and have been using it for a while. It’s easy to get comfortable with the fireplace or woodstove - it almost becomes a friend on those cold winter mornings when it’s cold enough to make you wonder why you want to get out of bed.

It’s possible to become too comfortable - and it only takes one mistake to create a hazardous situation.

One of the most common is the lack of safe clearances around your fireplace or woodstove. Over the weeks, wooden chairs and furniture may work there way closer to the heat source - during use or cleaning.

It’s also possible that newspaper and even fire wood might get stacked too close to the stove or fireplace - or decorative wooden brooms or wreaths are hung around the hearth.

What about that Christmas tree drying out over there - is it too close to the hearth? It will literally explode into flames if it’s too close! Keep it away from the hearth if your going to use the wood burner.

It’s also important not to get all of that wrapping paper in or near the fireplace - it’s a disaster waiting to happen - and you shouldn’t burn the printed paper on purpose - it may give off toxins in the smoke.

The NFPA 211* recommends at least 36 inches of clearance from the front and sides of fireplaces and woodstoves to combustible materials.

Make sure that normal clearance to combustibles is maintained with the installation as well as to objects in the room. I would recommend that the tree be located even farther away - so that if it was knocked over or fell directly toward the heat source it would still be well over 36 inches away.

If you have a furnace in a storage area or utility room - it’s equally important to keep all combustibles well clear of the furnace and it’s vent pipe.

By maintaining clearances, and with regular servicing, you should enjoy many warm winter days near the hearth.

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* SOURCE : National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), An American National Standard, ANSI/NFPA 211 August 14, 1992 ; Table 8-6(a) Standard Clearances for Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances