(a) All chimneys, stacks, heating equipment and other apparatus liable to cause undue heating to surrounding materials or parts of any building shall be well and carefully constructed and maintained at all times in a safe condition. When operated under the most severe service conditions, they shall not cause any combustible material adjacent to them to attain a higher temperature than 125°F. Whenever any such apparatus is found to be defective or in such a condition as is liable to cause a fire, the Chief Building Official or Fire Chief shall order the same repaired at once or, in case the same is not repaired within a reasonable length of time, he or she may order it removed at the owner’s expense. This authority shall extend to such apparatus existing before the adoption of this chapter as well as to that constructed subsequent to its adoption. Any rebuilding shall be done in accordance with all the requirements of this chapter.
(b) Chimneys and flues shall be required for all dwellings and all heating or heat-producing appliances. No flue shall have a smokepipe connection in more than one story of a building. The smokepipe of a heating appliance shall not be connected into the flue of an incinerator which has a rubbish chute identical to the smoke flue. All smokepipe or vent outlets shall be provided with metal or tile thimbles, carefully fitted into the linings of the flue, causing no restrictions to the size of the same, and all such inlets shall be proportioned in accordance with the size of the smokepipe or vent which they receive, so as to prevent the escape of smoke, gas or sparks, and shall rigidly hold the pipe or vent in place. When eight by 12-inch flue liners are used, the smokepipe shall enter the flue on the 12-inch side or the flue will be made larger for a distance of two feet above the smokepipe to permit the smokepipe to enter without flattening, except when the smokepipe is not as wide as the flue.
(Ord. 1977-31, passed over veto 4-18-1977)
(c) (1) For each furnace the minimum net area of any flue shall be 64 square inches for square or rectangular flues, and 55 square inches for any round or oval flue. The flue area of any heating apparatus, other than domestic stoves, shall be adequate to carry off combustive products without attaining a stack temperature in excess of 650°F in the outgoing gases. Minimum effective flue area shall not be less than the following:
Fireplaces (not less than 1/10 the fireplace opening) | 96 square inches |
Stoves, ranges and small room heaters | 40 square inches |
Warm air furnaces, steam and hot water boilers | 64 square inches |
(2) These sizes are applicable only with connection to a flue. Such minimum effective flue areas shall be provided by a flue liner with the short dimension not less than one-half of the long dimension. When more than two flues are connected or contained in the same chimney, each unit of the two flues shall be separated from any other flues by masonry not less than three and three-quarter inches bonded to the wall of the chimney.
(3) The joining of two or more smokepipes to a single flue connection will be permitted, provided that the smokepipe and flue are of sufficient size to serve all of the appliances thus connected and provided that, except for vents for gas appliances, the several smokepipes are constructed to comply with the severest requirements for any one of those connected. All smokepipes shall be as short and straight as possible. No smokepipes shall pass through any floor or ceiling. Where a smokepipe must pass through a partition, it must be provided with a double metal ventilated thimble not less than three diameters of original pipe. Smokepipes shall not come within 20 inches of any unprotected combustible material, whether plastered or not.
(d) No chimney shall carry any load other than its own weight. Steel or other incombustible structural members shall not be supported by the required thickness of chimney wall, but may be supported by an adequate masonry buttress constructed integrally with the chimney. All chimney foundations shall be of solid brick masonry or reinforced 2,500 pound concrete, extending at least three feet below the grade line and at least one and one-half feet into virgin soil. Such a foundation shall distribute the weight of the chimney uniformly so as not to exceed one-half of the soil-bearing capacity beneath same, and shall be so constructed and proportioned to carry the entire chimney structure without settling and cracking. All chimneys shall be securely stayed against wind pressures and shall be designed to resist a horizontal wind load of 25 pounds per square foot for heights up to 100 feet. In no case shall the overturning moment due to wind stress exceed two-thirds of the moment of stability due to dead load only. The calculation method shall be made to the acceptability of the Building Department.
(e) No chimney shall be allowed to corbel more than six inches in any direction. Such corbelling shall be accomplished with a maximum of one-inch projection for each course of brick. No chimney shall be corbelled from a wall which is less than 12 inches in thickness unless it projects equally on each of its sides or provides that in the second story of a two-story dwelling the corbelling on the exterior of the enclosing walls may equal the wall thickness.
(f) When chimneys occur in masonry walls, they shall be bonded to the wall every fifth course of brick or 16 inches height of wall. No change may take place in size and shape of a chimney, where it passes through the roof, when made within six inches below or above the roof joists, rafters, trusses and the like.
(g) An opening shall be provided at the base of each flue of all stacks and chimneys for cleanout purposes, and each such opening shall be provided with a cast-iron or better cleanout door and frame. When ash pits are used under fireplaces, each and every fireplace shall be provided with its own separate ash pit, equipped with a cast-iron door and frame on its cleanout opening. The doors and frames are to be arranged to remain tightly closed when not in use.
(h) All incinerators, stacks and any chimney smokestack or flue which emits sparks or sized to cause a hazard to buildings and surrounding property shall be equipped with a spark arrester of proper size and construction to prevent the emission of dangerous sparks. The sides of the spark arrester (or circumference) shall be equal to at least the smallest dimension of the chimney flue. The total area of the spark arrester shall not be less than four times the area of the flue. If a square flue is used, the vertical side of the spark arrester shall not be less than the smallest flue dimension. If a circular flue is used, the vertical side of the spark arrester shall not be less than the flue diameter. The maximum size of mesh shall be one-half inch.
(i) (1) Whenever a building is hereafter erected, enlarged or raised, the owner of such building shall, at his or her own expense, carry up, either independently or on his or her own building, all chimneys and smoke flues of an adjoining building which are within ten feet of any portion of the wall extending above such chimney or flue. The construction of such chimneys and flues shall conform to all the requirements of this Building Code. Such chimneys and flues shall be carried simultaneously with the walls.
(2) It shall be the duty of the owner of the building to be erected, enlarged or raised, to notify in writing, at least ten days before such work is to begin, the owner of the chimneys and flues affected of his or her intention to carry up such chimneys and flues.
(j) The Building Department and its representatives may order that a test be made on any chimney for smoke leaks at the owner’s expense, if, in the judgment of the Building Department, it is necessary.
(Ord. 1963-52, passed 5-6-1963)