# Gas line above woodstove pipe



## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

Hello all. Just looking for some opinions here. I recently had the local propane company redo the gas lines in a house. I wasnt there my wife told me that they installed the line coming into the house directly above the woodstove, about 14 inches above the pipe. I believe they did it that way because they didnt want to crawl under the deck to install it properly.

I am highly concerned about this, it seems like a critically stupid thing to do. I told my wife to call them back and have them come and install it elsewhere ( I wasnt home ), and he gave her some story that it isn't in the least bit dangerous. She told him to call back when I got home and he never did. I'm not expert on propane but it seems pretty obvious to me that you dont install a copper gas line directly above a red hot stove pipe. Am I overreacting here?


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

No. In the event something else around the stove catches fire you don't want a direct line from your propane tank involved. You could get by with that depending on the stove and pipe. If an insurance inspector gets assigned to look at your home, that will go on the report to the underwriter along with pictures. If you're lucky you'll get a call from your agent to have the line changed. If you're unlucky the company will just cancel your policy.

If you have a mortgage it could get more interesting. Insurance companies have access to a non-public database. I'm not sure that the reason for cancellations are included. I know claims are. 

Best to have the line rerouted.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

There are of course gas fireplace logs, so the presence of a pipe near a flame or hot area is not in and of itself a concern. I would be concerned if it were plastic (low melting point) and I would be concerned that proper clearances for the woodstove pipe and thimble were followed. Generally, clearance from the closest part of a flue on a woodburner to any combustible material *must be a minimum of 18" *If the pipe is 14" away that violates the code on the wood burning appliance, but apparently not on gas lines. This is as close as code gets to addressing the issue:


*404.3 Prohibited locations.* _Piping_ shall not be installed in or through a ducted supply, return or exhaust, or a clothes chute, chimney or gas vent, dumbwaiter or elevator shaft. _Piping_ installed downstream of the _point of delivery_ shall not extend through any townhouse unit other than the unit served by such _piping._
*404.4 Piping in solid partitions and walls.* Concealed _piping_ shall not be located in solid partitions and solid walls, unless installed in a chase or casing.
*404.5 Piping in concealed locations.* Portions of a _piping_ system installed in concealed locations shall not have unions, tubing fittings, right and left couplings, bushings, compression couplings and swing joints made by combinations of fittings.


I would inspect and likely demand an installation that didn't violate the code on the woodburner. If the piping was copper and there other more pressing violations, it would be a bit further down on the priority list.


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