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North Toronto Gas Code for Distance Between Homes for Direct Vent Gas Fireplace

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  • Feb 12th, 2021 9:58 pm
Sr. Member
Aug 8, 2007
839 posts
732 upvotes

North Toronto Gas Code for Distance Between Homes for Direct Vent Gas Fireplace

Gutting our living room and replacing the old gas fireplace. Got two installers to come out to inspect and price, first says we can do direct vent instead of chimney but second says not enough distance between houses (say 4 feet) and code will allow for DV of high efficiency furnace and water heater but not gas fireplace. If I understood him correctly he said code was amended to allow furnaces which require a smaller pipe and opening but a gas fireplace has a larger pipe and is not code.

Who is right? Both inspected and knew distances as I asked them directly? Best two out of three? Call gas company to be the umpire?

On this side of the house there is no used walkway between the houses and access is gated at our end at the rear as property line is not on the middle, we own more than half. There is no walkway to the front other than that is where both of our gas meters are located at the front of our houses if that matters.
2 replies
Deal Addict
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Dec 27, 2007
1310 posts
761 upvotes
Oshawa
The gas code isn’t specific to “North Toronto.” Also, the gas purveyor is not going to answer your question, they don’t want the liability. They will tell you to hire a qualified installer.
My question to you is...what does the manual of the appliance being installed state regarding clearances?
Sr. Member
Aug 8, 2007
839 posts
732 upvotes
jonnyb wrote: The gas code isn’t specific to “North Toronto.” Also, the gas purveyor is not going to answer your question, they don’t want the liability. They will tell you to hire a qualified installer.
My question to you is...what does the manual of the appliance being installed state regarding clearances?
Thanks, North Toronto reference was intended to put location into context so Ontario but not wide open suburbs rather 1920/30 era homes built very close together.

We haven’t picked a gas fireplace yet, waiting to see options they suggest but both installers were talking about the same brands. If there is a manufacturer who specializes in appliances which do not need as much clearance between homes that would be good to know. Would that be because their vent pipes are smaller and more similar to those used in a high efficiency furnace,

One installer also said we could remove all of the existing fire brick from the old fireplace to push the unit further back into the wall whereas the other said if we did that we would not have enough barrier between it and the chimney behind which is still being used for the furnace and water heater so would have to change those out and make them direct vent as well.

For what it’s worth the installer saying we could remove all of the fire brick without changing out the furnace seemed familiar with the style of old coal fireplace we had and how they were usually retrofitted to be made wood burning. He was also the one saying we could not do a direct vent as not enough separation between the houses.

I was particularly interested in doing direct vent as our 1920’s chimney is not in the best shape and will need some repair so might be easier to just remove the top of it and go direct vent rather than trying to repair it.

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