Question

The footing for a masonry chimney should extend at least _____ inches beyond the face of the fireplace or foundation wall on all sides.

Answer 1

Chimney footings should be considerably extended beyond the fireplace or foundation wall for stability, with recent guidance suggesting up to 8 diameters side-to-side and 15 diameters deep.

Step-by-step explanation:

The footing for a masonry chimney should extend a certain distance beyond the face of the fireplace or foundation wall.

While older guidelines suggested a rule of thumb for this extension at 5 inches side-to-side and 7-8 inches in depth, more recent information advises a more substantial footing of up to 8 diameters side-to-side and 15 diameters in depth.

This ensures better stability and support for the chimney, especially when considering efficient heating devices like wood stoves that prevent most of the heat from escaping through the chimney.