Elec. stove/wall spacing

[jwalker6]

Looked at a basement apartment this afternoon. The electric stove did not have any significant spacing from the walls on both sides. Is this spacing supposed to be 18" or is that for gas?

I've looked under the Ontario Building Code and the Electrical Code Simplified but this info. has eluded me.

- Jim Walker

[jwalker6]

Okay, here it is. OBC 9.10.21.3...
This would seem to suggest that this electric stove does not need ANY clearances since the walls are made of 3/8" drywall.

But since the wall was painted, what then?? Curioser & curioser.

- Jim Walker

[Jason1]

Originally Posted by jwalker6

Looked at a basement apartment this afternoon. The electric stove did not have any significant spacing from the walls on both sides. Is this spacing supposed to be 18" or is that for gas?

I've looked under the Ontario Building Code and the Electrical Code Simplified but this info. has eluded me.

- Jim Walker

I don't see a problem.

[David P. Valley]

I've never heard of such a code requiring spacing between a wall and an electric stove.

Now a wood stove is a whole different situation.

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by jwalker6

Okay, here it is. OBC 9.10.21.3...
This would seem to suggest that this electric stove does not need ANY clearances since the walls are made of 3/8" drywall.

But since the wall was painted, what then?? Curioser & curioser.

- Jim Walker

The code you are referencing is referring to the material above the burner...

Any combustible material within 450 mm (17 ¾ in) of the area where the range is to be located shall be protected above the level of the heating elements by material providing fire resistance not less than that of 9.5 mm thickness of gypsum board.

[rwand1]

Hi James and all,

I concur with David.

However I have a question about OBC applying to basement apartments and the clearance. Does the OBC you quoted specifically apply to legal basement apartment, considering the fire department must inspect such premises. Just wondering thats all.

Does the apartment comply with the fire code?
Does the apartment comply with basic building code requirements?

The Building Code prescribes minimum requirements for the construction of buildings. For the most part, the Building Code is a code that applies only the day the house was built. The code changes over the years, but we don't have to keep changing our houses to comply with the code. The code does not apply 'retroactively'.

The Fire Code is a subset of the Building Code. It prescribes construction and safety issues as they relate to how the
building is required to perform should it catch fire. A significant distinction with the fire code is that it can apply retroactively.