I have a manufactured fireplace (Heatalator type)- in a living room that has a sloping cathedreal type ceiling, about 1 1/2 stories tall. Outside in the yard, there is a wooden chase built around the fireplace and its metal piping. This is about 5 ft wide, 2 or 3 ft off the house and 15 ft high. House has wood lap siding. I check inside the chase every few years for water leaks (I can get in on one side.) What should the inside of the chase, that is facing the house wall look like? Whats normal.? See pix I have if I remember the living room sheet rock, and studs, with fiberglass batt insulation. This is all visible from inside the chase. Should/could this be further covered over the batts? To improve thermal insulation? Should I cover the wall over the batts with something like tyvek or tar paper?
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In my opinion the "outside" of the inside wall should be covered with drywall (as additional fire protection), and if not that then some sort of sheathing (plywood, fiberboard sheathing, etc) in order to prevent air infiltration into the insulation, and to keep critters from nesting there.
Be hard to retrofit, though.
Thats why I though of something flexible, hard to get other material inside.
Is TAr paper flammable?
Yeah, tar paper is flammable (quite so). Tyvek housewrap is relatively flame-resistant (it will burn but does not "support combustion). Don't know about other housewraps. Can't offhand think of any other sort of flexible material that would be suitable.
Sheet metal would provide a flexible fire resistant air barrier. I don't know if any benefits realized would be worth the effort of installing it though.