Top of poele to wooden surfaces - regs?

[Mark]

Does anyone know if French law requires there to be a minimum distance between the edge/top/whatever of a poele and a wooden surround/mantelpiece?  I've got a stone fireplace which the poele sits on, and then a wooden mantelpiece up above running around the chimney breast.  The gap between the top of the poele and the mantelpiece is about 70cms or so, but the poele is very tiny and therefore doesn't give out much heat (it's a small grange that is being heated).  Is this ok?

Thanks [:)]

 

 

[Patf]

Evidently some insurers are fussy about this, but not sure about the required measurements except I was told there should be min. 15 cms between the poele and the back wall. Does the pipe taking the smoke etc away go directly up the chimney? Or do you have a sort of wooden ceiling through which the pipe passes? If the latter, this is dangerous as we found to our cost. We now have special fire-resistant board there.

[Mark]

Thanks Patf.  Will go with 15cms all round I think.  The pipe goes straight up the chimney.