Complete strategic guide: earning the RBQ 10 licence - Localized solid-fuel-burning heating systems

1. What is the RBQ 10 licence and who needs it?

The RBQ 10 subcategory - Contractor in localized solid-fuel-burning heating systems - qualifies its holder to install stoves, factory-built fireplaces, fireplace inserts, wood or combination furnaces, chimneys and connecting flue pipes. This work is reserved exclusively neither to master pipe-mechanics nor to electrical contractors. Anyone who assumes legal responsibility for this work as the designated officer under a licence from the Regie du batiment du Quebec (RBQ) must pass this exam. Prof-RBQ.ca prepares you for it entirely in English.

2. Scope of the licence: what work does it authorize?

This subcategory authorizes work involving solid-fuel-burning appliances: the installation of stoves and factory-built fireplaces; the fitting of fireplace inserts into an existing masonry fireplace, with a full liner; wood or combination furnaces; chimneys and connecting flue pipes; and the clearances, protections and fire-stopping integrity. It is all governed by CAN/CSA-B365 (installation code) and Chapter I - Building. Work reserved exclusively to master pipe-mechanics (pressurized plumbing) or to electrical contractors (reserved wiring) is not covered by subcategory 10.

3. RBQ exam format: what to expect

• Question type: multiple choice
• Duration: 3 hours (180 minutes)
• Passing grade: 60%
• Languages: French or English
• Scope assessed: 4 content domains covering 13 competency elements (80 skills)
• Cognitive level: a mix of comprehension, application and analysis - including a few calculation skills (BTU/kJ/kW conversions, quantity take-off, numeric clearances and Table 3 reduction percentages)

4. Exam documentation: open book or closed book

The RBQ 10 exam is partially open book: the technical codes below are provided on site, along with a calculator, while the legal framework must be studied and memorized.

Documents PROVIDED at the exam (open book)

• CAN/CSA-B365 - Installation code for solid-fuel-burning appliances and equipment - the core code for clearances, protections, connections, chimneys and flue pipes.
• Construction Code, Chapter I - Building - structural integrity, fire separations and patching of penetrations.
• Safety Code for the construction industry (S-2.1, r. 4) - the safety rules applicable on the job site.

Framework to MEMORIZE (closed book)

• Building Act (c. B-1.1) - the framework statute administered by the RBQ.
• Regulation respecting the professional qualification of contractors (B-1.1, r. 9) - the categories, subcategories and limits of intervention.
• Safety Code (B-1.1, r. 3) - the requirements applicable to installations in service.
• Act respecting occupational health and safety (c. S-2.1) - the general safety obligations for workers.

5. The 4 content domains and the 12 lessons

Module 1 - Definitions and system types (20%)

The vocabulary of the trade - draft, heat transfer (radiation and convection), combustion chamber, BTU, kJ and kW units; appliance types (stove, factory-built fireplace, insert, furnace, add-on appliance) and venting types (connecting flue pipe, liner, thimble, chimney); and wood combustion: fuels and moisture, phases and pyrolysis, primary and secondary air, depressurization and creosote.

Module 2 - Legislative, standards and regulatory framework (15%)

The Building Act and the 10 licence and its limits (double exclusion); the workforce (R-20 / CCQ) and the municipal permit; CAN/CSA-B365 as the installation code and Chapter I - Building; the product standards ULC-S610, ULC-S627, ULC-S628, CAN/ULC-S629 and CAN/CSA-B366.1; the certification marks (ULC, CSA, Warnock Hersey) and the EPA.

Module 3 - Reading plans and specifications (15%)

Locating the elements of a wood-burning installation on the plans, the symbols, dimensions and scales, sections and details, notes and tables, quantity take-off; and reading construction specifications.

Module 4 - Standards and execution of the work (50%)

The heart of the exam: planning; clearances and protections (Table 2, screen reduction from Table 3, floor protection); installing a factory-built fireplace, a chimney and the flue pipes; installing a stove and an insert with a liner; the wood or combination furnace; building integrity and finalization; and worker health and safety.

6. Key technical skills (official context)

Certified or non-certified - the question that drives clearances

A certified appliance is installed according to its rating plate and the certified manufacturer instructions, which prevail over the Code in the event of a discrepancy. A non-certified appliance falls under the default clearances of Table 2 of CAN/CSA-B365: 1500 mm (60 in.) above and 1200 mm (48 in.) at the sides, or 900 mm (36 in.) with a screen fixed to the appliance. The exam checks that you start from the correct reference.

Reducing clearances: Table 3

A compliant ventilated protective shield reduces clearances. A 28-gauge sheet metal spaced 21 mm by non-combustible spacers reduces the sides by 67% and the top by 50%; ceramic tiles on supports reduce by 50% and 33%. The shield must extend at least 500 mm above the appliance and 450 mm beyond the sides. Reading the correct reduction in Table 3 is a directly assessed skill.

The insert and the full liner

Fitting an insert into a masonry fireplace requires installing a full liner (ULC-S635 class III or CAN/ULC-S640), from the appliance to the top of the chimney, secured at both ends. The installation is sealed and a permanent warning label is affixed to the back of the fireplace. Only the strict minimum of masonry is removed, without weakening the structure.

The chimney, the flue pipe and the 3-2-10 rule

A single-wall connecting flue pipe does not exceed 3 m (10 ft), its supports are spaced no more than 1 m (3 ft) apart and its clearance to combustibles is at least 450 mm (18 in.); it never passes through a floor, an attic or a concealed space. The chimney respects the 3-2-10 rule: at least 1 m (3 ft) above its point of contact with the roof and 0.6 m (2 ft) above any obstacle located within 3 m (10 ft).

Wood combustion, creosote and safety

Firewood must be dried to about 20% moisture; green wood burns cold and produces creosote, the main cause of chimney fires. On the job site, the Safety Code for the construction industry governs work at height, dust, confined spaces and possible asbestos during renovation. Knowing how to prevent creosote and work safely is part of the assessed skills.

7. Preparation strategy and tips for success

Work through the material in exam order: first build the vocabulary and wood combustion, lock in the legal framework and the standards, practise reading real plans and specifications, then master the clearances, protections and installation rules of CAN/CSA-B365. Learn to find a clause or a table quickly - because you hold the codes at the exam, navigation speed matters as much as memory. Prof-RBQ.ca's 12 lessons, bank of more than 180 questions, visual quiz and flashcards follow exactly this progression.

8. Why Prof-RBQ.ca is the best way to prepare

Prof-RBQ.ca is built by mapping every lesson and every question to the RBQ's official competency profile - 4 modules, 13 competency elements and 80 skills - and by anchoring the content to the exact articles of CAN/CSA-B365 and Chapter I - Building. Nothing is generic: the clearances, the calculations and the code references are the ones the exam actually requires. It is the most complete preparation set for the RBQ 10.

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