[cstreit]

Yep. Not only that but he offset is nearly the width of the clay liner. Meaning there is very little surface area for sealing. Supposedly this guy was the best around.

There's no doubt that they will tell me "Oh, it's fine we install them like this all the time... To which I will say, "but not THIS time". It's just sloppy work IMO and I will not stand for it when I'm paying them $2500 for about 10 hours of work for two guys.

My concern is the gaps I see, even a small gap can create a fire, and the fact that crud, creosote, etc.. can build up there and present even more fire hazard. It will be hard to clean there.