Chimney?

[AndrewSchofield]

We live in a house which dates from around 1900 and originally had open fireplaces. I've no idea when this was taken out but when my wife bought the house it had a gas fire and we removed this around 7 years ago and the chimney hasn't been used since. We'd really like to put in either an open fire or a log burning stove. Can anyone advise what we'd need to do to the chimney (i'm taking it for granted that we'd have to do something?) before we can put an open fire or log burner in?

Also, any advice on the pros and cons of open fires vs log burners would be appreciated...

 

[Richard C]

Having had both, I’d go for a log burning stove or, even better, a multi-fuel burner which I currently have; slightly more expensive but will throw out a lot of heat. Open fires are all very nice but the deposit black smuts everywhere & are very inefficient. Below is my standard stove blurb which will at least give you a starting point & some things to think about, come back if you need more info.


--------------------------------------0000000000000000000000000000---------------------------------------------


As this comes up so often, I’ve put together this generic post; read the links but not all may apply to you.

You can DIY a stove install but you need to understand the Building Regs (which changed in October 2010), submit a Building Notice & pay a fee. Your LABC will inspect &, assuming everything is OK, issue a compliance certificate; the BI may want to witness smoke & spillage tests. No compliance certificate may lead to difficulties when you come to sell your property; if cannot produce a compliance certificate in the event of a problem, your insurance company may invalidate your policy & reject any claim.

Lots of archive threads on this, & other things you have to watch out for, here a few links for you to read:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove_building_regulations.html
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2010.pdf
http://www.hetas.co.uk/public/certificates.html
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/pdfs/buidling_regs_consumer leaflet.pdf
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=183614
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=211524
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=242738
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=224751

& some more sobering just in case you think it’s all a load of old tosh:
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/main_pages/news.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...wood-burning-stove-leaks-carbon-monoxide.html
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/warning_over_heaters_after_norfolk_couple_s_death_1_811099

Also get at least 3 quotes from local independent HETAS installers:
http://www.hetas.co.uk/nearest_member

You might be pleasantly surprised & you should ask yourself if you really want all the hassle & risk getting it wrong; climbing onto the roof with an 8M stainless steel snake on your back is not for the feint hearted!

__________________


Read more: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=267604&highlight=#ixzz1I6jlicut

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Thanks Richard - i'll have a look through all the links - the first one looks pretty good and very informative!