Installing a Wood Burning Stove

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Hampshire
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I have recently removed the old 50's fireplace form the lounge of my 1930's house and I now want to install a log burning stove. The chimney has been swept and is as far as I know in good condition as I have been using it with the old fire with no problems.

However after doing lots of reading I am a little confused as to what flue I need to have on top of the stove I buy. Do I need a flexible liner of some sort and do I require a plate the goes above the stove and seals off the chimney? I wrote to one internet seller and they said:

"The job is no where as complex as you think. You need one meter of flue or as much as will fit onto the top of the stove and you seal that on with fire cement and light your fire. You may choose to put a plate across the chimney breast that is installed like a bookshelf into an alcove with a hole cut through and made from heat resistant plaster board or steel. That stops draught or excessive heat loss"

Do they mean I need a minimum of 1m of flue above the stove or does the flue have to go all the way to the top of the chimney?
 
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They apparently don't bother too much about building regulations then. (I did just what they suggested though).

You are supposed to have a class 1 flue. Modern chimneys are fine, but older ones are usually fixed with a liner of some sort. You are supposed to have the stove fitted by a registered firm, or have it approved by building control.
 
My chimney does not appear to have a lining of any sort. I am guessing it is the same as the day it was built. Does this mean I do not have to feed a metal liner all the way up the chimney to the top, and can get away with just putting a small amount of flue on top of the stove?
 
no leave it as is.. well u can use a liber but have to be a solid fuel one which is big money.

if chimney is intact then its fine. Off the top of the log burner sits a piece of cast pipe that sticks through a board(out of sight) and thus seals tyhe chimney off from the room.

the stove smoke goes through the pipe and into the chimney, board stops any debris or smoke coming back down etc etc
 
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dan the man said:
no leave it as is.. ................

Just be aware, these things are now a "controlled service" and need building control approval.

You have to be careful how you burn wood, and WHAT you burn. Many retail outlets sell bags of logs which are wet!!! This is the sort of thing which will give you chimney fires, and even if you avoid them, the smoke will affect the lining of older chimneys.
 
Well, I`ve seen black soot stains thru` brick work from an unlined chimney with a log burner in the fireplace ........your call, mettey ;)
 
Many thanks for the replies. It appears the two options are:

1. Just fit a small piece of flue to the top of the stove and then seal off the chimney with a fireproof board. Benefits being cheap but it doesn't pass Buildings regs
or
2. Get the stove professionally fitted with a metal liner all the way to the top of the chimney. Costs a lot more but meets building regs.

I guess it depends on how much it is going to cost to get a flue fitted that will make my decision.
 
Rigid flue from woodburner to closure plate then stainless steel liner up to termination point then insulate space between liner and chimnney. The woodburner, however simple, is still an engineered appliance and not like an open fire. If the flue is too big the exhaust gasses will cool and condense to moisture or worse still (if not properly ventilated) not pull adequately and fill room with smoke. Remember all solid fuel equipment has the potential to spill (CO) if poorly installed. Look for a HETAS installer who can self-certify with building control. Try www.solidfuel.co.uk
 
From stove to underside of closing plate will be for aesthetics only.

I used a 5" dia. matt black stove pipe (Twin wall, 900 mm long), made the closing plate out of fire proof fibre board with suitable 5" dia. hole, sealed in with fire proof mastic.

I then found out the price of the flexible twin walled stainless steel liner was not so expensive as I thought it was going to be, so fitted it myself. It really was not difficult to do, just getting up to the chimney pot was the only problem. The liner fed down from the top, no problem, stainless steel top plate and clamp, chimney pot on top, other end self taping screws to matt pipe, job done.

You probably won't need a flexible liner, but just be aware soot from un-seasoned logs creates so much sticky residue in the chimney over time, which no amount of sweeping removes all that well. Come the big freeze and you throw on that little extra, vents fully open and............ roaring chimney fire.
Make sure you have an opening via the closing plate or access hatch in the matt pipe for pushing up the chimney sweep brushes (and for removing dead birds etc.)

Good luck.
 
You REALLY need a chimney sweep to come and assess your flue. They are the experts.

Maybe you can install it all yourself but will you know how to set it up for easy sweeping?
 
RigidRaider said:
Maybe you can install it all yourself but will you know how to set it up for easy sweeping?

Lots of professional installers don't.
 

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