Converting fireplace to wood burner

Guitar_man · 23 Nov 2010

Hi,

Any ideas how I convert a fireplace to wood burner? I'm happy removing the fireplace, I've done it before, but how do I install the new wood burner?

Any pointers appreciated before I start.

Thanks.

Deluks · 23 Nov 2010

Step one, check that you have a working chimney.

Richard C · 23 Nov 2010

Blimey there's a lot of this going on at the minute. To prevent fatal asphyxiation, installing a stove is controlled building work & you must comply with several Building Regulations before a compliance certificate can be issued for the work. You can either employ a registered HETAS installer who will do all the work for you & issue a compliance certificate or, if you intend to DIY, you must submit a Building Notice to your LABC who will inspect the work, witness smoke & spillage tests & issue a compliance certificate. You will need the compliance certificate when you come to sell & not being able to produce one in the event of any associated problems could invalidate your house insurance.

Here a few links for you to read:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove_building_regulations.html
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 sobering links 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

You will find loads more information in the Forum archive; must say I find it difficult to understand why so many just turn up here asking the same old general questions without even bothering to search for similar or even current threads. Sorry, no intention of making you feel unwelcome, come back with specific questions if you need to.

Always Learning · 24 Nov 2010

Also check the output of the log burner - If you go above 5kw then you are supposed to have a vent fitted to allow air flow into the room.

Most people think *******s but if there is ever a problem related to the log burner & the vent was not fitted then I am sure house insurance would be void.

There are tons of good log burners on the market, but some things worth knowing are these.

You are supposed to have your chimney swept once a year - it can be a pain to disconnect the log burner and pipes as you then have to re-cement and re-connect them back up, some pipes come with a door so you can put the rods straight into the pipe - other stoves allow you to take out the fire bricks and connect brush/rods for sweeping (we had an arrow burner that allowed this)

You also need a clearance or approx 30 centimeters at the sides and above the log burner and approx 40 centimeters to the rear (I am un sure of the exact clearance but it is something like that)

We are just knocking our chimney to bits to make way for a log burner I need some advice myself so will put up a separate post soon.

You would benefit from knowing the dimensions of your log burner and do your calculations - if coming out of the back of the stove you would need a T-Piece Pipe, (not all log burners have this option - we looked at a carron burner that had top pipe access only)

Get hold of some fire cement for connecting the pipes - this stuff is really good and sets quick.

Hope this helps.

Richard C · 24 Nov 2010

Always Learning said:
You also need a clearance or approx 30 centimeters at the sides and above the log burner and approx 40 centimeters to the rear (I am un sure of the exact clearance but it is something like that)

If you go for a modern inset stove, they are designed to fit into the fire opening with only a working clearance so you can physically get it in

.

foamit · 25 Nov 2010

Hi Richard c
I like to read your post very interesting,but it is to late for me to follow the regs as i have already installed my inset woodbrner,what do I do now?.I have done a lot of D.I.Y over the years and I just got stuck in and installed the fire I purchased from a well known shop,no mention was made at time of purchase about regs or anything,I know ignorance is no defence,but I would like to get out of this predigament I am in,any ideas?

big-all · 25 Nov 2010

afraid there is no short cuts

for your own safety and that off your family please please do it properly

buying insurance is so important and expensive please dont give them an excuse to wriggle out when you are in casualty with a possible charge off manslaugter hanging over you whilst your 2nd degree burns from your collapsing burnt out house shell keeps you in hospital you didnt mean to kill your family with carbon monoxide you just didnt realise it was deadly

Richard C · 26 Nov 2010

foamit said:
it is to late for me to follow the regs as i have already installed my inset woodbrner, what do I do now?.I have done a lot of D.I.Y over the years and I just got stuck in and installed the fire I purchased from a well known shop, no mention was made at time of purchase about regs or anything, I know ignorance is no defence, but I would like to get out of this predigament I am in, any ideas?

It’s never too late, you have two choices;

• Call a HETAS registered installer in your area http://www.hetas.co.uk/nearest_member & ask if they are prepared to inspect & test what you’ve done, put right any issues they find & issue you with a compliance certificate but it's obviously going to cost you, if you can find someone prepared to do it.

• Talk to your LABC about getting the installation certified through the regularisation process;
http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/bc_works_without_approval_faq_17698.htm

big-all said:
afraid there is no short cuts

for your own safety and that off your family please please do it properly

buying insurance is so important and expensive please dont give them an excuse to wriggle out when you are in casualty with a possible charge off manslaugter hanging over you whilst your 2nd degree burns from your collapsing burnt out house shell keeps you in hospital you didnt mean to kill your family with carbon monoxide you just didnt realise it was deadly

Blunt & brutal but entirely relevant

foamit · 28 Nov 2010

Cheers Big all
You are so cheerful made me feel grate today

(see I am still trying to be cheerful).
I honestly did not know I had to notify this work, will get it soughted before I light up,The room is not ready for use yet anyway, still not quite finished, Oak floor to be sealed,wall lights to be put back up, Can I do this just putting back what was there ,French door to be soughted out, that was installed by PROFFESIONALS letting in rain and wind.

FrogParty · 28 Nov 2010

Some of the replies seem to be over alarmist to me, let's have a bit of common sense shall we. Installing a woodburner isn't rocket science.

Foamit have a look at Approved Document K, and evaluate honestly if your installation complies. If it doesn't then correct it and you will have a safe installation which is what really matters. You don't have to be a trained specialist to apply the building regs. The key points are prety obvious - distance to combustable materials, and a chimney that draws sufficiently and does not leak.

If one day when you sell the house a buyer wants paperwork for the woodburner, then offer to remove it with the furnature and they can buy a safe hole instead. Most houses contain many things that aren't "certified", many of them didn't need certification at the time they were done. IMHO lack of paperwork for a woodburner isn't going to devalue the house!

Richard C · 28 Nov 2010

FrogParty said:
Some of the replies seem to be over alarmist to me, let's have a bit of common sense shall we. Installing a woodburner isn't rocket science. You don't have to be a trained specialist to apply the building regs.

How is pointing out the facts over alarmist! Your right, t’s not rocket science & neither do you have to be a trained specialist to understand the Building Regs. but at least you have to know which ones to look at in the first place.

FrogParty said:
Foamit have a look at Approved Document K, and evaluate honestly if your installation complies.

What on earth has “Protection From Falling” got to do with installing a heating appliance

, unless you mean when your up on the roof; it’s Part J you need to comply with.

FrogParty said:
The key points are prety obvious - distance to combustable materials, and a chimney that draws sufficiently and does not leak. If it doesn't then correct it and you will have a safe installation which is what really matters.

The key points are only pretty obvious if you understand what they are, hence the links posted; but even then they won’t be obvious to everyone. There is no problem with DIY if that’s the way you want to go as long as you understand the Regs, is correctly installed, tested & certified as safe. Is it not common sense to understand what needs to be done, do it correctly, know what tests need to be done & then have a piece of paper that confirms it's compliant, either from a registered installer or from your LABC; get it wrong & it could kill you & your family.

FrogParty said:
If one day when you sell the house a buyer wants paperwork for the woodburner, then offer to remove it with the furnature and they can buy a safe hole instead. Most houses contain many things that aren't "certified", many of them didn't need certification at the time they were done. IMHO lack of paperwork for a woodburner isn't going to devalue the house!

Really useful advice that

; it will be pretty obvious to anyone with any knowledge what is an original install & what is refurbished or new. A lack of paperwork may be turn out to be no more than an inconvenience requiring a hefty discount but the buyers mortgage company may have a different views. Some can be very sniffy regarding unauthorised building works, particularly where safety is concerned.

There is also a the possibility that if your house burns down & you cant produce a compliance certificate for the fire installation, your insurer will decline any claim, to do it properly & in accordance with the regs is a no brainer, is not difficult & doesn’t cost that much.

FrogParty · 28 Nov 2010

Richard C said:
What on earth has “Protection From Falling” got to do with installing a heating appliance , unless you mean when your up on the roof; it’s Part J you need to comply with.

Oops, bad place for a typo.

Yes Document J for fires!

Richard we agree on doing a good quality, safe job to the regs etc. But I question the current paranoia for getting bits of paper from the council. For example my house was built in 1929 with fireplaces, and I have not added or removed any in the 25 years of ownership. But the ones upstairs must have been closed up/removed sometime before me (no paperwork), and the downstairs fire surrounds are clearly not 1929 originals so the fireplace may have been modified as well. In the 80's we had coal-effect gas fires installed in these fireplaces by a certified CORGI fitter (it was gas and I was cautious). Yet again no certificates, was that kind of work under BC back then? All I have is the receipt. Since then I have removed one of the gas fires (safely) and fitted a wood burning stove (to part J). I am safe and happy.

Nothing is as it was built in 1929, and I don't think there is any way to tell which changes were made after they became controlled work and which were done before. And on selling many years hence, if my woodburner became an issue I see removal as the simplest and cheapest option. But Richard would you suggest that I try and get my uncertified fireplaces retrospectively certified?

Richard C · 28 Nov 2010

FrogParty said:
Oops, bad place for a typo. Yes Document J for fires!

Yes & I fully appreciated that but you have to get the "hits" in when you can

No I’m not suggesting you rush out & get existing installations tested & certified unless you have concerns about them. You’ve obviously been in there a long time & it probably won’t matter a hoot & any problems you may or may not have when you come to sell up will depend on when it was done. Regulation wise (& with other factors), things have changed dramatically since 2000 & even more so since 2006. It’s becoming increasingly important that you can prove that what’s been done has been doing correctly & in accordance with the Regs; if you cant it has all sorts of ramifications & wiggle routes that never existed before.

We all have to live by John Prescott’s legacy & it’s him we have to thank for most of it. Some of it is justified & some is pure crap but following the rules is usually not onerious, just a case of knowing they exist & complying with them. It doesn’t usually cost a lot more & makes life so much easier & more pleasant unless your really intent on being a rebel for lost causes; it aint gonna get any better that’s for sure! I’m qualified in many areas & in some cases & I’m just as guilty as others regarding “non compliance crimes” but then it’s all relative to the significance of the “crime”.

Folks come on here looking for advice & I post many times, every single day on a variety of trades I’m experienced & involved with; do you really expect me to take anything other than a professional approach to the advice I give? I'ts very often very difficult to guage from an initial post if individual OP's have any common sense or practical skills at all. I can, to some extent, gauge the level of competence by questions asked but, as a professional, I will only ever give advice on the basis they haven’t got a clue until I know otherwise; no offense to OP’s intended. It’s really a matter of “don’t do as I do, do as I say” or, more importantly, what the B Regs say. The OP always has the prerogative of deciding what they will do anyway but advising them to ignore regulation, whatever you personally think of it, is not a good idea

roughcaster · 28 Nov 2010

Nice one Rich',,, well said.

Richard C · 16 Mar 2011

jazzypixie";p="1933328 said:
Hi
Vesta stoves were extremely helpful to us when we converted our open fire.
They gave us great advice on all the regulation red tape!
We bought a V6 from them and have never looked back!
http://www.vestastoves.co.uk[/quote
This post is 4 months old, are you just another bloody spammer looking for a free ride

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Converting fireplace to wood burner

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