5kW stove vs. above 5kW stove.

[f0rmula]

Above 5kW, it seems that you're required to have a vent in the room. Are there any more regulations that specifically cover stoves above 5kW?

I'm talking about something around 6kW, e.g.

http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burning_stoves/Westfire-23-wood-stove.html

rather than something daft

http://www.stovemaestro.co.uk/lancaster.html

 

[stuart45]

It used to 550mm2 per KW over 5kW. Not sure if that still applies.

 

[Richard C]

You need a permanent vent over 5Kw; Building Regs http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/AD_J_wm.pdf specifically covers the need for & size of vent; amongst a whole load of other things. But, as far as the vent goes, all you realistically need is a strategically placed 115mm hole in an external wall lined with a bit of 110mm soil pipe with non closable louvre vents on both sides.

You should also be aware that; you can DIY an open fire/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 you cannot produce a compliance certificate in the event of a problem, your insurance company may invalidate your policy & reject any claim.

It's often far easier & might be not that much more expensive to use a registered but independent HETAS installer.

Don’t use gypsum plaster anywhere near the stove either but that’s another story!

 

[plumbamateur]

Might also be worth looking to size the stove according to the space you're intending to heat - you might find a 5kw will do fine (and save you a bit of hassle with venting). I mention this because I've recently installed a stove rated at 5kw which seems to kick out an enormous amount of heat. The room is about 6mx7m and it's toasty.....

Good luck

 

[f0rmula]

Cheers for your replies. I actually hadn't realised the vent had to be 'permanent'. We do have one, but it's louvred at the moment. Easy fix. Thanks. I've read through part J, but there is a lot of information there that isn't relevant and sometimes it's hard to filter it out, so I was wondering if there was anything obvious I'd missed. I'll go back and read it more carefully though.

RE: 5 vs. 6kW. I suspect a 5kW is completely sufficient, but it just so happened that the one we liked the look of is rated at 6k, so I was thinking we'd just leave the vent.

RE: A HETAS fitter. I've had to give building's notice for lots of other work, so I was thinking I'd just tag it onto that, but to be honest I'm still not quite clear how I can get insulation into the chimney if I go the pot-hanger route, as the pot hanger needs to suspend the liner in place, but also seals the top stopping you putting the insulation in, but the liner needs to be in place before you can fill with insulation. gah! See here: //www.diynot.com/forums/building/pot-hanging-cowl-and-vermiculite.315647/ People use these things and must insulate their chimney's so it must be possible

Anyway, that's leading me to consider just getting someone HETAS to do it for me, but if it comes to that I'll feel utterly defeated.

Cheers,

James

 

[plumbamateur]

I think you'll be fine doing this yourself, the most challenging part will be working safely on your roof/chimney. I was lucky in that my loft is converted and therefore has a flat roof from which to work. I also used a climbing harness and rope to tie on.

Fitting a flue liner and cowl is without doubt a 2 man job. You might find this useful; http://www.fluesystems.com/liners/info/chimney_liner_installation.htm

You fit the cowl to the liner once the liner is in place and you're happy with the length. Please be careful, the cut liner is razor sharp. If you're going to insulate, you'll need to do so before fitting the cowl as this effectively seals the chimney. Does your liner definitely need insulation? My chimney is not on an outside wall so I didn't bother, I might be shot for saying this but I don't think it's strictly necessary.

 

[Richard C]

Does your liner definitely need insulation? My chimney is not on an outside wall so I didn't bother, I might be shot for saying this but I don't think it's strictly necessary.

I won’t shoot you but you should still insulate the liner even if the flue is internal, especially if it's two stories high. The insulation aids rapid warm up & helps maintain a higher flue temperature which gives a better draught & reduces acidic condensation forming in the top section of the liner which will eventually dissolve it!