Fireplace insulation

[SanToki]

I'm about to put in a corner fireplace for a woodburner in my front room; simple affair consisting of a slab of stone for the hearth, and single skin brick walls at the back about a metre squared on either side of the corner. It's been suggested that there may be benefit to insulating behind the single skin of brickwork, just wondering if this is actually the case?

 

[Blagard]

There is nothing wrong with you wanting to do some builders work in preparation for a woodburning stove, but do you realise the installation needs to be done in accordance with the Building Regulations? Insulation that helps reduce heat loss radiated to the rear will help.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2010.pdf

People have died doing installations in ignorance of what is required. Please read
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...wood-burning-stove-leaks-carbon-monoxide.html

 

[Richard C]

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.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

 

[joe-90]

We need that post as a a sticky, Richard.

 

[SanToki]

Christ Almighty. I realise I did not post much info as I was in a hurry to nip out last night, But I wasn't expecting quite such a patronising set of replies that have nothing at all to do with the question I posted

Just to clarify, I was asking for advice on the merit of installing insulation behind a fireplace, and whether this was really necessary given the increased thickness in the exterior wall (at least one extra brick, possibly two) that will result from the build. Basically, would it be of suffient insulative benefit to justify the further encroachment into the room that it will cause, or would the benefit be minimal given the extra layers of brick at that point?

What I was not asking for advice on was installing woodburning stoves, but the record; yes I understand building regs (and am fully aware of the recent changes as my partner is a council employee and able to pop down the corridor and talk to the relevant people directly). And yes, believe it or not, I have actually heard of that secret 'carbon monoxide' stuff. Oh, we will not be submitting a building notice for that work as it is not necessary for HETAS self certification. None of those facts are in any way relevant to the question I asked though, so did not need to be mentioned.

 

[Richard C]

There is nothing patronising in any of the posts, certainly not mine; it’s just a selection of links with relevant information for stove installation. If you look at those & take the trouble to search through the archive yourself, you will almost certainly find the answer yourself. What an ungrateful **** you are, I certainly won’t be posting you any more advice.

 

[nickjb]

I insulated behind mine when it went in (open fire). We don't have wall cavities and the wall is cold to the touch so I think there was a benefit in my case. I used a vermiculite mix.