Gas Fire to Log burner in a house built by monkeys

[BobbyBrown]

So...

The front room of our 1930's house is never used much so in a mission to restyle it, I've decided to remove the cheap, stone effect, fireplace and replace it with a wood burning stove.

The previous owners have bodged pretty much every aspect of the house so I'm on a crusade to slowly get everything fixed.

Here's the fireplace in question, looks ok from afar but never used and cheap

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

I got a HETAS bloke round who gave the chimney the OK and capped off the gas supply, time to get busy with the SDS drill..

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

Around 30 minutes into the job the ghost of owners past rears its head again as you can see:

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

The builders opening is supported by the chimney register plate, that's it, no lintel, nothing. The bricks are all loose to the touch and the mortar is all crumbling so my first job in the next few days is to sort this mess out.

I'm going up above the breeze blocks with a concrete lintel and am going to rebuild the bricks above.

This is a work in project so please give any advice you can.

 

[BobbyBrown]

As an aside, I was hoping to keep the chamber lined with original bricks. Unfortunately the gas line has has been routed through one side and breeze blocks inserted, in place of original bricks.

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

 

[dann09]

Why dont you post this on the building forum?

If you are still there i will take you thro a little of whats req'd. esp in terms of safety.

 

[BobbyBrown]

Hi Dan,

Yes I'm still here... i'll update you on the progress.

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• BobbyBrown
• 15 Jul 2013
• 1

Bricks were easily removed by hand from the recess and the whole area cleaned up.

New Lintel

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• BobbyBrown
• 15 Jul 2013
• 1

As far as I'm up to now, not rushing anything as the summer's so nice

I've got a man coming to line the chimney at the end of the month (payday!) and then I'll get the rest sorted the month after (waiting for yet another payday!)

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• BobbyBrown
• 15 Jul 2013
• 1

 

[dann09]

I take it that you have constructed the builders opening with the stove Mfr's dimensions in mind.

If the flue has been swept, and passed a smoke test, then its not Regs necessary to use a liner.

If a flexi flue liner is dropped down, ask the installer to use a roof ladder.

Its sometimes best practice to have left the brickwork open above the lintel to give access for liner connections, and a necessary, register plate.

You will have to contact the stove Mfr's, and/or local BCO, ref the hearth dimensions. The present set up wont fly.

Typical dims for a superimposed hearth are 150mm either side of the opening, and 300mm in front of the opening, the thickness varies.

The front (superimposed) hearth typically sits on a 125-150mm thick stone/concrete construction hearth, or has a 50mm air gap. It must not sit on wood.

A CO alarm is Regs.

 

[BobbyBrown]

So I've been waiting for the hearth to be made and now the job is finally moving along.

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• BobbyBrown
• 29 Aug 2013
• 1

The skirting has been removed and the brickwork made sound.

This is the hearth being sealed.

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• BobbyBrown
• 29 Aug 2013
• 1

Register plate is fitted and the hearth has been mortared in

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• BobbyBrown
• 29 Aug 2013
• 1

Boarding out the opening now, then the stove should arrive next week

(i've had to have a rear flue connection due to the small size of the builders opening)

 

[dann09]

1. Ref the HETAS visit: what does "the chimney OK" mean? Did the HETAS sweep and smoke test the flue(s)?

2. When the gas supply was "capped off" was the gas installation tested?

3. Gas pipework is still present in the fire opening. Best practice is to isolate ( cap or plug) the abandoned gas pipe at the branch tee from the main installation.

4. I assume that you are using a flue liner?

5. Does the opening that you now have meet Mfr's instructions for dimensions?

6. Your front hearth does not meet the requirements, that i supplied above.

 

[BobbyBrown]

Hi,

The chimney has been swept and a new, flexible liner and chimney pot installed.

The gas supply was indeed capped at the branch which wasn't too far away.

The constructional hearth is deep concrete that is very thick (unknown depth but about 2ft deep). The hearth I have bought is 30mm thick solid slate. According to the stove manufacturer (Charnwood) it won't get to more that 52 degrees.

I've gone for the smallest stove and it just meets the manufacturer requirements (about 10mm off on recommended gap at sides)

 

[dann09]

Your hearth appears to be sitting on wood.

 

[BobbyBrown]

Hello everyone,

It's been a while so I thought I'd post the finished pictures of my fireplace.

It took a month for the stove to arrive, and another couple of weeks for the plaster to dry and paint (you can't plaster before the stove's installed as the installer needs access from the bricks above the lintel).

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• BobbyBrown
• 22 Oct 2013
• 1

Here's the final result, I'm chuffed with the finish and it's a great, hot, little stove when running at full chat. Well, onto the next project....

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• BobbyBrown
• 22 Oct 2013
• 1

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• BobbyBrown
• 22 Oct 2013
• 1

 

[eddieed]

You shouldn't store your logs in the sides when the fire is in use as they can combust!

Looks great though, currently trying to persuade my better half to change our open fire into a log burner!

 

[Bahco]

Hi Bobby.
I am thinking of getting a wood burner.

What was the total cost of this project please?

 

[BobbyBrown]

Hi Bahco,

To use the old clichè, however much you want to spend. As an example, I was quoted approx £2000 for all the work. This consisted of £400 to open up the fireplace and cap off the gas supply, £640 for chimney lining and a pot, the rest being made up by labour costs, the hearth and fibreboard etc.

Personally I thought this was excessive so I opened up the fireplace myself (cost - 1/2 a day and £4 for a new lintel from Wickes) and sourced the materials myself. I got a bespoke slate hearth from a quarry in Wales (cheaper than if I'd taken the stock granite hearth from the installer) and purchased the stove from a local shop in the summer (hint, buy your log burners in the summer as you'll get massive discounts as their trade is slow). I wanted the chimney lined for safety and got the guy to connect it up (could have done it myself a lot cheaper but didn't fancy the messy work and height up the ladder)

I probably spent around £2200 in the end but it's satisfying to know that all the materials are top notch and it's exactly how I want it, the downside is its taken 3 months as opposed to 2 days with a pro installer.

 

[Graemevw]

(you can't plaster before the stove's installed as the installer needs access from the bricks above the lintel).

Who told you that? Ive installed hundreds of stoves and never needed to get in above the lintel in order to fit.
Most of the time, even with an open fire fitted with a gather and liner, it can still all be done from inside the opening.

 

[BobbyBrown]

As there was a delay on my stove the register plate was fitted and the recess boarded before connection of the stovepipe to flue. If the wall had been skimmed prior to connection then it would have been impossible to connect the two, ref dann09 post above.