anybody with experience of woodburning stoves

BISHI

Thinking of getting a woodburner to replace our open fire. The stove costs about £400 - £500 but the first quote wanted £3500 to fit it ( chimney lining/scaffold etc etc. This seems a little steep to me, does anybody have any advice or experience. ?

johntheexpat

We had our chimney lined earleir this year.  An insert was already in place, but the tubing only went 3M up the chimney and the whole was sealed with a plate.  I suppose we ended up with about 15M of oval tubing (something to do with the spec of the chimney, but it was more expensive than normal) and buying it and getting it installed was 2000 euros.  I know H&S in the uk can be over the top, but for me the tubes were inserted from the bottom up (they aren't heavy) with someone at the chimney top (ladder access) to help and put on a chinese hat and mortar whatever needed to be mortared up)

So, the questions are what kind of lining and how high are relevant.  But it seems a little step at first glance.  Scaffolding seems a little OTT, surely a mobile platform for half a day would be better?

BISHI

I think a scaffold is mandatory due to health and safety - and our house is quite high. We have had scaffold before but it only cost us £300. So I calculate scaff and the burner alone to be 1K - So 2.5 K to put some steel conduit in and fit the burner seems ridiculous to me..!

officerdibble11

is there any particular reason you need a chimney lining with a woodburner ? we didnt get ours lined just swept by a chimney sweep who also checked it was drawing enough air up it and about 2 metres of solid metal pipe attached to the top of the stove, sealed it myself with some fireproof sealant, its been fine for years, after all they didnt need there chimneys lined in the old days did they

Ruperts slippers

A couple of reason to line a chimney are..............
Stops potential fires starting in the chimney
Improves the draw
Stops leakage through chimney masonry cracks which can lead to poisoning and staining..
Reduces deposits of combustion,eg tar and soot...

BISHI

I think it is also obligatory for health and safety reasons. We live in a conservation/smoke free area and only uber clean and efficient burners are allowed.

Wild Weasel

I'm waiting for my wood burner to be installed. I have had two quotes of a few hundred pounds, but both installers (Hetas approved) said I didn't need to line my chimney with a liner, in their opinion. I've combed the internet and there are differing views. Building Regulations Approved Document J gives recommendations on when to line a chimney, which depends on chimney construction and materials. Some sites say only pumice chimneys do not need to be lined, mine's ceramic or terracotta I believe. You could get ‘Nacs’ approved chimney sweep to sweep and check the structure of your chimney or get some quotes from Hetas approved installers. Apparently, because wood burners are more efficient, the heat going up the chimney is less, and the potential for tar spots to form on an unlined chimney is more likely (potential fire hazard). Although regular sweeping does prevent this I've read.

One of my installers said to put in a flue could cost about £1000. You can purchase quality double skinned flue liner for £30 a metre (5") 904/904 Flexible Flue Liner FlexiFlueDirect.com , so I suspect the cost is mainly the labour charges.

HETAS : Homepage

NACS - The Home of The National Association of Chimney Sweeps

maf1970

Wood burning stoves are great. I helped my dad line the chimney of their bungalow 3-4 years ago. It was a lightweight, flexible metal pipe we managed to feed down from above. This only became a bit fiddly (and dirty) when we got to the bend in the chimney, just above the fireplace. A few bags of vermiculite insulation were poured down around the flue to insulate it. I think the idea of that is to keep the smoke & gasses hot, so the chimney draws better. The chimney pot was then capped off with a metal vent to stop rain going straight down the hole.

lord-dudester

You’re supposed to be Hetas registered or inform your local building control, who will inspect and issue a building regs notice (£80 approx). You could keep quiet, and do it yourself, but your insurance company won't pay out if you house burns down . You also need a carbon monoxide alarm.

BISHI

Things To Consider Before You Install A Wood Burning Stove | KuleKat . com