Which Woodburner?

hethmar

Yes, quite right Badger, if someone is making up to 40% on the sale of a stove, then they should be prepared to come out and make the calculations for you. Remember though that any stove with an output in excess of 5 Kw will need an air vent to an external source. This will be required for your HETAS certificate.

Mais - the Pioneer is exceptionally controllable but everyone has to cut their cloth accordingly ...................

hethmar

Well, we have to do what the regs tell us Badger. If not, we lose our registration and our living - we have to put in the air vents to sign off the installation - what the customer does after we leave the site .........

A._Badger

hethmar wrote: »

Well, we have to do what the regs tell us Badger. If not, we lose our registration and our living - we have to put in the air vents to sign off the installation - what the customer does after we leave the site .........

I appreciate that. But it is this blind adherence to meaningless rules that gets us into trouble. After all, this is supposed to be a money saving site and, as far as I can see, these self-serving bodies that set the regulations (few of whom are divorced from financial incentives to impose tighter and tighter rules) do nothing to aid that.

A few months ago, I walked round a property I was having renovated by a hugely over-qualified (honours degree) electronics designer who was working as a 'sparks'. He pointed out to me, step by step, how many of the rules he was being forced to adhere to were sheer nonsense, imposed under the guise of 'health and safety' but really achieving nothing more than perpetuating the organisation making the rules and creating work for (in his case) electricians.

I had a similar experience five or six years ago with a 60 year old gas fitter, who said similar things about his trade.

Time and again I see consumers on this site parroting 'such and such a rule says' and 'so and so a regulation says' , clearly without havng stopped to question who is making those rules and why. This isn't money saving, it's perpetuating a guild system or a largely self-serving closed shop.

Rant over, Sorry!

hethmar

Agree with you Badger - OH wasnt too happy having done the job well for decades to have to go to seminars and sit exams and be told by a young chap in a suit how to line chimneys But without doing so we could not continue to work in the trade.

Having said that, we have seen some horrendous jobs over the years done by people who set themselves up with a couple of ladders and then disappear after a year or two, leaving others to clear up the mess.

As Ive pointed out a few times, people can save money by doing the job themselves and having it signed off by the local Buildings Control. Nothing to stop you, its not rocket science.

anne99

Hethmar,

I am feeling a bit worried about our recent installations of two stoves after reading your informative advice above. I didn't know about HETAS, I just knew we'd liked our previous Charnwood Countryman 6 or 8 in our last house.

We spoke to a local supply only shop, deciding we wanted the smaller Charnwood 4 set into an existing fireplace in one room and a Morso Squirrel sitting in the other room in front of a plastered-over chimney breast.

We then had two people out to survey, the first a builder we knew who said, fine, can do. The second, with a showroom locally, said the fireplace was too small for the Charnwood 4, and we could run into insurance problems if we didn't comply with the manufacturer's distances (which we, incidentally, couldn't find on their website). He recommended a Bohemia 30 as it would suit fine but could be installed in a tighter space. In the other room, which is long and narrow with the fireplace on the long side, he recommended opening up the the fireplace with a steel chamber to house the stove as this was more efficient (convection v radiation) as well as not taking up so much space in the room. Both recommended flue liners and anti down draft cowls.

On the strength of what seemed to be more knowledge:oable advice, we went with the second guy and have had the stoves installed by his subbies. The only one we've lit yet works fine. The flexi liner appeared to be single-walled and wasn't insulated as far as we could see.

I've now realised the first builder was HETAS but the ones we've used only mention CORGI on their website (not relevant). I haven't received any paperwork apart from a receipt, and no-one ever mentioned building control.

Have I done a bad thing?, as my five-year old son used to ask me. What questions, if any should I go back to them with?

Grateful for any advice you can give me.

Thanks

hethmar

Well, I guess you need to go back to him and say that you dont appear to have received the necessary paperwork. Have a look at the HETAS site. Say you understand that you should have a DATA plate describing the lining installation fixed permanently (we put them by the utility box) and a Compliance Certificate -and the installation registered with the local Buildings Control. (If you belong to an association where you can self certify, you sign off the installation, a copy of the cert is left with the householder, another copy you keep and the top copy goes to your association who then register it with the local Buildings Control). You should also receive your warranty documents for both the stove and the liner.

Cant you get your builder mate to look at them?

Did the installer not light up the appliances for you and explain the way to use them?

Ask him if the lining is suitable for a Class 1 appliance.

I take it both appliances have the minimum 12" of non combustible hearth in front of them?

Insulation isnt a BR but a recommendation and one so sensible we stick to it.

MiM

Hi. JUst wanted to report that we got our Stovax Stockton 5 yesterday with chimney lining, all supplied and fitted by HETAS engineer in Bradford via Ebay. Very, very pleased with price and service.

Would like to thank all on this thread and especially Hethmar for invaluable advice and guidance all through the journey.

MSE rocks!

cairndog

About "non combustable " hearth. We have to extend ours using a row of engineering bricks but do we need to use any special sort of mortar, or is the standard stuff OK ?

Hethmar, any thoughts on this ? Or anyone else please.

hethmar

Cairn, Im sure that would be fine. The regs do state 4 inches of concrete with whatever, tiles or pamments on a bed on top. We tend to use lime mortar.

Bus_Driver_2

5kw. Ideally with outside air supply. Morso 3112 or Clearview Pioneer 400? (and why!)

Thanks!