Chimney lining & flue for stove

stoveman

its fine if he says the chimney is physically sound then you dont need the protection a liner brings.

where a liner comes in handy is if that chimney is of a decent size you can light the fire and cos the chimney is cold it wont draw very well until warmed up etc.

but it depends if the draw is exceptionally good on he chimney anyway it may be fine.

just ensure that you install a register plate that is made from steel and is 1.5mm think and sealed so no smoke than come back into the room if the draw is bad

jeannieblue

Igol wrote: »

Glad to hear it.
Now look forward to those winter days when you'll be outside keeping nice and warm chopping logs or smashing up pallets

Fortunately - my son works in a business that supplies logs and coal...

jeannieblue

stoveman wrote: »

its fine if he says the chimney is physically sound then you dont need the protection a liner brings.

where a liner comes in handy is if that chimney is of a decent size you can light the fire and cos the chimney is cold it wont draw very well until warmed up etc.

but it depends if the draw is exceptionally good on he chimney anyway it may be fine.

just ensure that you install a register plate that is made from steel and is 1.5mm think and sealed so no smoke than come back into the room if the draw is bad

He was such a competent person. I am so glad that I took all your advice and got out an independent to inspect the chimney.

He told us just about everything down to what size burner would be best and will fax us all the details in writing so that we are sure that we make the correct decision when choosing the stove.

What a great site this is! Thanks to all who have been brill giving me such good sensible advice!

cairndog

jeannieblue wrote: »

He was such a competent person. I am so glad that I took all your advice and got out an independent to inspect the chimney.

He told us just about everything down to what size burner would be best and will fax us all the details in writing so that we are sure that we make the correct decision when choosing the stove.

What a great site this is! Thanks to all who have been brill giving me such good sensible advice!

This post was a long time ago but how did you find the guy, was he on the NACE site? I think you're in Essex but I found a couple of names on that site for my area (Kent) anyone used the NACE people ?
The lining/fitting cost sounds very high and trying to get a decent price and keep it legal(and safe) seems to be impossible.
I know people do it outside the regs but our house is very old and I don't really want it to go up in flames! Any help appreciated

brickie

Installing a flue liner can be a diy job. Serious consideration must be given to health and safety ie ( working on the roof). once you have the liner pulled down the chimney and connected to the stove, it will need to be signed off by a competent person. In my case the local authority building controll officer. assuming all work is up to standard and it passes inspection the fees should be about £100 + vat .there may be regional variations

notts_lad123

Hi we got our local sweep to fit the liner (he is Hetas registered). He gets all his liners and accessories from directflues in Nottingham. He was much cheaper than the other quotes we had from Hetas engineers!!

crphillips

There are other reasons for lining flues other than if your flue leaks or is oversized. I've seen huge problems with people burning wood in unlined flues. Dry wood is around 20% moisture. If you burn 5 tonn of wood a year your putting 1 tonn of water up your chimney. Brick and stone flues are pourus and condensation and tar can and does soak through the flue walls over the years. This stinks and looks unsightly.

The other main reason is to enable sweeping of the flue. If your fitter simply closes off the chimney with a plate (or even fireboard sometimes which is very dodgy) and puts the flue pipe of the stove through the plate there is no way to sweep the chimney properly and remove the soot from the rear of the plate. The only way to do this is to fit an access door to the plate or put a soot door in the outside of the chimney. It's still a messy way to sweep the flue though.

I wish i could show people a stove running with a liner and one without. You'd choose the liner every time.

Never take advice from a gas fitter on solid fuel. They don't have a clue. It's not their fault....it's just not their area of expertise.

Also make sure they do a proper smoke test....this deosn't involve putting a smoke pellet in the fireplace and watching it go up and come out of the top. If the fitter is not going to fit a liner then they must carry out a full smoke test. This involves having a man on the roof and a man in the house. The flue should be warmed and then 3-4 smoke pellets lit in the fireplace. When the smoke comes out of the chimney pot a plastic bag should be placed over the pot and sealed with tape. This slightly pressurizes the flue. Then smoke will be forced out of any holes so you can look throughout the house (and next doors if joined on) for leaks. If the flue is not warmed and the top of the pot not sealed then the flue will be under a vacuum. Any leaks will not emit smoke........fresh air from within the house will actually be pulled into the flue. This is also undesirable as it cools the flue gases and causes excessive tar and condensation. Any other method of testing a flue is inadequate and will not show any leaks unless seriously bad.

A._Badger

crphillips wrote: »

It's actually not legal for your sweep to fit a liner. Probably why he's cheap.

He did say his sweep is HETAS registered.

Even if he isn't, it's legal for him to have fitted it, so long, as you say, it is approved under building regs. by the local inspector.

Just trying to ensure clarity here.

crphillips

Ah apologies for that. Totally missed it. I've edited my post to remove the mistake.

Prices can vary massively.....even in the same area........we end up pricing against a local company quite regular. Nearly everytime we come out arouns £1000-£1500 cheaper for the full works (stove, fireplace, liner, labour....etc)

I've found that a lot of the fitters that don't recommend lining flues are the ones that are scared of heights and don't like getting on roofs. Any respectable fitter with a good reputation will recommend lining unlined flues. All the fitters around us that don't line flues have a bad reputation. This is because it's hit or miss as to whether the stove will work properly as they never carry out a proper smoke test.

I've also found that if a fitter gets the feeling the customer isn't willing to pay for a liner they will fit the stove without just to get the job and make the money. I'd rather walk away if this is the case.

Get plenty of quotes and go on a recommendation.

muckybutt

crphillips wrote: »

There are other reasons for lining flues other than if your flue leaks or is oversized.
I wish i could show people a stove running with a liner and one without. You'd choose the liner every time.

Makes two of us ! ive been a chimney sweep for best part of 5 years now, when I sweep a chimney with a liner I average about two good handfulls of soot - whereas if its a normal unlined chimney then its at least 1/2 - 2/3 of a bin liner full of soot.

I love lined chimneys

Unfortuneately ive had some diy and supposedly pro fitted ones where ive had to "condem" them as there was no provision to sweep made, alot of the cheap stoves you cant access the flue pipe / chimney from the inside, so until they have a soot box fitted its unsafe.

Doing things / getting things on the cheap does not always work out for the best !