Open fire question please

Fruball

I am replacing my old back boiler for a new one which will be sited in my airing cupboard leaving my fireplace free :j

I intend to put in a woodburning stove eventually but until i have saved up i was wondering what I need to do to just have a real fire?

Until the naff gas fire (really naff) has been taken out, with the boiler, I am not sure what I will be left with other than an unsightly hole!

Does anyone, professional or otherwise, have any experience of this and what I may need to do to be able to have a real fire until i can afford my woodburner?

Thanks in advance for any replies

lamplighter2

if you have the old chimney stack then you just need a double lined stainless flue liner installed by a proper installer as it need vermiculite to fill the voids between bricks and liner then the stove goes underneath. then you want a multifuel these are the best as you can use coal and wood, i sometimes get fire going with coal to get a hot bottom and just put logs on as and when.
if and when you do get one find one that you can control the dampers to slow down the flow so it stays in all night trickling a heat to keep the room warm mine does not. so go to a good stove supplier and see the stoves working and ask the above qestions, if it works well and you can get logs for free then a cheap form of heat, i am lucky my wood is free apart from me cutting it up and bringing home. and it is nice on a cold winter night to sit in front of telly or radio and have a nice flame burning which makes you feel warm

suki1964

lamplighter2 wrote: »

if you have the old chimney stack then you just need a double lined stainless flue liner installed by a proper installer as it need vermiculite to fill the voids between bricks and liner then the stove goes underneath. then you want a multifuel these are the best as you can use coal and wood, i sometimes get fire going with coal to get a hot bottom and just put logs on as and when.
if and when you do get one find one that you can control the dampers to slow down the flow so it stays in all night trickling a heat to keep the room warm mine does not. so go to a good stove supplier and see the stoves working and ask the above qestions, if it works well and you can get logs for free then a cheap form of heat, i am lucky my wood is free apart from me cutting it up and bringing home. and it is nice on a cold winter night to sit in front of telly or radio and have a nice flame burning which makes you feel warm

didnt quite answer the question of what to do with the void until she has the stove bought

simcla

Get the gas fire removed (Gas Safe), then get the flue swept by a NACS (or other recognised chimney professional) sweep. Ask them what the flue is suitable for?

Fruball

Bumpity bump

suisidevw

Frugal, get fire removed as stated then put in an open fire. My was installed by myself inc all materials, fire, granite hearth etc for about £350 iirc. I want a stove too but don't have £2k disposable at present!

A._Badger

suisidevw wrote: »

Frugal, get fire removed as stated then put in an open fire. My was installed by myself inc all materials, fire, granite hearth etc for about £350 iirc. I want a stove too but don't have £2k disposable at present!

Just to add a thought, stoves are fashionable at the moment but there's still a great deal to be said for an open fire. The theory may suggest huge efficiency savings for a stove but there's more to life than figures. An open fire burning wood gives off sound and a scent that no stove can match.

Don't get me wrong - I have a stove, but I use it as a main heating source. I sometimes think how much nicer an open fire would be aesthetically.

hermum

I've just had my chimney swept by a HETAS sweep, & asked him what type of fire would be best for my chimney, class 1 flue, I think he said, it's a Victorian house.
I had thought that I would need the flue lining for a stove but he said that as long as I didn't use only logs, & burnt whatever type of coal, anthracite or what have you at the correct temperature my chimney would be fine.
Like you until I can afford it I'm going to have just an open fire the original surround grate & front are all intact so tonight was going to be my first attempt but it's got really mild today so will give it a go tomorrow.
http://www.guildofmasterchimneysweeps.co.uk/
here's where you can find local good sweeps in your area, I also asked for recommendations on my local freecycle & 5 out of 6 said the guy I eventually used.
The cost was £41, I'm in Devon & there wasn't any mess, he was also happy to answer any questions I had.

jonewer

I agree that theres much to be said for an open fire. We have one in our living room and would like a stove in the dining room but I'm begining to wonder if it isnt just worth getting another open fire there also, considering the monsterous expense of installing a stove.

w50nky

You could perhaps have the opening and hearth made good after the removal of your back boiler/fire in such away that it will be ready to receive your stove when you can afford it. If you were to seal the chimney with a blank register plate to stop debris from falling into hearth area you could use an electric fire for effect. I realise there is no comparison with a real fire but will avoid some expense and may help you to install your stove sooner.

Good luck with whatever you do.

hethmar

If you want an open fire but really are aiming for a stove then you have to be a bit savvy re costs. An open fire would need a minimum of 8" dia. lining - whereas most average stoves will need only 6" dia. lining. The difference in the size of the liner does add quite a lot more cost. If you think the chimney is sound, then get the sweep to sweep it after a CORGI engineer removes the fire and boiler and then have a smoke test. The qualified sweep should issue you with a certificate in which the condition of the chimney is stated. Ask his advice about using it for an open fire. Remember also, there is a relationship between the fireplace opening/dia. of the flueway so you may also have to decrease the opening area after you have removed the gas fire/boiler.

If you are going to use it very infrequently it may make economic sense to wait until you have the stove before you actually line the flueway.