Wood Burning Stove Fitting

ds1980

Am looking to replace an open fire grate with a wood burner ready for next winter. We don't really need it tbh but have room and want to get a cheapish one as a bit of a feature.

We are going to fit it ourselves....don't worry it's my house and if i burn everyone to death then i'll have to live with that .....is there a good source for fitting instructions and is there anything much more to it than fitting the flue and sealing with a backplate? We have had an open fire for a couple of years and never seemed to have any problems with the chimney. We have friends that have done it and there's all seems fine.

What burner should i get? Been looking at ebay and an old thread on here but it started to get a little !!!!!y! Are second hand ones worth it. Ive a budget of probably £500 for the unit itself but the cheaper the better!

Anyway and advice would be appreciated I'm hoping to get a salesman or two out to give us quotes for a new one also

nordberg

Why would you risk burning your house down and "burning everyone to death"? Just because your chimney "seems" to be ok, does not make it suitable for the intense heat generated by a stove.

Apart from anything else, fitting a stove either has to be carried out by a HETAS registered installer, or if you do choose to do it yourself, you will need to inform Local Building Control and pay their fees or risk a hefty fine and the burner being condemned.

muckybutt

As stated fitting your own woodburner requires it to be installed and signed off in accordance with Part J.

Yes you can do it yourself but it'll cost you best part of £250 to get the council to sign it off for you, or you could pay a Hetas fitter to do it for you for a bit more probably.

If its not really required then why spend £500 on it ? why not block the chimney up and put a electric look a like stove in there in stead, or just leave it as it is.

If you fit it and sell the house without regs approval you risk a severe fine never mind the fact you could have potentially installed it in an unsafe condition. You cant put a price on a life if your actions kill someone through CO poisoning !

Homersimpson

When I fitted mine I bought a liner for the chimney and a pot hanger cowl, saves any concerns over the condition of the chimney.

The most important things to be aware of are:-

Make sure you have enough combustion air vto comply with building regs and the manufacturerers instructions.
Read the building regs approved document that covers flues from cover to cover.
Install a CO detector in the room containing the stove in accordance with the detector manufacturerers instruction.
Make sure the stove you buy is CE marked.
Make sure the stove is far enough away from combustible surfaces and that it has a non combustable section of floor/tiles in front of it in case anything drops out when you open the door.

ds1980

#2 - stove was here when we bought the house ;-)
#3 - fair point. already use the space for open fires but wanted to make better use. Building regs are a waste of time, money and completely pointless IMO.. See #2 for solution to any problems. How can any scheme that is only correct at the time of inspection be of any use? Just because it is fitted properly and is perfectly safe at the time of inspection doesn't make it safe the next day. Generally people killed from CO poisoning arent killed because of installation inadequacy (although of course this happens) but because equipment is too old and defunct. As #4 says a £10 CO monitor is a simple and easy to fit solution not that i would envisage any problems. An annual service on the wood burner would indicate any problems and im pretty sure that doesn't cost £250! CO poisoning from gas is different as you can't see it but if smokes starts bellowing out of the fire im pretty sure ill notice that!
#4 - Finally...Thanks for that. As I thought common sense. Will take heed of advice. Any recommendations for stove?

Homersimpson

I bought one of these, in fact he sold me everything I needed for the job including the flue liner and the fire cement.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CUBE-multifuel-stove-woodburner-cast-iron-woodburning-/140535519362?pt=UK_HG_FireplacesMantelpieces_RL&hash=item20b891d882

It cost me around £450 for the lot and was dead easy to fit.

I made a closer plate out of sheet steel with an angle iron surround. As I had a liner the closer plate was really only to stop anything dropping out from the chimney onto the fire below.

Yorkie1

I can't quite believe that you're prepared to risk your own life, that of your family, and that of anyone who buys the house from you; not to mention fraudulently completing documents when you come to sell.

Heaven help all those who may be affected by your sheer arrogance and stupidity.

warmgas

You're talking absolute rubbish ds. Carbon Monoxide is more of a danger on a wood burning stove than a gas appliance and more Co incidents are due to incorrect fitting of appliances and flues.

When fitting a wood burner it's mandatory to install a Co alarm now, but you wouldn't know that as you don't give a stuff about building regs.

I'm all for a bit of DIY but your a reckless idiot who dosn't care about potentially endangering other people just to save a bit of cash.

Gloomendoom

warmgas wrote: »

You're talking absolute rubbish ds. Carbon Monoxide is more of a danger on a wood burning stove than a gas appliance and more Co incidents are due to incorrect fitting of appliances and flues.

This is true. Burning wood can create more carbon monoxide than burning gas. Carbon monoxide is invisible no matter how it is produced.

PasturesNew

Darwin Award winner 2011.

ds1980

Look im not that stu[pid and will adhere to the regs but im just going to fit it myself. Id take more care over fitting than a professional im sure of that and no stone will be left unturned. Will take a look at that stove. Ill have someone in to take a look and make recommendations and then go from there. Will let you know if i kill myself or family in the process. Ta

PS should i have told someone i fitted the gas oven?