Which Multi fuel stove to buy?

rainybird

grahamc2003 wrote: »

I'm perfectly happy with my Little Wenlock (with no chimney lining) - works fine for me, I couldn't really think of what any other smallish stove could do better. Of course, I can't compare it to the other stoves mentioned since this is the only one I've experience of. Mine just has a single air input - I notice now the LW seems to have a secondary airflow too, which may give more options on how to operate it.

I used the top flue outlet when I installed mine - but this means it sits too far into the 'cavity'. I may move the stove forward so it's more into the room so the heat is radiated more directly into the room rather than into the inside of the cavity, and for that I'll use the rear exhaust outlet and a 90 deg flue bend thing.

For the register plate, I used an old fashioned blacksmith (didn't relaise they still existed before I searched him out), Cost £100 (4 years ago) for the (thick steel 4ftx2ft ish) plate with a hole cut in, and he came to fit it for that price too, and also stayed to help me lug the stove into position. Probably much more expensive today, and again more expensive from an installer I expect.

Your wishes for various things (like no lining) may come to nought if you have a HETAS bod around and he decides you need one! If you diy, one thing to ensure is that the whole thing is airtight all around the register plate and where it joins the stove, and where the flue pipe passes through it.

I think you & I are on the same wave length.:)

rainybird

A._Badger wrote: »

Rainybird - you're entering a world of pain, I'm afraid. If you self-install you will need the local council to inspect and approve your installation - and they will charge you a lot for doing it, as well as making sure you abide by building regulations. If not, you will need to hire one of the HETAS mob to do the installation for you. Expect to be told you will need chimney lining.

Our homes are no longer our castles, I'm afraid.

Sorry if I sound a little naive, but how would the council know I've had a stove fitted?

Swipe

rainybird wrote: »

Sorry if I sound a little naive, but how would the council know I've had a stove fitted?

They won't. The very worst case scenario to not having the correct paperwork is you get a chimney fire which gets out of control before the fire brigade arrives. Your house then burns down and your insurance won't pay out because it's not signed off. This is pretty unlikely if you use smokeless coal and have your chimney swept annually. The risk of a chimney fire does increase if you burn wood incorrectly though.

antdad

Worth having a look at set of building regs anyway. If your building was built post 1965 (I think) no liner required and if it's over 5kw depending on how well insulated the room is you may require further ventilation, if you have immediate neighbours a properly installed liner would protect them as well as you.

I ran a little Aarow acorn last year which worked well, beware of lots of cheap chinese imports and if you can stretch to a burner that is approved for a smokeless area then by their very nature they use the fuel more efficiently.

welda

rainybird wrote: »

If I do sell, I will be taking the stove with me...:)

Fill it with soil and stick some plants in it :rotfl:

hethmar

The council probably wont know and you can take the chance of it being fine as long as you have it swept very regularly and burn correctly. But we get calls every day from people with unlined flues who have black staining coming through the plaster work or resin dripping down the walls.

Worse case, apart from burning the house down or someone dying from CO poisoning that is! is that when/if you come to sell, someone like us (installers) will get a phone call from you or the buyer asking how much to knock off the purchase price for the chimneys to be lined to regs. because the surveyor has noted they are not correctly lined.


BTW, post 1964/65 houses had clay liners fitted in the chimneys - however they are not suitable for multifuel stoves and they are being phased out because of the problems caused with them being incorrectly fitted or cracking through heat (could be a big job to replace then!).

If the stove has over 5Kw output, ventilation to an external source is required. An approved CO monitor must be fitted in the room, whatever the output. The hearth must extend at least 12" in front of the appliance.

OH and 90 degree bends are illegal.

rainybird

I live in a 1930's semi, with 2 open fires one front one back & a chimney in the kitchen too where the original stove was fitted, I have always had an open fire in the winter but just wanted something more efficient didn't realise it would be so much hassle.....what did people do years ago, when all this red tape didn't exist?

I will be getting CO2 thingys though.

grahamc2003

hethmar wrote: »

Worse case, apart from burning the house down or someone dying from CO poisoning that is! .

I suppose at the moment with an open fire, the op has zero chance of 'burning the house down' or dying from co?

I'd say his chances of co poisoning are orders of magnitude higher with an open fire than with any sort of stove which actually works.

hethmar

Not true actually graham, open fires are much gentler on the flueway as the heat takes away the flue gases and there is less chance of the resin deposits building up and catching fire or blocking the flue. A badly fitted stove is of course more dangerous. But as I said, its an individuals choice and the worse case scenario.

If you want to take the chance its up to you.

A._Badger

The arguments about whether anyone would find out are moot and I suppose, if pushed, I wouldn't be very worried whether mine was installed to every technical legality or not - but I would insist that it was done competently by someone who knew what they were doing.

I am the first on here to slam the pointless money-grabbing regulations imposed 'for your own good' by the people who profit from them but, while insurance companies will look for any excuse not to pay on a claim and fire brigades can be tricky, I don't think I would take the risk.

It's your choice.