New fireplace - HETAS enough?

camills

Hi guys,

We are replacing the gas fireplace we have to a new gas fireplace.

Basically, we have a very old looking and we are going for a nice cast iron insert.

I wanted to find out if I need to have someone with the GAS Certificate to install the fireplace or whether the HETAS is enough?
The gas fire will be replace to go with the new insert but the flue won't.

Thank you for any tips.

suisidevw

GAS SAFE.

Hetas is for solid fuel!

rustyboy21

Nope, you will need a gas safe engineer, ACCREDITED to installing gas fires, to install it for you.


Some engineers are only qualified on boilers, some on cooker, some on all 3.


As above has said, HETAS is for solid fuel only.

daveyjp

Gas safe gas fire engineer. First job will be to check the flue. Depending in the age of the property additional work may be required if the new fire fails the spill test.

adandem

Don't shell out on your new fire until you've had it pre-checked.

daveyjp

adandem wrote: »

Don't shell out on your new fire until you've had it pre-checked.

Except you can't check the new fire works with the flue until it is bought and fitted. Our flue was fine when tested without a fire in place, so it was clear. Once the fire was fitted there was insufficient draw and a modification was required.

We were however warned that the old flue may not be adequate and knew how much the modification would cost.

adandem

daveyjp wrote: »

Except you can't check the new fire works with the flue until it is bought and fitted. Our flue was fine when tested without a fire in place, so it was clear. Once the fire was fitted there was insufficient draw and a modification was required.

We were however warned that the old flue may not be adequate and knew how much the modification would cost.

Our local shop offered a full survey before committing.

rustyboy21

adandem wrote: »

Our local shop offered a full survey before committing.

That's fine, but as Davey has said, it may look ok when they have checked the flue, without a fire in it, but all fires have different flue exhausts on them, the main issue being the siting of them. If you have a particularly 'iffy' flue then sometimes this siting can cause issues with the exhausting of gases. This wont show up until it is fitted.


OP, go to a good reputable Fireplace showroom in your vicinity and get them to help you choose something correct for your house and flue type. Take pictures of what you have at present, take sizes of the chimney breast width. If you want to keep you carpet/flooring, then measure and photograph the size of your present hearth to give them your carpet cut out size, so they can do a bespoke hearth for you to cover any gaps.
Before they come, get an accredited chimney sweep out, to sweep your flue, even though you have had gas before, there will still be soot up the flue. He can check it is all sound and you can carry on with your installation. If the flue is faulty, which it can be, then you may need a liner fitted. This wont cost as much as a liner for a stove, maybe £300-400 fitted, dependent on sizes.
If you want hassle free purchase, don't buy off the internet. The internet is good for buying clothes, watches, household goods, but not for something that if fitted incorrectly and sold to you incorrectly may end up killing you.