Tiles behind a multi fuel burner

redlady_1

When we had our burner fitted 18 months ago we were told that we wouldn't need any tiles to go behind it. It has an open flue and is stand alone, i.e. no chimney.

However, this week I have burned fuel not wood and have noticed the plaster behind the burner has a crack in it which has only appeared in line with me burning the fuel rather than wood.

I am thinking that we need some tiles to help to protect this in future but do they have to be a special sort or fitted by a HETAS engineer?

Davesnave

Is it me, or does anyone else have difficulty in picturing this multi-fuel burner with no chimney that stands alone? Do you mean one of those fire baskets that stand out in the room, with a hood above and a flue leading upwards from that?

Anyway, yes, solid fuel can produce more heat than logs, so that may be why the plaster cracked.

You will gain no advantage from having someone with HETAS accreditation fit tiles, nor will the tiles necessarily be a complete solution if the plaster beneath is cracking-up. It depends what's under the plaster and how bad the cracking becomes.

If you were to tile, it might be better to set the tiles on something more thermally stable, like cement board. All tiles are fired to around 850c + so any should be OK.

Mojisola

redlady_1 wrote: »

When we had our burner fitted 18 months ago we were told that we wouldn't need any tiles to go behind it. It has an open flue and is stand alone, i.e. no chimney.

Where does the smoke go?

FreeBear

What sort of plaster ?

The pink gypsum plaster will crack and flake when subjected to temperatures above 50°C and are totally unsuitable anywhere near a stove.

There are heat resistant plasters available, but they are (generally) a cement based product. Lime plaster will also withstand quite high temperatures, and it is what I have used around my multifuel stove.

Depending on the finish you are looking for, lime plaster can be tinted, polished, and made to look like marble (google Venetian Plaster for some ideas).

Tiles will also work - A massive range to suit just about any taste from simple porcelain through to polished stone, and metal effect. The real big tiles might crack under the heat, so smaller ones would probably be best.

keith969

Cement or plaster will crack if the temperature is high enough - happened to mine, done by a hetas engineer, sigh. Solution was to remove it and fit fireboard.

redlady_1

It has an exposed flue rather than up a chimney.

And its just ordinary plaster. It was fine until I burnt the fuel rather than wood.

Lesson learnt I guess!