Stove fitting issues

Rambosmum

We had 2 multi fuel stoves installed in June by a HETAS registered installer. We have paid for the work and have the certificates, however I am concerned about some aspects of the installation:

- they have used standard plasterboard to board out the fire place (the chimney breast is old and victorian and needed making narrower so couldn't just use the bricks)
- they used cement board on the top bit, where it covers the chimney opening, but there is a gap between cement board and the flue and debris falls down.
- there is no hetas registration plate on the stoves/ near by.

I have contacted the installer who states that the plaster board is fine, as the stove is DEFRA exempt so the heat is not coming from the sides or rear. And that the gap is normal. They have not commented on the lack of plate.

I have also contacted HETAS but they will not comment unless I put a formal complaint in, which I don't want to do unless there is cause for concern.

Can anyone confirm whether they are an issue?

Furts

Depends how far away the plasterboard is. But if it is inside the opening this sounds unwise. Also how is it fixed back?


With any holes if you are getting any risk that the flue gases are able to get into your room then this is wrong.


Also establish the status of the fitter. Many fire outlets sub contract the fitting and you can end up with dubious jobs. The only concern of the outlets is how much money they can make out of you and zero interest in the fitting. Now ponder this ...



after your complaints about a safety related installation did the company come out and do a thorough quality control check? Sounds like they did not.



Did they even do a quality check visit after the original fitting? I doubt it.



Is there any quality control with your fire company? I doubt it.



Might something be wrong here? Quite likely!

Rambosmum

Furts wrote: »

Depends how far away the plasterboard is. But if it is inside the opening this sounds unwise. Also how is it fixed back?


With any holes if you are getting any risk that the flue gases are able to get into your room then this is wrong.


Also establish the status of the fitter. Many fire outlets sub contract the fitting and you can end up with dubious jobs. The only concern of the outlets is how much money they can make out of you and zero interest in the fitting. Now ponder this ...



after your complaints about a safety related installation did the company come out and do a thorough quality control check? Sounds like they did not.



Did they even do a quality check visit after the original fitting? I doubt it.



Is there any quality control with your fire company? I doubt it.



Might something be wrong here? Quite likely!

Thanks for that. I might make the formal complaint then. The stove fitter was the company owner, he works with a builder but they did both the quote and the actual installation (I work from home so was here whilst they were doing it).

FreeBear

Furts wrote: »

Depends how far away the plasterboard is. But if it is inside the opening this sounds unwise. Also how is it fixed back?

With any holes if you are getting any risk that the flue gases are able to get into your room then this is wrong.

The fitting instructions for the stove will give a minimum distance to combustible surfaces, both to the sides, and the rear. Plasterboard is not rated as non-combustible as the paper facing can burn. It will also crack and degrade if exposed to temperatures above ~50°C (as will the pink finishing plaster).

A gap in the register board and flue can (and should) be plugged with fibreglass rope assuming the gap is minimal.

As for the HETAS registration plate may be fixed next to the consumer unit - Check there before making a complaint.

Ectophile

I have contacted the installer who states that the plaster board is fine, as the stove is DEFRA exempt so the heat is not coming from the sides or rear.

That's a new one on me! DEFRA are only interested in how much smoke comes out of the chimney. My stove is DEFRA approved, and puts out a fierce heat all round.

FreeBear

Ectophile wrote: »

My stove is DEFRA approved, and puts out a fierce heat all round.

My stove is also DEFRA approved... Picked up a non-contact infrared thermometer from Lidle last Christmas. The wall just above the stove was getting up to 120°C :eek:

Plasterboard would have fallen to bits very quickly with that sort of temperature. A couple of feet above the stove, I was measuring 80°C, dropping to around 50°C at ceiling height. Do not underestimate the amount of heat that can be pumped in to the surrounding brickwork. Some of it will come from the stove, and some will be from the flue liner inside the chimney.

Furts

The fitter is a fool. Perhaps also incompetent and a cowboy. It would be everyday business practice to politely acknowledge the concerns from OP. Then follow this with by an agreed time and date to return together with a copy of the installation manual. The fitter would then go through OP's concerns, page by page, in the installation manual. A highlighter pen would be used to mark key points. Then a verdict would be reached.

The fact that none of this has been done, on an item that is safety related, and has been legally binding signed off by the fitter, is shocking. This sloppy behaviour, and failure to acknowledge concerns, means the fitter should be subject of a complaint to HETAS.

Rambosmum

Right, so the general consensus is, the installation is in fact wrong as suspected. Will make the complaint.

Davesnave

The fitter is talking BS. My stove is DEFRA approved and I would never have accepted plasterboard behind it; even my chimney breast is cement boarded.


No debris should be able to find its way into the hearth.


A stove shop near me was fined quite heavily for using fitters not qualified to do installation work. The owner is very experienced in all aspects of stove fitting, but it's a tough market out there and they obviously started taking chances.