Magply used in a wood burning stove install.

JustAnotherSaver

I contacted HETAS regarding an install we had early 2016. We had a multi fuel stove installed but pretty much we only burn wood on there anyway. Occasionally peat.



We were told at the time that the recess if boarding out needed to be boarded with something that was 'A1 fire rated'. No problem i thought, i can get some of that stuff at a good price - and supplied the installer with some Magply since it was stamped up as A1 rated.


https://www.magply.co.uk/certificates There's the link.



Maybe i should've let the installer supply their own stuff and then there's always someone to point fingers at, but i didn't see an issue as it was what he said it needed to be, or so i thought.


Now in the time that has passed, i've had concerns about how close the stove is to the back wall. It makes the paint flake off right behind the stove as it's so close and the boards themselves lift slightly away from the wall under the heat (and then they 'sink' back to the wall once cooled).


My concern over the install was based on how close the stove is to the wall - i measured up and it's 5mm-7mm. I had a look at the install guide and it said a minimum clearance of 50mm so we're well short. I do remember the installer saying at the time that he could put a bend in but then something about it affecting warranty and he'll try install it with a straight pipe.



This is a guy/company that is listed on the HETAS website of installers.


HETAS have taken my enquiry about the install as a lodged complaint (it wasn't, it was an enquiry).


However what they said regards the Magply is...

[FONT=&quot]I have checked with our Technical Team regarding the Magply board your installer has installed and they have confirmed that this board is not suitable for solid fuel installations[/FONT]

But the website says

Euroclass EN13501


A1 Non-Combustible

And some other stuff related to fire as well.


How can it be right yet wrong?


Regards putting a bend in the flue, would that be so bad? I guess we'd need to have a non combustible beam across the top so as to not have it affect our mirror as with the fire brought out it'll direct more heat up the face of the chimney breast.



Just looking for the best way forward here really.

keith969

Regardless of whether magply is suitable or not (I have fireboard behind mine, which is a fire resistant plasterboard), the stove needs a bigger gap. Any paint will discolour at that distance. If a bend in the flue is required to keep the stove the 50mm away, then that's what you need.

JustAnotherSaver

keith969 wrote: »

Regardless of whether magply is suitable or not (I have fireboard behind mine, which is a fire resistant plasterboard), the stove needs a bigger gap. Any paint will discolour at that distance. If a bend in the flue is required to keep the stove the 50mm away, then that's what you need.

We were advised that plasterboard was totally unsuitable, and like you say - yours is fire resistant, which isn't fireproof.
Then there's the issues with people calling the same thing different names which adds to the confusion.


If i remember correctly we were looking at using viroc board but i'm sure we were advised against this for some reason which i can't remember. I know it comes in varying thicknesses.



Obviously we opted for the Magply. I did mention at the time Fireboard / Fireline / Firecheck (like i said, different names but it being the fire plasterboard, the pink one) but we were quickly told this was unsuitable. That's the thing though, different people, different views.


I've got some time off coming up so i'll need to get someone out to have a look at it. I've just had a measure up and even going with the minimum of 50mm clearance, i'm not totally convinced this will be enough to stop the board coming away from the wall slightly or to stop the paint flaking. Sure it may tick someones box but i'm not sure it'll be enough myself, as an extra 45mm with such heat isn't really a great deal. I appreciate the 50mm is a MINIMUM but still.

keith969

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

We were advised that plasterboard was totally unsuitable, and like you say - yours is fire resistant, which isn't fireproof.

I'm not sure what it was, it was not like normal plasterboard. It is fireproof, hasn't buckled or discoloured or anything. (Edit: google 'vermiculite fireboard')

What actually happened was that the hetas guy who installed the stove back in 2010 rendered the back of the hearth, and put the stove close (maybe 1-2cm) to the render. After a few years the render cracked, and the paint discoloured.

I got another hetas engineer in as I wanted an oak mantlepiece on the chimney breast above the hearth, he said the stove was too close and moved it out by fitting a flue bend. And removed the cracked render and put the fireboard in.

Since then (2 years ago) I've had no problems.

JustAnotherSaver

keith969 wrote: »

I'm not sure what it was, it was not like normal plasterboard. It is fireproof, hasn't buckled or discoloured or anything. (Edit: google 'vermiculite fireboard')

What actually happened was that the hetas guy who installed the stove back in 2010 rendered the back of the hearth, and put the stove close (maybe 1-2cm) to the render. After a few years the render cracked, and the paint discoloured.

I got another hetas engineer in as I wanted an oak mantlepiece on the chimney breast above the hearth, he said the stove was too close and moved it out by fitting a flue bend. And removed the cracked render and put the fireboard in.

Since then (2 years ago) I've had no problems.

Does it (now) come much out of the insert (inglenook is it called?)?


My concern bringing it forward is the heat that'll rush up the chimney breast face and impact on the mirror there and the ceiling above. If it does get brought forward then there may well be nothing bad happens to the mirror or ceiling, it's just a concern i have.


Can't say i've seen the vermiculite board actually. I thought you meant the pink plasterboard.



We would've liked the actual brickwork but since we had the room tanked, there was 'lovely' slurry all over the walls, so we needed it covering.


I'll need to chase certainly one installer down, maybe a couple.

Gloomendoom

I recently fitted a stove and needed a minimum of 50mm behind the stove but, with a straight pipe, could barely get 10mm. I got a 50mm offset pipe made to give me the clearance.

I lined the fire recess rear, top and both sides with Skamotec 225.

http://www.skamotec225.com/

I don't believe that plasterboard or HardieBacker type sheets are sufficiently fireproof, although no doubt widely used.

Davesnave

Magply is fireproof in the context of not allowing fire to spread, but sticking it close to a very hot stove, day in, day out, is probably not what the tests are designed to simulate.

A quick look at the maker's website shows they've been careful not to list the application you've used it for. I don't think this is an oversight.

I've got my stove inside a galvanised steel box that's painted with ordinary Dulux Trade emulsion. The stove sits 20mm from the back wall at the closest point. After a couple of years, the paint has discoloured slightly, but not so much I feel the need to re-do it yet.

keith969

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Does it (now) come much out of the insert (inglenook is it called?)?

Yes a bit, but it does not seem to cause a problem. The oak mantlepiece above gets quite warm but not so hot you can't touch it.

owen_money

I used hardibacker board, its concrete and A1 rated, its fine. Be careful regarding the oak beam, its distance to the stove pipe/stove is also subject to building regs

A 7mm gap is far too small if the stove manual states 50mm

Your story is a good example that just because someone has been on a weeks HEATAS course it doesnt make them an expert on the subject of fitting stoves

JustAnotherSaver

Exactly that!


keith, any chance of a side shot to take a look at the bend in the flue?


Dave - yours sounds like an interesting install. Do you have a photo of it at all?


Regards the beam, the ones we've seen in a local fire store look like wood but they're actually metal i think. Whatever they're made from they're not wood i know that (or plastic!). To be honest i'm not too sure i want one on the face of the chimney breast but my wife is quite taken by the look of them and also the fact it'll break up the heat a bit.

Davesnave

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Dave - yours sounds like an interesting install. Do you have a photo of it at all?

Yes, my installer does this a lot. He has a metal fabrication place next door to hids workshop and they can knock up galvanised boxes to individual specs in 1 or 2 days.


This is it when we were filling in the opening. Had to demolish quite a lot and rebuild:



And this is what it looked like after the fire, hearth, surround etc was put in around Christmas 2016. The installer sprayed it beige and we just painted our choice of colour over that.