Woodburner not possible - what other options with our chimney set up?

ChasingtheWelshdream

Hi all,

I was hoping to have a woodburner installed, where an old fireplace has been boarded up, ventilated with the stack capped just above the roof (internal wall). A fitter has just been out to have a look and thinks it is not really feasible to install one after all.

The house is two storeys at the back, 3 storeys at the front, and it seems the original stack sits in a valley on the 2 storey part, so is surrounded by a tall roof and the extra storey above. The original chimney stack would have been extremely high to compensate for this.

To achieve a good draw on a new stove, a new section of twinwall would need to be installed 4 meters above the valley, which (a) would look rubbish and (b), is still likely to have backdraught problems in windy weather due to the surrounding tall building. Any taller and the building costs become astronomical.

So, costs aside, I don't want to pay out a fortune for an installation that is only likely to work 75% of the time.

However, I still want to install a stove for secondary heating and aesthetics. So, I'm wondering how feasible it is to install a gas stove and would welcome opinions. (We can get a gas supply run easily)

I've looked at flueless, but am not keen due to potential condensation (we have a damp house anyway).

So, what about traditional gas? I understand the flue would still need lining, but would we still have issues with the need to extend the flue so high above the roof line? Or are they treated differently? The HETAS guy wasn't sure as he only installs solid fuel.

Any guidance or opinions would be much appreciated whilst I search for a local installer to have a look. :-)

Failing that, I'll be on the look out for an electric version, but am not really keen.

Many thanks!