hmm our dunsley highlander 10 needs 1100mm2 !!

our installer is going to install what he considers a 'sensible' amount, right behind the stove.

we are keen on getting it done to finish the job; the draw of this beast is immense!

Thanks for replies.

We just had the first of our two recommended (Hetas registered!!) installers round for a quote today.

From our discussions I think we'll get away without the hole-in-the-wall.

It's a 1932 vintage house so has a few draughts

Just had a stove fitted 2 months ago, to replace an open fire, but when we were getting quotes came up against this venting issue. We live in a 1830's house with lots of draughts but were still told we'd need an air vent putting through wall if we wanted >5kW . Didn't fancy the cost\mess invovled in putting air bricks etc in an 18" stone wall so we opted for a 5kW stove instead of a 6-7kW we'd originally thought we'd get. To be fair calcs on room size would indicate 5kW more than enouph but as we have big draughts (inc a cat flap) thought we'd go bigger. Shame we didn't know Clearview stoves allow for direct air flow We'll have to wait until the winter to see if enouph heat generated. Our early use's of the stove have been very positive though and infact last night the room got the hottest we've ever had it, in nearly 3 years living there, at 23degC.

If there is a lined chimney already in your place, installing a stove shouldn't be too much at all - all it is is plonking it in, hooking up the flue to your chimney, and checking the building regs type stuff - hearth of 30cm in front of fire, air vent, no flammable materials within a certain distance.

The installers quoted me £1500 for lining the chimney that we don't currently have lined. Stonking amount, so we didn't bother, and just installed out stove in the same room as the old broken stove. Cost for us is about £1k, because we also needed some plumbing doing, old lpg boiler removing, and the big air vent (1100mm2) to be installed behind the fire.

I have the Clearview Solution 400. Nice stove. It has a chamber inside at the back that blows little jets of air into the flames. Not sure if this is to improve the efficiency or just to make pretty yellow flames. It certainly burns poor quality logs well (logs that tend to go out in our other fire).

I installed it myself. We have a 225mm diameter pumice chimney and so I needed a stainless steel adaptor funnel from these people http://www.specflue.com together with some 150mm stove pipe and some bends. Joint were sealed with fire cement. The Solution 400 has legs so I was able to get away with using a 20mm thick slab of granite from my local stone mason for the "hearth" over the wood floor. If it hadn't got legs it would have been a whole lot more complicated to build the approved hearth.

I had two minor problems ..

1) Cutting the enameled pipe to length was difficult as the enamel is like glass. Apparently the tool to use is an angle grinder.

2) I had to cut off the male end of the stove pipe to get the length right. This end goes into the top of the stove. The problem is that if you cut off the flange there is nothing to stop the pipe sliding into the stove too far. I fitted two squares of 3mm stainless steel inside the stove to form a ledge to rest the end of the pipe on. Worked well.

Knocking a hole in the wall is just silly, buy a stove that can take its air supply from a duct directly from outside into the stove. There are a number of supplier who have this option, not just Clearview.
No draughts - the reason you are intalling a stove is to presumably keep warm, so a hole in the wall seriously puts a dent in that idea.
A duct is easier to install than an airbrick, just use a core drill.

Oops - I only read the first thread - all this is already covered!

A bit late for a reply. But if you check diag 4.1 of part J you find '550mm^2 per kw output in excess of 5KW' This is interpereted by installers as no vent for less than or equal to 5KW. I got my building regs when I installed mine this way for a Charnwood Cove 1. (On a practical basis there are plenty of leaks in most houses anyway).

Hi, having read the comments I hope this isn;t a silly question. I'm having a stove fitted and am confused by advice from suppliers...so any info would be appreciated. I've been advised that I need a stainless steel flue fitted. One is quoting £120 per meter ( 9 mtrs needed) and the other is saying £45 per metre as he can get it at cost (not from the same flue supplier). The stoves are Villager 5 kw and Clearview Pioneer 400, also 5 kw. Has any one experience of these stoves and which flue would they recommend?
Cheers, maggie

Go for the clearview. We have their solution 400. First rate stove. Burns better than our other wood burner and the door glass stays cleaner longer.

Try asking these people roughly what it costs to get a typical chimney lined for a wood burner. They were very helpful when I needed info. Run those prices past them and see what they say.
http://www.specflue.com/

I think they run Hetas training courses so know their stuff. Make sure your installer is Hetas registered.

EDIT:

Actually they have a price list for multifuel liners here:
http://www.specflue.com/price_lists/Multifuel_Liner_Price_List.pdf
155mm liner is £104 or £136 depending on the grade of stainless I think. (316 and 904 are both SS grades).

Interestingly liners for gas & oil are a lot cheaper.
http://www.specflue.com/price_lists/Gas_28_Sec_Oil_Flex_Price_List.pdf
155mm liner is £51

Also worth a read. Recomends installers are NACE registered (whoever that is)..

http://www.cosi.co.uk/prod03.htm

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: tomlin</cite>Would it be possible to take a supply of air from under a ventilated suspended timber floor avoiding the need for additional vents ?
Also, does anybody know if having the installation carried out by a HETAS qualified installer is mandatory in Scotland ?

Thanks</blockquote>

That's exactly what I'm doing. The suspended timber floor ends just before the fireplace when it becomes concrete/brick, but there's a steel airbox under the fire that draws air from under the floor. When the new hearth goes down I've asked for a sliding grate to be fitted over the airbox so that it can be shut off when the fire is not in use.

I| had to explain to the guy that although it's not regulations to need an air supply if the fire is below 5kw - I plan to make the house increasingly airtight over the next few years - so he got the picture pretty quick.

Not sure about mandatory - but given that it's your life and /or house that is at stake from poor installations I'd go for one who is accredited.

Simon

Thanks Guys,
I've had a look at stovesonline and have sourced the same Clearview stove for £100 cheaper than I'm being quoted here - and that's with delivery to N.Ireland. ! Unfortunately, there is little competition here and it's difficult to get a varied supply of eco friendly and economical products.
The flue will be a flexible one for an existing chimney in a house that is 17 yrs old. I think I'll buy one from stovesonline also. Now all I need is to find a qualified installer.
Maggie

550mm2 per kw over 5kw isn't very much when you think about it. The equivalent of a 550mm run of a 1mm gap between two floorboards. My 6m x 4m living room floor should provide about 162,000mm2 of ventilation - enough for a 295kw stove...?

Posted By: the stove installerYour house insurance in null avoid due to it being a specialist trade.

Surely this relates to the HETAS installer exemption from Part J of the building regulations only; if the installation is done in accordance with Part J and certified as such by the Local authority building inspector after a building regulations application, it should be acceptable to any insurer...?

J