installing a woodstove in a house.

[bigegg]

Just phoned round for some rough quotes to have a woodstove fitted in my house.

two storey brick built house, stove going in open fireplace 4ft square, 2ft deep.
Chimney flue is square, brick lined, and about 250mm/10in to a side, and recently swept/inspected.

estimate is one day labour @ 450 quid.
+ 500 quid for flue liner(!)


assume I fit the flue line myself (@250+vat for the full kit)

£450 still seems like a heck of a lot of money to bolt a flue pipe to a stove, and sign a bit of paper to say it's been done!

Anybody know any cheaper options?

 

[Bobtail4x4]

do it yourself and get the council BCO to sign it off

might even be me?

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Can't you do the work yourself and then have a council inspection instead of a HETAS installer (who can self certify)

 

[Kayos]

Hetas jobs can be signed off by anyone qualified, unlike gas in which can only be self certified. The flue will be 9x9, and buy an extra metre of liner, you won't regret it

 

[bigegg]

Excellent.
Just spoke to Leeds City Council BCO - inspection is £110 inc. VAT.

MUCH nicer price

Now I just need to find out how much it costs to have a DEFRA certification on a prototype (home made) rocket mass heater

 

[rtbcomp]

.............

Now I just need to find out how much it costs to have a DEFRA certification on a prototype (home made) rocket mass heater

Probably cheaper to buy a basic stove, install that, get the Building Control Officer to inspect, remove it, fit your rocket stove and flog the other one.

 

[bigegg]

Probably cheaper to buy a basic stove, install that, get the Building Control Officer to inspect, remove it, fit your rocket stove and flog the other one.

 

[julianf]

Ive installed both a standard log burner, and a rayburn cooker here.

Follow document J of the buildings regulations, and, as said, building control will (for a fee) spend 10 mins looking over the install...

HETAS engineers are not supposed to sign off work that has not been installed by the engineer themselves. Of course, your mileage may vary there (but the only one i found who was happy to sign off my work wanted more cash than building control)

 

[bigegg]

Thanks for all the help...

Now going to look up document J...

FWIW, I asked five differerent stove installers locally, none of them would sign off on my install.

 

[julianf]

ps.

obviously the height of the stack is relevant, but 250 ex sounds a lot for the flue kit.

have a look on ebay. I think one off ours was £180 inc delivery etc. and the other was £69 (drop shippers leaving off the "1")

I you have an existing pot that's servicable, get a pot hanging cowel. Theyre so much simpler to install than replacing the pot (ive done both).

You will have to have 6" min dia twin skin flue (if the stove outlet is larger than 6", the flue must match). If you can, go up onto the rood, and pull a 6" ball down the stack to be sure, before ordering the flue.

I assisted a friend to install a 6" flue, and that ended up with holes cut in the walls of his house. HETAS installed a flue at my brothers, and also cut holes in the walls - to install a 5" flue (which, as far as i can tell, isnt correct and proper, but i guess its their insurance that would pay...)

 

[julianf]

building control will want to see a monoxide alarm and a notice plate (notice plate will come with the flue kit)

inspector seemed more interested in them than the actual works : /

and be sure to install the liner the right way up. that would be an irritating mistake, im sure!

 

[doubleboost]

You don't have to have a liner if the flue is in good condition

 

[julianf]

For the sake of a relatively small amount of cash, personally, i would go with a liner.

A lot of the cost of a 'kit' are the adapters etc and some of them will be needed either way. My opinion is that, with a liner, the job is going to be easier to sweep properly, and, even if its not swept, there's more chance of surviving a chimney fire.

I smoke tested our stack before lighting the existing open fire, but still fitted a liner when i put in the log burner. Again, its just personal opinion though - i know plenty of installs use the existing stack, unlined.


Not the best photos, but the only ones to hand (not missing an opportunity to post photos and all! ; )


This -

To this -

(yeah, i know its not complete in the photo, but its all i have to hand)

And this -

To this -

 

[norlander]

You don't have to have a liner if the flue is in good condition

yep, and good idea to get a chimbley sweep in to give a sweep n check over and another bit o paper afterwards

 

[bigegg]

nice pics <thumbsup>

Unfortunately, the chimney pot is missing, as I've just removed a gas fire flue from the chimney.
£250 was a ball park, including bunging a roofer mate to climb up and help fit.

why cut holes in walls to install flue? to "assist" it round bends?

 

[julianf]

To remove obstructions (ie lumps intruding into the passage)

This is the company ive purchased from -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flexible-...mm-/140733821045?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160


The first order was the one where they'd messed up the price, so that was fine with me. The second order, about a year later, they messed up a number of things, and were a right pain to deal with - as in i should have left -ve feedback on ebay, but kind of forgave the situation, as the first purchase was cheap.

(they did not link the two transactions, so it was coincidental)

Theyre just drop shippers, and have no real control at all if somthing goes wrong. I mention them as they are, however, cheap, and you might not have any issues.

 

[bigegg]

hmmmmm..
turns out, if I *only* burn "approved" fuels in my rocket stove, I don't need DEFRA exemption...

(should point out, I'm in a "smoke free zone").

 

[fixerupper]

Yep I think a liner is a good idea with any slow combustion stove , but flexi ,solid fuel,stainless twin wall flue liner is expensive... years ago( 25)when I installed them the ball park figure was £1 an inch but you save on the labour cost 'cos you don't have to bust into the chimey to install bends and then make good. A chimey is easyer to sweep and a stove is more controlable and economical and safer with a flue liner....jeff...

 

[Rig Pig]

I bought my liner, flue pipe etc from Fluestore online. very pleased with it. Don't forget to buy the installation cone to go on the end of the liner, it's almost impossible to pull in without it.

 

[Bobtail4x4]

a smoke test of the chimney is more than just lighting a bit of paper and checking the smoke goes up, it should involve a pressure test too, its suprising how often the brickwork in the roof or even in a bedroom starts smoking,
anyway a flue liner helps the draw of the stove,