Multi-fuel Stoves & Flue's

[busastars]

Been google'ing endlessly and cannot come up with a definitive guide or answers to having a Multi'fuel stove in the house.

My house originally had a coal/log fire and the chimney is all there in place and the house is very structurally sound.

Then back in the old days of gas central heating was installed with a gas fire in the place of the coal/log fire.

Now a Combi boiler has been fitted and the gas fire has been removed and I am left with the original chimney opening, a heat board with a flexible stainless liner/flue.

What are my options, I was thinking of a small Multi'fuel stove 4 or 5 kw rating linked up to the flexi liner/flue. I have read that for high output stoves that you need a twin wall liner but can you use a single wall liner for a low out put stove.

Another option maybe remove the flexi liner, run a stove with short hard liner into the original chimney or even go back to an original coal/log fire.

What are the options, how can I get the chimney tested ( I have smoke pellets ) what can I do and what must I get someone else to do, surely cannot be that complicated or can it, sure there are some real knowledgeable people on here with burners.

Cheers

 

[Shox Dr]

Firstly you either need Building Regs for a stove, or have it fitted by a HETAS reg'd installer

I the middle of watching at film, so that will get you started.

Search for Part J building regs, will tell you all you need to know

 

[busastars]

Cheers Shox, I got something to start google'ing on now for some research. I knew it was best to ask here before I do anything.....For now that is

 

[Drains]

I thought that to install a stove in a standard fireplace flue you just need to use a register plate, plus check for leaks in the flue of course. As you have a flue already though, if it's suitable for a stove (you'd need to check in terms of material/ heat output, I imagine), then that should also be ok.
Building regs tend to be very strict for flues from stoves when they are not run inside a chimney. A chimney is however a flue in itself so should comply.

This site looks very handy and includes notes on building regs.

http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove_help_and_advice.html

Looking elsewhere (I Googled "do you need to line your chimney for a woodburning stove?"), the answer is - if it doesn't leak, no - Building Regulations Part J. (Sections 1.36 – 1.39 a chimney only requires relining if the chimney is defective).


This page - http://www.woodburningstoveslimited.com/index.php?action=cms.lining_56 - says everything has to come out though if there was a gas fire flue in before.

 

[Premiershipman]

Twin wall is normally used when there is no chimney, like in new build houses.

Flexi liner tends to be used inside an existing chimney, if you want to do a 'perfect' job then you would fit the liner and register plate then back fill around the liner with vermiculite or fit a rockwool jacket around the liner.

The flue liner is needed go keep the flue gases hot otherwise they would condense on the chimney brickwork and drip back down and make a real mess etc.

You can get a hetas engineer to do it but the ones i have met dont inspire me with their intelligence and hetas has become more a money printing exercise these days, so i installed the first one as part of an extension we had built adhering to document j.

I am currently installing a second log burner and i documented plans and submitted them to building control for approval, which they did, and now i am getting it sorted for next winter with the help of a roofer to do the flashing through the roofline.

Shady

 

[rich r]

Our only source of heating is a big multifuel boiler. Usually run on coal or wood or a mixture - light around October, keep it burning until about March

You need a stainless steel flexi liner. The diameter depends on the size of the boiler/stove. Gas flues can't be used, as they're usually made from a metal which will be corroded by the acidic smoke from burning coal or certain woods.

 

[busastars]

Lot's and lot's of reading.

That's the thing with mine, a gas fire did come out but the house originally was built for a coal/wood fire and only went over to gas back in the day ( probably sometime in the 80's ) I grew up not far from here in slightly new'er house and we had coal into the mid 80's.

 

[Robotstar5]

A friend of mine (gas fitter) was asked to connect a diy installed fire, turned out the diyer had removed the chimney breast to make room bigger so knocked a hole through into next doors flue for his fire my friend refused to connect the fire.

 

[pedrobedro]

Check that the flexible liner is what you think as it is usually Copex used for gas fires and it is not suitable for solid fuel fires.

 

[garethp]

When I looked into it half the info I could find said a flexi liner isn't needed if the chimney is sound, the other half said if you don't fit a liner the house will burn down...

Gas liners and multifuel liners are completely different - I think gas may be aluminum but they are single wall, multifuel are twin wall and vary in grades on stainless steel.

A 5kw+ stove is supposed to have an airbrick for ventilation but some stoves can have an external air supply fitted.

Speak to local installers, I found that mine ranged from profit focused cowboys to the decent guys more interested in doing a good job.

 

[mike os]

depending on the state of the chimney and the size of the appliance mainly

generally you will need a stainless liner rated for the type of fuel you will burn ( gas is not suitable for multi)

instalation is not hard ( should be hetas or BC inspection....) just need to make sure that is does not leak....