Wood burners

[indiej25]

I want some opinions on wood burners, are they really worth getting?

[SteveT]

Buying the lorry load of logs twice a year is a pain.

Feeding the fire is another.

Cleaning it out is no fun.

You also need the chimney lined too which is expensive.

There is a continuous film of grey dust over the ground floor when it's in use.

Other than that it's a breeze.

[*Bob*]

A small amount of effort (and expense) is required, but this is more that made-up for by not having to sit through the next decade of miserable winters in a gloomy victorian room, staring at a magnolia wall with the radiators on full blast, waiting for the sun to come out again.

The chimney lining is a bitch but you don't necessarily need to do it.

Burn a modern stove, use decent fuel and you'll only have to clean it out every few weeks - 2 minutes, no dust.

If getting up to put a log on a fire once an hour and watch it burn is 'a pain', you've probably given-up on life itself anyway.

[woofmarkthedog]

I agree with *Bob*

It's a joy...

( steve T finds life a grind in general, bless him though, he's here & that's what counts ;-))

W**F

[Marmora Man]

Don't forget the wonderful smell of a burning log - almost as good as bacon on the grill. Certainly worth a bit of effort.

[louisiana]

I've just had one put in and it's great. You can even cook up some food on the top (rear-mounted flue).

Chimney lining is expensive, but highly recommended for safety reasons.

I think the whole thing cost around ?2,400, including all the building works.

[KidKruger]

I fitted mine for about ?80. Cost of burner not included.

I made a register plate and installed a short flue through it into the chimney void.

It was a working chimney anyway and I have it sweeped (swept ?!) each year or two.

[louisiana]

KidKruger, was that the cost of the Building Control Certification? (which you need if you are not a HETAS or similar Competent Person - not required if a HETAS registered installer.)

"In England and Wales there is also a requirement that Building Control Consent is obtained for such work unless the work is carried out by a Competent Person. For solid fuel and wood burning appliances a Competent Person is someone who is registered with a scheme operator, such as HETAS established as such under Building Regulations Part J for that type of work."

Annoying, yes, but does at least assure your neighbours and the fire brigade that you haven't put in an installation that could cause a conflagration.

[KidKruger]

If you've been using the fire place for several years to burn various solid fuels and have been getting the chimney swept with no issues then the question around impact on neighbours is proven.

Fitting the register and short flue tightly and securely is fairly straightforward, if a little messy.

I can see the reqt for the certification / checks in a lot of circumstances.

However, in this instance I and my neighbours are happy.

I'm not knocking your costs or approach, just sharing what my outlay was !

The OP can make up their mind how they proceed.

[louisiana]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If you've been using the fire place for several

> years to burn various solid fuels and have been

> getting the chimney swept with no issues then the

> question around impact on neighbours is proven.

Um, installation of a new appliance does rather change things. That is, the law requires that the installation of a new appliance complies, plus the installation needs to be certified by building control, or it needs to be self-cert by someone who is HETAS-equiv: in either case, they'll put a certification plate in, probably next to your gas or electricity meter. That tells any subsequent occupant that the device has been safely installed.

A high-efficiency (smokeless zone) stove does perform quite differently from an open fire, in terms of temperature etc in the flue.

> Fitting the register and short flue tightly and

> securely is fairly straightforward, if a little

> messy.

> I can see the reqt for the certification / checks

> in a lot of circumstances.

It's a legal requirement in all cases. If you DIY it, you still need to notify Building Control, and get them in to inspect and certify it once it's in (and install the appropriate certification plate). The same principle as for gas installation - both have the capacity to kill people if there are any installation errors.

> However, in this instance I and my neighbours are

> happy.

I'm intrigued. Would you not, for example, apply for planning permission for an extension 'cos your neighbours were happy? Would you not install legally required smoke alarms in a building in multiple occupation because the residents were happy? Does being happy mean you can ignore safety regulations and the law? Building regs certification doesn't cost much, it's just a few quid AFAIK. (I've done it myself before when I knocked two flats into one. They were pretty helpful really.)

[SteveT]

When I lived in Highgate my next door neighbour had one fitted by experts.

The following day his son didn't get up at his usual time being a teenager and Saturday he didn't check up on him until around noon when he found his son was not able to wake him.

He was unconcious from carbon monoxide poisoning which had spilled through holes or cracks in the flue into his sons bedroom.

His son recovered after a few days in hospital and the flue had to be relined and concrete pumped to fill the void, this all cost several thousand pounds in the eighties.

My neighbour regretted ever having started on the process, there was also an extra cost of a carbon monoxide detector being fitted.

This is not the case for the vast majority of installations, but an example of what can happen.

[indiej25]

Thank you all for your points of view and experiences.

Another quick question, I am currently living in a flat, my chimney is a working one and we recently got it swept am I still allowed to have a wood burner or do I need to consult with the other residents?

[*Bob*]

Steve's story is a bit like..

My neighbour took our car to be serviced by experts. They fit the steering wheel on backwards, only used one nut on each wheel, left the cap of the radiator. On their way home the car crashed into a tree.

My neighbour regretted the whole experience and there was also the extra cost of having to get their car serviced properly by someone who actually knew their arse from their elbow.

[ImpetuousVrouw]

I've been thinking of doing this for ages as I have a chimney and fireplace, but not sure how to go about it.

Does anyone have any recommendations of who to get to checl the chimney and install the wood burning stove?

[KidKruger]

Thats how I fitted my burner.

Good luck with yours.

No I would not build an extension without consulting neighbours, in fact, I'm in process of building one right now - I guess that makes me inconsistent in your book huh - because I don't apply my carefree self-centered safety-ignoring habits in that respect ?!?!

Must also be why I don't sound so smug !!! Heh heh.

[ynwa]

ImpetuousVrouw Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I've been thinking of doing this for ages as I

> have a chimney and fireplace, but not sure how to

> go about it.

>

> Does anyone have any recommendations of who to get

> to checl the chimney and install the wood burning

> stove?

Speak to Matt @ Casa (www.casaonline.co.uk) on Bellenden Road. Top bloke.

[rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrqwef43]

.