Fitting a wood burner in existing fireplace question.

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Fitting a wood burner in existing fireplace question.

38 posts & 23 voices | Started 3 months ago by granny_ring | Latest reply from dawsonc

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granny_ring - Member

After much reading and thinking have decided to get the chimney lined with a flue despite the cost....
I haven't taken the fireplace out yet but the fitter has said that it's more than likely the bricks in the inset might be in poor condition and would need protection from the heat. He mentioned 3 ways; heatproof render & plaster, vermiculite boards or a steel liner.
Has anyone else had a steel liner fitted as well?
A fireplace shop has given a ballpark figure of £150 with an edge facing trim. Think I will go for this option as my DIY skills are minimal but wondered if I should try a metal fabricator to see if it would be cheaper?

TIA

Posted 3 months ago #
totalshell - Member

?
if the fireplace was a fire place then unless the brickwork is damaged it should be no problem siting a wood burner in thier.. remember the heat source is going to be 150mm from the brickwork and that originally the coal was piled up against that brickwork..

Posted 3 months ago #
maxray - Member

We had a steel liner filled around with vermiculite. It was a damn site more than 150 tho!

Posted 3 months ago #
nosherduke996 - Member

As Above really, i have fitted mine into existing fireplace with no problems at all. The brickwork doesn,t get that hot.

Posted 3 months ago #
martinhutch - Member

Ours was lined with fire-resistant plasterboard and plastered. It doesn't get that hot.

Posted 3 months ago #
nealglover - Member

Can't see it being a problem, bricks are fired in kilns at up to 2000 degrees during manufacture.

I don't think they'll mind getting a bit of heat from a wood burner ?

Posted 3 months ago #
matthewjb - Member

Ours was lined with heatproof render. I guess it depends what sort of finish you want.

Were you hoping for bare brickwork?

Ours ended up looking like this:

DSCN1611 by Matthewjb, on Flickr

Posted 3 months ago #
slimjim78 - Member

/\ that looks nice. We are considering a log burner currently, any good links for advice on where to start, I have no idea whats involved.

Posted 3 months ago #
Mikeypies - Member

This is a good start

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

the first thing you need to think about is where are you going to get the fuel from and where to store it

Posted 3 months ago #
maxray - Member

We got a charnwood stove, not the cheapest but amazing quality with nifty feature. http://www.charnwood.com

Posted 3 months ago #
Bunnyhop - Member

/\ that looks nice. We are considering a log burner currently, any good links for advice on where to start, I have no idea whats involved.
We went into a well known family run shop (not one that's just jumped on the fashion bandwagon) that sells woodburners and asked allsorts of questions.

Posted 3 months ago #
sharkbait - Member

Tell them to stick it. Your bricks will be fine unless they're crumbling now.
There's no direct flame contact and the max casing temp of your stove will be about 600f (500 is about the highest we get to) and that'll be at least 6" away.
Just noticed that your existing fireplace is still in, so the bricks have already been protected - fitter's trying to stiff you

Posted 3 months ago #
matthewjb - Member

Deciding where you're going to store and source the wood is a very good point. Before Christmas I had two nearly full stores. That's nearly all gone with the cold weather.

We visited a few local shops and asked questions. I also looked at the many threads on here.

In the end we found a local self-employed fitter and bought the fire direct.

Posted 3 months ago #
oliverd1981 - Member

150mm from the brickwork
the 150mm limit is on on your hearth to make sure the carpet doesn't catch fire. your fire doesn't have to have this much clearance. Consider a dual layer convection stove as they're more efficient and have a cooler outer surface, generally not much more expensive.

Posted 3 months ago #
granny_ring - Member

Thanks for feedback.

I dont think the fitter is trying to turn us over, he's been very helpful on the phone when I told him which make and model stove we had he said we'd need to bring it forward a bit to allow the rear air vents to work properly.

Until I take the fire place out and see what condition the bricks will in and how much space is either side and behind the stove it's all a bit of what would be the worse case scenario and what to do then.

As it is now, but taking this out to see what's behind.

matthewjb, looks nice that. Are they sandstone slabs?

Posted 3 months ago #
timber - Member

g_r - that's the better looking version of our fireplace, ours has extra wonky bits.

Posted 3 months ago #
highclimber - Member

you can lime plaster the bricks if you're worried and clad them in some nice stone tiles. make sure you do not use a gypsum based plaster as it will crack.

Posted 3 months ago #
ti_pin_man - Member

The flue liner is probably a good idea if the house is old, it's not about just the heat but also the condition of the brickwork all the way up the stack. My old 1837 house looked fine but we then spotted loose bricks in the loft when inspected. The 'cement' liner solved this and then protected any fears about heat.

Posted 3 months ago #
matthewjb - Member

matthewjb, looks nice that. Are they sandstone slabs?

Yorkstone I think. Which is a type of sandstone.

They were part of the original fireplace that the fitter managed to reuse.

Posted 3 months ago #
I_Ache - Member

I would love to pull out our gas fire and put a nice log burner in but the price of getting the flue put in is putting me off, I can't see why it is needed. Why can't I just stick a stove in there and get on with things?

Posted 3 months ago #
granny_ring - Member

I've heard so many view points on if you should line the chimney or not.
Was initially going to try it without but decided to cough up and save any worrying.
highclimber, thanks for that I'll look into that. I'll also have a look for some yorkstone/sandstone slabs too.

Posted 3 months ago #
matthewjb - Member

Why can't I just stick a stove in there and get on with things?

The first thing we did was get the chimney swept and inspected. Cost about £40 and the sweep said we didn't need a liner. Not everyone does but it's worth getting it inspected to check.

Posted 3 months ago #
globalti - Member

Some people on here are confused between the OP's steel fireplace liner at £150 and a flue liner, which will be nearer £50 a metre not installed. It would then be insulated with vermiculite - makes a nice flue, which draw well but may not be needed if the original flue is in good nick.

Warning: if you live in Lancashire don't be tempted to use a prominent stove supplier in Ramsbottom, we came home to find their elderly fitter lurking in a corner of our garage and two weeks later we found a carton of Mrs Gti's possessions had been filled with urine. We heard other stories about him being caught in people's bedrooms. His boss is a nobhead too.

Posted 3 months ago #
cloudnine - Member

Grannyring... that is the biggest, fattest black and white cat I have ever seen. Bet he never moves from the fire

Posted 3 months ago #
Mikey65 - Member

We had several estimates and a local Hetas registered gas fitter told me that the Woodburner installation course he went on included several businesses who informed him that they tell everyone they need a flue liner as they make a lot of profit on them...We got our gas fire removed and cleaned the brickwork up and had it lime rendered...Had the woodburner fitted without a liner as it is a class 1 chimney.It was swept and checked for draw prior to this and all working ok.

Posted 3 months ago #
sharkbait - Member

several businesses who informed him that they tell everyone they need a flue liner as they make a lot of profit on them.

^ This.

Posted 3 months ago #
SkillWill - Member

We've got one of these:

Used it every night for the last week, beautiful.

Posted 3 months ago #
granny_ring - Member

Mikey, what's a class 1 chimney?

Our quote is around £1200 for fitting of flue liner (8m approx), chimney fixings & cowl/birdguard, vermiculite, register plate & pipe from stove to plate. To save a bit of dosh a mate and me are taking out the fireplace & putting down the new hearth, then seeing what we need to do with the bricks from the original chimney. Either patch them up (hopefully) or maybe put the steel liner in or render.

Cloudnine,5.5-6kg at the mo. He has been bigger but on a bit of a diet now and no he doesn't move far from it.

Posted 3 months ago #
LapSteel - Member

Warning: if you live in Lancashire don't be tempted to use a prominent stove supplier in Ramsbottom, we came home to find their elderly fitter lurking in a corner of our garage and two weeks later we found a carton of Mrs Gti's possessions had been filled with urine. We heard other stories about him being caught in people's bedrooms. His boss is a nobhead too.

Good job I read this ^

Anyone know any good fitters in the Rossendale area?

Posted 3 months ago #
totalshell - Member

class 1 flue is a std brick built chimney.

Posted 3 months ago #
granny_ring - Member

Well, it's in

Had to tidy up the bricks a tad but the look suits the house!
Plasterer coming tomorrow to tidy up the edges, thinking of keeping the brick arch exposed if poss.
Grey paint has arrived for the pipe so that should look more finished

Posted 3 months ago #
LapSteel - Member

Looks good...mine looks similar but without the stove...still waiting for it to turn up!
Did you get the chimney lined? How much did it cost if you dont mind me asking?

Posted 3 months ago #
granny_ring - Member

Ta.
Yes got it lined in the end for piece of mind. Glad I did because when scraping out the old lime mortar for repointing it was very dry and powdery.
For fitting of register plate, 316 liner, cowl and vermiculite backfill was £1200.

Posted 3 months ago #
slowoldgit - Member

You prolly know this anyway - give the plaster lots of time to dry out naturally. Our bloke stressed this, lots.

Posted 3 months ago #
sharkbait - Member

Looks good but take heed of ^ - I can imagine new plaster getting ruined by the heat from the stove. Maybe you could put the plastering off until you're not using the stove every night?
Glad to see the fitter was talking borrox about the brickwork.

Posted 3 months ago #

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