Log burning stove- ideas

Basically is it possible to convert a fireplace cheapily, are ‘cheaper’ stoves a false-economy (don’t last) etc.

How much should I budget?

I’m starting this from a total newbie-perspective.

I will watch this with interest, as I have a very nice stove in my main room, but am considering a second for the front room – but as it would be used a good deal less, need not be as nice as the stove in the main.

Depends on how much you’re going to diy and what needs doing to the existing Chimney.

Yes it is but you will get shouted down by those who want a “professional” job. Done half a dozen for myself and the family have done even more.
Depends on how cheap you want. Machine Mart stoves work fine. I would guess that in 25 years time they might not but doubt they have been around that long. I do suspect that if you need a big one quality may be more important.
Much easier in an old house though.

Noted on machinemart- ta.

I can do alot of the work myself. The only bits I can’t do is lining the chimney? and re plastering around.

We where quoted £1500 all in to have a log burner installed. That included the flu, hearth etc.

When you re-plaster:

1 – Use a heatproof plaster and paint in the fireplace behind the stove or it will crack like hell.

2 – Chip off the plaster for a good distance (a metre or more) around the fireplace before making good because if you don’t, the expansion of the new plaster around the hot stove will cause stress cracks to appear all along the join between old and new plaster. Guess how I know this?

Ah! Cheers 🙂

£1500 is a bit steep- what did the quote involve/did it include (their) sourced stove?

£1500 is a bit steep- what did the quote involve/did it include (their) sourced stove?

Included everything, stove, flu, hearth, cleaning out the existing fire place and, well, everything it needed.
I didn’t think it sounded a lot?

Ymmv – it obviously does but heat proof plaster yes – final skim was gyproc prolite and just plain magnolia. And in the fireplace is just plain old pure brilliant white.

How ever i have a gert chunk of oak and an eco fan shielding the heat from the stove 🙂

And 1500 is a bargain for all that imo although dependant on stove used. .

I would have assumed DIY

Just be aware the flue may (probably) need lining, and the installation of a woodburner is subject to Building Regulations control, so you either need to use a HETAS registered installer or submit an application to your Local Authority.

Also, since 2010 you need to install a carbon monoxide room detector in the same room as the appliance.

DIY/dodgy woodburner installations account for a large percentage of domestic fires through the winter, I have friends who are retained fire fighters who regularly attend chimney fires caused by poor installations.

£1500 for all that IME is cheap – it cost £930 to have just my chimney lined and the liner fitted to my stove (by far the cheapest quote I had!) – for a 2 storey circa 1905 house with a relatively straight chimney.

It’s messy, potentially dangerous and legally certifiable work – hence the cost, I suspect.

Worth it though.. 😉

I got a cheapish stove though – despite my fitter’s protestations.

Me to fitter: okay, so it’s a high quality Chinese-made stove, what fundamentally is the difference with this Swedish one that costs twice as much

Him: Essentially, nothing. But it’s just better.

(On reflection and after a year of use, I think I can see his point)

It’s a bit like buying a Boardman over an Ibis. It works okay, but you know it could be so much more… nicerer

I didn’t think it sounded a lot?

True/agree.

I’d be opening up the fireplace slightly (I’d previously put a piece of chipboard over and nailed a mdf fire-surround around), removing the ‘cheeks’ that were eitherside of the gasfire that was in there (all piping already safely removed.

See below, the inner edge is the edge of the fireplace brick aperture (‘cheeks’ are inside that to be knocked out). Shouldn’t be too hard- I demolished a huge 70’s brick/slate/mortar monstrosity around it to get to that!

£1500 is a great price all in defo.

Hora, the expensive bit is if you have to/decide to line the chimney.
See old threads on here re lining or not.
Paid just over a grand for fitting of lining, cowl & register plate.

If the bricks in fireplace are ok condition just re-point them as I did.

I have done them myslef it not exactly rockert science

Stove at the bottom flue through your chimney and attach- depending on age you may not even need a flue pipe depending on smoke test results.
Observe some rules on gaps and the like and ta dah its done.

Cheap stoves will eventually warp [ is steel] and /or crack if cast iron IMHO-Cast iron is generally better and dearer IMHO This may take years/decade to occur so your choice so I would probably get a good quality second hand one myself

Plastering almost always cracks near a fire anyway so i would avoid it personally and leave exposed brick but that is a personal choice.

i would get it signed off as well but its really not that hard to do

I’ve been quoted £150 for fitting inc pipe & plate. £500 if it needs lining. That’s in Brighouse by my chimney sweep.

I do agree though that its not the most technical job, barring lining the chimney so can’t see what is wrong with DIYing it if you have the time.

Our Stovax Stockton is 4 years old and perfect. Anybody tried a Mendip? I reckon you get what you pay for..

I’ve got two stoves, one I installed myself but with no flue liner (external chimney which is not ‘very’ old – may fit one at a later date) and another fitted by a pro (internal flue which I had lined).
The latter cost about £1000 for the liner and fitting (which was rather involved as it’s an insert stove and required the old fireback removing and other bits and pieces) and I was happy with that.
My suggestions are:
1) Buy a good quality used stove off eBay and do it up yourself with new paint/seals/bricks and glass. I’ve done this three times and it’s really dead easy.
2) If you’re putting a liner in, make sure it’s a good quality one as you don’t want to be doing it all over again in 5 years time – the cheap ones do not last as long as they say they do.
3) Steer clear of cheap stoves. You may initially save a couple of hundred quid but if it’s constantly sooting up/hard to start you’re going to be mightily pi$$ed off in 6 months time.

There is also a question mark over smokeless coal and flue liners as well. My installer has seen many liners destroyed by the chemicals in smokeless coal in as little as two or three years.

Apologies for the thick question, how can you test if it needs lining?

There used to be proper fireplaces in our house (on the floor above you could see the outline of the small fireplace surround in the upstairs fireplace wall!.

I’m just worried that someone with a vested interest will say’ yep you you do/when its already lined (or doesn’t need it) then pocket the cash.

Any independent tests(ers?)

Quite a good forum over there for info.

I’d take your £1500 quote in a heartbeat… I’ve been quoted over twice as much to remove this gas job and fit a stove.

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Bloke did reckon it would take over a week and involve much faffage with skips due to the amount of fill that has been used to build up the fireplace to this, and the house is three story so much flue required.

I’ll not be getting it done this year 🙁

We’ve been quoted £300 to move the pipe which is pretty much the same as installing a new pipe. That said the pipe isn’t enclosed in a flue or chimney in the living room and is only boxed in in the bedroom upstairs.

£1500 is really cheap to install a stove. We paid £2600 to go from this:

To this:

The stove was £1500 though.

Does a modern(ish) clay pipe chimney need lining?

I had our fitted last winter. £2002 all in. Stove was ~£700 of that.

hora – Member
Apologies for the thick question, how can you test if it needs lining?

Open up the fire place, and chuck in a smoke bomb.. See where the smoke emerges.. If nowhere but the top, you’re laughing..

See where the smoke emerges.. If nowhere but the top, you’re laughing..

wasnt there a thread on here last year where someones neighbour fitted a burner without a liner and filled their house up with smoke.

Open up the fire place, and chuck in a smoke bomb.. See where the smoke emerges.. If nowhere but the top, you’re laughing..

Are you serious?

There isn’t something that will kill you involved.

Can anyone tell me what makes stoves so special that when removing a fireplace thats been in use for the last 50 years that we need to line it ? – unless reducing to a uniform id so that airflow speed is kept the same.

While we’re on the subject, I’ve just had a Back boiler removed do you think I could use the Back boiler Flue on a wood burning stove?

Could save me a few pennies?

Lining a chimney will allow the fire to burn more efficiently (apparently). Hora, if you need a reccommendation, look up Fired Up stoves. Based near Greetland but they do work all over the place. They’re good guys though so no bodge jobs – might pay a bit more for the privelege but at risk of carbon monoxide etc seeping into your house, its money well spent.

More efficiently than what ? A collander for a chimney ?

We’ve been pricing up converting from gas fire to an logburning stove in the livingroom.
Ours would involve decomissioning the gas fire, cutting out a propper fireplace (currently it’s a raised plinth), lay hearth, beam over, supply & instal fire, plaster. For that we’re looking at about £2k of which the stove itself is about £1k (ESSE, made in Barlick, just around the corner from Hope)
Would be about another £500 if we need to put a liner in too.

While we’re on the subject, I’ve just had a Back boiler removed do you think I could use the Back boiler Flue on a wood burning stove?

No you can’t – way too thin.

Does a modern(ish) clay pipe chimney need lining?

We lined ours as otherwise you need to use a clay liner adapter and I’ve been told by two independent sources that it generally doesn’t end well (basically your can get tar running down into your fireplace.

Can anyone tell me what makes stoves so special that when removing a fireplace thats been in use for the last 50 years that we need to line it ?

TR – In an open fire 80% of the heat goes up the chimney which gets nice and warm/hot so the gasses flow OK. With a stove it’s only 20% of the heat that goes up the chimney (the rest going into the room) so it’s doesn’t get as warm and the gasses don’t flow upwards as well as they did before. This means that the nasty gasses condense on the chimney lining and erode it.
Installing a liner serves two purposes:
1) it provides a smooth(ish) surface that heats up readily to enable the gasses to move easier which in turn means the fire burns better due to increased draught and there’s less deposits in the flue.
2) it protects the existing chimney lining (which could already be damaged and leaking) from damage by the gasses.

First stove I fitted was a machine mart job – Worked fine. Hearth was a couple of slabs of slate ‘borrowed’ from the waste tips in wales. As far as I am aware, the fumes leaking from the ‘unlined’ chimney never killed anyone. Cost – £500 ish.

As far as I am aware, the fumes leaking from the ‘unlined’ chimney never killed anyone yet – and luckily I’ve not had a chimney fire

FTFY.

Please note you can still get chimney fires in lined flues if they’re not cleaned.

I dont believe in luck Sharkbait. – Just swept the chimney