When installing a wood burning stove in your home it is of paramount importance to use a HETAS registered company. Our HETAS approved wood burning stove installers have a vast knowledge in the installation of solid fuel heating equipment and the expertise required to install these appliances in all areas of your home.
Our HETAS approved stove installers have over twenty years experience in:
- Log Burner installation including Multi-Fuel Stoves and installers of Kitchen Arga’s
- Chimney installation (Twin Wall Insulated flues for internal and external usage)
- Chimney lining & relining flues to be utilised for Wood Burning Stoves and Open Fires
All of the services, experience and the training you would expect from a HETAS registered company.
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Will I require a new fireplace hearth for my wood burner fitting?
Part J of the building regulation details hearth sizing and distances from combustible material. In most cases your original hearth which was fitted for an open fire burning gas or solid fuel will suffice. The approved hearth dimensions are greater for an open fire than is required for a ‘Closed Appliance’. A wood or solid fuel stove is considered a closed appliance as it has a door which ‘closes’.
The general hearth measurements required for a stove installed within The section below details some of our solid fuel stove installations and answers to some commonly asked questions with regard to safe use of a stove and previsions as described in building regulation ‘Combustion appliances Part J’
the recess of an opening are as follows:
- There should be a minimum of 225mm in front of the stove door.
- There should be a minimum or 150mm either side of the opening.
- The constructional hearth should be a minimum of 125mm thick and made of solid non-combustible material.
The measurements above are minimum requirements and are best increases to improve usage and safety.
Examples:
- A wider hearth can then accommodate a wood basket of coal bucket (theses are best placed on a stove hearth than on a carpet or new wood flooring.
- A hearth with a measurement of 350mm in front of the stove door will allow more protection should a piece of coal or round smokeless fuel roll over the log retainer onto the hearth.
The above information is for guidance only and all hearth modifications should be undertaken by a HETAS qualified chimney engineer.
Reference – The Building Regulation/Combustion Appliances and Fuel Storage Systems/Approved Document J
If you have any more questions about our HETAS qualified wood burner installation service,
Should I get my chimney swept before I install a wood burning stove?
A chimney survey, smoke testing and visual inspection of a chimney is required before a wood burning stove can be installed. Below is the smoke tests required explained in detail:
A chimney draw or draw test can be made by use of a smoke pellet or ‘smoke bomb’.
There are two main smoke tests as described in the building regulations. ‘Smoke test 1’ And ‘Smoke test 2’.
Chimney flue smoke test 1:
Commonly described as a ‘smoke draw test’, a ‘smoke evacuation test’ or a ‘spillage test’. This chimney smoke test indicates if there is any spillage into the room or smoke escaping from the fireplace opening or solid fuel appliance. Effectively testing if the chimney or wood burning stove is drawing correctly and is safe to use.
The doors and windows should be closed.
The heating appliance or chimney flue is first warmed. This generally is by use of a heat gun.
A smoke pellet is then lit and placed in the flue or connected appliance. The smoke generated by the pellet is observed. The smoke should remain within the fireplace opening or appliance with no spillage into the room.
Chimney flue smoke test 2:
Commonly described as a smoke soundness test or pressure test. This flue smoke test is carried out to determine whether a flue is leaking and if there are any structural defects. The flue is effectively filled with smoke, capped at top and bottom and then visual inspected where access is available. This smoke soundness test can be carried out of a domestic brick chimney for an open fire, a metal boiler flue system or a Twin Wall Insulated chimney for a wood burning stove.
The chimney is first swept. A smoke pellet is lite and placed in the fire box or solid fuel heating appliance. The smoke is allowed to draw through the entire chimney until termination. When the smoke reaches the chimney pot or terminal this point is blocked, normally with a plastic sack. At the same time the firebox opening is covered. The chimney flue then fills with smoke.
For a period of no more than 15 minutes a visual inspection is carried out. The full length of the brick flue (through bedrooms and loft space) is examined for any leaking smoke. With a a factory made Twin Wall Insulated flue, every joint would be examined for evidence of leakage.
Once inspection is carried out the temporary coverings are removed and smoke is released at flue termination.
Both Smoke Test 1 and Smoke Test 2 are carried out during the Allchimneys installation of a chimney lining for an open fire or log burning stove.
Do we have adequate ventilation for a solid fuel stove installation?
All wood burning stoves or solid fuel appliances require an adequate supply of air to ensure that the complete combustion of the fuel occurs and the chimney flue functions correctly.
If your wood burning stove doesn’t have sufficient air supply for the combustion and the ventilation then this can have very serious consequences. Smoking back may occur and the incomplete combustion of the fuel will increase the levels of carbon monoxide in the air which is a serious health hazard. This is also a major factor leading to the build up of tar/creosote deposits within the chimney flue or chimney lining, which can increase the risk of chimney lining fires.
For appliances & wood burning stoves with a total output of up to 5KW (small to medium size multi fuel stoves and wood burners) no provision is required as the natural leakage into the room around the doors and windows may be adequate. However, in well insulated rooms it may be necessary to provide additional air supply.
Extractor fans should not be located in the same room as the solid fuel appliance or wood burning stove is installed. The use of a mechanical extractor fan in any room will create a pressure depression. If this depression is greater than the up draught in the chimney flue/chimney lining, then this will cause combustion fumes & smoke to be drawn into the room.