Woodburning stove installation

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John

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Woodburning stove installation
« on: October 28, 2010, 23:41 »
Our woodburner arrived today - we chose a Saltfire Wimbourne.  So courier called yesterday and asked about access so we explained it was tricky but they could get something like a transit or Luton with a tail lift but nothing bigger up the track.

So will it be morning or afternoon? I asked. Call me in the morning he said. Now, never expect much of a firm that answer the phone "Hang on, mate". Finally says he'll call back to let me know am or pm. Well come 1pm I reckon it won't be the morning..

Finally 1 man arrives in a small van in the back of which is a 95Kg stove strapped to a palette. We unwrapped, take out the grate and bits (every little helps) and finally get it onto the ground, luckily without serious back injury. I've got a sack truck so get it under cover.

Later the HETAS approved engineer arrives to look at the installation job. Now remember this is going where a stove has gone before. Checks the flue, which has been lined properly (yippee!) but he has to put a permanent air vent in to outside.

Now I can understand caution with gas but we're talking coal / wood fuel here. The idea is to be energy efficient, carbon neutral, greener than the sweetcorn tin man. So why bother insulating, double glazing and draught proofing only to whack a hole in the wall to let the cold air in?

For that matter, which idiot politician decided you had to tell the local authority and get building regs approval to fit a blinking stove?  :(

I suppose it all makes work for the working man to do as the song goes but I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth being a law abiding citizen.
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mike1987

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2010, 05:11 »
the problem is that if it doesnt get enough air then it wont burn cleanly this means (for you) more often cleaning the flue wasted fuel and not as much heat and (for the enviroment) more polution co2 and sulpher from coal im not too sure abouut wood

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John

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2010, 08:43 »
I can understand that, mike, however houses in the UK are pretty leaky. I suppose pressure testing each one individually would be crackers (hope some government person doesn't read that!). Strikes me the problem with regulations is that don't allow for common sense.

Just to be clear - I'm obeying, albeit under protest, the regulations

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8doubles

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2010, 09:06 »
We had to have a new air vent put in for our open fire when the cavity wall insulation was injected. It`s the law got to be done the man said. Not allowed to fit a closable vent for very cold or windy weather it has to be open all the time by law.
Some days you might just as well light the fire then go and sit outside. :D

Or you make a bad weather cover for the vent . :)

As John said older houses have plenty of air gaps for ventilation and most have windows you can open and close.

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2010, 13:11 »
When we had our woodburner re-fitted last year to come up to standard, they fitted a cover on the outside to help stop any draughts coming in, but they said we had to have it also in case there were any fumes coming from the fire.

Brian made them put the air vent in the corner behind where the TV sites so its out of sight as they wanted to put it up near the ceiling!

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madcat

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2010, 13:35 »
We had to have one when our cavity wall insulation went in.  He said, ' I've got to put this in an outside wall.  Where do you want me to hide it?'  So it is behind the sofa in the far corner.  More draught comes under the door than through the vent.    :dry:
« Last Edit: October 29, 2010, 14:49 by madcat »
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mike1987

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2010, 14:24 »
sure you could improvise something for wet windy days a tuppaware box and some gaffer tape would do the trick

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Goldfinger

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2010, 18:19 »
Why not, after it's installed, remove a cover and seal it from the inside? ::)

Looks like a vent, but isn't a blow hole for draughts. If someone comes to check, it'll look ok from the outside and inside but you'll know better, hehe :lol:

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John

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2010, 19:48 »
Why not, after it's installed, remove a cover and seal it from the inside? ::)

Looks like a vent, but isn't a blow hole for draughts. If someone comes to check, it'll look ok from the outside and inside but you'll know better, hehe :lol:

Really, what a sneaky suggestion! As if we'd do such a thing!  ;) ;) ;)

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compostqueen

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2010, 19:57 »
Mine was a smaller size so not vent needed for mine, thank goodness. It's a belter mine is and I love it so (Esse 100SE)

It heats the whole room up really quickly  :)

I was splitting huge  logs yesterday with a grenade and a big axe and I'm only weak and feeble. Felt right proud but fear I've made a rod for my own back  :D
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 23:19 by compostqueen »

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Goldfinger

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2010, 21:12 »

 :blush:      :D

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8doubles

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #11 on: October 30, 2010, 08:24 »
Mine was a smaller size so not vent needed for mine, thank goodness. It's a belter mine is and I love it so (Esse 100SE)

It heats the whole room up really quickly  :)

I was splitting huge  logs yesterday with a grenade and a bix axe and I'm only weak and feeble. Felt right proud but fear I've made a rod for my own back  :D

Keep on log splitting and the weak and feeble will disappear. :)

Much more productive than standing in front of the tv waving your Wii about. :D

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Thrift

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2010, 08:54 »

I suppose it all makes work for the working man to do as the song goes but I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth being a law abiding citizen.

Sadly I think not  :(
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 12:15 by Thrift »

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sion01

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #13 on: October 30, 2010, 11:37 »
You have to be carefull with the heating engineers sometimes .They seem to want to make the job bigger sometimes.I live in 17th century cottage and as its a listed building we've got to have old fashioned draughty windows and doors.
When the heating engineer arived to fit our woodburner he informed me that hed have to put a vent through the wall(3 foot thick stone wall :mad:) and that he'd be back with reinforcment's the next week to start the job.In the meantime i checked with the local authority and my undoubleglazed windows count as a vent so a huge bill was averted.Funny how the engineer didn't know this isn't it :nowink:

I would seriously check out you'r options as a small job can multiply quickly.If you'r windows are quite new they might have vents on them,i'd check that first.I've fitted three stoves in hear myself and it's quite easy.
The most important think is that the pipe at the top of the stove goes into a flue/lined chimney that is the same size or larger.If it goes into a smaller hole it can affect the air draw so making it burn inefficiently and may cause a hazard with carbon monoxcide .Allways select a stove that will allow you to maintaine the air flow so ckecking the diamater of the flue before buying a stove is really important.
I have found out that fire cement is much better for sealing the joints than fire silicone as this tends to shrivel up with the heat over time.

Sorry for going on BUT do check your windows and if possible get someone from the local authority to have a look if it's free

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John

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Re: Woodburning stove installation
« Reply #14 on: October 30, 2010, 15:11 »
His plan seems to be to put a vent through the normal walled porch and then a vent through the door from the porch to the dining room with the stove. The double glazing doesn't have trickle vents. Ideal would be to run an air intake down the side of the flue, thereby heating the incoming air but he looked at me as if I should be in a special jacket tied at the back when I suggested that!

Having checked with my pal in Norway, his triple glazed, super insulated house that's primarily heated with a wood burner hasn't any air vent. He laughed at the suggestion. Amazingly he's still alive :)

As for the flue - it's about 6.5" diameter and the outlet from the stove is 5" so hopefully OK.

One confusing thing - he's coming out of the back of the stove, bending 90 degrees and up into the flue. He said a bend was illegal but he would use a T piece. Blessed if I can see what the difference would be. The smoke still goes around 90 degrees.



 

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