[Closed] Woodburner /multifuel stoves

Different flues.

Gas stoves have 5" diameter flues whilst woodburner/multi-fuels normally have 7" flues. BUT look for "DEFRA approved" stoves which are woodburners (not so sure about multifuel)with 5" flues.

Most non defra stoves at 5kW will have 6" flue, DEFRA 5kW stove will likely be on a 5", but as you go bigger the flue gets bigger.

However I have no idea what flue a gas fire has.... Bye suspect it's not the right grade even if it's the right size.

Gas stoves have 5" diameter flues whilst woodburner/multi-fuels normally have 7" flues

Eh?, my woodburner/multifuel flue is 6" , altho the original plan was for a 5" flue, which is fairly standard IMO, but I looked up the chimney and thought "there's enough space for a 6" flue, so may as well go bigger!". 7" flue wasn't even considered.

Have a look [url= https://www.flexifluedirect.com/index.php?cPath=22_31 ]at this website[/url] , I suppose there are things you need to consider when deciding on a woodburner/multifuel stove 1) do, I really need a flexiflue in my chimney?, your chimney might not even require a flexiflue, you can get it smoke bomb tested. I live in a small cottage/ terrace where chimneys are between houses, so I got a flue installed without smoke testing my chimney because i care about my neighbours, but my sister/BiL chimney is within their house and decided they didn't require a flexiflue to be installed, they just use their chimney, like in the olden days. 2) what fuel you intend to burn in the stove, if you do need a flexiflue, 316 grade flexiflue for burning wood only. 904 grade flexiflue for coal, anthracite, wood, mixed fuels etc. Common sense rules apply, you can go wider as you go up the chimney, but not narrower. So, get a wider flue installed and you have more choice of stoves with bigger sized outlets

Why would you want to swap from gas to a wood burner?

But a wider flue may not give as good a draw.

Gas liners are completely different to solid fuel liners and don't get anywhere close to as hot. Please don't connect a stove to a gas liner

Generally the majority of common stoves run on a 6 inch liner, but always check manufacturers recommendations. A bigger the liner isn't always better. Too big and it might not get hot enough to achieve the efficiency you require and condensation will rot it, for example.

Stainless liners are not a lifetime product. Smokeless fuel (or the sulphur in it), wet wood, slumbering a lot and many other things can all kill them pretty quickly, whatever the grade of stainless. Id only ever suggest burning well seasoned wood.

Duraflue are very good liners. Woodwarm and Clock are very good stoves.

And despite what Banana says, I'd mostly always recommend lining an existing brick chimney (though not necessarily with a stainless liner). Brick work and mortar in older properties becomes damaged and porous over time, pargeting might be long gone, and CO can seep through into rooms or neighbours properties. A pressure test is generally expensive if done correctly and the money would be better spent going toward a liner if an older property. It will also keep more heat in the appliance thus making it more efficient.

If you do have an old property and use an unlined chimney, please put a CO detector in each room the flue passes through.

cost with flexiflue, I'd budget £300 for 316 flue and materials, £400 for 904 flue and materials, £400 for builder to go up on roof and install flexiflue/ chimney cowl, £300 for stove install in house, HETAS sign off. Stove it's self, anything from £300 to £1500. Roughly £2000, if you want a flexiflue installed with a £750 stove.

I'd suggest using a HETAS or OFTEC registered solid fuel installer rather than a builder. They will generally be more informed regarding all aspects of doc J including what kw appliance you should be looking at for room size etc and can self certify the installation rather than having to go through local building control after.

Oh, and OP. You'll need a much bigger constructional hearth than that in your photo for solid fuel.

Why have you got a coal scuttle and a companion set next to s gas fire? No fake coals in fire either?

You may need a bigger constructional hearth, or not. Some stoves need just ember protection. It depends on the stove.

I'd suggest using a HETAS or OFTEC registered solid fuel installer rather than a builder. They will generally be more informed regarding all aspects of doc J including what kw appliance you should be looking at for room size etc and can self certify the installation rather than having to go through local building control after.

I used a builder who knew what he was doing (but that's irrelevant I suppose). whole thing was still signed off when the stove was installed by a HETAS registered stove installer. Guess that sums it up, completely pointless activity as the HETAS approved installer had no idea of the quality of work done by my builder on the roof/chimney, but still signed it off. Just a box ticking exercise that means nothing.

Must admit, at the end of the process, with a signed off stove, I was left thinking, it was all a bit of a farce.

Banana, that’s strange. A HETAS/Oftec installer shouldn’t really sign off other people’s work for that very reason. Maybe he had worked with the builder before or just took into consideration distance to combustibles. Having said that, lots of building control officers know little about doc J too.

Neil, it would have to be a very small stove not to need a hearth bigger than that pictured. From memory a min of 225mm from the front of the stove to combustible (wooden floor) and best practice would be the stove door when opened doesn’t extend beyond the hearth. That said there are ways around it, like a 12mm glass hearth on top of the wooden floor.

Wider yes I agree, but the width requirement is for ember protection. Some stoves are fine with ember protection like tile or a sheet of glass over combustibles like floor boards as you say. Other stove stoves get too hot for that and require a thick 'constructional' non combustible hearth under that. Basically I agree with you, bar the use of 'constructional:

I hear you regarding superimposed hearths and stoves below 100 degrees, but thought stoves going into a recess had different hearth regs?

Constructional hearths of 150mm each side of recess and min projection of 500mm into room? Of course if it’s a concrete floor under the wood then it basically meets regs once the woods gone.

Ooo you could be right there, constructional hearth dimensions relative to the opening definitely exist, although it would seem ridiculous to enforce it if the appliance only requires ember protection. I'd argue the dimensions you give are the minimum size for it, if the appliance requires it.... But given that some BC officers aren't exactly on top of part j you might find one that applies it differently and insists (pointlessly) on a constructional hearth even if the appliance doesn't need one.