Log burner installation advice needed
Discussion
We were never intending to stay in our house when we renovated it, however we have changed our mind, and there are a few things we would like to do, one of which is to install a log burner in our lounge. As per the below image, as it currently stands we ripped out the old dated gas fireplace, plastered the inside and had some decorative granit cut along with a wood surround.
The opening is 21” x 26” with a chimney directly above. Can anyone give me some advice of what work is needed and associated costs.
Thank you.
The opening is 21” x 26” with a chimney directly above. Can anyone give me some advice of what work is needed and associated costs.
Thank you.
Firstly you normally pick the fire first & then make the opening to size as there are strict clearance requirements. Oten you need about 6" either side so you are looking at stoves about 9" wide, which don't exist. You may be able to find an inset stove which can be fitted into the opening but I've not looked at those myself.
https://www.stovesareus.co.uk/stoves/inset-stoves....
Secondly, have you considered a gas stove, since you have gas available You can buy them as inset types or as stand alone ones that look like a woodburner. I thought I wanted a woodburner but was persuaded that since I didn't live in the country with a ready supply of wood on hand a gas stove might be better, & it turned out to be so. It's much more flexible & controllable as you can turn it on in a second rather than have to make the fire up & wait for it to heat up.
https://www.stovesareus.co.uk/stoves/gas-stoves.ht...
https://www.stovesareus.co.uk/stoves/inset-stoves....
Secondly, have you considered a gas stove, since you have gas available You can buy them as inset types or as stand alone ones that look like a woodburner. I thought I wanted a woodburner but was persuaded that since I didn't live in the country with a ready supply of wood on hand a gas stove might be better, & it turned out to be so. It's much more flexible & controllable as you can turn it on in a second rather than have to make the fire up & wait for it to heat up.
https://www.stovesareus.co.uk/stoves/gas-stoves.ht...
Are the gas effect wood burning fires good? The wood effect flames used to look poor years ago, but I guess they’re better these days?
Quiet fancy an inset wood burning fire, but put off by the pain of installing and guess I might get bored of cleaning it out. Guess I still wouldn’t get that wood burning smell though with a gas effect fire
Quiet fancy an inset wood burning fire, but put off by the pain of installing and guess I might get bored of cleaning it out. Guess I still wouldn’t get that wood burning smell though with a gas effect fire
Wood burners / multifuel stoves are great , but please consider the safety aspect . Get a HETAS installer , or you are allowed to fit your own but go through your local council building regs , consider you need room to store your logs , do not burn wet logs , and make sure you fit a carbon monoxide detector
Could I suggest an open fire.
Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Not the best pic, but the dog loves it.
Daniel
Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Not the best pic, but the dog loves it.
Daniel
dhutch said:
Could I suggest an open fire.
Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Not the best pic, but the dog loves it.
Daniel
You dont have to line the chimney for a log burner, the same as you’ve not lined it for the open fire. Hopefully you smoke tested the existing chimney and there were no leaks?Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Not the best pic, but the dog loves it.
Daniel
I’m also not convinced on not needing it signed off if you’re installing an open fire?
downside is the heat output from an open fire is a bit pants compared to a log burner, not to say an open fire isn’t still nice!
dhutch said:
Could I suggest an open fire.
Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
If he's in a smoke free zone then an open fire is a lot more limiting than a log burner though, just something to consider. Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Would've loved an open fire instead of a log burner but the heat output is really crap as virtually all the heat goes up the chimney along with all the air in the room. Our inset stove on full blast heats the living room to a toasty 25c from 16c in less than an hour! I'd imagine that would be impossible with an open fire.
Open fire does look lovely though!
Open fire does look lovely though!
ST_Nuts said:
Would've loved an open fire instead of a log burner but the heat output is really crap as virtually all the heat goes up the chimney along with all the air in the room. Our inset stove on full blast heats the living room to a toasty 25c from 16c in less than an hour! I'd imagine that would be impossible with an open fire.
Open fire does look lovely though!
you needa hla fway house then- a convection fireOpen fire does look lovely though!
https://smartheat.ie/jetmaster-fires/open-fires/
not as efficient as a wood burner, but far far more fficient than an open fire.
We're really pleased with ours!
I've never really got the log burner thing in anything other that a draughty old house out in the sticks. They're a serious pain in the butt to live with and in a well insulated house you tend to cook even with a low output model.
I stopped using our Clearview a couple of winters ago for this reason (and the dust they cause) and I live in that draughty old house out in the sticks!
The tide appears to be turning and I expect incoming legislation from our interfering nanny state anytime soon
I stopped using our Clearview a couple of winters ago for this reason (and the dust they cause) and I live in that draughty old house out in the sticks!
The tide appears to be turning and I expect incoming legislation from our interfering nanny state anytime soon
foiled said:
Are the gas effect wood burning fires good? The wood effect flames used to look poor years ago, but I guess they’re better these days?
Quiet fancy an inset wood burning fire, but put off by the pain of installing and guess I might get bored of cleaning it out. Guess I still wouldn’t get that wood burning smell though with a gas effect fire
We just had a Yeoman CL5 put in to the lounge. The flame picture actually looks like this image here: (apologies, it's the best I could find with a quick google).Quiet fancy an inset wood burning fire, but put off by the pain of installing and guess I might get bored of cleaning it out. Guess I still wouldn’t get that wood burning smell though with a gas effect fire
It works quite well, and heats the front room up really quickly. Output is I think about 3kW. The room is warmer even with it off, as they have to put a register plate in the chimney breast which effectively seals the fire on one side of it, and the flue on the other. Before we had an 8" flue open straight from the chimney pot into the fireplace. Draughty........
It has a remote control too, which is handy if you're sitting watching the telly and CBA to get up to turn on the fire.
mcg_ said:
You dont have to line the chimney for a log burner, the same as you’ve not lined it for the open fire. Hopefully you smoke tested the existing chimney and there were no leaks?
I’m also not convinced on not needing it signed off if you’re installing an open fire?
downside is the heat output from an open fire is a bit pants compared to a log burner, not to say an open fire isn’t still nice!
I realise its not always essential to have a flue liner with a stove, however the vast majority will do just that these days, cheap(ish) insurance and obviously the flue gasses from a stove are a lot more deadly if it where to leak.I’m also not convinced on not needing it signed off if you’re installing an open fire?
downside is the heat output from an open fire is a bit pants compared to a log burner, not to say an open fire isn’t still nice!
Yes we had a sweep round, who did a smoke test as well as a sweep. Installing a new fireplace needs sign off, but obviously we where just replacing an existing one which as I understand it does not. When they we used daily fire places where changed frequently as they wear out just like a cooker or car.
ST_Nuts said:
Would've loved an open fire instead of a log burner but the heat output is really crap as virtually all the heat goes up the chimney along with all the air in the room. Our inset stove on full blast heats the living room to a toasty 25c from 16c in less than an hour! I'd imagine that would be impossible with an open fire.
You can get just as much heat off a open fire. I ran mine with a set of 40mm thk reducing bricks round and it would still heat the room as the same sort of rate your talking about, and with an 'all night burner' type grate you can control it down to a very manageable tickover speed. With a throat lintal set right you should get reasonable control over the amount of air going up the flue.An open fire cant be turned down and get the burn efficiency of a good stove, a good stove is really very good, but then a lot of the cheaper stoves don't get anywhere near either, and if your running it 20 Saturdays a year, in a reasonably insulated house with gas fired central heating then its all for fun and show anyway!
Obviously if your using is daily to heat a drafty barn and its your main heat source, then a good quality stove with high quality air control will use a lot less fuel.
Each to their own obviously, but I like an open fire and as it was expecting to move out in a couple of years time couldnt justify £2500 plus fitting on a high quality stove.
Daniel
dhutch said:
Could I suggest an open fire.
Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Not the best pic, but the dog loves it.
Daniel
This is a great post and has solved a problem that has sprung up since we recently started opening up our old fireplace - draught! I wasn't keen on sticking an old towel up the chimney as it will get wet and stinky over time, and no doubt, one day I'll forget to remove it after I've lit the fire! The Chimney Sheep solves this and seems to allow for a certain amount of air flow too. Until I read this post, I didn't even know such a thing existed!Opened out the fire place in my last house, but put in an open fire. No need for hertas, flue liner, expensive (or cheap low quality) stove etc. Just a clay fireback and tiled surround.
Cost a grand for the whole thing, all new, fitted, chimney sweep, fire irons, and the first bag of coal. Lovely. Chimney sheep in the flue when not in use.
Not the best pic, but the dog loves it.
Daniel
Thanks for posting.
freakynessless said:
This is a great post and has solved a problem that has sprung up since we recently started opening up our old fireplace - draught! I wasn't keen on sticking an old towel up the chimney as it will get wet and stinky over time, and no doubt, one day I'll forget to remove it after I've lit the fire! The Chimney Sheep solves this and seems to allow for a certain amount of air flow too. Until I read this post, I didn't even know such a thing existed!
Thanks for posting.
They were sealed up for good reason so unless you're going to install a high efficiency wood or gas burner it's best to leave them alone. By the way gas fires are far more efficient as balanced flue units than when connected to a chimney which is frustrating in an old house where the logical place to put a gas fire is in the original chimney breast..Thanks for posting.
The sheep work well. Just got two news ones for the new house.
Obviously there where reasons fireplaces where blocked up, mainly the advent of central heating, however it was old because they where old fashined! And just like people are taking the hardboard of the doors and balustrade things that go round come round they are getting opened up!
My expectation is that the decorative granite and wood surround will have to go. Be it a stove or open fire, you will need a hearth and surround that is suitable for containing the heat of a fire.
For open fires certainly the tiles/granite on a fire surround are laid upside down on a flat surface, shuttered around and a few steel rods put in, and flooded with 2" of concrete mixed with low density filler to create a 'slab' of fire surround/hearth. The plaster is then trimmed right back, and the slabs buttered up to the wall/floor with fire clay. In the case of a open fire you then have a clay (sometimes cement/fondue) fire back and throat lintel inside that.
I understand it often done out cement fire-board and tiled in situ, but as said it ended up being 6" or so away from the stove, and still has to be fire proof rather than plaster.
Daniel
Obviously there where reasons fireplaces where blocked up, mainly the advent of central heating, however it was old because they where old fashined! And just like people are taking the hardboard of the doors and balustrade things that go round come round they are getting opened up!
My expectation is that the decorative granite and wood surround will have to go. Be it a stove or open fire, you will need a hearth and surround that is suitable for containing the heat of a fire.
For open fires certainly the tiles/granite on a fire surround are laid upside down on a flat surface, shuttered around and a few steel rods put in, and flooded with 2" of concrete mixed with low density filler to create a 'slab' of fire surround/hearth. The plaster is then trimmed right back, and the slabs buttered up to the wall/floor with fire clay. In the case of a open fire you then have a clay (sometimes cement/fondue) fire back and throat lintel inside that.
I understand it often done out cement fire-board and tiled in situ, but as said it ended up being 6" or so away from the stove, and still has to be fire proof rather than plaster.
Daniel
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