Log Burner.

[Monaro Pete]

I have a question regarding the above.

Regulations say that a flue needs to fitted. Does a flue need to be swept as a normal chimney does?
I already have an open fire which has periodically been swept.
If the flue has to swept how in the hell does that happen

[panelbeater]

i am pretty sure that if a chimney has been used as an open fire and is in good condition you do not need a liner.its because its been sealed over years.
unless heta has changed but you should fit a registry plate and a length of single wall flue to go into chimney about 1 mtr.
i take out plate and length of flue then have it swept.
thats what it was when i fitted my big stove.

[macabethiel]

Any reputable Installer will check your flu for suitability its also about draft so you need the right total chimney height as well to ensure your lounge does not fill with smoke if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction.

I have a coupe of friends who have had them fitted and one of them had to have some added height to his fairly modern chimney breast that was on an outside wall it only needed about 4 courses of bricks and a taller stack top can't remember if he had a liner or not.

My other mate who lives in a 50 year old house with high ceilings and a good pitch on his roof did not need any work to his chimney - no liner required.
The chimney was on an internal wall but when burning wood it gets very hot indeed on his inside wall (alarmingly so in MHO). He tends to use smokeless fuel these days as it's easier to keep going overnight and involves less work keeping it going.

Good stoves will accept Wood & Coals if you are going to install it yourself a free quotation should reveal any issues about your chimney.

[Monaro Pete]

Thank you both for your replies

The house was built circa 1968 & I've had countless open fires with the free wood & coal so the chimney is the correct height as I've had no problems with smoke entering the room.
I just fancied a log burner as they're slightly less mess.

Panelbeater. That idea had crossed my mind. I shall be having a look at what's involved

[zippy656]

Most installers will fit a linner to the flue,

Main reason is
They can warranty there work. And know there will be fewer problems.

Flue is swept via access panel in flue pipe

[solarman216]

1968 Mmm around the time pot liners were being used, so to cut a long story short, if it is pot lined then you are sorted, if it is bare brick then you need a liner, single corugated SS is no good, it needs to be twin wall preferably with rockwool in between, hope this helps, as further explanation pot liners were square or round min 9 inch, these are heat proof enough and large enough that the inevitable tar can flake and peel off without restricting the flue, SS liner is designed to get hot enough to provide a good draw quickly and also get hot enough to burn tar off, down side of pots is they take a much longer time to heat up so ocasional use of the fire is not so good, but once hot it will stay that way much longer, Rick

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by Monaro Pete

Thank you both for your replies

The house was built circa 1968 & I've had countless open fires with the free wood & coal so the chimney is the correct height as I've had no problems with smoke entering the room.
I just fancied a log burner as they're slightly less mess.

Panelbeater. That idea had crossed my mind. I shall be having a look at what's involved

If you have had open fires that's a sign you have a good sized flu but don't forget its quite different when you install a wood burner. You are in effect closing off the front area and regulating the air into the stove you then control the burn rate and the air flow into the chimney. Just because you have no smoke issues with an open fire may not translate into therefore you will not have any with an enclosed wood burner.
The reduced airflow into the stove might mean that it's more susceptible to back drafts. You need to get some advice from the experts as they will have a duty of care to ensure it's all safe.
I know when I had my previous gas boiler installed it was essential to reduce the opening into the room by bricking in the fireplace to get the necessary draft pressure to avoid CO into the house. My replacement boiler 2 years ago had a double flu liner so that it could draw air down from the chimney to supply the boiler and also act as a chimney. It was a Baxi BBU boiler made to replace the old style back boilers.

[solarman216]

Originally Posted by macabethiel

My replacement boiler 2 years ago had a double flu liner so that it could draw air down from the chimney to supply the boiler and also act as a chimney. It was a Baxi BBU boiler made to replace the old style back boilers.

Thi will be a fan assisted room sealed boiler, very different from an open flue appliance, Rick

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by solarman216

Thi will be a fan assisted room sealed boiler, very different from an open flue appliance, Rick

True just voicing what I had to do for general information.

[panelbeater]

when mine was installed a smoke test was done then it was lit and got bloody hot,my house is over 100 years so high ceiling tall apex means tall chimney,also unsealed wall draught vents so plenty of air gets in to feed.never had smoke in room and i often leave door open on front when its glowing red.my one gives me hot water and heating linked to oil boiler through a professional system that works very well.
stove on gives heating and hot water oil and stove on goes to oil burner to pre heat oil so use less oil.it works very well.

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by panelbeater

Heating linked to oil boiler through a professional system that works very well.
stove on gives heating and hot water oil and stove on goes to oil burner to pre heat oil so use less oil.it works very well.

That sounds a neat bit of energy efficient engineering.

[solarman216]

Originally Posted by macabethiel

True just voicing what I had to do for general information.

And a very efficient and convienient sysyem it is too, which enables the old back boiler sytems to effectivly remain but also comply with modern regs re condencing boilers, does your condensate drain by gravity or did you have to use a pump, Rick

[panelbeater]

just dug out paperwork for my unit google h2 panel and look at what they do.mine is for solid fuel and another boiler.

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by solarman216

And a very efficient and convienient sysyem it is too, which enables the old back boiler sytems to effectivly remain but also comply with modern regs re condencing boilers, does your condensate drain by gravity or did you have to use a pump, Rick

The BBU boiler has a pump included as standard. They just drilled though into my Kitchen and put the end of the pipe into the waste where the Dishwasher outlet fits. No freezing up problems for me. The pump is powerful enough for a head of around 6 feet and if it fails is reasonably easy to access on the boiler side panel.

Sadly within a year of having the new Baxi BBU type boiler fitted it was discontinued by Baxi due to limited sales in the replacement back boiler market. It has a 6 year warranty with spare parts being available for many years to come if their support on my previous 25 year old boiler is anything to go by.