DIY Question about building a Hearth

[bonniethomas06]

AArgh! I am NEVER doing this again.

We got the liner down the chimney, after much swearing and improvisation with nylon rope climbing gear. That was the easy part.

I will give a progress report later for anyone interested, but while the fire cement is still wet, can anyone tell me - where you fit a liner into your chimney and connect it to the logburner (with the aid of meteres of poxy fire rope and lots of fire cement), does the register plate have to be airtight?

Cos ours aint. But so far as I can tell this is only an issue if your logburner is going into the chimney where there is an existing clay liner - otherwise I think the register plat is just to stop debris from falling down the chimney/heat loss?

Thanks and sorry to ask so many questions.

[bonniethomas06]

YAY it works!!!

Finally, at about midnight, we got the damn thing working. There doesn't appear to be any CO leaking out (the monitor didn't make a peep) and it burns really fast and hot with a lovely draw.

If anyone is thinking about fitting their own, I would...it wasn't the most fun weekend I have ever had, but it is certainly within the capabilities of the DIYer. We were quoted £1300 to fit it plus £500 for the materials (including the stove pipe) and the stove was £200 - total cost £2000.

We paid £220 for the lining components (10m flexi liner, cowl, adapter and register plate) £60 on the stove pipe and £200 on the stove and £30 to hire the ladder - total cost £510 = saving of £1490. We simply wouldn't have been able to afford it if we had to have paid someone else to do it. We will have to pay an engineer to come and check it over at some point, too.

Getting the flexible liner down was the easy bit - I would have prefered to have pulled it up than poking down, but owing to the height and lack of scaffolding, my OH was happier to push down than take both hands off the pot to pull it up. I pulled from below - it only got stuck once, but with a little manipulation we managed to get it through. (Elf and safety inspectors look away here) Here it is arguably better to be precariously balanced on the top of a 36ft ladder strapped to the chimney with canvas straps feeding the flue down the chimney pot, as if you are the grunt at the bottom, all of the soot (even if you had it swept) and the powdered aincent liner will rain down on your head and you will still be finding bits of soot in your hair on Monday morning, after two washes.

This was the easy bit - once the liner is attached to the sleeve of the cowl, and the cowl snaped in place on top of the chimney pot, the dangerous bit is over. You then have to sit inside the miniscule chimney cavity with a head torch, and attach the liner to an adapter, with self tapping screws, fire rope and fire cement. This truly is a vile job, as arm movement is practically impossible in such a small space. As before, soot will rain down on your head on a regular basis.

The stove pipes should fit very tightly so that they are practically airtight, and you can just seal them with a little fire cement to be on the safe side. However, we found that for some inexplicable reason, there was a 4mm gap either side of the joint between the adapter and the stove pipe, which we wedged with fire rope and sealed with cement, and crossed our fingers and prayed alot.

It seems fine! And was warm and toasty with just three crappy little logs on it for most of the evening. I am totally converted!

Anyway, thanks all for the advice and encouragement. Better get the chainsaw out on those logs now!

[Thurston Garden]

Wee done Bonnie and OH on getting the liner in and the stove working! Sounds like it was well worth all the effort (and saving loads of cash into the bargain!).

Reminded me of pulling my flue liner up on my old house a few years ago. I climbed up onto the chimney (no ladders...) and stood on the top with the chimney can between my legs, lowered a rope down the flue and OH tied the liner to this. As I began to hoist the liner up, I took a serious fit of 'disco dancer's knee'. The leg wobbling got worse and worse, but I eventually got the liner up and spent a good few minutes hugging the chimney can whilst I tried to get my legs to return to normal service whereby I could climb back down again.

Not to be repeated I can tell you!
(All done on a Sunday whilst Elfin Safety people were on a day off!)

[grahamhobbs]

I heard the other day of someone who was killed doing this, a freak power surge in a nearby overhead cable electrocuted him.

[jim]

Dear bonniethomas,

Glad to hear it went well. Be careful with the chainsaw, the advice I was given when on industrial secondment to the forestry commision was to keep a very firm hold on the slow end ......

Love and Peace
Jim

[bonniethomas06]

Dear bonniethomas,
Glad to hear it went well. Be careful with the chainsaw, the advice I was given when on industrial secondment to the forestry commision was to keep a very firm hold on the slow end ......

Thanks, I will remember that...or rather to tell O.H that...you may notice there is a pattern emerging here, I get the idea in my head and O.H risks the life and limb!

Electrocution? Gosh, that is unlucky. And annoying when you have taken so much trouble to avoid death by falling off a roof, to then get electrocuted by a freak storm instad