Is it possible to DIY fit a woodburner?

[scotsmart]

Ok excluding checking the chimney (still waiting on the sweep phoning us back btw, think i will need to find someone else?)

Why is it so expensive to get a woodburner installed and is it a DIY job for a semi-competent DIYER anyway? I mean for now forget water heaters/ rads although we would love them, is it a realistic challenge to your everyday DIYERS (i have a bricky for a neighbour so hearth should be an easy one) and is it wise to try?

In the absence of a manual "Dummies guide to fitting a woodburner" any pitfalls or things we would require to beware of or be genned up on prior to attempting such a task?

As always any information is valuable and appriciated.


Slanj

[The Riff-Raff Element]

If it's anything like here, there's nothing to stop you from a legal standpoint, though you might want to have a word with your house insurer. If you ever sold the house a surveyor might pick it up if he/she were alert, I suppose.

[contadina]

As Mr Riff-Raff points out it needs to comply with building regs, but you can DIY fit one in the UK, just so long as it is inspected by your local councils Building Control Department. You can read about it here http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/woodburner.htm

My husband fitted ours and a range-style cooker but he's out at the moment so I can't ask him any pointers just now. We also clean our own chimneys every year using an old besom broom head tied in the middle of a long bit of string. He pulls from the roof whilst I pull from the stove.

We also fitted our own solar panel, which with the woodburner, heat the boiler; providing hot water all year round.

If you are confident and read up about them, neither job is too difficult to DIY and it does make them both more affordable.

[scotsmart]

Thanks all,

Its got to be said that our house is a HA property so we will never have the worry or hassle of being in a position of selling, and hope we have found our forever home thus neednt worry on that front so a deal more encouraging

I suppose i now need to spend the remaindet of the wet, cold windy winter researching, "fitting a woodburner" then maybe between us we just might be able to DIY fit our own? then i may write a "dummies guide to fitting" for others as its apparently needed by myself and im sure many others

(has nobody done any How To Guides i know on our VW van community we have many covering all sorts of tasks that provide encouragement, advice and step by step guides on how to do a whole range of tasks it has to be said its one of the heaviest used parts of the site in truth just a thought that maybe someone that is fitting a system could right a piece accompanied by as many
photographs as is possible making it easy to follow)

Anyways for now useful as always.


Slanj

[Paul_C]

if it is a housing accosiation one then ask them. cause they may not like the idea of you punching holes in walls for the flue, or having a solid fuel burning at all.

[scotsmart]

I will of course gain the relative permissions if and when we acertain if its cost effective and of course possible to do it as for punching holes in walls, isnt that what the original chimneys for to act as a flue??

(btw the next property to us is an identical cottage but council owned (our only neighbours ) have the original fireplaces in use ?)

I am further not aware of any Council/HA that would refuse such a change, there are two sealed solid fuel fireplaces in this cottage as is, so truly dont beleive it will be to much of an issue to get their permission most are fine about most adaptions so long as they are not damaging their property and can be seen to be bettering it which this undoubtedly would, but as i say once i gain costings, requirements and so on i will revert to them of course, until then its pointless anyway.

Slanj

[Zech]

Stoves online have loads of useful information on their website, including quite a lot on installation.

http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/

[scotsmart]

Thanks Racheal i shall give that a look over, see what i can learn from it..

[demi]

we fitted our wood burners ourselves. but we are in macedonia and everyone does it their selves here.
you just fit the metal pipes together and connect it up the chimney.
we opened up the chimny in the bedroom to make a fireplace, tiled it on the inside and put a slate slab down for the stove to sit on. then we had to seal off the chimney just leaving a round hole for the pipe to go through. we sealed it with some cut to size sheet metal which is about 1/2 foot up inside the chimney so nothing shows. then the stove is put in place and the chimney pipe tis connected from the stove to inside the chimney where the hole we made is.
its not difficult. :)

[demi]

i just had a look at the link posted by zech and it looks like they supply everything you need. just get all the bits and put it together yourself, honestly its dead simple, you shouldnt have any problems.
they have the chimney seals all ready made. we just made ours ourself, but if you get a ready made one then it makes it easier.

[scotsmart]

Yes ive been reading up on it all, seems likely that either my partner or self will be able to put one together, with everything removed from the original open fireplace we will have to reconstruct a hearth and tidy up the rear inner walls of it! but quite fancy, like the challenge of this..

We are awaiting permission from our landlords but honestly can see no real reasons why they might or equally would refuse us, it seems that although the chimney has been out of use for around five years the chimney was in daily use prior to this, it is currently capped and was fully lined about 12 years back all factors were hoping will act in our favour

Its all just a learning curve, we live and learn something new everyday.

Many thanks all, just really got to speak to sweep, fire specialist, get our chimney checked and then decide which route we take i.e. whether we want full heating or just stove in lounge ?


Slanj

[scotsmart]

Anybody got any pros & or cons about getting either just a stove or full central heating as in is it worthwhile getting full central heating as against just a stove and what if any are the pros & cons on both if any of that makes any sense ( apart from the obvious costs from one to the other that is and that one heats the water and whole house)

Any help, advice or guidance from those currently using would be greatly appriciated.

[Zech]

If you're happy with your current heating, except when there's a power cut, I'd recommend just a stove. Getting a whole new heating system is a lot of disruption and expense, and also a lot of work to run when you have it.

[demi]

its definetly better having you stove heat your water.
when our fire is on the water is boiling hot and heats up much faster than using the bolier. we're goning to be getting hot water solar pannels put in as well coz obviously you cant use the wood burner in the summer when its 40 degrees......maybe in scotland you can though :)

i know people in macedonia who have 1 wood burner in the living room heating all their radiators and their house is warm throughout. but these people are in 2 bed appartments.
our house is too big to heat like this, 10 rooms to heat all together, so we'll just heat our water for the taps from the wood burning cooker in the kitchen/living room and we have small wood burners in the other rooms which get used as needed.
id like to get central heating on wood but its too expencive and my husband says the radiators would be hot enough to heat all the rooms as the house is too big.

when we get round to rennovating our wee 2 up 2 down farm cottage on our smallholding we will be getting central heating on wood there as it will be much easier to heat.

[scotsmart]

Em interesting?

We it has to be said are certainly NOT happy with our inefficient and dare i say rather expensive all electric storage heating so would if possible prefer a whole new efficient system that would not its got to be said nessesarily be effected by the power cutting either that would be extra attractive

What we seek really is some way to keep the property at a level heat only a 2 bed property but with about 4 distinct heat zones and at certain times of the day more ! its imperative for MS sufferers to be kept evenly warm which is currently not being acheived by any stretch of anyones imagination this we are examining alternatives ?

Many thanks for your input all helping of course to form an educated opinion on which route to take..