Hepas log burner v gas

[gtflash]

Is anyone of the ribneters hepas trained for some advice on my home project. Don’t want people in the house right now but I am looking to remove the gas fire and decommission precast flu. Then fit a log burner.

I have a gas supply very close to site where log burner would be and I am nervous if this will need more spend.

On top of that the Mrs would prefer a fake gas powered stove. But I think my flu is less than suitable and I would prefer the log burner if the nearby gas isn’t an issue.

Any help appreciated

[Fenlander]

Done quite a few wood burner/solid fuel stove installations over the years plus assisted with gas fire installations.

The regs and need to use a qualified guy be it gas or woodburner are quite onerous now.

You say you are looking to decommission that old cast block flu... what type of arrangement are you hoping to replace it with? Balanced flu out the back for gas or a new external flu riser if woodburner… that's assuming your wall is external.

I assume your cast flu is of small "letter box" dimensions so unsuited to inserting a liner?

Re the gas supply point... When we moved here 10yrs ago there was an open fire with brick fireplace surround and a similar gas point to yours had been left poorly capped close to the fire just like your image. I traced it back to a position about 2m from the fireplace and had it capped properly at that point where it's visible. I hate capped gas supply points that are hidden or boxed/bricked/plastered in any way as they get forgotten and any future leak can run all over filling voids before it is noticed.

We now have a small multifuel stove as the fireplace opening is small but it still kicks out 4kw which heats a decent size room easily.

We stated off burning wood but had problems with the flu pulling nicely and now use a stove fuel which gives a lovely clean burn, great heat and keeps the chimney clean.

Friends two doors away in an identical house went for a gas fire option and they've very happy with that.

It may not be the sort of thing you are looking for but starting from a flat wall like yours with the old fireplace construction removed (our place is mid 1980s) this is what we ended up with...

£10 in B&Q floor tiles... spare door surround molding made up and stained to edge the hearth... bit of blacked angle steel I had in the garage edging the brick opening... second hand white wood fire surround £15 from Ebay. Stove was the only real expense being new from a narrow boat supplier who had a better selection of small stoves to suit us than normal fireplace shops.

[beerbelly]

what is stove fuel??. were currently burning kiln dried wood but sometimes we get a lot of black on the glass until the fire gets up to temp. it usually clears once the fires away. but if there's a cleaner burning option I would give it a go

[Callum B]

Fenlander makes many very good points.

We have a stovax riva 5kw in a fairly large room, which is great and perhaps too hot.....my advice would be to size down, from the recommendation.

There are the rumblings of discontent concerning wood burners in built up areas, from many local authorities now..... im hoping that they dont ban them....worth checking out, where you are.

Burning dry timber, with enough air for proper combustion shouldnt result in black soot on the glass.

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by Callum B

Fenlander makes many very good points.

We have a stovax riva 5kw in a fairly large room, which is great and perhaps too hot.....my advice would be to size down, from the recommendation.

There are the rumblings of discontent concerning wood burners in built up areas, from many local authorities now..... im hoping that they dont ban them....worth checking out, where you are.

Burning dry timber, with enough air for proper combustion shouldnt result in black soot on the glass.

I only get black on the glass when we first light it the installer said to try and open a window when we first light it to help the flue draw (don't know how that works ) but it did help the fire get going quicker. but who wants a window open when its cold.
ours is a contura c850 freestanding and is rated at 3kw-6kw .our home is open plan downstairs so quite a large area to heat and it does but I wouldn't want to go smaller

[beerbelly]

the dog likes it

[Callum B]

There should always be a source of air supply to the area with the woodburner, to ensure complete combustion, and reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning!!

These woodburners are most efficient when burning strongly.....i need to restrict mine when the room is up to temperature,.....or it ends up around 24°C

[Callum B]

[Orwell boy]

Dont do away with the gas point ,the best woodburner i ever saw ,was red enamel and was gas powered ,totally dust free and the glass never fogged !

[Fenlander]

>>>what is stove fuel??

We burn any of these just buying what's on a 3 for 2 offer at the time. Brazier is from Wickes, Ecoal 50 usually B&Q and Winter Flame has appeared in Aldi twice.

Until 10years ago we had land with a lifetime of wood on it so mostly used wood but now we'd have to buy wood in and it's as expensive as the solid fuel plus haven't really the storage space.

But the real clincher re burning wood on our stove is that our chimney breast is external to the house so is a very cool chimney. With wood the flu gasses would slow enough by half way up to drop out condensate on the chimney inner which could then run down onto the closure plate and rot it out quickly.

With these stove fuels the flu gas is much cleaner and quicker to exit the chimney pot.

[beerbelly]

ah right solid fuel aka coal and coal like products .no good for me our burner is wood only

[jeffstevens763@g]

Try compressed peat bricketts they burn very clean I've just felled a 40 foot silver birch should be ready to burn in two years time lovely smell

[gtflash]

Thanks all for the reply’s. After a heart to heart with the Mrs, We are going to plan for the multi fuel burner not gas.

I will pay someone to install it, but for now I need to be sure on that gas pipe that is nearby and I need to build a non combustable fireplace and breast for a twin wall flue when we can afford it.

Ref gas pipe. I could get it caped closer to the floor line. It looks like iron piping or dig it out further. ItS possible it will sit behind the non combustable fireplace back wall.

My dog looks at me longingly every night. Waiting for a log burner

[Callum B]

Depending on the route your gas pipe takes, it may be possible to cut it further back, away from the existing hearth, under the floorboards perhaps?.....thats what we did.... my old gas pipe is capped off, to the rhs of my fireplace.

We also created a false chimney breast, to allow depth for a recessed cassette woodburner.

Welcome to the world of hauling timber!!

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

Dont do away with the gas point ,the best woodburner i ever saw ,was red enamel and was gas powered ,totally dust free and the glass never fogged !

Sorry ,i was,nt being negative ,i too love the thought of a woodburner ,and have had both small and large and only finished burning a barn full of beech from the 87 gales a few years back ,but her indoors swears we will never have another due to the horendous dust ,get a gas fired aga in the kitchen and leave the door open !
On the other problem ,can you not cut the gas pipe off at the source ?

[Callum B]

The never ending scavenging for firewood!!

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Callum B

The never ending scavenging for firewood!!

Hmmm! We’ve had a log burner for 30 odd years, waaay before they became trendy in urban land. We use oil as our main heating, along with solar & logs as our secondary heat source, we’re not on mains gas. Upto around 5-6 years ago we couldn’t shift for fire wood, local tree surgeons couldn’t get rid of it & we were quite happy to store it on our land. How things have changed. They now fetch upto £80/tonne since every man & their dog took out the gas fire & fitted a log stove. I’ll give it 10 years before they are banned in built up areas due to smoke control problems. There are already rumblings.

[ribber]

Re the gas pipe, probably not best to have a live gas pipe concealed behind anything permanent. It would be better to cap it off from the source, better for peace of mind. I'm sure there are many old redundant metal gas pipes running through loads of older houses, but when it comes to gas safety checks and the meter reads a drop in pressure, suggesting a leak, it's a devil of a job to find it and cure......The gas engineer then tells you he would have to replace all pipework in new, if he was going to put his name to the safety certificate, so as to guarantee his work, certain to remedy leak.



Or if possible, have a proper bayonet gas fitting installed to the side of the finished fire surround so you can have a gas poker. They are great for starting the fire, and being on a bayonet fixing, can be removed when fire is alight.

[Callum B]

Liking your style Pikey Dave!!..... youve gotta be wealthy for the kerosene now, or super fit to fuel the woodburner. My last lot was Elm....i had to mill half of it, with a chain saw, due to the torturous grain.........but at least it should be slow burning.

Im lucky, as my tame tree feller is delighted for me and my woodburning buddies to shift it for him. We only take the hardwoods, and can shift about 2.5 tonnes at a time, with a trailer and a van.

My problem is storing it..... ive only room for about 5 tonnes, so sometimes its not as dry as it should be...maybe 15%, on the damp meter, and that tends to be more smokey...i read somewhere, that burning wet wood is more canceragenic??

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Callum B

Liking your style Pikey Dave!!..... youve gotta be wealthy for the kerosene now, or super fit to fuel the woodburner. My last lot was Elm....i had to mill half of it, with a chain saw, due to the torturous grain.........but at least it should be slow burning.



Im lucky, as my tame tree feller is delighted for me and my woodburning buddies to shift it for him. We only take the hardwoods, and can shift about 2.5 tonnes at a time, with a trailer and a van.



My problem is storing it..... ive only room for about 5 tonnes, so sometimes its not as dry as it should be...maybe 15%, on the damp meter, and that tends to be more smokey...i read somewhere, that burning wet wood is more canceragenic??

Kerosene is now down at 27p/litre, a long time since I saw it so low. I’m going to top up next week.

Elm!!!🤦🤦 in my younger more naive days I was offered a fallen elm by a local farmer, all I had to do was saw it up & lead it away. I won’t fall for that one again [emoji849]