Fitting a Chimney Liner

[Keithj]

... and even more so, the daft woodpigeon sitting on the chimney and sending morse to his intended. Di da dit, di da dit, di da dit all day long. I suppose her name must be R. He's loud and clear in the lounge.

I'm working on the design of an automatic pigeon scarer. At the moment, I just shout "BANG!" up the chimney.

 

[MdB]

I'm waiting for our local woodpecker to work out that our cowl makes a lovely sound resonator...

 

[tobydog]

Aside from the pigeon foreplay that we also get, Jay's have a habit of nesting in them too (as we found out) so we still need to fit a proper cowling on top to keep everything out. The amount of twigs/branches that come out of the trap at cleaining time would make for a great chimney fire!!

 

[Jellyfire]

We've just had ours swept prior to fitting a liner, I don't think it had been done for a while....

 

[MdB]

Aside from the pigeon foreplay that we also get, Jay's have a habit of nesting in them too (as we found out) so we still need to fit a proper cowling on top to keep everything out. The amount of twigs/branches that come out of the trap at cleaining time would make for a great chimney fire!!

It was Jackdaws for us. They kept on investigating our chimney for a nest but would fall in and not be able to get back up out. Fortunately, are maybe a day or so of flapping about, they would work out to go down rather than up and would appear out of our fireplace. A Jackdaw in your living room isn't particularly recommended and it absolutely terrified our two dogs (the wusses) so a proper cowl was a must when we fitted the liner.

 

[AMc]

We have 8 chimneys and a new flue. Of the 8 only 1 is in use and fully cowled - the other 7 have ventilators over the top of the old pots. One used to be the kitchen extractor vent and still has a cooker hood mounted underneath it despite us moving the kitchen elsewhere.

I wandered in there a while back and heard a lot of thumping about. Carefully removed the cooker hood and nearly had my head taken off by a blackbird. I'd already opened the door in anticipation and it made a direct exit, not even slowing as it pooed on the dining table.
I was less than impressed by the massive hornet that buzzed out after the bird. That might have explained the birds extreme agitation. The hornet met with a an abrupt end under the sole of my boot.

 

[Lime]

... and even more so, the daft woodpigeon sitting on the chimney and sending morse to his intended. Di da dit, di da dit, di da dit all day long. I suppose her name must be R. He's loud and clear in the lounge.

I'm working on the design of an automatic pigeon scarer. At the moment, I just shout "BANG!" up the chimney.

When I had this problem I used to fire a starting pistol up my chimney.

 

[worms]

One thing you should be aware of when fitting a chimney liner is that afterwards you'll be able to hear a lot more noise from outside! Dogs barking especially !

Yes, there always seem to be dogs barking down our chimney...but the village is almost silent when you go outside! :? Does that mean they are nesting in my chimney pot?

 

[Flyfisher]

Ghost dogs?

 

[worms]

Ghost dogs?

...or the fire dogs?

 

[MdB]

Ok a quick question for the stove experts....

We have been running the stove for a couple of months now but are still learning things about running it. We used to run it with the vents roughly half open and put in small amounts of wood fairly regularly to keep the fire small. Over the last couple of days we have changed to putting a large amount of wood in but closing the vents almost all the way shut to keep the flames small. This second method seems to chuck out the heat but uses far less wood so I guess is more efficient.

Do other people find the same?

 

[middi]

Yes.

For best results ( especially for an overnight continuous burn), top up up with ( seasoned) hardwood, create maximum updraught for about 5 to 10 minutes by opening bottom air inlet and maximise flue updraught with flue control flap. Following this " fast" burning period reverse positions of inlet air controls , ie- close bottom air inlet and open ( or partially open) flue control flap.

It is a matter of trial and error untill you learn how fast the fuel you currently use to regulate the burning rate of the stove.

Also, ( especially in cold weather) it is false economy in thinking that by keeping " little " ambers in the fire box and adding the odd bit of wood to keep it " smoldering" will save you wood. Well, it does, but not much useful heat is obtained. The most efficient way is to build up a good, hot burning fire, then add the odd one or two logs as required to keep it burning hot. In the mean time adjusting and regulating the inlet and exhaust air will become second nature after a little while.

The kind of logs used for firewood has a MASSIVE variation on heat output and length of burning- Ash or oak ( oak split and seasoned for at least a couple of years ) is the best fuel for heat output and longevity. All other woods are good ( if dry ) to varying degree.

Middi

 

[MdB]

Thanks Middi,

Our current fuel stock is shed, caravan, bits cut from garden and oak floor offcuts. All has been in the dry for at least two years so burns well.

 

[AMc]

Thanks Middi,

Our current fuel stock is shed, caravan, bits cut from garden and oak floor offcuts. All has been in the dry for at least two years so burns well.

Be careful of burning sappy softwood. I did this in our brand new stove - offcuts of new skirting board as kindling - and ended up with a tar streak from the first join in the flue taking off the paint
Lots of sappy softwood will also leave tarry deposits in the liner speeding up corrosion.
I had been burning the remains of our demolished vinery in the old stove but came to the conclusion that £50 worth of "free" firewood might well cost me £100's in getting a new liner and so I stopped.

 

[middi]

One of the biggest problems when evaluating what kind of fuel to burn in a "STOVE" Is that it is ( sometimes) confused with the same principals used when gathering fuel for a " BLAST FURNACE".

Woods to be burned in stoves or log burners should be well seasoned and dry. Some woods will perform better than others.
Green wood ( with the exeption of one or two) should not be burned, it is not efficient with high deposits of unburned " gunge" clogging the flue liners that can lead to chimney fires necessitating frequent cleaning of chimneys istead of the usual annual cleaning normally required.

Resinous woods , such as pine, will burn quite well with a good heat output but will contaminate the flue qwickly, especially so if not well seasoned.

also, some woods should not be burned in open fires or stoves within dwellings, some emit " poisonous" gasses and definetely a no no for preserved woods.

It is always best to identify what is being burned and check on it's calorific value and general performance. ( If not familiar a quick google will give you all the information you need)

Middi

 

[Flyfisher]

Some interesting info about wood and stoves here: http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/main_pages/wood.htm

I've also read that weight-for-weight different woods have about the same calorific value, though the above link contradicts that so I'm now not so sure.

Burning sappy wood is less efficient because a portion of the released energy is used to boil off the water content, resulting in less heat to the room and lower flue temperatures - both bad things.

 

[Zebra]

Though how one finds a decent supply of well seasoned timber is another matter. There are signs with "LOGS" and a mobile number posted up about the place, there are people selling on ebay. I recently paid £60 for a load about the size of the average airing cupboard (I don't mean that I keep the logs in the airing cupboard, although come to think of it there would be benefits) and it burns OK, though I have no idea how well seasoned it is.
Guess it's just a question of trying different suppliers until finding one worth sticking with....