I'm sick of my house stinking of soot :o(

[Tom]

So, do you need to have the chimney swept in the same way you would for an ordinary fireplace?

I'm not sure which post this was referring to but if it was mine, yes, I have the flue swept every year before use to clear the soot and any 'gifts' the birds have left me :roll:

 

[Flyfisher]

Hmm....just a thought....

If I drilled through the back of the stack to the outside and had some sort of contraption to stop rats getting in/warmth getting out etc., would that mean I could have a warm face AND back, as the air needed would be drawn from behind the stove?

I'm not sure of the precise details but I know that stoves over a certain size (based on Btus I believe) require a suitably sized airbrick, or equivalent, in the same room to ensure adequate air supply for the fire.

I presume all the numbers relate to latest building regs, but modern houses have to achieve a certain level of air-tightedness (is that a word?) so the maximum whole-house ventilation figure would place an upper limit on the size of fire that could be safely burned without risk of CO being released. Thus, above this limit, a separate 'air-brick' is required in the room containing the fire.

I'm also fairly sure I've seen stoves that draw their air-supply directly from the outside (a bit like the Baxi fire) but can't remember where. Again, this is probably due to their size and the BC requirements for adequate ventilation for them.

Edit: had a quick look around and found this useful page: http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove-ventilation.html
I also learned that the regulations were updated as recently as last month!

 

[Tom]

That's interesting stuff, FF. Mind you, I wasn't envisaging drilling a 5" hole :shock: Also, it says the vent kit can't be used where it might get hot, so that would mean I couldn't put it in the fireplace as the whole of our fireplace gets hot :roll: I don't know the btu rating of our stove, either. The only spec I can find for it is that it's 18kw but I'm not sure how that figure has been arrived at ( http://www.woodburningstoveslimited.com/index.php?action=cms.details&itemid=75 )

 

[JohnB]

The only spec I can find for it is that it's 18kw

From memory I think it's something like 5kw that doesn't need a vent, so you'll need one for that size.

 

[Flyfisher]

Also, it says the vent kit can't be used where it might get hot, so that would mean I couldn't put it in the fireplace as the whole of our fireplace gets hot

Trouble is, 'hot' is not a very useful description in this context. One of those ventilation kits is aluminium, so I can't see it being damaged by becoming 'hot'. Perhaps they're concerned that it might become hot enough to inflict a nasty burn, but how 'hot' does the stove itself get?

All I know is that any fire needs an adequate air supply to be safe and that it's sensible to supply that air from the outside and deliver it as close to the fire as practically possible to minimise drafts and loss of heat. Each installation may be different, but they are the basic principles.

And don't forget that building regs now apply to such installations, unless done by a HEATAS-registered installer that can provide the necessary compliance certificate.

 

[Tom]

Yes, what you say about the 'hot' issue makes sense.

Our installation was done by a HEATAS registered installer about 15 months ago but we won't get the certificate until the chimney is rebuilt and the installation is complete. They didn't say anything about a seperate air supply, though. However, having 'lived' with it and seeing what happens (downdraughts, draughts down the stairs etc.) I think we do need to consider a different supply of air.