Wood burner in existing fireplace - how much roughly?

[AyeAyeFishyPie]

As above really - has anyone done this? I'm in the SE and its a very small one if that makes a difference...

Sitting in front of ours now. Crucial thing is state of chimney. If that's OK, under a grand if you arent too fussy about stove type.

Installer must be hetas.

Stainless chimney liner probably £300-500 - I think you can get single skimmed but I don't think you'll find anyone happy to fit one.

If you can measure your chimney length a HETAS engineer should be able to give ball park for the chimney work. You may need to replace plasterboard with fire resistant plasterboard, plus install a hearth to meet all regulations but neither need to cost a lot.

We’ve been quoted £1700 for fitting by two fitters and that included chimney lining. We have chosen a wood burner that is around a grand and then there is the tarting up of the fireplace recess. We reckon it’ll be best part of £3k

I would say to budget £2k. Do NOT buy a cheap woodburner. The chances are they may be outlawed soon, and they're shit at heating and bad for pollution. Get a proper, cleanburning stove made by a decent company, and budget for the chimney to need lining because in most cases it does.

£2k for chimney work - we also had the hole made larger and a wooden mantle put in. Then £1k for a decent woodburner.

Usually about 1,000 to 1500. I have 2 and am about to have the 2nd one removed and a gas woodburner put in as I rarely use the dining room and if I do can't be bothered to set a proper fire in there.

The expensive part is the chimney relining and associated works . As others have said, don’t skimp on the stove , a few hundred pounds to get a better one wont that much difference to your overall cost. But it will to your enjoyment .

If you don’t use a qualified installer you may invalidate your house insurance.

A decent stove: 1k upwards
Flue liner kit: £400
Fitting: £400
And don't forget a CO2 alarm: £25

Oh and of course the cost of wood!

We're in Surrey. It cost £2-3k, iirc. That was to line the existing chimney, widen fireplace to its original aperture (and plaster it), and to buy and install multi-fuel stove. Well worth the money - we love it. Cut down our heating bills hugely, too.

We have just bought a new one (a Charnwood one), it was just under £2k.

Our chimney is already lined and there is a register plate fitted as we already have a woodburner.

Don't forget the added cost of installation by a HETAS registered installer or alternatively, a sign off by Building Control.

Generally it is recommended that chimneys are lined but t's not mandatory.

You can have the chimney tested with a smoke test to check it is sound. There are other requirements regarding the diameter, draw and position that it will need to satisfy.

Installers prefer to fit liners because it makes it easier to comply with the regulations.

We had ours lined as the installation company said if was recommended for fire/property safety. Wood burners get a lot hotter than an open fire as it is concentrated heat. If they recommend it, it’s to stop your house burning down. So probably a good thing to consider.

We had a fitter come the other day to give me a quote to fit a 5kw Charnwood and line the chimney.
Im in Cambridgeshire. I’ll post the quote as soon as I’ve been emailed it.

I’ve been recommended a Charnwood, they have a 10 year warranty and the stove shop owner who sells a few brands said he never has any issues with Charnwood and would fit it in his own home.

I’m getting this one. It’s dark blue and called C-5

I think many chimneys do end up needing a lining. You might be lucky and have one that doesn't, though - you can get a chimney sweep out to have a look if you want an independent opinion. They will do a test with a smoke pellet to see whether you need it. It's usually pretty obvious (from sight/smell) whether there are leaks, or whether it's drawing correctly.

Fires are not something you want to take a risk with, for obvious reasons - I think the work comes under building control, so you need a certificate to say it's been done properly by a registered installer, or you need to get a DIY installation checked!

The other thing to bear in mind is that in some cases chimney linings can help with the performance of the stove.

We were quoted 2 grand

I honestly don't know zzz, it would take someone with more expertise than I have at building to answer that, like @PigletJohn. I always assumed that the pointing goes in chimneys, much as it does everywhere else, leading to leaks over time. But that is a guess. What I can tell you is that when they did the smoke pellet test, my study, which is directly above the downstairs fireplace, reeked of smoke!

I think there is a difference between liners for gas and for multi-fuel as well, but more than that I couldn't tell you.

We are in SE London and ours was £2.6K including the stove (£1.2K) and chimney sweep.

I think most end up being lined but I’m really dubious as to if it’s entirely necessary. Chimneys are built to draw smoke so why quite so many of them should leak and/or not draw I really don’t understand. I think it’s one of those ways of beefing up the job

Most chimneys, especially on older houses ( pre 1970) DO need lined to be used with a wood burner. It’s not just because of weathering, the construction, the thickness of the brick and type of mortar . It’s because of the temperature of the gases from a stove (cool) compared to an open fire (hot) .

Good explanation here

www.woodburners.com/faqs/wood-burning-stoves-why-chimneys-need-lining.html

Its NOT just that it will leak or not draw. The main risk is a fire due to condensates being deposited inside the chimney. If you have a house fire for this reason, your insurance may not pay up. If you read the small print you will probably find that this is a requirement.

Please don’t risk it.

Get a qualified fitter and do the job right.