Log burner

[sofaandchoc]

DH and I are wanting a log burner and we love the look of them and I've heard they make good heating.

We live in end of terrace and the "chimney" is attached to our neighbour wall. It's currently closed off (like, no fireplace just a wall sticking out where the fireplace would be. There's 2 of these in our front room) so I'm assuming this would need knocking in.

Do we need planning permission for this? Do we need our neighbours consent? My friend has one and she lives in a mid terrace so I'm assuming our place will be suitable (been meaning to ask her about this but keep forgetting and MN is so convenient while it's on my mind)

Can we keep our carpet? (with a fire surround thing - can you tell I know what I'm talking about) with an 18m old DC we would need something to block them away from the fire but realistically we would probably only use it when they are in bed and at a weekend.

What do u do if the logs aren't burned by the time you want to go to bed? Surely you can't just leave them to burn out.

Any (a lot) of guidance will be most helpful

Yes yes OP log burners!! I'm in the process of getting one too. My house is also an old end of terrace with a chimney shared by the house next door. The old fireplace is blocked up like yours. The man is coming later this month to fit it, first stage being knocking out the wall to open up the space where the fireplace used to be.

You don't need planning permission but you do need to inform the neighbour who shares the chimney. And keep your fingers crossed the chimney is in good condition. There are lots of regulations about the hearth that the log burner must be placed on - stone or slate or granite of a certain height, width and depth.

You need a professional to fit the log burner because of the danger of carbon monoxide fumes.

As far as I understand it you control the stove by the air you let in so you could make sure the wood is all burnt and the fire died right down before you go to bed

Must just add that all 3 guys who came round to do my quote recommended the same stove - a Firefox 5 - less than 500 quid with a 5 Year guarantee.

Good luck! It feels so good to know you're going to be so warm ... and it's so cheap to run .. and they're carbon neutral if you get your wood locally.

Do be aware that unless your chimney is already lined for a stove, it'll probably need lining - which can cost £400+. So get a quote from a fitter before committing to buying a stove!

Agree. You need to get a reputable person to check everything first. You need to also check that the chimney is in good condition.

I have a Charnwood. It is very efficient, easy to light and comes in different models and sizes. Mine is the Country 16. It is our central heating. It heats our water and runs seven radiators. We keep it on all the time in winter so no you don’t have to make sure it is out before you go to bed. In fact with us it is the opposite we bank it up put more logs and fuel on so it is still on in the morning to catch it and keep it going. We had a fire guard when the children were small. Our stove sits in an ingle nook which I painstakingly unblocked by hand large pieces of stone. It is quite wide so we bought two second hand fire guards, Mothercare I think, and put them together with some ties and it was fixed to the wall with hooks onto two eyelets. We need to be able to remove it each day.

The other thing you need to check is the area that you area in. There are regulations now and your stove has to meet standards. Defra approved and you need to check what fuel you are allowed to burn. If you are in a city the regulations are different to country residences. Do lots of research first and buy the best stove you can afford. Don’t be persuaded to buy second hand or a very cheap one. You get what you pay for and if you want it to last get a good one.

Yes, you can keep your carpet but a rug over it when the fire is on is a good idea as sometimes it spits and small bits go on the carpet. The regulations about the hearth might mean you need to cut it back though.
They are a bit of work but rewarding. My son lives in a terrace house and has successfully unblocked two fireplaces. You’ll need a wood store and somewhere to keep fuel if you go for a multi fuel stove. We burn seasoned wood ( needs to be about 18 months old) and a mixture of semi anthracite and welsh eggs which is a phurnicite. One catches well and the other slow burns so it stays in at night/ when I go to work. Then you need some where to store the ash outside. We have a metal bin. When the ash is quite cold you can put small amounts in the wheely bin. Get you chimney swept regularly. The firemen do ours.

So lots of research for you to do then view lots of stoves, ask questions and some shops will fit it for you. Are you north or south?

We have a Clearview which works as there is always a view of the flames.

You don't need planning but make sure you get a hetas registered fitter. They will do it in line with all regulations, ensure you've the right stove, notify building regs, and also hetas then insure you in case anything goes wrong with the fitting.

On top of this yes you'll need a hearth, otherwise you'll burn your carpet. For lining and a small stove etc, costs will likely be in the region of 2k plus. Ours is a large stove, and a three storey building, but was approx 4K. They are not cheap

Re the burning down - obviously you wouldn't re-fuel it just before you went to bed, but you just shut the dampers and it quietly burns until it goes out. We often pop out to the pub and leave one log burning, and then chivvy up the embers when we get back to get it going again.
It is quite likely you chimney will need lining. Stove fitting has to conform to building regs so it makes sense to get a HETAS registered company to do the work. We had ours fitted in 2015 and it cost about 3.5k. That though was with a brand new chimney/stovepipe put through an external wall and up to above roof height; it's a freestanding stove.
As you have children it would be sensible to get a proper fireguard which acts like a cage round the stove. Not the most attractive thing, but children grow up and you will eventually dispense with it. The outside of the stove gets extremely hot and stays hot for ages.
You will need to get the chimney swept annually at least, and the sweep will give you a certificate. You will need this just in case you ever have a chimney fire to prove (to your insurance company) that you have maintained the chimney properly.

No planning permission required but you do need to either inform Building Control or use someone HETAS registered (they can self certify so no BC inspection needed) but anyone can install one with a one off inspection from BC.

Most HETAS will tell you you need to have a flue liner fitted regardless but it isn't always true.

A reliable, experienced chimney sweep is best placed to assess flue condition and advise on whether a liner is required.

A local builder/handyman will likely be much cheaper to do the prep work, open fireplace, build hearth etc. or the complete job if you decide.

Check with your local council the cost of a one off fireplace inspection and compare that to the extra you will be charged by HETAS

If you are doing work to a shared chimney you will need a party wall agreement. Love out log burner, we get it swept annually (£80), use kiln dried logs and coffee logs, if you shut all the vents it will burn down at the end of the night. You would probably need a hard standing at the base of the chimney to stand it on. Check you aren't in a zone that forbids fires.

I’ve just had a quote and we need planning permission where we live. So ask about this when you get quotes.

Get several people round.

Ours said the floor might not take the weight of a stone fire surround so I’m looking at tiles back and sides so it looks similar.

Take into account plastering and redecoration, carpet depends on width but you should be ok. It must be swept at least once a year.

I can’t wait!

HETAS registered installers provide a certificate of installation which confirms they have installed it to comply with the HETAS requirements. Our sweep comes every year in June to sweep the chimney and also provides a certificate for our insurers so if there was a fire they would know it wasn’t a maintenance issue. You will also need to have a carbon monoxide alarm installed. Get a HETAS registered fitter who will tell you exactly what is needed. We love ours - we burn a mix of well seasoned logs and stove nuts and keep it in overnight through parts of the winter.

Yes to what everyone else said. You need a HETAS qualified person and he (are there any female ones?) will advise about the exact size of the hearth.

Have you costed it up? It’s surprisingly expensive with a chimney liner, the fitting, the stove itself. In the thousands.

Check here whether you are in a smoke control area: here - our fitter had to put a limiter thing on the stove controls, altho the stove still seems to work perfectly fine.

Re disposal of ash as a PP has said - we just run the stove from time to time, never overnight, so don’t create loads of ash.

Do you have somewhere to store the logs? We get half a tonne delivered and store it all along a wall of the garage. Much much cheaper than buying small bags at a time.

Re overnight: you get used to predicting when to stop putting logs on before bedtime, and it’s then dying embers by the time we go to bed. But still quite warm.

Re your toddler: just get a fire guard (or use in the evenings as you’ve said).

Stoves are lovely - good luck sorting it!

Our logs are stored in a shed the size of a small garden shed with slatted side so the air circulates. All logs are at least a year old. A neighbour has probs with chimney blocked with hard clinker deposits so need chimney swept , I blame it on buying in logs. We've never swept our chimney in 10 years. Only use logs. So if you do store in garage raise up on palettes and also palettes behind.
We have just ordered a ecosy Ottawa 5 as recommended by our installer (made in China)

We are installing a second stove btw

You don't need planning but you will need it to be signed off by HETAS IF you want to sell the house in the next 7 years.
We never bothered getting ours signed off FIL is a builder and trained to fit them etc including smoke tests and lining but no longer hetas registered. No plans to sell house.
You should have a permanent carbon monoxide detector Though wired into your mains and an air vent in the room you're having it.

You should get your chimney swept every year. It is a big cause of house fires. We get the firemen to do it as you get free advice and we were given a new fire alarm.