Fitting WoodBurner into Inglenook Fireplace

[Rick Dipper]

I did the dirty deed at the weekend, and ripped an old range out of my inglenook fireplace. The plan is to install a woodburner.

The chimney is causing some confusion in my poor little head.

My idea is to run the stove pipe in to the bottom of the existing (unlined) chimney. As the hole in the bottom of the chimney is over 600mm8600mm, I was going to cover it with a steel plate, cut a circle into the plate for the stove pipe, then seal the whole lot up with some suitable sealant.

Is this is sensible idea, or do I need to line the chimney ? All the UK websites I view talk about lining the chimney. The chimney has been there over 200 years with no lining, so why would I want to line it now ?

Why is stove pipe so expensive, websites in the UK quote the price at 20 (or more) times the cost from US websites ?

Many Thanks Rick

[David W.E. Roberts]

inglenook fireplace. The plan is to install a woodburner.

(unlined) chimney. As the hole in the bottom of the chimney is over

600mm8600mm, I was going

pipe, then seal the whole lot up with some suitable sealant.

websites I view talk about lining the chimney. The chimney has been there over 200

(or more) times the cost from US websites ?

You almost certainly need a liner. Traditional open fires waste a lot of heat up the chimney, but this also keeps the chimney reasonably dry. Modern wood burners are efficient and have a lower temperature up the chimney (if you see what I mean). This means you have to line the chimney to avoid damp penetrating the chimney and making your walls all grotty.

We priced this up and decided that a log burner (iron box on its side) was a more cost effective choice. This doesn't need a liner for a sound chimney, as the flue gasses are much hotter than a wood burner.

HTH Dave R

[Owain]

"Rick Dipper" wrote | I did the dirty deed at the weekend, and ripped an old range out | of my inglenook fireplace. The plan is to install a woodburner. | The chimney is causing some confusion in my poor little head. | My idea is to run the stove pipe in to the bottom of the existing | (unlined) chimney. As the hole in the bottom of the chimney is | over 600mm8600mm, I was going to cover it with a steel plate, | cut a circle into the plate for the stove pipe, then seal the | whole lot up with some suitable sealant. | Is this is sensible idea, or do I need to line the chimney ?

It sounds a rather unsensible plan. AIUI it will produce a flat surface at the bottom of the chimney upon which soot will accumulate, increasing the risk of a chimney fire. (It will also stop Santa Claus coming down the chimney at christmas time.)

Owain

[jerrybuilt]

600x600?

How is the bottom of the chimney constructed, "stepped" brickwork, or what? How long/straight is the chimney above where you'd put the closure plate?

There is an efficiency advantage in fitting a liner. If you need to, you may be able to D-I-Y with clay sections, but details of the bottom of the chimney as above are important.

If you fit a closure plate, which is normal practice, you should also cut a hole for access, e.g. sweeping. It's a good idea to flaunch in above the closure plate (via the access hole) with

1:1:6 to prevent moisture/gunge seeping past the closure plate. The access cover can be bolted to the closure plate with galvanised bolts, and sealed with a silicone rubber gasket. Use gutter bolts or similar, lock the bolt to the closure plate with a nut, put the access cover on, and use another nut on each bolt to secure, this ASCII art will probably be munged, but a little edit will fix, sorry I cant use FW font from here:

----------------- loose cover over access hole === | | === bolt ----------------#----- ------#---------- closure plate =#= =#= lock nut ---#------------------------#----- access cover =#= =#= nut holding access cover

Might not be the same stuff. Good old-fashioned stuff is cast iron, enamelled - cheap is spot-welded sheet metal in the form of a tube, enamelled. You can get stainless, which I don't like.

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