We are trained and registered to install all types of Solid Fuel appliance.  This could be an open fire, a freestanding woodburning or multifuel stove or an inset stove built into the wall.  We can reline existing chimneys or install various different types of internal or external flue systems.  We work closely with local Gas Safe engineers and electricians when old gas fires and tricky electrical sockets need to be removed to make way for your new solid fuel installation.

Not all properties have chimneys.  However, with modern Twin-Wall Insulated Flue systems this is no longer a problem. Twin-Wall Flue is a great way to get the products of combustion from your stove out into the atmosphere. Done well, they can look great, and they can be either routed internally through the building and up through the roof or they can be taken at 45 degrees through your wall and up the side of your building, whichever option suits your home the best.

We supply all major stove brands available in the UK.  We source many of our stoves direct from the manufacturers or use trusted distributors that we have worked with for a long time.  You are very welcome to search the internet for a stove that you like and we will happily install that for you (assuming it conforms to UK standards and is CE Marked) but we recommend letting us know if you have your eye on a specific stove as we can often source them cheaper than other online retailers.

This is a very common question and the honest answer is that all installations are different and therefore there is no single set cost for an installation.  If you are interested in a stove installation please get in touch and we will come to your home and carry out a quick site survey, chat to you about what you are hoping to have installed, get all the required measurements we need and then provide you with a quotation.  We are more than happy to provide you with any stove & flue advice you may need during our visit.

We try to keep our pricing structure very simple when it comes to sweeping your chimney.  All of the pricing can be found on the ‘Professional Chimney Sweeping‘ page.  There are only a few occasions where the standard pricing structure needs to be adjusted and this is when you have a very unusual chimney, if you have multiple chimneys (and then we can apply a discount) or if we get to you and find there there are significant problems with your chimney that need to be addressed (in which case we would discuss and agree this with you prior to adding any additional chargeable work).

All installations are slightly different but in general a full installation will take between 2 – 4 days in total.  There are a few occasions where an installation can either be very quick or can take longer than normal but we will usually be able to identify this during the survey prior to us providing you with a quote.

It is not illegal for you to do this and therefore technically the answer is yes, but if you did choose to do this you would need to contact your local Building Control office to notify them of the work you want to carry out and any work carried out would need to be inspected to ensure that it conforms to all relevant building regulations.  It is important for you to understand that the risks of incorrectly installing a woodburner can be very significant.  HETAS Installers are trained and assessed to make sure that they fully understand all the relevant regulations, can safely conducts all aspects of your installation and usually have the experience of carrying out hundreds of installations and understanding all of the possible pitfalls.  They also register your installation with your local authority throughout the HETAS Competent Person Scheme and are therefore putting their name to the job to confirm that it is safely installed.  Unfortunately, it is far too common for installers and Sweeps to find very poorly installed jobs carried out by either rogue traders or non-competent individuals and also far too common for death or injury to be caused in this way.

Stop fuelling the fire immediately, close any air vents (on a closed appliance), open all windows and doors and evacuate the building ensuring that everyone is out.  If you suspect that the fire has become dangerous, out of control or you suspect a chimney fire, call the Fire Service immediately on 999.

This course of action may seem extreme and unnecessary but even a little bit of smoke coming back into your room indicates that you have a problem.  It may be that your flue has become blocked, that your room does not have adequate ventilation or that there is another issue with your stove.  Even small amounts of smoke spilling back into your room can cause an underlying Carbon Monoxide danger, which can (and does!) lead to serious medical issues or death.  Call out a HETAS engineer or a professional accredited chimney sweep if you have any concerns about your open fire or stove.

The short answer to this is “no” – assuming you burn wood responsibly, obtain it from a sustainable source, understand the best way to use your stove and ideally also choose a stove that is efficient and built to modern DEFRA exempt standards.

 

Unlike coal, gas and oil that are mined from the earth and take millions of years to be produced, wood is a sustainable and renewable source and the best sources of wood for woodburners are from trusted local suppliers who obtain their wood from essential forestry management programs or from other local sustainable sources.  Also unlike the other mineral fuels, wood is in fact a carbon neutral source.  There is a certain amount of carbon absorbed by a tree during its lifetime and this same amount of carbon is released when it is felled and burned.  This cannot be said for the other fuel types and actually woodburning can in fact be carbon negative if the wood is sourced from a program where trees are being planted at a quicker rate than they are being felled.

If you have any further questions about using a solid fuel appliance or want to know more about best practices when using your woodburner, please watch the Burnright Campaign video below and/or feel free to contact us.