Buying a woodburning stove is not usually an impulse buy. You need to have a reasonable idea of where it could go and what is needed to keep it working efficiently. We’ll cover maintenance in a future blog post but this blog post will focus on the initial steps in considering buying a woodburning stove.   As a heat source for your home it’s a cozy and efficient way of heating a house. It also does not necessarily need much extra work for maintenance but there are some jobs that need doing regularly.  

Installing a woodburning stove – you need a HETAS qualified installer

  You may already have heard of the governing body for Gas Engineers, Gas Safe. The equivalent governing body for solid fuel installers is HETAS – Heating Equipment Testing and Approvals Scheme.   So that means that if your stove is installed by a non-HETAS registered installer then it still has to be signed off by a HETAS registered installer.   In fact all solid fuel installations, including wood burning stoves, must be signed off by a HETAS (or equivalent competent persons scheme) registered installer.   As we at Complete Stoves are HETAS registered installers we are able to ‘self-certify’ and notify your local authority that the works have been completed in a safe and compliant manner without the need for them to inspect.    

First stages in preparing and installing a woodburning stove

Firstly can you use an existing chimney breast?   If you can then it will need to be swept and lined for a solid fuel stove. This helps burn fuel efficiently helping cut running costs but it also protecting against Carbon Monoxide which can harm or even kill if allowed to build-up due to inefficient burning and removal of flue gases.   Here’s an installation where we used an existing chimney breast.   Here’s the final installation of the woodburning stove having rebuilt the chimney: See this link for more information about the dangers of carbon monoxide – https://www.woodburningstoves.com/blog/wood-burning-stoves-and-risk-carbon-monoxide-poisoning   If you haven’t got a suitable chimney breast then a twin wall chimney can be installed and routed either internally to hide it or turned into a feature.   See the ACR Neo 1P for a woodburning stove that can stand alone. https://www.completestoves.co.uk/shop/brands/acr-stoves/acr-neo-1p-multifuel-woodburning-stove-free-gifts-stove-copy/

Checking if you live in a smoke control area?

  Under the Clean Air Act local authorities may declare the whole or part of their district to be a smoke control area. If you live in a smoke control area you cannot burn wood unless you are using a DEFRA exempt appliance burn an authorised fuel such as these:  

• anthracite
• semi-anthracite
• gas
• low volatile steam coal

  See some of our suitable woodburning stoves here – ACR Larchdale Wood burning Stove or Broseley Snowdon 26 Wood burning Boiler Stove   Most local authorities will publish their smoke control zones:  

• See the smoke control zones for Northampton here:  https://www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200075/pollution/1085/smoke-control-areas
• See the smoke control areas in Rugby here: https://www.rugby.gov.uk/directory/43/smoke_control_area
• See the smoke control areas for Leicester Coity Council here: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-environment/pollution-and-pests/pollution-control/smoke-control-area/

  Wood burning stoves are an increasingly popular way of reducing gas bills and using a locally sourced, renewable fuel.   Well seasoned, locally sourced wood can cost as little as 1p per kilowatt hour (kWh) and many people can source it for free.   Get in touch for that first no-obligation chat about your new woodburning stove and installation by calling 01788 822268 or using  our contact form.