How much to install stove by HETAS?

[DanH]

Prior to moving into our house, the fireplace that housed a woodburner was bricked up.

Having exposed it, the chimney has a 6" diameter concrete liner which I know was installed about 5 years ago. It looks in good order and if I find a HETAS engineer that is happy to sanction the flue after testing, and I appreciate that not everyone will, what should I be looking to pay if all he has to do is connect the stove, uncap the chimney and stick a chimney cowl on?

I'm trying to work out whether, because it looks building regs compliant, to get a builder who is conversant with the regs in to finish the job at a cheaper rate and then get the cert from building control or will a HETAS engineer be cheaper?

Thanks

Dan

 

[big-all]

no way off telling really
get a hetas registered engineer to quote then take it from there

 

[Nige F]

Having recent experience with a builder ( who I`ve known since 1968 ) on a job where he had to get a hetas bod in ( who I didn`t know from Adam ) We left feeling that we ( builder and plumber ) should have done the install to regs and then got council to check . Hetas = money making

 

[DanH]

Thanks for the input.

I have just been quoted £750 plus VAT by a HETAS engineer to test the flue, connect the stove to the flue and issue a certificate, and that's if someone else installs the cowl. When I queried the price I was told that they don't simply sign off work anymore but I can't help thinking that that's pretty much what he'd be doing for the £750 plus VAT.

I'll get a couple more quotes but I'm wondering if the HETAS quote keeps coming out at this sort of price, do I simply get the building control out to tell me exactly what I need to do to make it compliant and then get a builder with this sort of experience to fit it?

Thanks

Dan

 

[Mike2007]

Unless it is a boiler stove that is megga expensive!! I would charge you 1 day plus materials, which might come to 370 quidish ??

Guess you are not near Cumbria?

 

[onecog]

for £800 you can do the full course yourself and start making a few £££s as well as signing your own install.
I enquired 2 years ago and that is what i was quoted for a 3 day course in Cheltenham.

 

[DanH]

Thanks Mike, no, Devon/Cornwall way unfortunately. I'm trying to find someone like you!

I've put the feelers out with a couple more HETAS installers. I've had a provisional quote of £500 + VAT from one one of them but that still doesn't convince me to not get it done myself, maybe I'm expecting too much!

If I don't get a decent quote then I have a couple of builder mates who could possibly help me install it myself. The regs don't look too difficult to follow, the only thing I need to acquaint myself with is the fixing of the 5" stove pipe to the 6" flue. The fireplace has a shallow taper at the top to the flue and won't easily accomodate a register plate as it is -what are the typical alternatives as I'm assuming you can't simply have the stove pipe going up to the wider flue via an adapter?

Also, if I get building authority out what do they actually check or test to get it signed off?

Thanks again

Dan

 

[Corgigrouch]

I'd probably charge the same as Mike 2007....

 

[dcawkwell]

you could just put it in and say nothing.

Nobody will care.

 

[big-all]

you could just put it in and say nothing.
Nobody will care.

until someone complains about the smoke

 

[onecog]

"until someone complains about the smoke"

People don't tend to complain in rural areas as there are still a lot of places without gas and lots of people still burn solid fuel/wood as i do.
I put my last woodburner in and sold the property with no questions asked and i have just put a 24kw one in this property and when i come to sell it i won't have a problem....put it in yourself.

 

[DanH]

Yes, we are quite rural amidst woodburning neighbours. I'm waiting on one more quote before I give up and stick it in myself following the regs.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Dan

 

[DanH]

Hello again,

Well after a couple more quotes of £500 + VAT I've decided to install it myself and get the LA in later. I have been through the regs and they appear reasonably straightforward but I do have a couple of questions:

1. Because my opening isn't particularly deep it means the stove, whatever size, will be half in and half out. This has created what I think may be a problem. When the stove installation manual talks about a distance of 5-600 mm to combustible materials this means that the wooden skirting board up to the opening is well within this distance from the protruding part of the stove. I can probably get round this with a non combustible fire surround that will make up the depth that the stove protrudes -is this typically what people do with this sort of situation?

I find it a bit funny that some of these brochures for these stoves show pictures of combustible material e.g. wooden surrounds well within this distance!

2. The wall that surrounds the opening is 2 inch render with pink straight on top of it. Is that classed as "non combustible"? And is plaster, not plasterboard, classed as combustible? I've seen a couple of websites that talk about these distances to combustible materials and seem to use either plaster or plasterboard so it's a bit unclear.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[Corgigrouch]

Plaster board, even the pink fire rated is NOT suitable.... The paper on it burns and the gypsum will fall apart with the heat..... Plaster is deemed "Non combustable" but will fall off the wall very quickly with the heat... You need to use either cement board or heat proof plaster.

 

[DanH]

H again,

I am collecting everything I need for the install.

I am now only looking for advice regarding the need for a register plate. Basically, my concrete flue comes quite far down into the fireplace, into an irregular shaped and shallow taper. A register plate will not fit unless I do some major masonry work to create space for it. I've had conflicting advice regarding the need for a register plate versus mating it up to the flue with an adapter and an airtight seal using glass rope and fire cement.

I can't find anything in the building regs pertaining to the need for a register plate, only that connections be airtight. Does anyone have experience of these adapters that these stove/flue shops sell or been in a similar situation and used one? Was it ok for the LABC? I'm looking at these types:

http://www.gr8fires.co.uk/5-inch-flue-adaptor-287.html

or

http://www.stoveandchimneydirect.co.uk/flue-adapters?product_id=85

or

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MR-Adapto...gid-Flexible-Flue-Liner-Adaptor-/321041362772


FYI, I,m planning on tee-ing out the rear of the stove then a vertical stove pipe to the flue. The tee would have a cap for sweep access.

Thanks once again, Dan.