The chimney
Before installing your new wood burning stove or fireplace insert, you need to check up on your chimney. The chimney is the engine of the wood burning stove and the chimney is crucial for achieving success with your wood burning stove. You need to ensure the following:
1. The chimney mustn’t be used for other purposes
- It’s not unusual that a chimney is connected to water pipes, drainpipes and leads. Some house owners even have the cooker hood attached to the chimney, and others might have the vent from the boiler going through the chimney.
- If the chimney is used for any of these purposes, the installation of a chimney can be both dangerous and illegal.
2. The chimney can’t be capped off
- If the chimney for some reason isn’t used, it can be capped off, meaning that the chimney won’t function. If you install a chimney, you need to make sure that your old chimney functions and that it hasn’t been capped off.
3. The chimney should be well-kept
- The chimney’s interior and exterior should be well-insulated and in good repair. A chimney which is connected to a wood burning stove should be cleaned once a year – no matter if you use your wood burning stove or not.
4. The chimney must be in good condition
- Both the outer and inner sides of the chimney must be well insulated and in good condition. A chimney with a connected stove must be cleaned once a year, regardless of whether you use your stove or not.
Distance to inflammable material
It’s important that your wood burning stove can be installed where you want it. You should pay particular attention to the size of the wood burning stove and the required distance to inflammable material.
If your wood burning stove is right next to a brick wall, there are no required minimum distances. However, you should keep in mind that it’s easier to clean and exploit the convection air if you place the stove 5–10 centimetres from the wall.
There are only requirements when the stove is placed near inflammable material. You should talk to the supplier, your local authorities or your chimney sweep if you’re unsure of the requirements.
The wood burning stove should only be used when it has been approved by a chimney sweep.
REMEMBER:
If you place the wood burning stove on inflammable material, for example wooden floor or carpet, you’ll need a non-inflammable pad. The size of the pad depends on the size of the wood burning stove, but as a minimum it should cover 30 centimetres in front of the stove and 15 centimetres on the sides.
TIP:
Use a small and transparent silicon joint between glass pad and floor. This way you can avoid dirt getting under the pad.
