FAQs

Do You Have A Question?

We are here to help, our skilled team of experts can answer any question you have about the wood and multi fuel burners we offer. Take a look at the frequently asked questions below, if you cannot find the answer to your question contact us today. 

There are many factors that contribute to figuring out the correct kilowatt output you require your stove to be, such as the number of exterior walls your room has, the age of your house, the size of your windows and if you have double glazing, as well as how insulated your property is. However, there is a quick calculation you can do to give you an approximate idea of the KW output required which is multiplying the number of meters wide your room is, by the number of meters long your room is by the number of meters high your room is, and then dividing that number by 14. For example, if your room is 5m wide, 7m long and 2.5m high (5x7x2.5=87.5) then you would require a stove around 6.25KW (87.5’/,14=6.25).

Correct sizing is important as it leads to greater efficiency and more effective heating. We would always encourage this to be calculated and advised upon by a registered installer, who will be able to carry out all the required calculations for you as your technical competent engineer.

There is a regulation that stipulates that the installer must satisfy themselves that the chimney is free from defects and suitable for its intended use, and the best way to do this is to line the chimney.

Liners improve the draw, efficiency, performance, and controllability of your stove, it protects your chimney breast from tar damage, and is the much safer option all round, so there really isn’t a downside to having your chimney lined.

Some of the reasons you may have to have your chimney lined-

  • Your chimney is leaking hazardous gases into the house.
  • Your chimney size is not compatible with the stove manufactures specifications and needs to be reduced.
  • Your existing liner may be damaged, incorrectly fitted or not sealed.
  • You have a ‘cold’ chimney

No. There are no proposals or legislations that suggest or support that stove are going to be banned.

You should always burn nice dry well seasoned, preferably kiln dried wood. The moisture content of the wood should be 20% maximum. Hardwood (ash, beech, birch, oak etc) is better to burn than softwood (fir, pine etc) due to its higher density, it burns for much longer and you will use half the amount compared to softwood to produce the same amount of heat.

Liners improve the draw, efficiency, performance, and controllability of your stove, it protects your chimney breast from tar damage, and is the much safer option all round, so there really isn’t a downside to having your chimney lined.

It is perfectly fine for you to install your own stove; however, it is a legal requirement that the stove installation is signed off by a HETAS installer. A HETAS installer will not sign off your installation if it doesn’t comply with the relevant building regulations in document J. We will always recommend having your stove installed by a professional as they will be familiar with all the correct practises and regulations. if you do give it a go yourself and it doesn’t comply it could end up costing you more in the long run.

HETAS (Heating Equipment Testing and Approvals Scheme) is the only specialist organisation approving biomass and solid fuel heating appliances, fuels, and services. This also includes the registration of competent installers and servicing businesses.

Yes. If you don’t have a chimney then there is the possibility of having a Twin Wall system, which can either go up through your property and terminate out of the roof, or it can go through your wall and up the side of your house.

Twin wall is a factory-made stainless steel insulated flue system that is particularly used in properties built without a masonry chimney or where an appliance is to be installed where there is no easy access to an existing system.

A radiant appliance radiates its heat in straight lines from the firebox, the heat reduces as the distance increases, meaning you will mainly feel the benefit of the heat when you are stood closer to the appliance. A convention appliance’s heat works differently as it draws cool air in at the bottom of the appliance heats it as it travels through the stove and is then pushed out at the top, the heated convected air then travels around the room heating the whole room.

Open fires consume a large quantity of fuel in comparison to their heat output making them extremely inefficient (around 20%), whereas stoves use around 4 times less fuel and are about 80% efficient. Most of the heat open fires put out goes up the chimney rather than radiating into the room like the heat from a stove would, consequently making them more of a feature than a heating source, unlike a stove which would be both. Stoves are less messy and much safer as the fire is enclosed preventing the dangerous embers from sparking onto your carpet. Eco design stoves produce 80% less particulate matter into the air than open fires meaning they are also better for our environment.

We recommend having your stove serviced annually at the end of the heating season when you have your chimney swept. A chimney sweep or a HETAS engineer would usually do this for you, but you can undertake the service yourself. You should remove all the innards from the stove, give it all a good clean and replace any parts that might be damaged (i.e., fire rope may need replacing, your firebricks may be cracked etc). Spare parts are easy to get hold of, either through your chimney sweep, online or through your supplier.

It is advised that you get your chimney swept at least once a year depending on how often you use your appliance. Regular sweeping removes all the tar, creosote, birds’ nests, and any other blockages which is essential to prevent chimney fires and to allow the harmful gasses to pass through safely. You should use a HETAS registered chimney sweep who will also certify your chimney as safe which most home insurances will require.

Each install is different so it is hard to specify how much it will cost as it completely depends on how much work needs to be undertaken, and the amount of parts required, however the average liner installation is usually just under £1000 or around that price, and the average Twin wall installation usually comes in around £1800, both averages do not include the cost of the stove, just the labour and parts to install it. Before giving you a quote, we would need to come and visit the property and complete a site survey, discuss your options and requirements, and then process a cost from there.

Defra (Department of environment fisheries and rural affairs) is UK government department that are responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, if a stove is DEFRA approved it means it has been tested and complies with the departments criteria for emission levels and the amount of smoke produced.

There needs to be a minimum off 225mm in front of the stove (300mm is preferred) and 150mm either side of the stove. Regulations state that a hearth needs to be a minimum of 840mm x 840mm unless the manufacture has specified it can be smaller.

Unfortunately, it’s not a single measurement for all stoves. The distance to combustibles varies for each stove, you can find the required distances in the stove specifications, either in the brochure, or online.

Contact Johnson's Builders Merchant and Stove Store

Contact Johnson’s Builders Merchant and Stove Store in Buckfastleigh, our team is here to help and find you the best stove to meet your requirements. Either call us on 01364 388 088 or click below for all the ways to contact us or simply complete our online survey to book your home survey.

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