DOES MY CHIMNEY HAVE TO BE RE-LINED?
The honest answer is 'Not Necessarily'. Building Regulation Approved Document J Section 1.36-1.39 specifies the tests to be carried out to check whether relining is needed. NACS chimney sweeps are competent to check chimneys so before buying from Sussex Woodstoves:

HOW DO I GET THE CHIMNEY CHECKED?
1- Get a Chimney specialist from Yellow Pages to clean, measure, smoke-test and certify your chimney in writing for use with Solid-Fuel, either with or without a chimney liner.
2- Measure Height, Width & Depth of the fireplace and the overall hearth dimensions, to ensure that Building Regulations can be met.
3 -Measure your room dimensions so that a stove of the correct size can be suggested, so that you are neither under nor over-heated.

Also, make a note of the construction materials, the dimensions of the room and fireplace, and the height of the fireplace opening from the hearth. This will help when you come to see the stoves at the showroom, and it will help to accurately estimate the likely parts and installation costs involved to ensure your proper enjoyment of the stove, and your safety.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE? CALL ME!
Fires are dangerous and combustion fumes can kill. Annual services are important. Gas appliances need annual inspection and by law this will apply to stoves from 2005. Protect your family now! Have the chimney properly swept and tested annually for smokeless fuels and twice a year for wood and bituminous coal burning. Think 'Safety First', always!

MONTHLY MAINTENANCE? DIY!
Clear any debris above the baffle or boiler. Check flue damper for debris. Ensure air vents are uncovered. Sweep the flue pipe into the chimney, Use 'Flue-free' monthly and burn the stove fast for an hour every day to reduce tar deposits. Check door and glass seals and re-fix using 'Heatbond'. Test your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms regularly and never remove the batteries.

SMOKEY FIREPLACES?
Flue minimum cross sectional areas should not be less than 1/6th of the fire frontal area. Most open-fire problems are solved by stoves which demand less air, but bad chimneys need extra attention. Down-draughts may be cured by 'H' cowls or chimney fans. Please make sure that your chimney has not been capped! Thorough clean and a safety inspection are vital. Fumes present health risks and smoke may contain carbon monoxide.

CARBON MONOXIDE?
Carbon Monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas, produced during the incomplete combustion of carbon based fuels such as wood, coal, gas and oil. It is harmful if inhaled and may result in death if present in sufficient quantities or if a person is exposed for a sufficient length of time or over a protracted period. For safety, you should fit one of our BS 7860:1996 / BS EN 50291 approved UK-made detectors which we sell more cheaply than in the shops - we want you to live long, prosper and come back for another stove!

Flu-like symptoms may first occur - signs of low-level poisoning are headaches, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath. The skin may turn pink or red. Anyone suffering these symptoms should check with other family members as all may be suffering form carbon monoxide poisoning and should see their doctor.

Problems may occur through poor installation, ventilation and maintenance of gas, oil and solid fuel appliances and the use of flue-less heaters in sealed rooms without adequate air-supplies. Seepage of fumes through walls and chimneys of neighbouring properties is another possible cause.

Test your alarm regularly - and replace it when the warning no longer sounds. Too many people are harmed each by ignorance of this risk to life and limb. The chances of problems are statistically low, but practice vacating your home day and night - and include the whole family. The alarms are designed to look after you for up to 5 years and then to be replaced or traded-in for a new one. If the alarm sounds, remember - quickly turn off gas and oil appliances, leave solid fuel appliances to burn through, IMMEDIATELY VENTILATE, VACATE, then PROFESSIONALLY INVESTIGATE the cause of the alarm.

WILL I SAVE MONEY WITH A STOVE?
Yes. Cheaper fuel supplements existing heating or heats your whole home. Our water-jackets can inter-connect them with other systems by using Dunsley tanks. Keep immersion heaters for convenience. For a 3 bedroom house - 800 gallons of heating oil costs about £650 - Natural Gas, about £720 - 3 tons of coal about £750 - Storage heaters about £950 - Bottled propane gas about £1200. Logs cost about £420 for 6 tons, and/or may be gathered free. Collecting, stacking and splitting will warm you up too! Slumbering 8kW stoves need about 5 lbs of wood per hour - Pyromaniacs use more!

WHY BUY STOVES RATHER THAN OPEN FIRES?
Humans probably mastered fire 1M years ago but the first stove was invented in 1642! Open fires scare-off predators, but stoves actually keep you warm, putting over 80% of the fuel energy into heating - four times more than open fires, which lose 80% of the heat up the chimney. Smaller stove air-inlets and chimney register plates also reduce the cold draughts dramatically even when the stove is off.

HOW BIG A STOVE DO I NEED TO BUY?
"1 kW per 14 cu metres" in new money. 1kW=3,300 BTU. With central heating, smaller stoves may be used. The brochure sizes are Maximum dimensions for Width & Depth and Height of Stove to the top. Width & Depth allow 50mm gap around the stove but you must try to leave 225mm above it or heat circulation is masked and fitting/sealing the flue becomes tricky. For larger stoves that 'look right in the room', you can always vent excess heat into other rooms or we can modify them to reduce their output with additional firebrick liners.

WILL I HAVE TO WAIT?
All stoves & most flues are available to 'Cash & Carry'. Most register plates can made in an hour. Boilers, liners, flue orders, repairs fitting etc take from 48 hrs to 21 days to supply. All pre-paid packages are despatched on the day of receipt of cheques. Design and estimation visits normally at 48 hrs notice from £35 refundable against resultant orders. Ensure chimneys are swept, checked and certificated to avoid expense and delays. Fitters are all self-employed, trained but not paid by Sussex Woodstoves and we sometimes also fit on Sundays.

CAST IRON OR STEEL?
Abused cast iron cracks - abused steel corrodes and distorts - and I fix them all! I prefer cast iron for looks and longevity. With care, expect years of use - stoves are actually quite hard to destroy - if you do need spares, then I stock them or make them.

ARE STOVES EASY TO USE?
Stoves are easier to light, cleaner and safer in use than open fires. They need less attention, use less fuel, make less ash and convert fuel more efficiently. They can be safely left alight, locked shut! Use newspaper/kindling/fire-lighters to light medium logs. Add more fuel when the fire blazes. DAMPERS, POWER and AIR-WASH systems are used to control the stove.

WHAT IS 'SEASONING'?
'Seasoning' a stove means 'running-in' to relieve the manufacturing stresses in the castings. Customers have yet to crack a stove under guarantee, so please 'season' properly, and protect stoves from weather. I repair most cast iron AND steel stoves, so just ask. For the first 3 hours keep stove-tops cool enough to touch, but carefully! Gradually increase the fire over first 5 sessions (minimum 5 hrs per session) and do not fully blaze stoves until after 10 full sessions (minimum 50 hrs) of Seasoning.

WHICH FUELS CAN I USE EFFECTIVELY?
WOOD: Burns best on beds of ash, starting from new or empty on 25mm of compacted sand in the bottom of the stove with the grate and ash-pan removed - scoop off the ash at 75mm leaving 25mm of sand/ash fire-bed, keeping it clear of back-boilers. Coal burns really well on top of logs. Wood is the cheapest fuel and if burned efficiently when properly dry, produces minimal combustion waste. Don't ever burn green or wet wood!
COAL : Natural & manufactured smokeless fuels can be burned anywhere. Bituminous coal and briquettes are legal only outside smoke-control areas. Use the grate and the ash-can if burning only coal. Dry logs burn well on top of hot coals. Do not poke or riddle burning fires or fuel is wasted into the ash-can. I use 'Coalite' and 'Maxibrite' for extended/ higher temperature burning. Don't ever burn wet coal!

TYPES of WOOD?
Oak burns long and slow. Beech is excellent. Birch burns fast and hot. Pine and Chestnut burn fast and spit. Only burn 18 month old dried, seasoned logs with radial cracks in the end-grain. Burning green-wood tars chimneys. Damaged chimneys, bad quality / wet fuels, slow-burning wood or previously tarred flues always cause trouble! Green-wood wastes 50% of its energy just drying out.

OVERNIGHT BURNING?
Chimney-draw and fuels always affect burning times. Slow burning wood tars your chimneys so use 'Flue-free' tar-converters regularly. Dry logs are essential with water-filled boilers that cool the flue gases before they leave the stove. Remember: manufacturers' timings assume solid-fuel. My own 9kW stove burns over 9 hours with coal - yours may burn differently.

BURNING WITH THE STOVE DOORS OPEN?
Yes with a good chimney and free-air supply, but heating efficiency drops as more air enters the stove. Beware falling fuel and sparks onto your minimum 300mm (12") fire-proof hearth in front of the stove! Our spark-guards reduce the risks, but close the stove doors for safety especially if leaving the young or the old with burning stoves. Any open stove runs faster and at lower efficiency.

STANDARDS FOR INSTALLATIONS
ALL Installations must follow the 'HETAS' fitting guidelines. All flue and register plate joints must be fume-tight. Faulty, damaged or porous chimneys must be rebuilt and/or lined. Building Regulations Approved Document J (Heat Producing Appliances) 2002 applies. Builders, plumbers or DIY enthusiasts can usually fit stoves in a day but should be supervised/signed-off by a HETAS or Building Control inspectors. Follow the rules for nearby combustibles - and use 'Masterboard' as necessary. If your chimney leaks water, re-build, re-point and fit a cowl; water damages stoves and invalidates guarantees. If chimneys leak smoke or are unsound in other ways, get professional advice to protect your home and family. Note safety requirements for hearths, combustibles, air-tight joint-tests and free-air vents - It's all common sense, aimed at keeping you alive and safe.

WHO CAN FIT MY STOVE?
If you DIY or choose your own fitters, builders or plumbers, then please first apply to Building Control, or use a competent inspection/sign-off service such as ours to ensure compliance and safety. Alternatively, use any HETAS registered competent installer. CHECK THE HETAS WEBSITE LINK ABOVE FOR REGISTERED SWEEPS, HEATING COMPANIES AND ENGINEERS – WE ARE HETAS REGISTERED COMPANY 1413.

FITTING

Inside sound existing chimney alcoves, use stove top outlets and horizontal register plates of thin galvanised metal with flanges for mounting, and screwed soot plates. Flues may have soot doors or you may fit outdoor soot boxes. Mastic or fire-clay seal all joints.

If using the top outlet and an upright flue section, allow at least 5" (125mm) between stove and lintel. If the gap is less (down to 50mm) then use a T-piece bracketed to the wall at the correct height - the final step in fitting is then to slide the stove in and seal the joint from inside the stove.

In front of alcoves, a) use back outlets and a vertical register plate, with flue at 50 to 450 away from the stove for less than 600mm or b) use a T-piece and vertical flue through a horizontal register plate or c) use the top outlet, through into the chimney breast.

No Chimney? Twin-wall stainless steel insulated flues, supported at joists and rafters with 50mm air-gaps, or as external chimneys are a simple solution that is less disruptive and cheaper than brick chimneys. Flues must be fireproof boxed indoors.

Why line chimneys? Correctly used stoves, burning well-seasoned logs or coal, do not harm sound chimneys - Building Regs from 2002 require tested and/or lined chimneys. Section 1:27 permits sound brick, clay & concrete liners. Section 1:36 defines smoke tests flues using smoke pellets. Have the chimney swept, measured and smoke tested. Without a certificate, I discourage fitting a stove without a liner. Tell-tales are tar seepage, brown marks, smoke, smells, loose mortar or bricks.

How are liners fitted? A stainless steel worm is lowered into the chimney, supported at the top. A connector joins the liner to a flue-pipe with a soot door - the flue pipe links the stove to the connector. Fitting usually takes a day for 1-2 men. Insulation is only used on cold or exposed chimneys. For smokeless fuel minimum liner diameter is 125mm; for woodstoves, 150mm - and always at least the diameter of the stove outlet spigot or you risk smoke into the room when reloading the stove with fuel.

Free-air supplies For these stoves there is currently no legal requirement under 5kW, but 550mm2 per kW over 5kW - over-window, under-floor, under-hearth, or through walls and impossible to close. All stoves need air-vents if rooms are hermetically sealed. We strongly suggest that you have a builder fit a sleeved air-brick whenever a stove is going to be installed.

Hearths Different specifications apply to free-standing and recess installed stoves. Please measure and make a note of your hearth and fireplace opening so that we can advise on the safety aspects involved.

Flues & Combustibles If protected by fireproof board (Masterboard), combustibles including timber lintels and Bessemers must be at least 1.5 flue diameters from non-insulated flues and if unprotected by fireproof screening, at least 3 flue diameters.

FITTING STOVES WITH BOILERS Flues and chimneys run cooler with back boilers. Cool-burning wood tars chimneys. When fires slumber, water temperatures always drop! If you use the stove overnight, use solid fuel or well-dried oak. To roughly estimate for boilers, 1.2kW to2.5kW is enough for hot water (HW. Each radiator will need 1-2 kW or allow 0.05kW per sq. ft of radiator. Consider zoning valves to distribute heat ,mixing tanks and ducted warm air.

PROFESSIONAL FITTING - Standard charges apply for installations within reasonable distances of Horsham, plus all parts & materials. Please note that scaffolding and additional cutting out brickwork, fireplace construction etc is not part of our standard estimates which assume the fire-opening to be ready for the stove and the chimney to be structurally sound and safely reached by ladders.