How to install a wood burning stove, step by step

Over time I have had many queries from potential customers who wanted to know what is involved when installing a wood burning stove.

This included a potential customer who  asked me the very same question, before suggesting that I should put some photographs on my website so people could see what was involved when installing a stove.

The photo’s you are about to view are by one very pleased Caroline who made the suggestion in the first place and a big thank you from me, the photo’s look great.

Let’s get started 🙂

No two jobs are exactly the same, but they usually start with some opening up of the chimney space or knocking out an old fireplace. You can see me here knocking out the original opening, which used to be home to a gas fire, and preparing it for a hearth and stove.

Old gas fire plinth removed and ‘knock-out’ complete, with enough space made to lay the hearth, which is a regulated requirement and has minimum specifications. Next…

Once all the debris is cleared the next step is to lay the hearth. This is an granite hearth, probably the most popular, but you could also have a tiled, slate, limestone hearth, I have even layed a coloured concrete hearth!

Hearths have to be fitted to minimum specification as required by the building regulations. If in doubt consult a registered hetas installer.

Now for the tricky bit: lining the flue. No chimney is straight and wriggling the liner down a chimney can be a bit a challenge sometimes, but with a bit of patience ….. .

For more information on flue liners CLICK HERE

With the flue liner installed and the angle bead plastered in, the installation is really started to take shape now.

Now that the opening has been finally rendered, the opening is very nearly complete….

The next step is to fit the closure plate, this fit in the top of the fireplace opening and closes the bottom of the chimney, it also allows you to insulate the space around you flue liner, if you wish to. Here you can see me cutting the hole to fit the vitreous enamelled flue pipe though it.

Next, to line the stove up with the flue liner and hole in the register plate, taking great care not to mark the newly layed hearth!

Connecting the stove up to the flue line via the vitreous enamelled stove pipe and sealing it in is the last stage before testing the installation.

With everything sealed and fully checked, it’s time for the stove’s first fire. This allows me to make final checks with a real fire in-place.

One I am happy that the installation is free of any problems, it’s time to put the finishing touches, it this case a ‘floating’ mantel.

Voila! another very happy customer.

Many thanks to Caroline for taking and allowing me to use her great photographs.

If you have any queries with your chimney stack, chimney pots small roofing jobs or guttering plus fireplace and or stove installations, please ask and don’t forget I am also a registered NACS chimney sweep, an important annual job that is all too often over-looked!

Thanks for reading

Mark.