Opening up my chimney for a wood burning stove

a house built 25 years ago will have clay liners so the chimney is already lined. as long as they are fitted the right way up and pass a smoke safety test then they are ok to be used but you will also need to check with the stove manufacturer that the stove can be used with a 200? mm clay liner. my opinion is go down the stainless steel lined route as it gives a better draw and gives less problems but you may also have the option to reuse existing is it feasible to do yourself, are you able to install supports (lintel) where required? carry out brickwork, plastering, tiling as well as dropping a liner from the roof safely and follow part J of the building regs to the letter and finally fully test the chimney to ensure safe use along with a draw meter to ensure the chimney is has the correct draw? you will also need to fit a carbon monoxide alarm and as someone else said, fit an air vent for the stove. Normally a 5kw and below stove will require no vent but this depends on how well the house is sealed and is one of the final tests before use Finally you will need to contact building control and pay for a site inspection so the job is signed off with building regs regarding sweeping, minimum is once a year but ideally I would say twice a year dependant on use

Hi, solid fuel is governed by HETAS and like gas you must use a registered installer. The chimney will almost certainly need a liner for the job and building regulations/control also applies. Depending on the size of burner you have to consider airflow too (vents) A HETAS engineer will advise you best. Cheers, Martin