Stove Fitter Required in Hemel Hempstead

[thesixmileman]

Hi All, 

 

New forum member here, I hope this type of post is OK. 

 

My family and I have recently become full-time live aboard boaters and have a Morso Squirrel that needs installing. (old stove was removed, flue ceiling hole welded over). 

 

How do I find someone qualified to fit a solid fuel stove on a narrow boat? The people I have found do house installations and have some strange ideas (to me) of what the install should be like (60cm clearance all sides of stove etc.) I have been told the soliftec guidelines are incorrect! 

 

I am purchasing a new flue, the stove is brand new also, never used. The boat is a 1987, 70 footer (very used). 

 

Thank you in advance for any help. 

 

[matty40s]

There are NO official rules on boat stove installations, especially where there has already been a stove fitted.

However, there are good guidelines to follow, involving distance from hull sides, thicknesses of fire board to fit, and flue/collar insulation and protections.

A domestic fitter has all sorts of regulations to stick to......flue length fitted as per house would mean you never get under a bridge.

You have to protect your family and be warm and safe. Find a local boatyard.....Bourne End have probably fitted hundreds.

[WotEver]

23 minutes ago, thesixmileman said:

I have been told the soliftec guidelines are incorrect! 

No doubt by someone who has zero experience of boats?

6 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Find a local boatyard.....Bourne End have probably fitted hundreds.

^^^^ This

[doratheexplorer]

6 minutes ago, matty40s said:

There are NO official rules on boat stove installations, especially where there has already been a stove fitted.

However, there are good guidelines to follow, involving distance from hull sides, thicknesses of fire board to fit, and flue/collar insulation and protections.

A domestic fitter has all sorts of regulations to stick to......flue length fitted as per house would mean you never get under a bridge.

You have to protect your family and be warm and safe. Find a local boatyard.....Bourne End have probably fitted hundreds.

Isn't there anything in the BSS about stove installation?

[WotEver]

Just now, doratheexplorer said:

Isn't there anything in the BSS about stove installation?

Yes, there's stuff like 'it mustn't move' and 'there should be no signs of heat damage' but no official 'rules' as such.

The Soflitec guide is as close as we have for 'suggestions'.

[doratheexplorer]

Just now, WotEver said:

Yes, there's stuff like 'it mustn't move' and 'there should be no signs of heat damage' but no official 'rules' as such.

Advisory points?

[matty40s]

Originates from Advice.

[WotEver]

1 minute ago, doratheexplorer said:

Advisory points?

Just the stuff in 8.4 and 8.5 I believe:

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/media/268789/ecp-private-boats-ed3_rev2_apr2015_public_final.pdf

[Rob-M]

3 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

Isn't there anything in the BSS about stove installation?

We had a stove that cracked when the BSS examiner tapped it, he then stuck a note on advising us not to use it but the boat passed. Obviously we removed the stove and had a new one installed but there was nothing stopping us continuing to use the stove with a big crack down the side.

[doratheexplorer]

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

We had a stove that cracked when the BSS examiner tapped it, he then stuck a note on advising us not to use it but the boat passed. Obviously we removed the stove and had a new one installed but there was nothing stopping us continuing to use the stove with a big crack down the side.

And many boaters simply wouldn't have the funds for an unexpected purchase like that and would continue to use it.  Having said that, with a couple of functioning CO detectors nearby, the risk is probably pretty low.  Every CO related boat fatality I've heard of has had no working CO alarm.

 

Out of interest, just how hard did the examiner tap it?

[Jen-in-Wellies]

14 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

Out of interest, just how hard did the examiner tap it?

[matty40s]

38 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Ah, Trevor Whitling then....

[Guest]

6 hours ago, thesixmileman said:

Hi All, 

 

New forum member here, I hope this type of post is OK. 

 

My family and I have recently become full-time live aboard boaters and have a Morso Squirrel that needs installing. (old stove was removed, flue ceiling hole welded over). 

 

How do I find someone qualified to fit a solid fuel stove on a narrow boat? The people I have found do house installations and have some strange ideas (to me) of what the install should be like (60cm clearance all sides of stove etc.) I have been told the soliftec guidelines are incorrect! 

 

I am purchasing a new flue, the stove is brand new also, never used. The boat is a 1987, 70 footer (very used). 

 

Thank you in advance for any help. 

 

It would be just about impossible to fit a stove on a boat if it where to meet the requirements of one fitted in a house. When we had one fitted at home I was amazed at how far away things like wooden skirtings and mantles had to be. When I told the Hetas guy who was fitting it how close things like the wooden steps were to our boat Morso Squirrel he was very surprised it was allowed.

[Keeping Up]

Our stove originally (1991) had no fireproof board behind the tiles, and a couple of years ago I asked a boat-fitters (who specialised in narrowboats) if they could add some. After a couple of weeks they contacted me to say (incorrectly) that they had to abide by the latest "rules" and that the only way to do so would be by completely redesigning and rebuilding the boat at a cost of thousands. When I declined they had the nerve to send me a bill for £150 as a consultancy fee. They have since ceased trading. Another boatyard nearby did the job brilliantly at a sensible price.

[thesixmileman]

Thank you all for your responses, will see if Bourne End are able to help

[Machpoint005]

6 hours ago, Rob-M said:

We had a stove that cracked when the BSS examiner tapped it, he then stuck a note on advising us not to use it but the boat passed. Obviously we removed the stove and had a new one installed but there was nothing stopping us continuing to use the stove with a big crack down the side.

 

We had a similar problem - except that the cracks were visible. Apparently it's a common problem on a 25 year old Squirrel stove. 

 

We had a new stove fitted (a shout out here for Kings Lock Boatyard, Middlewich) -- the old one fell to bits when it was lifted out.