Installation of solid fuel stove

[Happy Guy]

Hi all,

 

I have seen a narrowboat that I quite fancy (25'), but it lacks a solid fuel stove. It has no other form of heating. Would it be a huge job to install one? I suppose the bit I'm worried about is cutting through the roof and forming a waterproof junction. Would it be expensive?

 

Thanks - Graham

[bag 'o' bones]

Hi all,

 

I have seen a narrowboat that I quite fancy (25'), but it lacks a solid fuel stove. It has no other form of heating. Would it be a huge job to install one? I suppose the bit I'm worried about is cutting through the roof and forming a waterproof junction. Would it be expensive?

 

Thanks - Graham

 

Its easier than it looks. Well put this way we had never fitted one before!

 

The hardest part is not cutting the hole for the chimney and making it water proof but getting the chimney angles right.

 

I've got quite a few pictures of our install some of which are on here:

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...himmney+fitting

[J R]

Its easier than it looks. Well put this way we had never fitted one before!

 

The hardest part is not cutting the hole for the chimney and making it water proof but getting the chimney angles right.

 

I've got quite a few pictures of our install some of which are on here:

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...himmney+fitting

 

Impressed with the installation and the photos of the way it was done and the way it was thought through. Like the way you got the angles on the chimney crank correctly sorted out.

 

One observation for the OP. Corner stoves are sometimes refered to as duck warmers, as the stoves sre commonly installed on the front right or left of the cabin, so it is thought that heat goes out through the side or the front of the boat to keep our aquatic feathered friend warm on cold nights. One idea is to move the stove into a more centarl postion so as to aid even distribution of precious heat throughout the whole boat. It does work well depending on the internal layout.

 

I won't mention getting an Eco fan for the stove as it was previously discussed/voted on a while ago on this forum.

[alan_fincher]

One observation for the OP. Corner stoves are sometimes refered to as duck warmers, as the stoves sre commonly installed on the front right or left of the cabin, so it is thought that heat goes out through the side or the front of the boat to keep our aquatic feathered friend warm on cold nights. One idea is to move the stove into a more centarl postion so as to aid even distribution of precious heat throughout the whole boat. It does work well depending on the internal layout.

If it's only a 25 foot boat you are fitting it too, my guess is your bigger problem will be finding a stove that is suitable for such a sall space.

 

We have a boat twice that length, and one of the smaller stoves, and still find ourselves with doors flung open to try and stop expiring.

 

Please choose a small stove!

[WotEver]

Please choose a small stove!

Like this little Carabo on Wot ever

 

Tony

[Québec]

If it's only a 25 foot boat you are fitting it too, my guess is your bigger problem will be finding a stove that is suitable for such a sall space.

We have a boat twice that length, and one of the smaller stoves, and still find ourselves with doors flung open to try and stop expiring.

Please choose a small stove!

 

We've got an Aarrow Acorn 4 which is one of the smallest 4kw stoves, and smaller than many 3 - 3.5kw stoves. Works fine for our 40' trad. (no back boiler)

 

H458 MM

W355 MM

D350 MM

 

Here it is soon after we installed it (+ ecofan)

 

[Tim Doran]

I paid to have mine fitted becuase I was too scared to try to make the hole in the roof.

 

I have since fitted a gas boiler and had no problems making the hole. I wish that I had the guts to do the fire in the first place.

 

Tim

[cotswoldsman]

I don't know anything about fitting a solid fuel stove. I do know about if it is not done properly and I know this from the fire I had on my boat winter before last caused by the fact that the company that fitted the fire did not put enough protection behind the fire. Luckily the fire was not to bad as I was on board at the time and the boat builder came and completely refitted all the damage done and put in the correct number of fire boards plus a bit extra behind the fire.

[gaggle]

Just about to re-tile behind fire as some have come loose and it is clear that no fireboard is between the tiles and ply lining , what board is good to put behind before i re-tile and who stocks such boards , just got from B&Q where assistant knew not a lot about what could be used , another assistant knew less about the 12v drill i just bought that had a price of £34 odd on the shelf but the till said it was only a fiver , she was saying how much value is that or something but i was just getting to a sprinting speed out the door.

[NBMike]

I think in general the people who work in B&Q and the like are just shop assistants! Sometimes you can find someone who is a bit older and a bit more knowledgable and they are usually a customer who is coming in to get his 10% pensioner discount.

Mike

[Québec]

Not an expert, so others will no doubt add their expertise, but we used non-combustible Aquapanel for the side tile panel when we installed our stove (see post #6) available at B&Q, Wickes, etc.

 

http://www.aquapanel.com/index.php?page=products&view=interior〈=en#technicalData

 

We also used the thicker 25mm Vermiculite fireboard (normally not cheap but we got it cheap) for the tiles at the back of the stove and the hearth.

 

http://shop.vitcas.com/vermiculite-fire-board---fire-proof-insulation-72-p.asp.

 

We also ensured there was an air gap between the hearth walls and the boat's panelling (this was just before the new regs came into force).

Edited September 15, 2010 by Québec

[kienik]

I bought my ~Springer 23 in March of this year and the only form of heating was a wall mounted gas heater, it had to go to make way for the flat screen tv, i thought id be ok with just turning the oven on nd opening the door for sufficient heat, how wrong was i when i went to the boat last week in the ice and snow!!

 

so i have decided i need a stove, i have stripped out one of the bench seats and put fire board over all of the area to accept the fire, i got the fire board from a local wood yard in Nantwich, £33 for a 8x4 sheet.

 

I fixed it with countersunk screws and today started to fix the tiles in place, im using "Pink Grip" to fix the tiles and will later grout them, as for the base that the fire will sit on i have got a huge load of granite free from "FreeCycle" so will use that as a base. 7

 

Still early days as to the fitting of the fire but i will hopefully post some piccies tomorrow on here

 

Nik

[Bat & Frog]

Making the hole in the roof can be a little nerve racking but I did it last week with a drill and jigsaw, just making a pilot hole to get the jigsaw blade through then easy enough ( i had 2 types of metal blades for jigsaw, first used 2 blades to do a third, then tried other ones and much easier and quicker). I did drill a hole through from the inside first to get the location nearly right. The other thing to suss out fairly quickly is where your ribs are as you want to avoid cutting these.

 

Jewson do masterboard, about £50 for an 8x4 sheet of 12mm board, and the new regs require an air gap between the fireboard and flammable back support, which is no problem to achieve. I did screw up on cutting the roof lining and now have a large gap on one side (when I found roof rib and had to adjust hole a little) but this will be covered by a double thickness circle of masterboard, routered and sprayed with heatproof paint to act as a collar.

[Frankieboy]

We've got an Aarrow Acorn 4 which is one of the smallest 4kw stoves, and smaller than many 3 - 3.5kw stoves. Works fine for our 40' trad. (no back boiler)

 

H458 MM

W355 MM

D350 MM

 

Here it is soon after we installed it (+ ecofan)

 

 

Where did you get your tiles from?

The wife is after the same ones.

[kienik]

well here are the photos of my installation in progress, fire board in and tiling started, now just need to go and buy the fire, im looking for a "Carabo" style fire as the size seems just right for the size of boat i have.

 

 

this is one of the tiling in place, just needs grouting and the granite hearth putting in, you can see the wooden template i made from a friends "Carabo" stove as thats the sort of size im looking for

 

 

This how the opposite side looks, i have basically remeoved the aft seat and table and boarded out the "feet hole section" with 18MM ply and fire board then tiled it using "pink grip" now needs grouting.

 

 

Needs grout and granite hearth putting in

 

 

This is how it looked in summer 2010, big difference now

Edited December 5, 2010 by kienik

[Guest]

If it's only a 25 foot boat you are fitting it too, my guess is your bigger problem will be finding a stove that is suitable for such a sall space.

 

We have a boat twice that length, and one of the smaller stoves, and still find ourselves with doors flung open to try and stop expiring.

 

Please choose a small stove!

Seconded. Our Villager Puffin can get our 57 nb quite hot.

 

I feared cutting the hole in the roof, but it was a doddle with a Dormer 6mm drill bit, chain drill then cut with a quality metal jigsaw blade. I sealed the collar with heat resistant silicon which has been fine for six years now. TBH it was one of the easier jobs when fitting out.

 

Heat resistant board behind tiles is ESSENTIAL!

Edited December 5, 2010 by Guest

[Chalky]

I bought a cheap jigsaw from B&Q with a load of free blades. Cost £12 and I thought that if I scrapped it it wouldn't be an issue. It cut the mushroom vents and chimney and is still going strong. My approach was to mark the circle required then drill a 10mm starting hole. Put the jigsaw blade into the hole, lean heavily on the jigsaw then turn on. Worked like a hot knife through butter and this was 4mm plate. Base plate of the jigsaw is now very bent, but it still works and it was a lot faster than chain drilling holes.

[Bat & Frog]

Does anyone know if there are any problems with putting metal sheeting over the fireboard, I really don't get on with tiling and quite fancy the "industrial" look of ally checker plate, or discolouerd stainless. Is it likely to reflect the heat away from the boards or increase the heat going in ? Thanks

[rjasmith]

Does anyone know if there are any problems with putting metal sheeting over the fireboard, I really don't get on with tiling and quite fancy the "industrial" look of ally checker plate, or discolouerd stainless. Is it likely to reflect the heat away from the boards or increase the heat going in ? Thanks

 

This is actually a recommended solution in the new BS 8511 code of practice but you need to space the Al sheet off the cabin side and allow an air gap at the top and bottom so that air can circulate up behind it.

 

BS 8511 has drawings in it to show the correct clearances etc.

 

Richard

[Bat & Frog]

This is actually a recommended solution in the new BS 8511 code of practice but you need to space the Al sheet off the cabin side and allow an air gap at the top and bottom so that air can circulate up behind it.

 

BS 8511 has drawings in it to show the correct clearances etc.

 

Richard

Thanks, I have already put the fireboard up to the new regs, with airgap behind and above/below. Still not sure how the metal will affect the fireboard, should i raise it off a few mm with spacers or is this excessive ?

[rjasmith]

Thanks, I have already put the fireboard up to the new regs, with airgap behind and above/below. Still not sure how the metal will affect the fireboard, should i raise it off a few mm with spacers or is this excessive ?

 

No I would think you could fix it straight on to the fireboard surface without a gap as the Al sheet is not doing the protection in your case.

 

Richard

[Québec]

Where did you get your tiles from?

The wife is after the same ones.

 

Topps Tiles

 

Onice Black 10cmx 10cm ceramic tiles for the sides,

10cm x 30cm slate tiles for the hearth base.

Black bevel border tiles

 

Used Evostik 'Serious Stuff' Flexi Bond for fixing.

Edited December 5, 2010 by Québec

[Rob@BSSOffice]

well here are the photos of my installation in progress, fire board in and tiling started, now just need to go and buy the fire, im looking for a "Carabo" style fire as the size seems just right for the size of boat i have.

 

 

this is one of the tiling in place, just needs grouting and the granite hearth putting in, you can see the wooden template i made from a friends "Carabo" stove as thats the sort of size im looking for

 

 

 

Needs grout and granite hearth putting in

 

The 5KW woodburner in my home has in a matter of months 'blown' the plaster off the render and there is a 200mm gap 'tween it and the wall. Also if the furniture is any closer than 600mm, it gets very hot to the touch. No doubt you have thought about the proximity of those wooden steps, the wooden upstanding locker, the tall wooden cupboard, the curtains and the pressurised vessel (fire extinguisher), but for other readers, things such as these need to be considered when planning your stove space and the outputs of your stove.

 

We have more than one report where a fire has started in a wardrobe linked to its proximity to a solid fuel stove and you only have to read the MAIB's Lindy Lou report to be very cautious about stoves and wooden steps.

 

I'm pleased too that my hearth extends 300mm infront of the stove as I keep having embers roll or flick out. A few hit the wooden floor beyond, but as I am there loading the fire, I swipe them up before they do any damage.

 

Certainly in a space thats 88cu.m. capacity, it keeps the room more than toasty with about 9 logs or fewer per day.

 

Regards

Rob

[Chalky]

What we could do with is an FAQ entry for how to install a stove to BS8511. Not a copy of the spec - copyright issues, but a couple of worked examples of how you could comply. Surely with the combined knowledge of the forum we should be able to come up with a how to do it guide.

[rjasmith]

What we could do with is an FAQ entry for how to install a stove to BS8511. Not a copy of the spec - copyright issues, but a couple of worked examples of how you could comply. Surely with the combined knowledge of the forum we should be able to come up with a how to do it guide.

 

That's a pretty good idea!

 

I'm fairly conversant with what BS 8511 says and how it changed from last year's terrible(!) first draft. I also currently have access to BSOL via Hampshire Libraries splendid website so I can refer to it at any time at home on the PC.

 

But I don't feel qualified to start this off as I haven't got anywhere near actually doing my stove installation yet. I've done a rough mock up of the installation to test the stove and flue. I've also researched a source of supply for the Super Isol fireboard and vermiculite hearth base that I will be using. However other things are now higher up the priority list and I won't get back to it for many months I expect.

 

If someone else starts the ball rolling on how they did it I'd be delighted to join in if any queries develop on what the doc actually says.

 

Richard