Showroom Update

We are nearly there with our new showroom which should have opened in January..!!!

Take a look http://360.io/9UgFJp

Chimney Cleaning Log

I have been asked on a number of occassions about the Chimney Cleaning Log which I now have in stock.

The pitfalls of installing your own stove

I thought I would blog about installing your own wood burner as I have been asked about this many times in our showroom.

We have all heard of Gas Safe (previously CORGI) and we wouldn’t dream of installing a gas boiler ourselves but would seek a Gas Safe Engineer to provide a safe installation. HETAS is the stove Installation regulatory body and the general public need to be made aware that their stove installation should to be carried out by a qualified HETAS Engineer the same way you would use a Gas Safe Engineer.

Unfortunately the general public are not aware of the dangers of self-installation and why would they be? The boom in wood burners has been relatively recent and there has not been too much information available about using qualified installers.  I don’t
know how many times I have been asked by a customer in my showroom “how hard can it be to install a stove, it’s only a box with a pipe coming off the top of it”.

There is more to it than that.

In November 2010 a homeowner in Loughborough tried installing a wood burner himself, with the end result being a burnt down bungalow – luckily he escaped unscathed. But, in addition to losing his home, he faced over £4,000 in fines for breaching building regulations. The flue was incorrectly fitted, directly contacting the timber and plastic eaves of the bungalow; he had failed to apply to the local council to carry out the work and generally failed to install the stove in a professional manner.

Fire-hazard is not the only risk with wood burners:  In May of the same year a 19 year old boy from Dorset died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, due to a poorly fitted wood burner, installed by his father.  Blame was placed with the manufacturer’s  instructions, which didn’t include important details. There was no mention of carbon monoxide poisoning or need for ventilation.  A qualified HETAS Engineer would know about the hazards of carbon monoxide gas and would ensure there was the required
ventilation for the stove.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that causes health defects in large quantities. It is produced during the wood-burning process and should be ventilated out through the flue. However, leaks in the system or improper combustion as a result of a poor installation results in carbon monoxide being produced in larger quantities  and seeping out throughout the home. Exposure leads to unconsciousness, and brain damage or death. As part of building regulations a CO alarm should always be installed when fitting a wood / multi-fuel stove.

Also, if a stove is installed without the required clearances to allow airflow around it then you also run the risk of overheating and damaging your stove and in extreme cases the stove can split, which again can lead to CO spillage.

Just these examples show why it is imperative you use a qualified engineer to install your stove, they have been trained and will issue a HETAS Certificate of Compliance for your peace of mind.

Thank you for reading, and I hope with the public being more aware of the dangers of self-installation we will not see any
fatalities this year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

To all of our customers, we would like to thank you for your support over the past 12 months and we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy 2012 to you all.

RAIS have arrived

We are really pleased to announce that we will be supplying the RAIS range of stoves from Janaury 2012. We will have on display a RAIS VIVA with glass side panels, the Q-Tee 57 in glass and a Steel Q-Tee 85, These Danish stoves are really beautiful as you would come to expect from the Danish designers. We will be offereing the complete range of RAIS Stoves discounted by 10% (off the RRP) on all orders taken in January and to the end of February 2012. So if you are looking for a good quality modern stove, come and see these in our extended showroom from Monday 9th January 2012. Visit http://uk.rais.com/about-rais/rais-offers-you-.aspx if you would like to see the complete range.