COMMENTS PLEASE, before I smash things up!

[JohnH]

Hi Gus
I would be interested to know how you get on with fitting your stove as I am in the process of installing a Stovax Riva 66 cassette stove. Last weekend a builder came to open up the builders opening and when he reached the arched lintel all the bricks just fell out! I think over the years the heat had deteriorated the cement. The whole opening has now been rebuilt with a concrete lintel and a plinth (4 x lintels) to support the stove which weighs 110Kgs. I have stuffed rockwool up the void in the chimney and now need to connect the liner.
John

[MR GUS]

No worries, frankly I've no experience at all with DIY, but have a desire &  need to do this.
This posting of pics at all stages is for two reasons..
 1. I'm not experienced & appreciate installers & experienced diy'ers 2 penceworth (holding my hand throughout)
 2. I've never come across a stage by stage pictoral of anyones removal of a fireplace on the net, & frankly although there are going to be differences with every job there will also be similarities aplenty, & it's easy to pop a pic up with each onward step... so hopefully with guidance & updating pics later with comments & tools used we can create a sort of basic reference.
 for instance ..tools used to date
 1 x lump hammer
 1 x wrecking bar
 1 x rubble bucket
 1 x old B&Decker 570 watt drill with hammer action
 1 x pr of good thick gauntlet gloves
 1 x dust pan & brush
 1 x soft broom
 As many Coal sacks / fertilizer sacks as you can possibly muster (20 MINIMUM)
 
1 x Understanding wife / non gender specific significant other  (send them away for a week with absolutely NO promises of completion upon return)

 + Enormous back up from your friendly Navitron Forumites
 Pain killers (seriously) ..bashing   cold chisels & wrecking bars constantly cause inflammation in those office weakened limbs of yours, so in order to complete the job codeine or similar

[dhaslam]

A double sided stove might have been nice.  It would save lighting two fires.

[MR GUS]

 Nice idea which may actually feature in the next project! (IF I get this one done to a decent wife pleasing standard)

 when I hack through into my workshop I'd like a fire in there & frankly a back to back would help heat dispersal due to the small size of the workshop or else I'll be re-naming it the ugly naked fat bloke sauna room...

 I had a word with a well known company of repute who don't have proper representation in this area who gave me trade price figures on their product if they were able to point potential customers in my direction, so theoretically prices could be slashed for a bit of pre-arranged show & tell.

[KenB]

Gus, List

I may have missed part of the earlier thread, but why do you need to make a new larger hole to take the new stove?

Given a regular fireback,  some folks just make a plate to go over the opening and stand the stove in front with a rear connected section of stovepipe. 

The advantage of this is that it brings the hot body of the stove out into the room and makes the heat transfer to the room more efficient.

My own stove fits into the original 36" x 36" opening where the old range then gas backboiler used to be. My approach was to open up the whole opening, get rid of the loose rubble that had been stuffed in their in the 1960s boiler installation and start afresh.  Brother in law is a brickie - so I paid him £200 to build the new hearth and surround. 

We opened this up to give the necessary clearance around the stove, and put the new concrete lintel across at a height of 38".   If your stove has a top flue pipe connection you will need a minimum of 12" if not 15 to 18" above the top of the stove in order to make the fluepipe connection onto the liner.   I use a 45 degree bend with an inspection hatch, which just clears the underside of the lintel.   In hindsight I would have been better to set the lintel about 2" higher at 40" above the hearth slabs. 6" fluepipe is awkward to work with if you have to have bends - and each bend section takes up a lot of space.

The photo shows the rubble we dug out of the old opening  and the final install with the new brick surround.
The stove is about 24" high to the flue outlet socket, but fits nicely into the 36x36 opening.


As a guide, this stove stands 4" in front of the new brick surround - so about 9" out from the original chimney breast.
The hearth was made from cheap stone effect slabs from Wickes.  These are 600x600 and built out from the old wall face.  You must have 300mm of non combustible hearth from the front of the stove.

There is only just sufficient clearance from the lintel to the sloping front of the 45 degree bend.  If the lintel were placed higher the stove could come further forwards.

As an aside - When I got back from China last Friday night after a 22 hour trip, I saw the maroon coloured "duffle bag" next to the stove (picture). I asked my wife what it was - and she replied  "dads ashes". Apparently the funeral director had brought them round in my absence.  I had to get my frazzled jetlagged brain in gear, but replied "Well its what he would have wanted  - just have to be careful we don't hoover him up next time we clean the stove!"  Even in death you have to see the funny side.


Ken

 

[MR GUS]

keep the comments coming, need all the help I can get...
 With regards to Kens post, the original fireplace has been questionable in all aspects since we moved in, the room is small with a large (ish) bay window oblong shape with additional heat sucking bay oblong on the side.

 Having laid down solid oak flooring a few years ago the wife is really reluctant to extend the hearth further into the room which will actually really encroach into the room & break up the shape otherwise, so whilst I don't wish to fit the new woodburner tight against the wall I do want to sit it back somewhat then try to recover some additional heat via one of the little fan "thingies"
..tart up the hole, rip up the old hearth (or lower it) & add in some of the pre-requisite "permanent" ventilation (which can be blocked off in contrast to the law (if required).

 Based on no measurements taken whatsoever (so far), I anticipate that when the door is open to feed the fire i'll be reasonably within the required hearth frontage parameters to current planning.

The hearth height is 4.5 inches above the level of the oak flooring, so I may reduce that partially in order to pop a more agreeable looking hearth front down (money & wife allowing) but keep the step area (left hand side of picture) in order to run ventilation to, so it's near the fire..unless anyone has other ideas (please)
plan of action at this time is to pop some cement board or similar cut to size to tidy up hacked up brickwork... But again I'll have to look into suitability.
it's really early days yet so I expect whole thing will morph according to what is found / accidentally destroyed / suggested.
 

[Richard Owen]

...... add in some of the prerequisite "permanent" ventilation (which can be blocked off in contrast to the law (if required).

If you're going to do this (and I would advise that you don't) make sure you have a working CO alarm in the room.

[MR GUS]

yes thats always been there!
but as we don't have many doors left (binned em) downstairs airflow has greatly increased so theres alot of fresh air back thru front of house.

[dhaslam]

You could use glass under the stove, this way the oak floor wouldn't be hidden.

[MR GUS]

You could use glass under the stove, this way the oak floor wouldn't be hidden.

due to the old hearth still being in situ (old terracotta tiles) we'll use that for the time being, at least check out how far the burner comes out with door open, somehow though i don't think it'll fit into my style due to the fairly modern look of the burner (we'll see) if worst happens I'll lift the tiles & re-use them
The oak flooring is laid up to the existing hearth

[MR GUS]

Actually very little rubble behind as it turns out, more like spare bricks & a bit of mortar.
lucky!
 Now I really need some suggestions as to how far up the wall I chop back the plaster & max height for a new lintel,
..help!
left hand side taken back right hand side to follow!
Also it appears that the throat forming masonry was just that, bricks laid at a downward angle (as per photo)

[ajstoneservices]

Gus

Are you in Worboys? we will be installing a system in the High St in a few weeks time.

Tony

[MR GUS]

 yup! ..that's me alright ..I may have to come & have a look, what are you fitting water or panels? (and to whose house)?

[MR GUS]

& now wait for some superior knowledge from them wot kno

..thinking a bit ..should I at this point dig down a bit & stick some foil backed foam thermal celotex / kingspan beneath  where the fire is intended to stand & maybe the same with the frontage? in order that heat loss is reduced in the general (small) area

Whilst the projected hearth (terracotta tiles at front) is long & deep (4.5 inches high) there is no glass fibre  expansion joint between the superimposed hearth (front) & the back hearth (in fireplace)

[MR GUS]

Sleepy bubble is spot on when he said the hearth will need projecting forward, this morning i'm off down to the local tip to rid myself of 20 bags of rubble ..so far!
Upon my return I'd better get to work reducing the projected hearth to nothingness , some design inspired beard stroking moments to follow!