Fireplace Fitter Stanley County Durham (DH9): Opening up a disused fireplace to fit an open fire, a wood burner or a gas fire is a great way to add a homely feel and a bit of character to any Stanley home. Chilly evenings in winter can become a joy as you sit back beside your new fireplace surrounded by the crackling of a burning fire, and if your fire is combined with a back boiler you can even benefit from cheap hot water too.
There are some important things that you will need to do to make sure you can install your new fireplace in a safe and efficient way, before you start to prise away at a blocked chimney. Any heating appliance within the home must comply with Part J of the building regs, and this applies to hearths, flue linings, chimney breasts and fireplaces. If you live in a listed building you will also have to find out if planning permission is required from the local council before any work can commence.
PROFESSIONAL FIREPLACE INSTALLATION OR DIY?
If you are a competent and enthusiastic DIY'er it might be possible to restore a bricked-up fireplace, but the chance of encountering structural issues in most cases is unfortunately high. When your boarded fireplace is exposed you may find a decent lintel, hearth and chimney breast that needs little more than a chimney sweep to get it working again. What's more common however is a swathe of crumbling brickwork that conceals a blocked flue, and needs some degree of structural reinforcement before it can be used safely.
Employing a specialist fireplace installer in Stanley is generally recommended, because a fireplace that's incorrectly installed can cause severe fire risk and respiratory problems. As is stated in the Building Regulations for fireplaces, the airflow in a room must be adequate where there is a fireplace, because in order to burn satisfactorily, the right amount of oxygen is needed. A build-up of carbon monoxide fumes can result in a space where there is not enough airflow, and even death is a risk when a fire does not burn effectively.
A professional fireplace installation engineer will evaluate the situation at hand and get over this problem to guarantee an adequate amount of air flow for the fireplace to burn properly and safely, by installing vents in locations around the room, or under the floor. Moist, condensed air can easily get trapped within blocked chimney flues which might also require improved ventilation, to avoid problems with dampness on the chimney breast.
BEFORE WORK COMMENCES
A huge amount of soot and dirt can be released from a bricked up fireplace when opening it up for restoration. To make sure that your stuff does not get damaged by the dust, dirt and soot that's expelled during the fireplace installation work, removing furniture, rugs and carpets beforehand is recommended. If you are carrying out a full restoration of a room or house, the fireplace should be opened up before any decoration or plastering works are tackled. If other refurbishment work has already been accomplished, this might be affected by dirt and chimney soot.
CONSTRUCTION AND STRUCTURAL WORK
You will have a much better idea about the refurbishment work that needs to be done, after the opening up of the old fireplace has been completed. You'll also be able to get the chimney swept and clean any of the hearth that remains. This will be the ideal time to make contact with a local Stanley chimney sweep to find out if it is convenient to come and look at your fireplace and chimney. In addition to sweeping and cleaning your chimney and flue, they will also consider the condition of the chimney and flu liner and tell you about any section of the flue and chimney structure that needs replacing.
Construction may be required to strengthen the existing chimney and chimney breast, and a new flue liner may also need to be installed. All this repair work will need to follow the all important UK Building Regulations which are of course there for you and your loved one's safety. This work must be tackled by a qualified tradesperson with experience of the current Building Regulations and decent construction practices.
Once this has been completed the next phase for your fireplace installation in Stanley will be to update the existing hearth. The situation with fireplace hearths has somewhat changed down the years, and while in days gone by they were typically sunk into floor voids, they now must be raised at least 12.5mm above the level of the floor if the current Building Regulations are to be followed. You could ask your Stanley fireplace builder about a tailor-made, bespoke hearth to complement your home's style and design, or if you have a standard sized fireplace, there's a whole host of pre-made options in marble, slate and granite.
FIREPLACE DESIGNS
You'll soon discover that you are spoiled for choice, with the vast array of different choices that are available to you, as soon as enter a good fireplace dealership. To help you pick a fireplace which is suited to your flue and chimney, as well as for your decor, it is recommended that you ask for the guidance and advice of the salespeople and the installation team.
In deciding the kind of fireplace that's most suitable for your circumstances, you will have to look at your property's age, and the theme that you are aiming to create for your room or space. By way of example, the most perfect backdrop to an old-fashioned cast iron wood-burner stove is an inglenook fireplace, which not only perfectly highlights its elegance and charm but is also brilliant at reflecting any heat that is produced back into the room.
Even if you do not have a pre-existing chimney breast in your Stanley property, it is still feasible to put in a wood burning stove. Your fireplace fitter can take a flue straight from the top or back of the wood burner and out through an outside wall, therefore a chimney structure is not needed.
GAS, OPEN, WOOD, ELECTRIC OR MULTI-FUEL FIREPLACE?
You can't really beat a flickering fire on a damp winter's evening, to create a charm and ambience in your Stanley home, but what are the alternatives?
Electric Fireplaces - These are a suitable option any room and property in Stanley, and can be easily and safely fitted by any reasonably competent individual. When inset into a conventional fireplace, modern electric fires can imitate a genuine fire, with authentic looking flames and even the crackling sound of wood.
Open Fireplaces - Provides a stunning focal point for a room and can use an assortment of solid fuels. Today's fireplaces are not the draughty, inefficient and smoky features that they were in the past, and an open fire creates a warm, cosy environment for the occupants to enjoy.
Wood Burning Stoves - Wood burning stoves have grown to be extremely popular in a lot of households in Stanley, and can have classic or modern design to suit your decor. If coupled with a back boiler they can provide hot water for radiators or for use in your home.
Gas Fireplaces - There are a wide array of styles to suit any house in Stanley, and as they provide instant heat, they are more efficient (thermally) than wood burner stoves in general. Any gas fire in your Stanley home must be installed by a Gas Safe contractor.
Multi-Fuel Stoves - Provides you with the option of burning coal, wood, oil and gas to furnish you with a multipurpose stove for any property in Stanley. If you opt for a multi-fuel stove from AGA, you can do cooking, get hot water, and when plumbed into your radiators or central heating system, provide heat for the whole house.
Fireplace installation work can be undertaken in Stanley and also in: Craghead, Oxhill, Beamish, South Moor, Blackhouse, Grange Villa, Dipton, Tanfield Lea, Tantobie, Holmside, Burnhope, Harperley, Shield Row, West Kyo, Kip Hill, and in these postcodes DH9 0LW, DH9 0DJ, DH9 0YB, DH9 0UJ, DH9 0SZ, DH9 0DQ, DH9 0SU, DH9 0XD, DH9 0UR, and DH9 0LL. If a fireplace fitter has the telephone dialling code 01207 and the postcode DH9, it is likely that they work in the Stanley area. This is helpful to know if you need to check that you're looking at a local fireplace fitter. Stanley property owners can use and enjoy these fireplace services.
Chimney Cowls Stanley
A chimney cowl is a hood-shaped covering for your chimney that increases draft and stops backflow. Sitting neatly on top of your chimney pot, and typically made of galvanised iron, it stops the wind blowing smoke back down your chimney. For any chimney structure in Stanley, it's a key element. Chimney cowls can be found online or in a builder's merchants. Whether you opt to make an existing one work better, or invest in a brand new one, a cowl will keep your stove or fireplace working to the best of its ability.
There are several kinds of chimney cowl on the market. There are pot hanging cowls that can be installed without removing the chimney pot. They attach to the flue liner by means of three straps, which secure the cowl in position. Another type of cowl is a weathering cap, which is attached to the end of the flue. These are larger than the chimney pot, which ensures that they stay in position.
You can also find chimney cowls made from commonplace products, like a steel bucket or stainless steel colander. Chicken mesh can also be used to make a cowl. Clay flower pots also make good chimney cowls. These covers can be readily purchased at your local hardware store or on the web.
One of the most common types of chimney cowl is known as the H-style. This design is one of the best for controlling the draught and allows your fireplace to perform more efficiently. It is made out of a series of H-shaped pipes that isolate the combustion gases from down draughts. It originally served marine applications, but has become popular among homeowners due to its energy-saving attributes.
Another kind is the Aerodyne cowl. It works by drawing air into the chimney cowl and reducing downdraught. These are available in an assortment of colours. Its venturi shape draws air into the chimney cowl, creating a drop in air pressure that draws air upward from the fireplace or stove.
Chimney cowls are a great way to prevent birds from building nests in your chimney in Stanley. They are reasonably priced and simple to put in. You should make certain that you have clear access to the space above the chimney stack to fit one effectively. It can also stop debris from accumulating inside the chimney. Ask your local fireplace installer in Stanley if they can fit a suitable chimney cowl for you.
The Best Way To Preserve Your Open Fireplace And Lower Your Heating Bills
With concerns over the environment, the classic fireplace is missing some of its charm, but it is still a favourite for many folks in Stanley. The natural warmth of an open fireplace stimulates special memories for those who have them. The open fireplace can offer a lot of benefits for your home, but there are also some major downsides that may need to be monitored. Due to energy costs going up so swiftly nowadays, your open fireplace should be a reliable source of heat, not one of inefficiency. When a fire is burning, it may warm up those standing near it, but it can in fact pull warm air out of your room, making your heat source work even harder. The chimney damper is expected to stop cold air from entering your home when you haven't got a fire in the fireplace. However, dampers are usually not terribly efficient seals, therefore all the warm air escapes and enables cold air to enter the property.
Many property owners in Stanley who have a fireplace don't understand how it can impact the cost of heating. Instead of warming a residence naturally, a fireplace can actually add hundreds of pounds to the cost of your heating. However, there are some techniques that can be done that will be able to turn your budget busting fireplace into something a lot more efficient. All you need to do is only 4 fundamental things to fix your fireplace. All of these should make your fireplace very affordable and very efficient.
The initial thing to do is to replace the damper with a top sealing damper. This type of damper is mounted at the top of the chimney, and operates like a storm door. It does a superb job of keeping warm air in the house during winter and cool air from getting out in the summertime. This is not going to take a lot of time to fit and you can acquire one online. An additional thing you could choose to do is place a fire-back in the back part of your fireplace. It is produced from cast iron and is used to help the overall look of your fireplace while at the same time shielding the back wall from heat damage. The fire-back actually heats up from the flames and reflects the heat back into a room, thus enhancing the fireplace's efficiency.
Another way to save money is by using a fireplace heater, which heats the room by drawing the air into a chamber and recycling the air back into the room. These heating devices are closed systems, hence no smoke is emitted, and they can really make a huge difference to the temperature of your home. The final thing you're able to do is to fit glass doors, which could be your biggest expense. If you do some groundwork, you can certainly get a great deal on glass doors and they are not too difficult to fit yourself. These doors help to keep the heat from escaping and also it keeps pets and youngsters from getting burnt.
The guidance presented here isn't difficult to implement, and most of the products can be purchased on the internet. Keep your fireplace and decrease heating costs by making it more efficient.
Natural Stone Fireplaces
You could consider bringing the outside in, and build a fireplace out of natural stone, which is a great way to achieve a truly dramatic look. There may already be some stone features on the external areas of your house, a boundary wall or stone facade, for instance? Your stone fireplace inside, could complement those natural features outside.
Depending on your budget and taste, you can build a natural stone fireplace using either full-depth stone or stone cladding. The sorts of stone that can be used for fireplaces are many and varied. Select from sandstone, limestone, slate, marble, quartz or granite.
The appearance of your stone fireplace will be affected by the kind of stone which is used, the individuality of the craftsman or stonemason who builds it and the style of building. Choose a style and design that you like, and show the fireplace installer some pictures before they begin the project.
Stone isn't always a suitable material for a contemporary property, since it has a striking appearance and may rather dominate the look of a space, but obviously that is down to the choice of each individual homeowner - maybe spectacular is what you have in mind!
Fireplace Installers Near Stanley
Also find: Tanfield Lea fireplace installers, Oxhill fireplace installers, Beamish fireplace installers, Blackhouse fireplace installers, Burnhope fireplace installers, South Moor fireplace installers, Craghead fireplace installers, West Kyo fireplace installers, Grange Villa fireplace installers, Kip Hill fireplace installers, Holmside fireplace installers, Dipton fireplace installers, Tantobie fireplace installers, Harperley fireplace installers, Shield Row fireplace installers and more. Fireplace installers are available to serve folks living in pretty much all of these towns and villages. These skilled tradesmen's know-how and experience make them well-suited for the correct installation of fireplaces in your property. The help of these dedicated experts allows residents to enjoy the comfort, warmth, and inviting atmosphere of a fireplace in their living spaces. Local homeowners can get fireplace installation price quotes by simply going here.
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Stanley Fireplace Related Tasks
Most likely you arrived here trying to find basic fireplace installation, yet your local Stanley fireplace installer can deliver a number of different additional services, and these may include oak beam fireplaces, double-sided stoves, reclaimed fireplaces Stanley, designer fireplaces, electric suites, Victorian fireplace installation Stanley, chimney strengthening Stanley, Regency fireplaces Stanley, fireplace fitting, chimney sweeping, chimney modifications, electric fire suites, the installation of modern fireplaces, the installation of chimney cowls, fireplaces, chimney repairs, marble fireplace installation, stone fireplace installation Stanley, hearth fireplaces, brick fireplaces, fake fireplace installations in Stanley, marble fireplace surrounds, fireplacerates, made-to-measure fireplaces, fireplace repairs, freestanding stoves, fireplace removal Stanley, fake fireplaces in Stanley, tiled fireplaces Stanley, fireplace cleaning, Victorian fireplaces, fire grate conversions, traditional gas fires, three-sided fireplaces, gas fireplace installation, and more. Stanley specialists will be more than happy to provide a full-blown list of their fireplace services when requested. You can always go to this QUOTE FORM and enter your details, if there are additional Stanley fireplace requirements that you need but don't see here.
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