How to install a log burner

Inspired by Gosforth Handyman. This guide draws on the video “Removing the back boiler and installing our wood burning stove” from the Gosforth Handyman channel — one of the UK’s most-watched property maintenance channels, with over 42 million video views. Andy MacLellan documents the full process on a 1920s semi-detached house, including removing the old back boiler and fitting a high-efficiency Hwam stove. It is an honest and detailed account of how the job actually goes, not just the easy bits.

1. Check the regulations and notify building control

In England and Wales, installing a solid fuel appliance is notifiable under Building Regulations (Part J). You have two options: notify building control before you start, or use a HETAS-registered installer who can self-certify the work. Either way, you need a certificate at the end — without one, you will have problems when you come to sell the house.

There are also smoke control area rules to consider if you are in a designated zone. Not all stoves can be used in smoke control areas, but DEFRA-exempt appliances can. Check before you buy the stove, not after. To be fair, most manufacturers are clear about this on their product listings.

2. Choose the right stove for the room

Stove output is measured in kilowatts. A rough guide for UK homes is 1 kW per 14 cubic metres of room volume. For most sitting rooms, something in the 4–6 kW range is appropriate. Go larger and you will find yourself running it on very low air settings to stop the room overheating, which shortens stove life and increases tar build-up in the flue.

Think about efficiency ratings too. Modern stoves must meet Ecodesign standards (effective from 2022), which means lower particulate emissions and better fuel efficiency. An Ecodesign-ready stove is simply a better bit of kit.

3. Prepare the hearth

Building regulations require a non-combustible hearth of minimum dimensions: at least 840 mm wide and 840 mm deep (or 500 mm in front of the stove door). The hearth must extend at least 150 mm to each side of the stove body. For most installations, a raised or flush hearth in granite, slate, or porcelain tiles on a concrete sub-base works well.

The constructional hearth beneath it needs to be at least 125 mm thick in non-combustible material. If the floor is timber, this usually means pouring a concrete pad or fitting a proprietary hearth kit. Do not cut corners here — the hearth is what stands between a dropped log and a house fire.

4. Have the chimney swept and inspected

Before any work starts, have a qualified chimney sweep clean and inspect the existing flue. They will check for obstructions, cracks in the liner, and whether the flue is the right size for the stove you have chosen. Most log burners need a 150 mm or 175 mm flue diameter depending on the model.

Old chimneys in UK houses — Victorian, Edwardian, 1930s — often need relining. The original brickwork is rarely suitable for a modern stove: the flue is usually too large, or the mortar joints are open enough to allow gases to filter through the walls. A flexible stainless steel liner dropped down from the pot and connected at the stove is the standard solution.

5. Fit the register plate

A register plate seals the base of the chimney breast above the stove connection point. It stops the bulk of the warm room air being drawn up into the cold chimney void, which would reduce efficiency considerably. It also provides a neat, clean connection point for the flue pipe.

Register plates are usually fabricated from 2 mm or 3 mm steel and cut to fit the specific opening. They need a hole for the flue spigot and an inspection hatch for sweeping access. Seal the plate into the opening with fire-rated rope seal or fire cement.

6. Connect the stove to the flue liner

Position the stove on the hearth and connect the flue pipe from the stove collar up to the register plate connection. Use twin-wall insulated flue pipe if the run is exposed in the room, and single-wall stove pipe only for short internal connections. All joints should be wrapped with fire rope and supported so nothing is pulling on the stove collar.

If the liner was dropped from above, the bottom of the liner connects to the register plate with a nose cone and a short length of flexible connector. Make sure the connection is airtight — any gap will let flue gases back into the room.

7. Carry out a smoke test and first fire

Before lighting the first real fire, carry out a smoke test. Light a smoke pellet inside the stove with the door open and check that smoke draws up and out through the chimney without spilling back into the room. If there is spillage, find the cause before proceeding — usually a poorly sealed connection or a cold, unwarmed flue that needs a moment to draft properly.

The first fire should be small. New stoves have paint, liners, and seals that need to cure at a low temperature before the stove is run hard. Follow the manufacturer’s break-in procedure, which typically means several short, low-temperature burns over the first few days. Mind you, the temptation to crank it up immediately is real — resist it.

When to call a handyman

A log burner installation involves building regulations, structural hearth work, flue lining, and commissioning — and it needs a certificate at the end. Most homeowners manage the purchasing decisions and preparation themselves, then use a HETAS-registered engineer to fit and certify the stove. Call Richard if you need help coordinating the trades, managing the hearth construction, or getting the room back in order after the work is done.