Replacing a fireplace with a multifuel stove

We just moved as much as we could and covered large items of furniture and the carpet with dust cloths. The firm which installed our stove was very good and cleaned up after themselves. There really wasn't much mess at all.

I have a very good modern stovax multifuel stove. These stoves need emptying, filling and cleaning, on hands and knees. I know you are asking about installation mess but unless you have someone `younger` who can deal with daily maintenance, then don`t do it

I am assuming that you don`t have younger people on hand to empty the room for you. I would be expecting a lot of dust and mess btw if they have asked you to empty the room, Can you not block off the open fire and just have an easy electric fire

If you cannot remove furnishings move everything as far away from the fireplace as possible. Tape a large dust cloth to the front of the book case and over all the furniture.

We also rolled up the large rug away from the fireplace.

There will be a lot of dust and quite a lot of work after they have finished the job.

I think it would be worthwhile getting assistance to help with the preparation and reparation.

We had one installed in December, there was no mess. The installer covered the floor and furniture with his dust sheets and hoovered up afterwards.
It sounds as if they’re removing the fire surround. We’ve done this on previous houses, fire surrounds often are only fixed to the wall by two lugs under the plaster, so can be removed with the minimum of dust.
Our multi fuel produces a very fine ash, the ash pan fits into a steel carrier that is emptied outside with no mess in the house.
I’d talk this all through for more details with your installer.

The problem with old firteplaces is that hidden behind the fireplace every tiny crack and interstice is full of fine light ash, the product of decades of fires.

When the fireplace is removed, all this ash comes out in a suffocating cloud. Even with dustsheets over the fireplace it gets out. I wrote with feeling. DH has removed fireplaces twice and even when we knew what would happen we still had ash everywhere.

I suggest that you swathe everything in the room with dustsheets and after the work is done (stove installation is not a messy process) you get in professional cleaners to give everywhere that needs it a through clean.

I think I’d opt to plonk an electric ‘fake’ woodburner in front of the existing fireplace!

Completely agree woodstoves require a good deal of messy maintenance every morning.
The logs also require work - finding a supplier, storing in a dry shed and carrying a heavy load into house every day, no matter the weather. I would seriously think about an electric woodstove. Gas ones are more realistic but would be very expensive to run.

Not many people use wood stoves, or open fires as a main means of heating. We have a wood stove and light it up on cold Sundays, Christmas, Easter and during very cold snaps when the temperature is below 5 degrees for days on end.

We find visitors, DS and family, and my Dad, when he was alive, all love nurturing it. We have no problem with wood supply, we live in a rural area, I wouldnever have a wood stove if I lived in a built up area.

Same, M0nica - ours has saved us an absolute fortune in energy bills as it has been our main source of heat over the winter. We have very rarely had to resort to putting the central heating on. We have a virtually unlimited supply of free wood within a close radius of home, so the only cost to us is actually collecting and chopping the wood. Obviously you can't do that unless you live in a rural area.

OP is having a Multifuel stove, which means you burn smokeless fuel or wood. The smokeless fuel produces a small amount of fine ash.

J52

OP is having a Multifuel stove, which means you burn smokeless fuel or wood. The smokeless fuel produces a small amount of fine ash.

yes mine produces a small amount of ash when I burn only smokeless ovals. It is not ash that makes work, apart from getting rid of any that is spilt. The stove needs to be filled and unless at waist height, I need to kneel down to create that mound. Then it needs actual lighting and if the burn gets too low, the glass will get dirty, maybe in a small area but it will not remain pristine. The glass then needs cleaning

I love my multifuel stove but may not love dealing with it at 84

I love our multi fuel stove, including the cleaning out, lighting and tending. We have used it it almost everyday during the winter with no other heating in the large sitting room as it is so effective.
I think I like it because it reminds me of my childhood.

In my sixties I’m strong and agile and don’t find anything to do with it too heavy or difficult.
Ask me again in 20 years time!

We had it fitted during a total house refurbishment so any mess was just part and parcel of the eight month daily project.

I am 80 this year and our stove causes me no problems at all, but as I said, I do not use it on a daily basis.

I was so glad to move house and say goodbye to our multi fuel stove ! I was 80 with a new hip !

Yes having a stove installed is a mess, especially if bricks have to be knocked out, cover everything with dust sheets and move out of the way.

Having a stove is a way of life, you’ll either love it, or it will become a laborious bind. And you won’t use it.

I love mine, just like another pet really,
I have to buy its fuel, feed it, clean it out, keep on eye on it, re more logs/fuel on throughout the day.

I’ve had this sort of heating for over forty years, just make sure you look after your knees while tending it.
I kneel on a big soft sofa cushion, and it makes a big difference to the state of your knees after a long cold winter of getting up and down to it!

We just moved furniture to the other end of the room and used lots of dust sheets. Also had hoover at the ready. It wasn’t too messy at all but we weren’t knocking out blocks. I hope you love your new stove as much as I love mine.

I already have an open fire which is being removed so am quite aware of the amount of attention they need, its the actual installation I'm worried about. We have an unlimited source of fuel here in the country.
We do not have gas out here and there's no way would I consider electricity as we have frequent power cuts.

Whenever we have workers in we cover everything well, tape the covers down to the floor - leaving no gaps not covered by tape. Works well.

Like you we've a supply of free wood, thus effortless free heat.

I’m not sure if this is the sort of thing you’re asking - We have used our installer twice and our DS used him once, he came with excellent references and was HETAS approved, which is essential. You should get an installation certificate once the jobs completed.
The installation took about 3 hours and involved a chimney liner going up the flue. There was scaffolding to the front of the house and around the chimney stack, only for a day.
The chimney pot was capped so that birds couldn’t nest there.
No mess, a gentle fire for a couple of days to bed everything thing in.

If you have had open fires then you clearly are aware of the dirt and dust the cause. Plus lugging logs.
I found living in a village without gas that I was right to have two installed in each downstairs reception room’s.
Once you manage them well you can turn them right down and the heat can stay in all night and you can catch the ember’s in the morning to fire it up again.
I found mine very handy during power cuts as I always had heat and even boiled a kettle and cooked on the bigger one.
I think when you only have electricity especially in the country they earn their keep over and over.

Thank you J52 for the HETAS tip. And thank you folk who reassured me re the amount of work involved in taking out the old fireplace and opening up a space large enough to take a stove and leave enough space for it.
I seem to think there's only a small fire-sized opening that will have to be enlarged and that will necessitate some building work. Using my supply of logs on an open fire seems very inefficient