By Julian Patrick
There are many ways to make chimney lining safe:
DO NOT USE LADDERS UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THEM PROPERLY AND DO NOT USE THEM WHEN IT IS WINDY
I was on a ladder that moved sideways a couple of feet in a gust and it really was not that windy!
Hmmm…
A £60,000 cherry picker. Approx. £200 to hire for one day with subsequent days £100.
What happens when the cherrypicker fails to arrive (note that I did use a climbing rope/harness etc.). Note the wooden platform.
Scaffolding is great but expensive
Scaffolding for twin wall flue (make sure the scaffolding is far enough away from the building if fitting external twin wall flue).
Some chimneys require scaffolding (the householder went to take a look at the chimney but fear prevented him climbing past the guttering :)
Note the steepness of this roof – steep rooves certainly increase the likelihood of you “shaking like a wet lurcher”. I have a small chimney scaffold and it can be very useful. Prior to purchasing the small scaffold (April 2013) I would usually use ladder/cat ladder and rope and climbing harness in this situation and add wooden platforms where appropriate. If difficult chimney then scaffolding or cherry picker or another type frame
001: Not high but still tricky.
001: Length of wood Thunderbolted to stack and ladder screwed to length of wood.. Plywood on ladder to prevent feet falling through.
002: Impossible to do with just a ladder. Make sure they are structurally sound (they can sway and wobble!).
002: The wood is screwed to the stack using Thunderbolts. The ladder has Thunderbolts preventing the small ladder moving. Secure plywood on the ladder to walk on.
003: at first glance looks horrible and scaffolding is certainly an option.
003: The platform provided full security and fitting the liner was not difficult. Once again Thunderbolts were used to bolt a length of wood to the stack and the quickly made platform was screwed to this.
Julian Patrick is the author of The Stovefitter's Manual and an experienced wood burning stove installer (including solid fuel heating systems).
Laid down tools in 2013 to write The Stove Fitter's Manual and open a small shop in North Wales (the Wood Stove Hut). Launched Stovefitter's Warehouse soon after due to fast growth of sales.
Own stove is a DG Ivar 5.
Already have a chimney? You need 1. Stove 2. Liner 3. Fitting Pack 4. Chimney closure plate (Hardiebacker board from Builder's merchants or galvanised sheet).That's it!
No chimney? Check out our shed kits or let us design your clip-together chimney design - easy peasy.
Stovefitter's Warehouse is owned and managed by Julian Patrick, blogger and author of The Stove Fitter's Manual. Julian was previously a full-time installer of wood-burning stoves (including solid fuel heating systems). He laid down the tools in 2013 to write his stove manual and open a small shop in North Wales (the Wood Stove Hut, soon to grow into The Stovefitter's Warehouse).
