The construction and application of chimneys and flues is covered by Building Regulations in conjunction with the relevant European Standards. Whilst these differ in emphasis, they all mandate the safe application of the chimney no matter where and how used. These Regulations and Standards dictate the minimum criteria which it is necessary to apply if the chimney or flue is to function safely and correctly.

Building control approval is necessary for building new chimneys and in some cases for relining old chimneys particularly if some alteration or change of the heating appliance occurs. The appropriate Regulations and Standards are listed below.

England & Wales:
Building Regulations Approved Document J

Scotland:
Building Regulations Technical Standards

Northern Ireland:
Building Regulations Technical Booklet L

Republic of Ireland:
Building Regulations Technical Guidance Document J

It is important to match the internal diameter of the flue with the outlet on the appliance. It should never be less than the outlet diameter of the appliance. The appliance manufacturer’s chimney sizing recommendations should always be followed.

For open fires with a standard fire opening up to 500mm wide by 550mm high the minimum required flue diameter is 200mm round or 175mm square. For larger open fires, such as inglenooks, dog grate installations or special appliances and stoves designed to operate with a fire opening greater than 500mm x 550mm, the flue size should be at least 15% of the free unobstructed area of the fire opening (including sides if open). Many Decorative Fuel Effect gas fires (DFE’s) that imitate a coal or log burning open fire require the same chimney arrangement as for solid fuel open fires and must be installed in accordance with respective local building regulations

Construction begins by providing a suitable foundation and constructional hearth in accordance with Building Regulations and site requirements.

The Schiedel Air System is a specially designed balanced flue that connects a Room Sealed Appliance to fresh air and enables combustion gases to escape safely. Therefore, in the majority of installations there is no need for air vents to be provided for the appliance.

There is no bend kit available for the Schiedel Air System however, an offset can be obtained by using the HP5 block within the stove recess. Each HP5 block has an offset of 120mm.

With a Free Standing stove, the chimney will not be positioned above the appliance. It is then necessary to provide a cleaning access and debris removal area. If it is a condensing appliance, a base stone can be used to collect the condensate. Provision should be made for the proper disposal of condensate.

Reinforcement bars should be used instead of the plastic connectors for chimney stacks over 1.2m high. The bars must start 1m below the last point of lateral support.

After installation is complete tests and checks should be carried out in accordance with document J of the Building Regulations. A chimney notice plate must be completed and permanently fixed in the dwelling, ideally near the electrical consumer unit. The checklist and notice plate are available from Schiedel.

The chimney should be left for at least 72 hours before use, then start only with small fires for the first week and gently increase thereafter.

The chimney should be swept at least twice a year, once before the heating season and once after the heating season. You may need to sweep during the heating season depending upon use. The brush should be a medium density polypropylene bristle type and should be the same diameter as the flue. Steel brushes must not be used to sweep the flues.

Always follow the appliance manufacturer’s operating instructions. Always burn approved fuels or dry seasoned wood. Avoid burning unseasoned wood and slow burning of solid fuels as this can produce excessive soot and condensation which in turn cause soot fires and damage. If correctly installed, operated and maintained these systems should last the life of the dwelling.