About Your Chimney/Flue...

There are a few variations of Chimney/Flue types. Most companies now supply a whole range of fires to cover the different types of Chimney/Flues that people may have.
The information on this page is supplied to help explain the different types of Chimney/Flue your home may have. Once you have recognized which your type, it will then help you see/choose which products are suitable for your setup.
Below are illustrations of each Chimney/Flue that you are likely to see on roof tops.
We strongly recommend checking the product compatibility before purchasing so you know 100% that your not left with a product that can not be used.
We have fitters that come out free of charge, no obligation and carry out a full survey if you are not sure on what you can have.

Class I - Brick Built Chimney

Class I - Brick Built Chimney will normally have either a terra cotta pot or a gas terminal at the top of the stack. Brick Built Chimneys can either run up on the outside of the house (as shown) or internally with just the top of the stack showing above roof.
The size of the opening you can have for your fire depends on the actual size of the internal size of the chimney/flue. The minimum internal diameter will be 7", anything less will be a Class II setup.
Almost any fire can be installed into a Class I setup including Hotboxes, High Efficiency Glass Fronted fires, Convectors and Solid Fuel Baskets, Stoves and Arches etc...

Class I/II - Pre Fabricated Flue

A Pre Fabricated Flue is, twinned skinned metal pipe (flue) that interlock with each other. It starts at the fire opening all the way to the roof top. The external flue will be finished off with a terminal at the top (as shown).
Pre Fabricated Flues are mostly used in new build houses. There is a wide range of fires that fitin this setup, but it is on how much depth you have.

Class II - Pre Cast Flue

Pre Cast Flues are made from hollow concrete blocks creating a vertical flue up through your house, terminating with a ridge vent (as shown).
This setup is probably the shallowest of the flue types. There are a few ways to increase what products you can choose from. Some companies  offer spacers for their products to allow part of the fire depth to be housed. If no spacers are available, the surround you choose may have a deep rebate to house the fire in. The rebate is the gap from the back of the leg to the wall.
There are a few Slimline fires on the market now, which are purposely made for this situation and do not require hardly any depth at all.

No Chimney or Flue?

Many people come across this situation, possibly because previous house owners have had part of the chimney removed or blocked it off, maybe even the house never had one put in place from the start. Here are a few options available to allow you to have a gas appliance with a living flame effect...

Powerflue Fires

A powerflue is a product that has a flue running from the vent of the fire, through the wall and a fan unit on the outside. The fire remains open fronted so it looks realistic but you do require a power point nearby. The power point is used to power the fan unit which extracts the fumes from the fire to the outside.
Powerflue fires can be floor set or as a raised hole in the wall design. There are endless options for the overall look of the fire from traditional to modern.

Balanced Flue Fires

A Balanced Flue fire is again a product which uses a flue going through the wall to extract the fumes. The fire is a glass fronted unit and does not require a power point. That is because it works by drawing cold air in and the warm fumes get drawn outside through the twinned skinned metal flue. Again these can be floor set or a raised hole in the wall design, covering the traditional to the modern range.

Flueless Fires

Flueless Fires have proven popular as they can be placed virtually anywhere, according to room size specifications and required air vents installed. They are 100% heat efficient and work like a converter on a vehicle, that is why no flue or chimney is needed. Everything burnt is returned into the room as heat. They now do slimline hang on the wall flueless fires for the modern look. The traditional inset look fire and even stoves are done as flueless now.