flueless gas fires - powaflue?
 

Hi

Faced with a bill of £1500 squids to open up a hearth and rebuild a
chimney stack, I'm wondering about a flueless gas fire.

Any comments on how good they are? We've got a rad in the front room,
so there would be some extra warmth in the room which should prevent
any condensation problems which I understand they may have.

And can anyone clarify what a powaflue is - I've seen an nice looking
model which says that whilst it doesn't need a chimney, it does have a
twin walled flue, so I'm wondering where the twin walled flue actually
goes!

"Mark Watson" wrote in message
...
Hi

Faced with a bill of £1500 squids to open up a hearth and rebuild a
chimney stack, I'm wondering about a flueless gas fire.

Any comments on how good they are? We've got a rad in the front room,
so there would be some extra warmth in the room which should prevent
any condensation problems which I understand they may have.

And can anyone clarify what a powaflue is - I've seen an nice looking
model which says that whilst it doesn't need a chimney, it does have a
twin walled flue, so I'm wondering where the twin walled flue actually
goes!


A good few years ago when I bought a "Cannon Coalridge" balanced flue fire,
there was another model with a "Power Flue". This was for fitting in places
not against an outside wall.

The "power flue" was a rather chunky-looking ISTR white painted probably
metal "skirting board-shaped" pipe that could be run around the room at
floor level just like a rather ugly skirting board. Presumably it eventually
reached a place where it could pop outside. I think there was a fan in the
fire to make it work.

Things may have move on from that - it was a good few years ago.

Regards,
Simon.

And can anyone clarify what a powaflue is - I've seen an nice looking
model which says that whilst it doesn't need a chimney, it does have a
twin walled flue, so I'm wondering where the twin walled flue actually
goes!

OK, the following types of flue are available for gas appliances.

1. Flueless. The oxygen comes from the room. The fumes go back into it.
Advantages: Very cheap, simple.
Disadvantages: Possible death. Limited to low power. Requires massive
ventilation. Condensation.
Examples: Gas hob. Portable gas space heater. Cigarette lighter. Plumbing
torch.

2. Open flue. The oxygen comes from the room. The fumes rise up a chimney
flue using convection.

Advantages: Chimney may already exist. Removes combustion products, like CO
and water. Cheap appliances.
Disadvantages: Ventilation still required. Chimney problems may lead to room
contamination. Flue expensive to construct or fix if broken.
Examples: Traditional range cooker. Boiler from 1970s. Traditional gas fire.

3. Balanced flue. The oxygen comes from the flue terminal. The fumes are
ejected from the flue terminal.
Advantages: Room sealed. No specific requirement for ventilation. Cheap flue
to install.
Disadvantages: Flue length limited to short horizontal length through wall.
Must be situated against outside wall. More expensive appliance.
Examples: Balanced flue fire. Boiler from 1980s.

4. Fanned flue. The oxygen comes from the flue terminal. The fumes are
ejected from the flue terminal. A fan is used to enhance this process.
Advantages: As balanced flue. Additionally, flue length can be long, and
involve bends and vertical and horizontal sections. More reliable flow than
by convection/expansion alone. Good for high power applications.
Disadvantages: More expensive appliance. Long vertical flues may be more
expensive than an existing open flue. Fan may be noisy.
Examples: Fanned flue fire. Modern boiler.

Christian.

Mark have yor purchased a power flue as I am in the process of removing one from my home. It is a Cannon Power Flue .I have a radiator which is enough for the size of room.