What should I look for when choosing an installer?

Flamecraft • 27 September 2019

When considering having a wood burner or multi fuel stove installed, choosing who will install it is as important as what will be installed. We have put together the key things to consider when choosing an installer.

Use a HETAS Registered Installer

When you use a HETAS registered installer/engineer you can rest assured that you are employing someone fully competent for the job.

  • Certification

Your installation is signed off as correctly installed and safe. This is often required for home insurance and product warranties.
  • Training

All HETAS Engineers have to complete specialist vocational training and must complete refresher courses every 5 years in order to be qualified to install wood burners and multi fuel stoves. HETAS vet all registered engineers and will ensure they stay up to date with refresher courses.


  • Protection

If you have an issue HETAS will hold the HETAS engineer who installed your wood burner or Multi Fuel stove accountable and ensure that the issue is resolved.


  • Products

Due to the training HETAS engineers have the knowledge to ensure their product ranges meet regulations.

You can search the HETAS database for registered installers near you, as well as check if your installer is in fact registered. Its free and very easy to use.

Ask about the pipework warranties.

Like the stoves, the pipework required for the installation carries a warranty and varies between manufacturer. It is important to look at the terms and conditions of the warranties not just the length of them.

As with stoves one of the most common factors in keeping a warranty valid is the number of yearly chimney sweeps required.

For example:

(Please note this example is purely for illustrative purposes and does not reflect any specific company or pricing. This example should not be used as an actual estimate of cost.)

Pipework Manufacturer A (PMA) - Offers a 20 year warranty.
Pipework Manufacturer B (PMB) - Offers a 20 year warranty.

In PMA's warranty terms and conditions you need to have your chimney swept professionally once a year for the warranty to stay valid.

In PMB's warranty terms and conditions you need to have your chimney swept professionally twice a year for the warranty to stay valid.

An average professional chimney sweep is £50 a time.

For PMA the total cost of chimney sweeping over the 20 year warranty period is £1000.
For PMB the total cost of chimney sweeping over the 10 year warranty period is £2000.

The yearly upkeep required to keep your warranty valid is less for PMA than PMB.

Like with stoves the manufacturers the terms and conditions vary between manufacturers to it is best to compare before you buy.

Cost of Installation

It is often tempting to save those pennies and choose the cheapest quotation. However, this is not always wise, and can mean you are putting your safety at risk. We are not saying choose the most expensive quotation either.

Instead we always advise our customers that if a quotation is significantly cheaper or significantly more expensive from one company to another it is wise to find out why.

Sadly, like with most industries there are cowboy’s out there that will leave you with a headache and an unsafe installation. We are disappointed to say that in the 12 years we have been open we have been asked to fix many unsafe installations. A good installer will ensure you feel safe and secure and will answer any concerns you have.

How do I spot a cowboy?

As mentioned above if a quotation is significantly cheaper than other it can be a red flag. However, we have also come across dangerous installations in which the customer paid significantly more than the average price they were quoted for an installation.

Other red flags are:


  • The installer is not part of HETAS or does not offer certification.
  • Building regulations are never mentioned.
  • They don’t quote for a chimney liner. Generally, nearly every installation requires a liner.

We always advise getting multiple quotations, to ensure you are getting a fair deal.

The best way to avoid employing a cowboy is to use a HETAS registered engineer/installer.

Risks of an unsafe Installation

An unsafe installation is potentially life threatening as it increases the chances of a house fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.

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December Opening Times

by Flamecraft • 3 December 2020
We all made it through second lockdown and are pleased to be open to the general public once more. We welcome customers to come visit us, but kindly ask they adhere to the government guidelines regarding social distancing. While we understand lockdown was frustrating, we are in a tier 3 area and therefore we also ask that our customers shop responsibly and only come into the showroom for essential purposes when possible. We are still able to take orders for stove spares over phone and email and in many cases out manufacturers will deliver these directly to our customers to help us to reduce the need for people to put themselves at risk of Covid-19. We know we sound like we are lecturing, however we want to ensure all our customers have a very happy and healthy Christmas. With all this in mind, we have reduced the hours the showroom will be open. We will review these regularly and open for longer if needed, we are also able to arrange appointments to visit the showroom at Baytree outside these hours, Our December opening hours are as follows: Monday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Tuesday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Wednesday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Thursday: 10am - 2pm (Pre-booked appointments available till 5pm) Friday: 10am - 2pm (Pre-booked appointments available till 5pm) Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 10am - 4pm We kindly ask when pre-booking appointments Monday - Wednesday that customers give 24 hours notice and Pre-booked appointments are available between 10am - 5pm. On Thursdays and Fridays appointments can be pre-booked on the day before 1:30pm via calling 01406 373600. We are available via emailing flamecraftuk@aol.com outside our opening hours and will try to reply to customers as quickly as possible.

Call & Collect Available during Second Lockdown

by Flamecraft • 3 November 2020
With second lockdown looming many of our customers are concerned about being able to purchase fuel and spare parts during second lockdown. We completely understand this and whilst our showroom wont be open to the general public we are running a 'Call & Collect' service.

Introducing Saltfire & Ekol stoves!

by Flamecraft • 1 November 2020
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by Flamecraft • 30 October 2020
The clearskies scheme has been recently introduced, and many of the wood burners and multi fuel stoves we sell have a clear skies mark. However many of our customers see this logo and are left wondering what it actually means. Therefore we have put together the basics explaining what clear skies is, and how this potentially will effect choosing a wood burner or multi fuel stove.

EcoDesign 2022: What do I need to know?

by Flamecraft • 23 October 2020
EcoDesign 2022 is changes to regulations for the Stove Industry.

Our range of wood burners & multi fuel stoves is about to get bigger!

by Flamecraft • 16 October 2020
It is the season for hot chocolate, fluffy blankets, hot water bottles and curling up in front of a roaring fire. With the days getting sorter and the nights getting longer it means we are busy installing wood burning and multi fuel stoves in homes. Like for many this year has been challenging, and we have worked tirelessly to ensure our customers will still receive the best service possible from us. We also understand that with the challenges of the past year many of us we are looking for more affordable heating options for this winter. Over the summer we have had many discussions about the issues we are all facing, and we knew we wanted to do everything we could to ensure our customers can still enjoy owning a wood burner or multi fuel stove. On top of the challenges this year has brought us all we are also very aware that since the announcement of the incoming Ecodesign regulations more and more of our customers are coming to us looking for Ecodesign 2022 Approved wood burners and multi fuel stoves. While we had Ecodesign stoves available, we wanted to give our customers more options to choose from. So, we knew we had two targets: 1. Have wood burning and multi fuels stove options available for a range of different budgets. 2. Expand our range of Ecodesign Approved stoves. We went through many different ideas until we finally realised the solution was in front of us (literally in a pile of brochures we had from a trade show we visited last year). A manufacturer that had a huge range of Ecodesign 2022 approved wood burning and multi fuel stoves that meet our own guidelines for quality and design (as well as being manufactured in the UK), and to top that off offering a range of price points that would allow us to offer more affordable stoves. So of course we gave them a call.