As winter approaches, demand for wood-burning fireplace inserts grows. Everyone wants to get their home ready for the cold and secure a stable source of heat that does not depend on electricity or gas. A wood-burning fireplace gives exactly that. It can be installed quickly and easily in a private house, a cottage, a country home or a townhouse. But what about people living in apartment blocks — is it realistic to install a wood-burning fireplace in an apartment?
So, you dream of a fireplace in an apartment. How feasible is that? Below we answer two questions: in which apartments a fireplace can be installed and what the requirements are for fitting a wood-burning fireplace in an apartment.
In which apartment can a wood-burning fireplace be installed?
An apartment where a fireplace heating system can be installed must meet the following conditions:
- The apartment is on the top floor of the building.
- The apartment is on any floor, provided that routing the flue and altering the apartments above is agreed, with official permits and with all the work paid for by the client.
- Two-level apartments whose upper level adjoins the roof.
- Premises that already have a dedicated flue. This may be older housing stock — for example buildings that were once heated by tiled stoves.
- New buildings in which dedicated flue shafts have been provided.
What are the requirements for installation?
To install a wood-burning fireplace in an apartment, the following requirements must be strictly observed:
- the property must meet the conditions described above;
- the floor slabs must be surveyed and confirmed as able to carry the additional load;
- a flue is mandatory;
- the flue must not be combined with the central ventilation system, and must not obstruct the building's services;
- if the flue affects the external appearance of the building, permission from the architectural and planning authority is required.
Please note: the exact list of permits and the authority that issues them differ from country to country. The points above describe the logic that applies almost everywhere — load-bearing capacity, an independent flue, and agreement with the building's owners — but the specific procedure must always be checked against your local building regulations.
Bear in mind! From starting to collect all the necessary documents, permits and certificates to actually installing a wood-burning fireplace in an apartment typically takes from six months to a year. The procedure is complex and involves several authorities. Whether to take on this long and demanding process is entirely your decision.
What are the alternatives if a flue is impossible?
If the building has no way of routing a flue, a wood-burning appliance is simply not an option — no design trick gets around the need to remove combustion gases safely. In that case the realistic alternatives are electric or bioethanol fireplaces, which imitate the flame without combustion products, though they cannot replace a wood fire as a heat source.
If, on the other hand, a flue is feasible, the choice of appliance is wide: a built-in steel insert for a surround, a compact freestanding stove that needs no surround at all, or a cassette if an old open hearth already exists. The flue itself is selected from certified modular systems in the chimneys section, strictly according to the data sheet of the chosen model.
SAVEN — warmth, comfort and safety
READ ALSO: