Replacing a gas fire with a log burner

The first rule: the gas side is separate

Carl does not carry out gas work. Where an existing fire has a live or redundant supply, a Gas Safe registered engineer caps and seals it before the solid-fuel installation continues. That keeps the work in the right hands and avoids pretending one trade covers everything.

Once that is done, the fireplace can be treated as a stove installation: opening checked, chimney swept and inspected, flue route specified, hearth and chamber designed, stove fitted, commissioned and certificated.

What usually sits behind the old fire

A gas fire often hides a reduced opening, old insert, damaged hearth, loose infill or a chimney that has not been used for solid fuel for years. The survey looks behind the visible fire and decides what can stay, what needs removing and whether the chimney needs lining.

In many homes the old decorative surround is worth keeping. Our Boston Spa case study kept the original slate surround and rebuilt everything behind it, which is often the best result: character retained, working parts renewed.

The new stove setting

The finished installation may be a simple chamber, a brick or stone-lined opening, a natural stone fireplace, or a retained period surround with new border slips and a cut hearth. The appliance choice comes after the room and flue have been checked, because the stove has to suit the opening, chimney and heat demand.

The Pannal and Pocklington case studies show the other common route: the old supply made safe, then a full fireplace build with a new chamber, granite hearth, liner and a 5kW stove sized to the room.

Costs and paperwork

The gas cap-and-seal line is a separate safety item. Our published offers currently show that option at £125 where required, with waste removal and plastering priced separately if the job needs them.

The final stove installation still follows the normal HETAS route: commissioning, carbon monoxide alarm, certificate and Building Control notification. That paperwork is what proves the new solid-fuel appliance was fitted correctly.

Real examples

Boston Spa: original slate surround kept, old fire removed, Gas Safe cap and seal completed, then a new chamber, granite hearth and stove-ready fireplace built behind it.

Pannal: redundant LPG supply made safe, chimney opened up, herringbone brick chamber built and a Contura 210 installed with liner, Flue Cube and direct external air.

Pocklington: redundant supply capped and sealed, then a Durham limestone fireplace, brick chamber, Antique Leather granite hearth and ACR Oakdale fitted and certified.

Common questions