What should I look for when choosing an installer?

Flamecraft • Sep 27, 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.

by Flamecraft 03 Dec, 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.
by Flamecraft 03 Nov, 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.
by Flamecraft 01 Nov, 2020
In October we teased that we were going to expand our range of wood burning and multi fuels stoves to give our customers a bigger range of Ecodesign Approved stoves that would suit a range of budgets, and we are excited to finally be able to introduce our two new brands to you.
by Flamecraft 30 Oct, 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.
by Flamecraft 23 Oct, 2020
EcoDesign 2022 is changes to regulations for the Stove Industry.
by Flamecraft 16 Oct, 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.
by Flamecraft 09 Oct, 2020
With the cold weather rolling in we are extending our opening hours to the following: Monday: CLOSED Tuesday: CLOSED Wednesday: 10am - 5pm Thursday: 10am - 5pm Friday: 10am - 5pm Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 10 - 4pm We look forward to seeing you.
by Flamecraft 09 Oct, 2020
Everyone has their own style and taste, and they develop and change over time. In recent years our customers are coming to us wanting more sleek and contemporary designs that allow for a full view of the flames within a wood burner or multi fuel stove. We have put together a selection of stoves that have been designed for modern living with a contemporary aesthetic. Every wood burner and multi fuel stove on this list are Ecodesign 2022 approved.
by Flamecraft 11 Sept, 2020
Inheriting a wood burner or multi fuel stove can be confusing, but we have put together a checklist of the things you should know when buying a house with a wood burner or multi fuel stove already installed.
by Flamecraft 25 Jul, 2020
We are open again and ready to welcome customers back into our showroom. However following government guidelines and to keep our team and customers safe we kindly ask customers to adhere to the following: When visiting please follow Baytree Garden Centre's one way system. Due to the width of our showroom and the positioning of our doors we are only able to accommodate one household at a time whilst adhering to social distancing. We are unable to ensure that there is a 2 meter distance between households due to our built in displays which allow for less than a 2 meter gap between them. Therefore we may politely ask customers to wait outside with a 2 meter distance from the door if we are already serving a household in the showroom, or return later. Please sanitise you hands upon entering the showroom. We are doing our best to sanitise the door handles, card machine and any handles on the stoves between customers. We kindly ask customers are patient with us as during busy periods they may be asked to refrain from touching the handles on the stoves until they are sanitised. We politely ask that you speak to a member of the team before touching any accessories or care products in the showroom, as this will allow our team to sanitise the products to ensure they are safe for the next customer to handle. Update: We kindly ask you wear an appropriate face mask/covering when visiting our showroom. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience at this challenging time.
Show More
Share by: