I picked up my new Boatman Stove when I visited the Crick Boat Show a couple of months ago. Eddie from Northern Fabrications was kind enough to bring one down for me and save me the delivery charge.
Putting a 5kw stove in a confined, wood lined box does require a certain degree of common sense as well as a knowledge of the current BSS regs. The previously installed stove was not properly done and the scorched wood behind the inadequate heat proof surround served as a reminder of how not to do things.
The hearth is made up of a heavy duty paving slab, topped with a piece of man made marble, donated from a skip. These are bonded with CT.1.
On the side of the kitchen unit, went a piece of 18mm ply - recycled from the old kitchen.
Then a piece of 25mm Calcium Silicate fire board that is spaced away from the ply with off cuts to create a 25mm air gap.
I will be doing the same along the side wall, but will leave that until I have tested all the plumbing for leaks.
Marking the position of the flue on the ceiling was largely done by eye but once I was happy I drilled a small hole through the roof. Dangling a piece of string through the hole confirmed I was within a few mm of where I wanted it. Phew!
I scribed a circle on the roof with a couple of nails and a scrap of wood and began cutting.
Sods law dictates that I hit one of the roof beams/stiffeners, but a few gentle caresses with the grinder soon dealt with that.
The flue was wedged central in the stove outlet and cut to the correct length and the collar dropped into place over it. I had to shim the outer edge of the collar to compensate for the curve of the roof and bedded the whole thing with more CT.1. The gap on the inside was filled with fire rope and topped off with fire cement.
With the chimney on, I lit a few scraps of wood to check the smoke went where it was supposed to go.
Plumbing the back boiler was straight forward. All that remains is to put a drain valve on the bottom feed and screw the stove down.
