Has anyone ever fitted a solid fuel Aga?

[poneygirl69]

I'm having huge problems with the Aga I have on my boat. It is thought to be to do with the flue. I currently have a 3 1/2" but someone suggested a flue as big as 6". Does anyone have any idea what is the right way to deal with this?

[Admin (Chris)]

Hi,

With most solid and oil fired stoves it's the length of the flue that is just as important as the diameter. On our oil fired stove they recommend a minimum of 2m to give enough draw for the stove to work at maximum efficiency and prevent fumes finding their way into the cabin. The flue on our stove is 4" diameter, and probably won't be putting out as much exhaust fumes as your Aga, so 3 1/2" does sound a bit small.

I'll ask around to see if there is a formula for working it out.

Edit:
I found this info, I'll keep looking.

Flue Size.
The diameter of any flue used (stove flue pipe, liner or twin wall pipe) must not be smaller than the size recommended by the stove manufacturer - generally the diameter of the stove outlet.

If a wood burning stove has a diameter of 125mm (5") then Building Regulations do recommend using a larger 150mm (6") liner, however manufacturers installation instructions do take priority.

Flue Height
Flues should be high enough to ensure sufficient draught to clear the products of combustion.

Working chimneys or flues
Before you decide to buy a stove it is necessary to establish whether
the product you intend to purchase can be safely installed. Woodburning
and multifuel stoves up to 30KW output require what was
once termed a ‘Class I’ flue which must have at least a 6” (150mm)
diameter flue (or one with a similar cross-sectional area) – a small
number of appliance types with heat outputs up to 50kW require flues
up 7” (175mm) diameter.

Edit:
Also found this.

The minimum chimney flue liner diameter
The minimum chimney flue liner diameters (based on European EN norms) are as follows:
- 100 mm (3,94 inches) for the gas stoves;
- 110 mm (4,33 inches) for the liquid fuel burning stoves;
- 120 mm (4,72 inches) for the solid fuel burning stoves (but here the minimum intesection area must be at least 0,015 square meters or 0,16 sqare ft, which with the round shaped flue liner represents minimum 140 mm or 5,51 inch diameter);

So it would seem that for a solid fuel stove that 5 1/2" to 6" is normal.

Hope this helps