An experienced, Home Heating Association (NZHHA) approved installer should fit your fireplace. Your retailer should be able to arrange this for you, or search for your nearest HHA registered installers here

Before you make any decisions relating to the purchase of a solid fuel or gas appliance, it is important to check the type of chimney or flue system you have available in your home. We advise that you consult with the team at The Fireplace or your local retailer before you make any decisions prior to purchasing a solid fuel or gas appliance.

To achieve a relaxing room temperature of around 21ºC when the external air temperature is freezing (0ºC) you will need approximately 1kW of heat output for every 14 cubic meters of space.

Measure the length, width and height of your room and multiply the three figures together.

For example, a room measuring 7m long by 4m wide and with a height of 2.5m is 70 cu. m. of space. Divide by the sum by 14 and this means you will require a 5kW appliance.

However this is just a rough guide, factors such as the number of outside walls, the size of windows and whether they are double glazed, the age of the home etc, can all influence the heat requirement.

We would always recommend you consult The Fireplace or your local retailer for a site survey before making your decision.

Cleanburn is a system by which hot air is introduced into the firebox just above the normal height of the fire. This allows the combustion of unburned hydrocarbons in the smoke stream. This, in turn, provides not only a ‘cleaner burn’ (i.e. less soot particles going up the chimney/flue and into the atmosphere), but also allows you to enjoy even more flames.

Airwash is a design feature that uses a specially placed vent or vents to draw in air from the outside to wash over the inside of the glass. This helps to keep the glass clean, allowing you to enjoy the glow and flames to the full.

This is a wood burner that has been found to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NES for Air Quality). A clean air wood burner must have a discharge of less than 1.5 grams of particles for each kilogram of dry wood burned (g/kg) and a thermal efficiency of at least 65 per cent. Approved burners will be listed on the MFE website and will have an approval number, the appliance on this list may be installed on properties less than two hectares, anywhere in New Zealand, unless more stringent regional rules apply.

Commissioning a solid fuel or gas stove, fire or fireplace must be done following installation of the appliance. This is a compulsory procedure to ensure that the flue/appliance/room ventilation are all in accordance with building regulations, safety requirements and the manufacturer’s installation/operation instructions. This must be completed by a registered NZHHA installer or certified gasfitter.

Yes. You can install a wood burning appliance in properties without an existing chimney. A new cavity can be constructed to house a wood burning appliance and flue system.

Designed to protect the immediate area surrounding your solid fuel appliance, a hearth is made of a non-combustible material that sits underneath and infront of the wood burning appliance. The hearth must be of a sufficient size in order that any burning fuel or hot embers do not fall on any combustible materials such as floorboards, carpets or rugs etc. There are many factors to consider on the type of hearth that you need for your home. Typically, the requirement is for a hearth to project a minimum of 300mm out from the front of the appliance. Please review the relevant installation manual for specific dimensions.

Firstly, there is the basic principle that heat rises. Televisions and other similar equipment will not react well to exposure of excessive heat from below.

Inset fires being flush with the wall, will transfer heat directly up the wall above. All fireplace appliances state a distance above them where there must be no combustible material present such as TVs and other combustible material, and therefore the base of the appliance must be at least this far above the top of the installed fire. This measurement will frequently be of a height, which may not comfortably allow any TV to be practically placed there. To reduce this height a non-combustible mantel may be fitted to deflect the heat. Creating a recess in the wall above the fire to house a TV is a popular suggestion. However, it may actually cause a greater negative impact on the appliance because it will usually (a) place it even closer to the hot flue system rising from the fire and (b) place it in a confined space more prone to retaining the rising heat.

In conclusion, please discuss your design with one of the team at The Fireplace to find the best solution.

Your appliance’s serial number can be found on the data plate/badge which is located either at the front of the appliance or behind the appliance. Please read your instruction manual for the exact location of the data plate/badge and subsequent serial number. If you do not have your instruction manual available, you can download this from our download library here

Once you have located your data badge/plate, your serial number should be located within the data badge/plate. Your serial number is required when ordering spare parts or making warranty claims. To order a spare part for your solid fuel appliance, please contact The Fireplace. Alternatively, you can also visit your nearest retailer to purchase any spare parts for your solid fuel appliance.

Solid fuel appliances go through continuously changing heat cycles while burning intrinsically “dirty” fossil fuels, so regular cleaning and maintenance will be necessary. Usage of solid fuel stoves / cassettes varies enormously, from those who light their stove daily in the winter to those who just use it on the odd chilly day, so there is no set amount of wear and tear. However all such appliances should have an annual service including a sweep of the flue system; removal, checking & replacement if necessary of baffles and firebricks; checking & replacement of door and glass rope seals; checking & adjustment of the door latch and hinges. Many chimney sweeps are now trained and qualified in appliance as well as flue maintenance and may be able to cover all the above activities.

If a wood burning appliance is fed with soft, rapidly burning fuel, then it may overheat and damage internal components and the flue. Such unsuitable fuels include house coals, manufactured wood such as pallets, furniture offcuts – these will contain oils, resins and other impurities and would burn well on an open fire but too fiercely in an enclosed appliance. Check the following link for tips on the best firewood

All wood must be seasoned before use – a newly cut-down tree will contain up to 80% water, so needs to be split down to suitable size logs and left to dry until the moisture content is around 20%. This will take around two years, or kiln dried wood can be purchased where the drying process has been accelerated.

All modern appliances are designed to operate with the doors shut (except when refueling), allowing their specific air supply paths to work correctly. The wood burner is only efficient when burning hot, and this is achieved by using the right combination of air supply for the conditions. Primary air feeds in at the base and is useful to start a fire, but is then best closed down entirely with wood burners. Secondary air is fed through unseen channels, superheated as it rises, and then exits into the stove at a higher level and burns fuel particles that would otherwise have escaped unburnt up the flue. Airwash or Tertiary air is similar but feeds in above the door, sending hot air around the glass, again burning fuel that would otherwise deposit on the glass. The relative positioning of the controls is not set in stone – only practice with the individual wood burner will determine the ideal settings.

The critical element of any appliance’s clean and efficient combustion is the flue system. This is outside the control of the appliance manufacturer. Having brought air into the stove efficiently, the products of combustion must then be removed efficiently and it is the flow of air (oxygen) through the fire and up the flue which creates the perfect combustion process. It is the role of the installer to assess a suitable flue system.

It is important that you have your stove or fire serviced annually. Your retailer can organise a service for you in your area.

Please contact The Fireplace. Please ensure that you have your serial number readily available when ordering.

You can also visit your nearest retailer who will be happy to purchase a spare part for you.

Blackening glass is a result of the fuel not burning cleanly. There can be many reasons for inefficient combustion, clearly visible by soot and tars deposited in the appliance, including the following reasons. If a wood burner is operated with the controls not set as intended, then the fuel will be burning at below optimum. If a stove is “slumbered” for too long, i.e., operated with the controls closed perhaps due to it being too hot, then the fuel will not be able to combust cleanly. If the flue is not creating a good up draught then the same result will happen. Even the weather can have a marked effect on a flue’s propensity to flow hot air upwards, and the wood burner can react differently day by day depending on wind, temperature and air pressure. If the wood is not seasoned, then the moisture which has to be boiled off before there is any energy will cool the firebox and prevent efficient burning.

Modern solid fuel appliances have been tested and approved as being capable of burning the correct fuel to a high standard of cleanliness. If a wood burner is failing to achieve this, then the fuel, the usage and the air supply through the appliance need to be investigated.