Can you put a woodburner flue through a polycarbonate roof on a conservatory?

One of the most frequent questions we are asked by people who are interested in installing a wood-burning stove in a conservatory is: can you have a woodburner flue running through a polycarbonate roof?

In this article, we will answer that question for you.

Conservatories are very popular places to install stoves. Given that they are living rooms in which people want to spend time relaxing, yet can become cool in autumn, winter and spring given the amount of glass, it is very appealing to add a boost of warmth that makes it a comfortable environment all year round.

Understandably, a major concern before going ahead with an installation is the safety concerns about putting a flue pipe through the plastic roofs – usually polycarbonate – that tend to be used on conservatories.

The good news is that it is safe to pass a flue pipe through a conservatory roof as long as you follow these steps…

Use a twin wall flue

Sometimes called an insulated flue, a twin wall flue is a flue pipe surrounded by a layer of insulation, surrounded by another pipe. It will not got as hot as a single wall flue and is therefore safe for use with the polycarbonate roof.

Use rubber flashing

You probably won’t be able to screw or fix a lot of flashing options to the polycarbonate roof. If this is the case for your conservatory, simply use rubber flashing sealed onto the roof with silicone to keep rainwater out. If this looks unsightly from inside the conservatory, you can place a cover plate at the top of the flue before it exits the conservatory.

Consider the Building Regulations

The place at which you choose to put a flue through your polycarbonate roof might be influenced by the Building Regulations. For example, Document J of the regulations states that a flue must terminate at least 2.3 metres away from any window horizontally. Make sure you’ve studied the regulations and given due consideration to the position of your appliance within the conservatory before starting to make a hole in the conservatory roof.