The client
Earlier this year, we completed a Gas Safe installation for a homeowner in Ainsdale, Southport. The brief was to create a room divider with a large new extension and specify a gas fire with enough heat to warm a sizeable open-plan space.
After our survey and design chat in the Liverpool showroom (which has over 200 live displays to help customers compare), we recommended a three-sided DRU Metro.
The client settled on the DRU Metro 100XTU Eco Wave: a high-efficiency, three-sided (U-shaped) balanced-flue gas fire. Powered by natural gas or propane, this appliance comes with DRU’s Eco Wave technology for realistic flames with smart control.
Leading Brands
We are dedicated to ensuring that our products are sourced from all the leading manufacturers in the UK and Europe. All the fires we sell come with full Manufacturers Guarantees.
Here’s how we did it
1. Setting out the room
To form the divider, we positioned the stove body centrally between the kitchen and the lounge. We then ran the gas and power, and planned a vertical concentric flue route (Ø 200/130mm) up through a new stud chimney to the roof.
The appliance remains room-sealed because on a balanced flue, the outer pipe draws combustion air in while the inner pipe expels products outside.
2. Building the false chimney breast
Our Gas Safe–registered installer framed a slim, structural ‘spine’ around the steel, then formed the floating hearth/shelf lines.
The breast was lined in non-combustible, heat-resistant board, and we integrated discreet vent slots to manage convection inside the enclosure.
3. Balanced flue connection and closure
We connected the Metro to its DRU concentric flue system (using only manufacturer-approved components) and completed the enclosure.
Our installers made sure to keep all clearances (and the appliances ‘radiation zone’) free of combustibles.
4. Commissioning
With the glass off, we performed first ignition, leak checks and pressure checks, then installed the log set and refitted the glass.
Why install a balanced-flue DRU Metro here? The three-sided format works brilliantly as a peninsula/room divider.
Plus, DRU’s flame projection technology offers the look of a log burner without any of the mess (or maintenance).
The Results
The finished installation delivered the client’s exact brief: an architectural centrepiece that zones the extension into a lounge and kitchen-dining area (with the up-to-9.6 kW output heating the space comfortably).
The three-sided glass keeps the fire in view from the sofa, island and dining table, and DRU’s Eco Wave control makes day-to-day use easy.
If you’d like to see more from this fire (or view others in person), our Liverpool showroom features 200+ live displays and a dedicated DRU range.