How to Mark the Roof Hole for Your Campervan Stove Flue

One of the biggest worries people have when installing a stove in their campervan is cutting the hole in the roof. It’s completely understandable — once you cut the hole, there’s no going back!

The good news is that marking the correct position is actually much easier than people expect. With a simple method and a little patience you can line everything up accurately before cutting anything.

Start with the stove position

Before marking anything, the stove should be positioned exactly where it will live inside the van.

Take some time to make sure you’re happy with the location. Check that there is enough clearance around the stove and that the flue pipe will be able to run upwards without hitting cupboards, beams or other obstacles.

A straight flue pipe will always perform better than one with bends, so keeping the pipe as vertical as possible is ideal.

Make sure the van is level

Before marking the flue hole, it’s important that the van is sitting level.

If the van is leaning to one side it can throw off the alignment of the flue pipe. Parking on level ground or using levelling blocks will help ensure the pipe runs vertically through the roof.

The string and nut method

A simple trick that works extremely well is the string and nut method.

Tie a nut or small bolt onto the end of a piece of string. Hold the string directly above the centre of the stove flue outlet and let the nut hang down naturally.

The nut acts like a plumb bob and will point directly downwards. Where it touches the ceiling marks the centre point for your flue hole.

This method is surprisingly accurate and doesn’t require any special tools, which is why many van builders use it.

Marking the hole

Once you’ve found the centre point, mark it clearly on the ceiling.

At this stage it’s a good idea to double-check everything before cutting. Make sure the flue will pass cleanly through the roof and that there are no structural beams, roof ribs or wiring in the way.

Taking a few extra minutes to check now can save a lot of trouble later.

Checking the outside of the roof

Before cutting the hole, climb onto the roof and confirm that the location looks correct from the outside as well.

Make sure there is enough space for the flashing or roof boot that will seal the flue pipe to the roof.

Taking your time

Cutting the roof hole is often the part people worry about most, but careful preparation makes the process much easier.

Once the centre point is marked and checked from both inside and outside the van, you can move on to cutting the hole and installing the flue system.

Tools you can use to cut the hole

Once the centre point is marked, the next step is cutting the opening in the roof for the flue pipe.

There are a few different tools people commonly use for this.

A hole saw can work very well if you have one large enough for the flue size, as it creates a clean and perfectly round hole.

However, many van builders simply use a jigsaw with a metal blade, which works perfectly well on a steel van roof. Start by drilling a small pilot hole, then carefully follow the marked circle with the jigsaw.

If your van has a wooden ceiling inside, you may need to switch to a wood blade for that layer.

Some people also use metal nibblers, but these are less common.

The most important thing is to take your time and cut slowly to keep the hole neat.

Need help with your installation?

If you're planning a stove installation and want some advice before cutting your roof, feel free to get in touch.

We’re always happy to help people plan their setup and make sure everything runs smoothly.