Wood burning stoves>

twiglet98

Thank you Badger, the chimney is very overdue for sweeping anyway so I'll start by finding a sweep. I think it would be around £100+ to replace the grate and firebrick set in the Rembrandt and it would surely be better put towards a newer and more efficient wood stove, but I am awfully strapped for cash and will see what the sweep advises.

redsclubbedup

i have been debating a wood burner, more for aesthetic quality than anything else in my new house - the other reason being i have an infinite supply to saw dust and also off cuts of pine (although i believe i would have to leave this for 6 months or so to dry out ?)

problem is at present the two fireplaces in my house that have chimneys have gas fires in - is it an easy job to get these capped / removed ????

ness_w

I would not burn pine if I could avoid it, it leaves a resin in your chimney and you will get through tonnes of it. Ash, beech, sycamore and other hard woods are far superior. If you are burning pine you should expect to season it for at least a year, but preferably 2.

savemoney

Dont buy a stove unless

1. You have a cheap source of fuel, logs, coal etc
2. Or you like the idea of one
3. You got someone who can fit it for you on cheap but it needs to be Hetas approved
4. You want to be environmentally friendly as possible

Fuel is not cheap and there is only a limited source of wood. You also have to factor in space for your fuel and also maintenance like having chimney swept which costs around £30-£40

It costs us almost 2.5k for a medium multi stove with chimney lining, cowl plus an extra air ventilator in the house, 1930's semi this was 2 1/2 years ago

We spend over £100 per annum on logs thats on top of CH used plus you need some kindling I used old pallets chopped.

PDM1

twiglet98 wrote: »

Did you order the stove AND its installation on the internet, or did you get a local firm to install it even though they didn't supply it? If the latter, do you mind me asking what it cost to have it installed? Did you need a flue liner supplied and installed as well?

Thanks

I only purchsed the stove luckily I know someone in business that installed it for me, and I didn`t need a flue liner so long as the chimney is in good condition and there is sufficient pull on the airflow up the chimney, i suppose having a flue liner installed in my opion increases the chances of blockages(depends on type of wood yo uburn) due to the smaller diameter of the flue compared to the chimey itself. although installing a liner may increase a better pull rate of air up the chimney-6 of one half dozen of the other!
The important thing is to have fresh air coming in via floor/wall vents and not to block these up especially during very cold weather, because if we have high atmospheric pressure this causes air to be forced down the chimey-hence fumes back in to room-and this is when carbon monoxide poisoning is most likely to occur so it is important to get your flu checked regulary and cleaned.
Regards

PDM1

PDM1

savemoney wrote: »

Dont buy a stove unless

1. You have a cheap source of fuel, logs, coal etc
2. Or you like the idea of one
3. You got someone who can fit it for you on cheap but it needs to be Hetas approved
4. You want to be environmentally friendly as possible

Fuel is not cheap and there is only a limited source of wood. You also have to factor in space for your fuel and also maintenance like having chimney swept which costs around £30-£40

It costs us almost 2.5k for a medium multi stove with chimney lining, cowl plus an extra air ventilator in the house, 1930's semi this was 2 1/2 years ago

We spend over £100 per annum on logs thats on top of CH used plus you need some kindling I used old pallets chopped.

Agree- lukily I can get my wood for free it has paid back though as my gas company have just put £120 back in my bank.

NeverInDebt

Ouch thats expensive to run one glad I never got one now when I had the money

Waynes_World

We had our's fitted a year ago next month, and can't fault it (we've got a Stovax Stockton 5).

It cost a lot to install (around 3.5k) but most of this was due to the work to get it into the chimney breast (solid concrete and bust several Kango drillbits!).Plus, we didn't go to the cheapest installer. We didn't need the chimney lined either as we have a clay lined flue. We also had a nice new hearth etc installed with it. I think the stove itself was around £600 excl fitting.

Last year (our first with it) was the coldest for a long time and we stayed cosy on £140 of wood (from a local supplier...half of which we have in storage for this year).

Just before the burner was installed, our GCH boiler blew up. We decided to try and live without GCH last winter to see how it went...and it worked.

Our burner heated the entire house (we had to leave the lounge door open to do this). As a result, we save £300+ on the gas bill and as yet, haven't bothered having the gas boiler replaced (it's too old to repair). On some nights, it got so hot we had to open the windows.

Believe me...Xmas day in front of the telly with the flames just licking the top of a log and a large glass in hand.....heaven!!!! Worth the cost just for that!

I'd definately recommend one of these babies. It's a lot of work with cutting the wood/storing it etc, but well worth the effort if you can do this. I also sweep the chimney myself twice a year (another saving). The brushes only cost something like £50 from a website, and they do the job perfectly.

Our only regret is that we couldn't find someone who would install one with a waterjacket to supply the radiators (apparently this is complicated and requires a HETAS certificate that not many people have...and believe me we asked around on that one).

We're stocked up with logs and old pallets and ready for the coming winter now - bring it on!!!

Mummy_Bear_5

I'm considering getting a Stockton 7 for a big living room. People keep talking about cutting their own wood..chainsaws etc. Where can you do this or do you have to do it at dead of night!!

PDM1

Waynes_World wrote: »

We had our's fitted a year ago next month, and can't fault it (we've got a Stovax Stockton 5).

It cost a lot to install (around 3.5k) but most of this was due to the work to get it into the chimney breast (solid concrete and bust several Kango drillbits!).Plus, we didn't go to the cheapest installer. We didn't need the chimney lined either as we have a clay lined flue. We also had a nice new hearth etc installed with it. I think the stove itself was around £600 excl fitting.

Last year (our first with it) was the coldest for a long time and we stayed cosy on £140 of wood (from a local supplier...half of which we have in storage for this year).

Just before the burner was installed, our GCH boiler blew up. We decided to try and live without GCH last winter to see how it went...and it worked.

Our burner heated the entire house (we had to leave the lounge door open to do this). As a result, we save £300+ on the gas bill and as yet, haven't bothered having the gas boiler replaced (it's too old to repair). On some nights, it got so hot we had to open the windows.

Believe me...Xmas day in front of the telly with the flames just licking the top of a log and a large glass in hand.....heaven!!!! Worth the cost just for that!

I'd definately recommend one of these babies. It's a lot of work with cutting the wood/storing it etc, but well worth the effort if you can do this. I also sweep the chimney myself twice a year (another saving). The brushes only cost something like £50 from a website, and they do the job perfectly.

Our only regret is that we couldn't find someone who would install one with a waterjacket to supply the radiators (apparently this is complicated and requires a HETAS certificate that not many people have...and believe me we asked around on that one).

We're stocked up with logs and old pallets and ready for the coming winter now - bring it on!!!

100% agree, it takes a lot of work but well worth the sweat over the summer-one piece of advice though make sure you prepare over the summer months getting your wood ect, then sit back and enjoy- according to one american well know weather forcast site `look out europe cold winter is coming'
my logs are stacked up ready and waiting.

Keep warm

Regards

PDM1