Wood burning stoves>

AGBAGB

I think we've got to the nub of the matter. If you want one, then for all reasons crphilips and racyred have mentioned then it's a luxury that gives a warm glow on the inside as well as out side.

For me and many of us that's enough to make it worth it. Rather than flash cars and foreign holidays it's a luxury that will last.

If you can get cheap, or free wood (and lots of it) it can contribute to it's cost. Othewise it's there to enjoy the exercise and the double warm glow.


(nb. totally different calculation apply if you haven't got mains gas with oil, lpg, coal as the alternative - cheers suki)

RacyRed

AGBAGB wrote: »

I think we've got to the nub of the matter. If you want one, then for all reasons crphilips and racyred have mentioned then it's a luxury that gives a warm glow on the inside as well as out side.

For me and many of us that's enough to make it worth it. Rather than flash cars and foreign holidays it's a luxury that will last.

If you can get cheap, or free wood (and lots of it) it can contribute to it's cost. Othewise it's there to enjoy the exercise and the double warm glow.


(nb. totally different calculation apply if you haven't got mains gas with oil, lpg, coal as the alternative - cheers suki)

Very very true.

I'm not normally a keep up with the Joneses type of person, quite the opposite in fact. But when I'm walking up my street on a freezing winter afternoon and I get the scent of the smoke from neighbours' wood burners it just connects with something deep inside me and I really want to have one of my own.

One day....

daver72

RacyRed wrote: »

Oh wow, this thread has made fascinating reading!

I've a victorian terraced 3 bed house with very high ceilings, just screaming out for a stove, but before I get myself too excited I have a major problem to overcome and wondered if anyone else has had to deal with this?

My chimney is blocked, I think with concrete. Has anyone had their chimney re-opened and a stove installed? I'm wondering roughly how much I'd need to budget for this and how much building work it involves? I realise each house is different but if it is always a very expensive job I'll have to bite the bullet, stop dreaming now and explore other options. I have central heating but it needs a lot of work doing to make it efficient - the need for complete replacement hasn't been ruled out yet.

This is a project I'm thinking about for next winter, so if it is do-able I'm thinking of having the work done next summer.

I too am having a stove installed, I have no chimney as the house is only 10 years old. Because I have no chimney I am having to use twin wall flue which will go outside and run up the outside wall. This could be an option for you and may work out cheaper than unblocking your existing chimney in the long run?

hethmar

Id want to know why on earth your chimney is packed with concrete?? Why would anyone do that? Do you mean, the fireplace opening is blocked rather than the chimney?

RacyRed

hethmar wrote: »

Id want to know why on earth your chimney is packed with concrete?? Why would anyone do that? Do you mean, the fireplace opening is blocked rather than the chimney?

I gather that concrete was poured into the top of the chimney(hopefully onto a support placed in the chimney pot, but I don't know for sure yet) I have no idea why that was done as it was long before my time. Extreme draft excluding maybe?

The really strange thing is that the living room fireplace is still open and has what I think is the original open fire and surround in place. The upstairs ones appear to just have been boarded over.

I'm planning to open one of the upstairs fires up soon to see if it is "properly" open or filled with rubble.

RacyRed

daver72 wrote: »

I too am having a stove installed, I have no chimney as the house is only 10 years old. Because I have no chimney I am having to use twin wall flue which will go outside and run up the outside wall. This could be an option for you and may work out cheaper than unblocking your existing chimney in the long run?

That is something I'd thought about, but I'm not sure if it will be possible. The outside wall in my living room is solid brick where it isn't window.

suki1964

RacyRed wrote: »

That is something I'd thought about, but I'm not sure if it will be possible. The outside wall in my living room is solid brick where it isn't window.

It is red, thats what I said earlier - have it running up the outside wall. They obly need to drill out the circumference of the double flue - which isnt that big

w50nky

RacyRed wrote: »

I gather that concrete was poured into the top of the chimney(hopefully onto a support placed in the chimney pot, but I don't know for sure yet) I have no idea why that was done as it was long before my time. Extreme draft excluding maybe?

The really strange thing is that the living room fireplace is still open and has what I think is the original open fire and surround in place. The upstairs ones appear to just have been boarded over.

I'm planning to open one of the upstairs fires up soon to see if it is "properly" open or filled with rubble.

It could be simply "capped" with concrete over a slate or similar. To fill a chimney completely would take a lot of concrete. It would make sense to cap the chimney if it was not used to prevent birds nesting and the weather causing problems. It may not be as bad as you think. Until you have someone take a proper "look see" you can not be sure.

RacyRed

w50nky wrote: »

It could be simply "capped" with concrete over a slate or similar. To fill a chimney completely would take a lot of concrete. It would make sense to cap the chimney if it was not used to prevent birds nesting and the weather causing problems. It may not be as bad as you think. Until you have someone take a proper "look see" you can not be sure.

Oooohhhhhh!!!!! Now stop getting me so excited

I'm hoping that is what has happened. When spring arrives I'll get someone in to have a look.

Thanks for giving me hope :T

RacyRed

suki1964 wrote: »

It is red, thats what I said earlier - have it running up the outside wall. They obly need to drill out the circumference of the double flue - which isnt that big

There is space for that alright! Now I have hope for unblocking the chimney and a back-up plan if that fails. Stove, you and I WILL get together one day soon

Thank you, lovely people :A