Removing Gas fire and putting in wood burner - value for money?

specktor

Hi
I have no idea about the chimney etc but am planning on ripping out an ineffective 70s gas fire and putting in a wood burner. We'll then turn off the gas central heating and open the doors and hope it will heat the rest of the house.
Any experts out there who know the pros and cons of going back to wood burners? - are they effective and economical?
Even better if we could get a back-boiler one and then we'd do away with the immersion heater too.
Have been collecting wood all summer.

Cheers

AdrianW2

Have a read here

SD-253

£2000 is what it cost me to do the same. If the fireplace has nothing in it put a wood burner in it. Mine does not run the central heating it just heats the sitting room but I leave the doors open (2 bed bungalow) and it keeps the rest the house warm enough for me with the central heating switched on occasionally. Note this cost me £2000 :-
£700 for stove (can pay as little as £500 for an equally good stove)
£1000 for fitting (proper Hetas registered fitter)
and chainsaws etc brought it up to about £2000. Of course the cost of wood is all important, for me it is virtually nothing AND no I wont tell you where I get it from. JB

CandleFan

As far as I know wood burners are very green as only omit the same amount of carbon dioxide as they would naturally (as trees) as when wood is burnt. Also only costs me £50 for a large load of logs from a local man, which I top up with gathered wood.

I inherited mine in my current house (has huge capacity back boiler but is disconnected) and would not be without it. If I leave the doors open in the house when its on - it heats the whole house! and my house is quite large (8 good sized rooms) ps - the price of the wood burner/multi burner with back boiler increases or decreases depending on the heat output needed (how many radiators it needs to heat)

Last winter my heating stopped working and only used fires - found i preferred it and the smell it gives in the house is lovely.

Only thing I would say is that for convenience in the morning, for example, or when its really cold, it might be an idea to have a 'switch on' system as well? In general though you just can't beat a real fire!

Nb - seems to be more efficient (whole thing is much hotter) if doors are kept closed - certainly the case with mine.