Inset/Insert/Cassette Stove/Woodburner.

ixwood

I've currently got an open fire in the living room, which I love using. As stoves are supposed to be much more efficient, I've been toying with the idea of getting one for ages now, but always get put off by the cost and hassle.

Does anyone have any experience of inset stoves? I've only recently become aware of their existence and they seem like a good compromise. More efficient than an open fire, but easier to install than a proper stove.

Are they noticeably more efficient than an open fire?

How much hassle are they to install? Is it just a case of inserting them into the fireplace? Do they need a liner? How do you empty them or sweep the chimney?

I was hoping I could just sit it on the hearth.

tubbee2

We have one, we replaced a Morso woodburning stove with a Nestor Martin inset/cassette and it's great but...
It's smaller than the Morso so we have to cut the logs to a smaller size
It's only got a small burning aperture so you can't fill it up like a woodburner
It's got a very small ash pan and it drives us crazy having to empty it daily as it's very fiddly to get at, (you have to use a special type of allen key to open it) and it is also very complicated to set for lighting and then burning, but this may just be this variety of inset. On the positive side we have a lot more room on the hearth as it is inset into the wall. If I'd known about this type of fire when this part of our house was built I would have had the heat pipes added which carry hot air to the other rooms, but I didn't so we haven't (if you see what I mean!)

Anyway, you can have it set on the hearth but it's better in the wall I think, and I wouldn't change it. Highly recommended but eye wateringly expensive and fitting is complicated. You need a liner and it is recommended to have a specialist fitter who knows what he is doing, we used a local builder who used to work for the Coal Board and apart from replacing the plaster for fireproof plaster to withstand the heat, it's been fine. It has an opening at the top for the chimney sweep.

So.... short answer ... highly recommended, long answer...do a lot of research and make sure you open the door and check inside (we didn't) and get the showroom to show you how it works.

regards
TB

ixwood

Thanks. My open fire has a very deep ash pan, so I only have to empty it after a week or 2 of use. I don't like the sound of emptying frequently.

I thought as stoves were so efficient, there wasn't a lot of ash produced?

I'm thinking about something like these:-

http://www.stovesareus.co.uk/catalog/town-and-country-runswick-inset-stove-p-180.html
http://www.stovesareus.co.uk/catalog/esse-300-inset-multifuel-woodburning-stove-p-553.html
http://www.stovesareus.co.uk/catalog/esse-350-multifuel-woodburning-inset-stove-p-4686.htm

It sounds like there's minimal installation effort required with some, which would be brilliant.

I'm surprised to see 75-80% efficiency. Is that heat into the room, ot includes heat going up the chimney do you think? Seems to good to be true.

I did mean it fitted in the wall, but some extrude as well. I guessed they just sat on the hearth, but inserted into the fireplace.

Interesting about the capacity. What output does your stove have please? I guess that will be generally proportional to the capacity.

ixwood

Does anybody have a "Town And Country Runswick? not destroying the firebricks etc sounds good.

And a more general stove question.. Open fires are always slated for their inefficiency (all the hot air goes up the chimney and pulls in cold air to replace it), but i find mine really kicks out some heat. It can be too hot to stand in front of at times. How will that translate to a stove? Will it produce even more heat, or the same amount, but from less fuel?

Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to suss out whether it's worth upgrading.

tubbee2

Our Nestor Martin inset throws out less heat than the Morso did, but still enough to warm our sitting room which is about 15metres x 9 metres, with teenagers who can't close doors. Emptying the ash pan is a pain! Wood creates less ash than coal, but last less time. Horses for courses I s'pose.

TB

crphillips

When it comes to inset stoves we always install Stovax Riva's......they're very well made and have been well thought out from an installation point of view as quite often there are no alterations to the fireplace needed.

They're quoite pricey at £1100ish for the 5kW Riva 40 but they really do keep the glass clean and put out a lot of heat. They suite any style of fireplace.

We've installed most insets and the Riva is my favourite by a mile.

They're way more efficient than an open fire and look better.......i find them easy to install (most of the time) but i install around 500 soves a year. Solid fuel is not something to be messed with and should be installed by a HETAS regsitered fitter. By the questions your asking it sounds like you need a pro as they will know exactly what to do so that the flue is safe and sweepable.