Is your heating ON or OFF?

lostinrates

v8monkeyboy wrote: »

LiR - I was just thinking of you as I was lighting the wood stove

Something I forgot to add last night was that it matters hugely what type of wood you're using. If you're using softwood like pine then it's burn very quickly as opposed to a hardwood like ash or oak which'll last for ages and ages. It may be worth finding out what wood you have. Each time I order my loads, I make sure they're hardwood; my last load was ash and oak.

T xx

Yep, ours is mixed hard wood ....and we're planning on planting some ash (among other things) we have some soft wood seasoning, but not by design

BitterAndTwisted

Frugal wrote: »

Hmmmmmm I am so glad I haven't gone right out and bought a woodburner - I do love a real fire BUT I don't have access to free wood and I don't fancy wielding an axe myself... Sooooo maybe I should be sensible and think about getting a gas fire installed instead :eek: Never thought I would say that!

Anyway, it will be the summer before I can do anything so at least I have lots of time to think and get some more advice/opinions

Never underestimate how much fun it is to wield a nice sharp axe! I was the chief fire-lighting monitor at home from when I was about 11 or 12 as I was the first one home in the afternoons. I never did myself a mischief but that could have been down to good luck rather than by design but it was very satisfying work.

Fruball

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Never underestimate how much fun it is to wield a nice sharp axe! I was the chief fire-lighting monitor at home from when I was about 11 or 12 as I was the first one home in the afternoons. I never did myself a mischief but that could have been down to good luck rather than by design but it was very satisfying work.

:rotfl: I've done a fair bit of splitting logs myself but that was when I was young and didn't mind being out in the cold

shegar

Frugal wrote: »

Hmmmmmm I am so glad I haven't gone right out and bought a woodburner - I do love a real fire BUT I don't have access to free wood and I don't fancy wielding an axe myself... Sooooo maybe I should be sensible and think about getting a gas fire installed instead :eek: Never thought I would say that!

Anyway, it will be the summer before I can do anything so at least I have lots of time to think and get some more advice/opinions

Well thats my opinion of wood burners, other members would probaly say different, when we were lucky enough to get a free load of wood then my husband use to chainsaw it and id split it , so it would dry quicker, and easier to burn..........

I didnt mind getting on the end of a axe on a really cold day and then load the shed up, that was when I was so much fitter than these days, now I want to just press a button and get warm quick....:eek:and dont want the hazzle .......I do believe that if you have to buy wood and coal and kindling thats it one of the most expensive form of heating ............I know its nice to have a fire but do your research before you buy..........Ive got a villager gas stove and it looks like the real thing, we are very pleased with it, I think it cost us new £540......then we had a gas safe engineer fit, so it wasnt to bad , but with a woodburner it can cost thousands to buy and install...........personal choice really.....

Fruball

shegar wrote: »

Well thats my opinion of wood burners, other members would probaly say different, when we were lucky enough to get a free load of wood then my husband use to chainsaw it and id split it , so it would dry quicker, and easier to burn..........

I didnt mind getting on the end of a axe on a really cold day and then load the shed up, that was when I was so much fitter than these days, now I want to just press a button and get warm quick....:eek:and dont want the hazzle .......I do believe that if you have to buy wood and coal and kindling thats it one of the most expensive form of heating ............I know its nice to have a fire but do your research before you buy..........Ive got a villager gas stove and it looks like the real thing, we are very pleased with it, I think it cost us new £540......then we had a gas safe engineer fit, so it wasnt to bad , but with a woodburner it can cost thousands to buy and install...........personal choice really.....

Would you mind sharing how much it cost to install? Think that might be a good option for me

Even better... Do you have pics?

shegar

Frugal wrote: »

Would you mind sharing how much it cost to install? Think that might be a good option for me

Even better... Do you have pics?

I dont have any pics, but im sure if you go on the "villager website" then press for natural gas stoves model villager charlecot stove with canopy , you will get it on there, think mine is a 5.4 kw... it only cost £90 to fit, its a dam heavy stove , and I got a gas safe man in .......

I already had a chimney so it sit on the hearth the chimney pipe go into the chimney and it is blanked off with a metal plate, I bought a wood fire surround on ebay for £15. and it was only a few miles from where we live so I met the chap paid cash and collected it, I bought a immitation firefender in brass colour also on ebay £8. it sits on the hearth , so it all looks pretty authentic at a great price ......:D

redlady_1

Well, bearing in mind I buy all my wood and coal so far in nearly a year I have spent on average £48 per month spread throughout the year. And dont even get me started on the dust and vacuuming that has to be done Shergar! And the bringing in of the logs in the pouring rain/snow/cold.

Um, an axe weilding Red...now THAT'S scary!! :eek:

lostinrates

redlady_1 wrote: »

And the bringing in of the logs in the pouring rain/snow/cold.

Now, thats the bit I don't really mind....I have to go out to do animals several times a day, so I've been trying to get in the habit of bringing some in each time, rather than trying to lug a whole load in once a day. Our stove is in a huge inglenook, so I've been stacking the wood far to one side, and could probably fit a cuple of weeks worth in the 'nook:eek:

Fruball

My BIG issue with having a real fire/woodburner is the spiders that come in on the logs :eek:

When I had a house with gorgeous open fire, we had an unnatural number of spiders inside... partly because it was a terribly leaky house but I am sure a lot came in on the logs... I used to spray the log basket with flea killer and crawling insect killer but most evenings a big hairy beast would run across the floor :eek:

Thanks Shegar - I think for that price it is probably well worth getting the gas version, despite my love of 'the real thing'

Weighing up what people are spending on solid fuel, sounds like gas would be my best bet - considering there is a gas fire and back boiler there atm so it wouldn't take much to fit it.

So so glad I haven't bought on impulse.... as I usually do

Shame tho - I do love the crackle of a real fire

bazzaboo

Just a quick question please.
I'm going away on holiday soon and wondered at what temperature I should set the thermostat so the house won't get damaged if there is a big freeze.
Thanks