Woodburning Stove Advice (And yes, I have been to a shop!)

fairy-mother

Hello!

I am new to the subject of stoves & woodburners etc. I have been looking around the internet for some advice, and this looks like a really great place to start.

As happens with pretty much everything i buy these days, I look around the internet first for some advice.

The room I am going to put the burner in is approx 8m x 8m with a low ceiling. It is open plan into a TINY kitchen, and the stairway goes up the side to the bedrooms upstairs (no door) I am hoping the heat will go all the way up to the bedrooms also. We already have a small fireplace, but I'm hoping to have the burner in the room, with an 'exhaust' going up the (freshly swept) chimney.

I was wondering if anyone here had experience with any smallish stoves in the UK? Any tips on where to begin? (yes I have been to a shop, but I would like feedback from people who are customers of the shops, not from salesmen!)

I will keep you all informed of my progress!

A._Badger

fairy-mother wrote: »

Hello!

I am new to the subject of stoves & woodburners etc. I have been looking around the internet for some advice, and this looks like a really great place to start.

I was wondering if anyone here had experience with any smallish stoves in the UK? Any tips on where to begin? (yes I have been to a shop, but I would like feedback from people who are customers of the shops, not from salesmen!)

I will keep you all informed of my progress!

That sounds very much like a holiday flat I owned a few years ago and in which I installed a Little Wenlock stove. It worked well enough, though there were better stoves available, I now realise.

I'm not clear what you mean by having the stove 'in the room' but, in any case, you will need qualified advice on safe installation.

I would also suggest you to go back and read the extensive threads here - paying particular attention to doubts about the quality of some Chinese imports. Almost always a better bet is a British-built stove, where you can at least get spares and backup if you do experience problems.

A good source of users' experiences can be found on www.whatstove.co.uk and that's particularly helpful as, judging by my experience (and that of other posters here) some stove retailers could teach Arthur Daley a thing or two about dodgy dealing.

One web company that seems to know its stuff is www.stovesonline.co.uk. I've not bought from there, but it offers a very wide selection to choose from as well as some useful information pages.

Good luck, please ask away and let us know how you get on.

hethmar

It really depends on what your budget is. Lots of smallish stoves about. There is a site with user reviews called What Stove. (Only keep an open mind as some top rated ones have only had one reviewer so not really reliable) but it will give you an idea of whats available.

http://www.whatstove.co.uk/

Oh, just re reading that and you have quite a space to heat there PLUS you want the bedrooms to get some of the heat? I think you need more than a "small" stove which I always think of as up to 5 Kw.

fairy-mother

I have started reading seriously today. I am being hopeful about some heat going upstsirs I have decided that much! I only want a small stove, due to not wanting a giant lump of iron in my room!

Question : How about stoves that are designed in Britain, but made in China (I ask this because this seems to be common practice according to many articles I have read today!)

hethmar

Oh dear, well Chinese made stoves do not have a good reputation. Look for a better one is my advice Clearview, Morso, Stovax, Yeoman - there are lots of decent ones. Check out whatstove they list all the makes down the left hand side.

LordyLord

I would strongly recommend getting professional advice for the install. Remember you most leave enough space between the stove and ANY combustbale surfaces. Also I would give serious thought to investing in a liner. Finally, and without trying to sound too obvious here, if this stove is going to be placed out in the room then remember it gets extremely hot and again i would recommend a protective guard. As for stove choice, China do on the whole produce rubbish stoves. However don;t overlook Scandanavian stoves. They are extremely well designed and built. Would recommend most things by Jotul, also look at Dru.
Hope this helps.

hethmar

If you are going to place it out in the room, how can you use the current chimney?

fairy-mother

hi everybody.

ok, since i last typed I have investigated Charnwood stoves (very nice looking) and I also like Morso (again the look) I'm sure I should take more into consideration than looks however, so I am going to truck around this weekend and go and see some actual stoves and stove dealers.

As for how am i going to put the stove in the room, I assume by using an 'exhaust' pipe going from the stove and up the chimney.

Fitting - well, I did think at the start of all this that I would do it myself, or get him indoors to do it for me, but on many peoples advice i will be hiring a 'man who can!'

Lotus-eater

I've got a charnwood, it's well built and easy to use. I did go to have a look at a cheaper range of stoves, I presume made in China, not only did I not like the way they looked, I didn't like the obvious cheap way they were built either.
I think looking at one in the flesh, as it was, is best before you buy, you're never quite sure how it will look when you just see it on paper.

Fitting, just rely on the guys who come to give an estimate, it's their job and it's in their interest to keep you alive. And try, try, try, to get a workman/shop who was recommended to you from someone you know, or from someone local.

Zenoka

We picked up a small wood burner a few years back from a local reclaim yard. Absolute bargain at £50, but hubby never got round to fitting it and we ended up giving it to a friend. Anyway, guess what im saying is that you can get some good deals when buying used.

hethmar

Re reading that, I think you actually mean you will be placing the wood burner in the fire/builders opening, not "in the room":) Now I understand. I think I and the other poster thought you meant a free standing stove in the middle of the room rather than in the fireplace opening. (The exhaust pipe is called a stove pipe)