Gas Fire / Woodstove for warming up living room?

Floop1977

Even with the positioning of the current rads, they don't kick out enough heat, so I'm thinking an extra radiator - long one to go under the window, such as this one:

http://www.heatandplumb.com/acatalog/Stelrad_Compact_K3_Radiator_700mm_High_x_2000mm_Wide.html

That one is 700m high and 2m wide which is almost the width of the window, and the specs suggest it puts out 5434 watts of heat. Add this on to the 2946 I've already got and it makes 8380 which should make things really toasty warm, and with a TRV I can control the heat.

I am *not* a techie and this is why you will cringe when I question the 'put it under the window' suggestion. I recognise the argument is to warm up air cooled by the window BUT

- will half my heat not leach out through the external wall/window (okay, so I'm guessing I should put reflector material on the wall to stop this)
- it limits the potential for long drop lined curtains which also help keep the room warm

Final question on this topic - do larger radiators have more problems, possibly due to the convection currents inside them not working so well, or because of the additional quantity of water in them?

DVardysShadow

Wherever you put your rads the heat will leach outside. If you put your rads away form the window, you will get a temperature gradient too, which will allow circulating convection draughts - cold around the feet, hot around the head, which will make your heating problem worse. Every time this issue comes up here, it causes an argument, largely along the lines that ships could never be made of iron, because everyone knows iron does not float - and I am a bit weary of arguing this particular case.

Larger radiators do not create especial problems, although this one, being triple panel, is a bit of a beast. If you have another external window at the other end of the room, you should put something there too - even if it is patio doors, rads either side will help

mrschaucer

Just to come back to the balanced flue gas stove for a minute, lovely idea, if you haven't already discounted it with all the above comments! I think on the condensation issue you might be confusing balanced flue with those FLUELESS gas fires as sold by the likes of B&Q, which do need additional ventilation in the form of airbricks etc because of the water that is produced from them when they burn. Balanced flue gas fires and stoves are completely room-sealed and AFAIK produce no condensation whatsoever as the exhaust gases are expelled outside.

Floop1977

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Wherever you put your rads the heat will leach outside.... [snip] Every time this issue comes up here, it causes an argument, largely along the lines that ships could never be made of iron, because everyone knows iron does not float - and I am a bit weary of arguing this particular case.

What you say makes sense - thank you for putting me right!

mrschaucer wrote: »

Just to come back to the balanced flue gas stove for a minute, lovely idea, if you haven't already discounted it with all the above comments!

I haven't discounted it. In fact, the radiator argument is very useful for me to have thought about, but it still comes back to requiring the central heating to be running in order for the radiators to be warming up the living room.

However, the reason I got started with the original question was because I wanted to have a cosy warm living room and the central heating wasn't achieving that (e.g. today central heating has been running for 6 hours and the living room has only just reached 20°). So I wondered about not using the central heating AT ALL except when I need heat upstairs, and instead using a focal point heating device such as a gas fire or woodstove for that room.

Obviously fires look really nice and if they can make the living room really warm - which is where we spend most of the time - then that is probably a good solution.

I'm still weighing up the options though. The gas fires look great in the brochure but in real life they never look quite as good, I saw the Riva 800 today and it looks pretty good, and it is really convenient with instant warmth at the flick of a switch. However, somehow I feel the woodburners look cosier and probably kick out more heat... but they are more work. Hmm.

Floop1977

mrschaucer wrote: »

Just to come back to the balanced flue gas stove for a minute, lovely idea, if you haven't already discounted it with all the above comments!

MrsChaucer, do you have one? If so, which one, and how do you rate it for looks and for heat output?

I have been looking at the Gazco Riva 800, or the Dru 70XT.

shegar

Ive had woodburners for years in the past, my opinions are; its ok if you get free wood cos wood is getting very expensive to buy due to demand........theres a lot of installation expense...........you really are best getting an expert to advise you on your chimney, flu, liner , and fire.........

We bought a villager chalecott natural gas stove , price I believe was around £534, fitting by Gas safe engineer £86...... looks just like a villager wood burner which we use to have, its a 5 kw, we use it in the sitting room of a night instead of the GCH......its suits us very well..........it warms the room to a round 74c then we either turn it down or open the door............after having it it now for 2 winters I wouldnt want to be without it, its very natural looking with the flames, and best thing of all , I dont have to clean out the ashes and dust the room everyday, or lug baskets of wood and coal about anymore.:D It was ok when I was fitter than I am now ,but to go to the switch and its instant oh bliss....:jwe have it on couple hours of a night and havent noticed the bill going up that much.........it suits us brilliantly but probaly other folks wouldnt want one, its a personal choice I believe.......

Floop1977

I'm looking at balanced flue gas fireplaces, and one thing I cannot figure is how genuinely efficient they are at heating a room.

The efficiency figures quoted are 80%, so 10kWh in gives 8kWh of heat output, but is this heat actually added to, and felt in, the room?

The balanced flue system does mean that there is heated air exhausted to the outside, which is technically heat lost.

So actually the room must be heated by the radiant heat from the front of the fire, is this actually the 8kWh referred to as the heat output?