Multifuel Stoves

Fishmarket

Can anyone advise me on multifuel stoves?
In order to replace our antiquated night storage heaters we decided on a wood burning stove. Our local installers advised on an inset multifuel stove with a back boiler (Stockton 7 HBi). This would supply: 6 radiators and hot water as well as direct heating.

We are somewhat unsure about certain points.
For how many hours will such a stove burn unattended?
How do running costs compare with oil or gas?
Can problems occur if there is a power cut?
The installers heating engineer suggested a gravity feed for the hot water (with no thermostatic valve). When I asked about what to do if the water got too he advised running some hot water away!
Can anyone help with the benefit of personal experience?

mark_j

Hi

I wont try and answer all your questions, but i will answer the ones i can from personal experience.

A stove with a backboiler generating hot water and supply for radiators is going to get through a serious amount of wood, so will not be cheap, depends greatly of you can get good wood for nothing. And also you wont be able to leave it unattended for great lengths of time as it will need to be burning hot/quickly for your water to be warm enough in your radiators etc.

Probably not what u wanted to hear, but i hope this gives you more to think about.

mark_j

I should also mention, before u get the stove fitted, check out the price of logs/timber in your area, this price/availability will have a dramatic effect on weighing it all up.

suki1964

Burning only logs will be very expensive unless you have a constant free source. Don't under estimate how much wood you need

Getting a multi fuel burner you can burn coal or smokeless which will be cheaper. You might also find it easier to keep the fire in when its coal or smokeless

Running off the hot water is the norm - you will hear the pipes banging to remind you.

I dont have a back boiler at home but we have one in work. It heats 4 rads and supplies the hot water to the kitchen/bar and toilets to a bar/restaurant. Its an open fire and is burning full tilt from 10am to 12pm at least and the coal bill is £55 a week with logs during real cold weather ( maybe another £20 )

If you are on mains gas I would suggest staying on that. Oil is costing over £500 for £900 litres and will no doubt shoot up again once the cold weather arrives again. I understand LPG is just as dear

The biggest benefits is if there is a power cut you have heat and hot water and a cooking method. You also have a center piece to your living room that beats a gas fire hands down

You also need to factor in storage for coal or logs, the work and cost involved in logs and the dust you will have in your house

Fishmarket

Many thanks for the sound advice. We had already received conflicting advice from professionals. The replies here suggest that this type of system is unlikely to 'keep in' overnight or provide some warmth if we returned home after a day out.

As far as I can see, a multifuel stove would be perfect to provide additional heating to a central heating system running on some form of boiler with a different fuel source.......

suki1964

Fishmarket wrote: »

Many thanks for the sound advice. We had already received conflicting advice from professionals. The replies here suggest that this type of system is unlikely to 'keep in' overnight or provide some warmth if we returned home after a day out.

As far as I can see, a multifuel stove would be perfect to provide additional heating to a central heating system running on some form of boiler with a different fuel source.......

I can keep my stove in for 6 hours with coal and slack and even if it does burn out the house is still warm for a good while after. I just never like to keep the fire in over night, I just keep it in on very cold days while Im in work so I dont come home to a cold house

Lagopus

We have a Clearview and its great, I use wood when we are about - ash or hawthorn, and then Stoveheat smokeless fuel from CPL overnight. If you bank it up with fuel and close it down it stays in from 10pm until 8am when I empty the ash and put on some wood and open the vents.

I used to get anthracite but it was hard to light and left loads of clinker - stoveheat goes down to nothing but isn't cheap - CPL do a multibag discount and is cheaper from their website than fetching it from the merchant yourself.