Stove decision - help please

rosslinn

Have been reading this forum for a few weeks and found it very useful. We have been getting quotes for a stove for our 1990 small 3 bedroom kit bungalow. Some of the information local suppliers are giving conflicts and the most expensive supply and installation cost is £2000 above the cheapest.

As we live in a exposed area with no gas we depend onelectricity and oil and want to try to minimise use of these. We are looking at growing some wood and installing a multi fuel stove in place of open fire. Really appreciate some feedback on points below.

Plan to grow willow but have been told it is a poor fuel as burns too quickly. Is it worth growing? We do understand that if we grow our own and that we will need to use coal at times and need to dry and store the wood.

Room is small (4 X4M) and inset stoves suggested. We asked for quotes to link in to oil central heating but having investigated we feel that the fact stove will need lots of fuel even when we only want a little background heat and the initial cost is putting us off this option. Installers do not seem keen on it either.

The two inset stoves we a re considering are the Aga Stretton and the Charnwood SLX 20. The aga is the cheaper option and I really like the look of it but we do want a stove that is good in the longer term as we plan to stay here. We have been told the circulation method of inset stoves should allow us to keep door in the room open so some heat goes to rest of house. Any comments on these stoves or suggestions for alternatives? Only two local suppliers and each seems to be pushing certain stoves. I would actually prefer a non inset stove and the Charnwood 4 has been suggested with a a 90 degree flu inset. See some mention here about legality of this.

We had planned to get stove in soon but still not sure what is the best option or even whether it is worth doing this so any info to help make this decision would be appreciated.

A._Badger

Honestly, unless you have a lot of both time and land, growing wood for fuel is a pipe dream. It's one thing to own a mature wood from which you can harvest fuel, but starting from scratch is going to take you a long while. And if your stove is going to be used on a regular basis you are going to use a lot of wood . I fill a car port floor to roof and by the end of the year have virtually emptied it. I have a large stove, but even so... think about the logistics of growing and managing that amount of wood, especially when you need decent sized logs, not spindly sticks of poorly burning willow.

From personal choice, I would have a Charnwood over an Aga anything, any day.

DTDfanBoy

If you're looking to grow firewood you'll find it hard to beat shining gum for growth rates and yield. I grow some for firewood at the bach in New Zealand, and have been thoroughly impressed with it.

It is available for purchase in the UK, Eucalyptus Nitens is the correct name for it, but it's suitability may depend on your location in the UK. Our bach is located in Akaroa harbour, near Christchurch, and the trees have no issues with the odd frost down to -7c.

It dries fairly quickly, and burns extremely hot.

We had the first crop within three years, 7m trees 150mm+ diameter trunks. They also copice well, so the yield increases after the first harvest.

rosslinn

Yes I suspect the growing our wood although perfectly possible would be an enormous amount of work. We do already have a few trees including willow about 10 years old. I suspect we would mainly use coal with some wood. That is what we do with the open fire at present.

A.Badger you seem to be implying willow is not a good wood to burn which would make it a waste of time trying to grow more. Will look in to the suggestion suggestion of Eucalyptus Nitens although last year we had long spells of -15 so might not do well here.

Still interested in putting in stove even if we use coal. Any views on inset as opposed to normal?

Thanks

A._Badger

rosslinn wrote: »

Yes I suspect the growing our wood although perfectly possible would be an enormous amount of work. We do already have a few trees including willow about 10 years old. I suspect we would mainly use coal with some wood. That is what we do with the open fire at present.

A.Badger you seem to be implying willow is not a good wood to burn which would make it a waste of time trying to grow more. Will look in to the suggestion suggestion of Eucalyptus Nitens although last year we had long spells of -15 so might not do well here.

Still interested in putting in stove even if we use coal. Any views on inset as opposed to normal?

Thanks

I use willow thinnings (I'd hesitate to call it coppicing it' s not that planned)) as kindling and don't think it's even very good for that.

If by coal you mean bituminous 'housecoal' be warned that you will need to have your chimney swept very frequently. Some stove makers actually warn you not to use it.

It's not that it doesn't burn well (depending on the quality, which can be variable) but that the smoke it produces leaves soot inside the stove's small outlet and soon blocks the flue.

I say this not from theory, but having learned the hard way!

The alternative is smokeless fuel, which is very expensive but burns far hotter than wood and doesn't cause the soot problem.

I don't have any experience of inset stoves, sorry.