What kw of stove for this living room?

highrisklowreturn

Hi all


Further to the stove and fire arguments on here, and although I've already asked Badger this, can I have your opinions please on what stove kw would make this room nice and toasty during a northern winter? Bear in mind the house is Victorian, with maybe some installation, and that the area being heated is essentially two downstairs living rooms knocked into one in an old fashioned 2 up 2 down. This house is exactly similar to mine in terms of layout. See pic two of living room. Obviously there's a bit behind where photo was taken about the same size as the old front room and I'd be wanting to a stove to heat all this area.

http://old.propertynews.com/brochure.php?r=1&c=8&s=163954129&i=1&p=PNC558328

My own installer says a 5kw is more than enough. The online whatstove calculator comes up with 3.4kw for a room this size. I still would like to go 7kw - just because I'm worried if I get a 5kw for a room this size and considering it's a Victorian house, leaks heat easy, and the Winter could be as bad aslast year, a 5kw mightn't keep up.

highrisklowreturn

See it sounds great in theory but let me let you in on last winter in my house. During the cold snap, when Belfast was colder than Moscow, my CH broke down, and quite literally you could see your breath in every room, there were icicles in the bathroom wall, and I needed two 3 bar heaters to keep war in a small box room, and even then had a jumper on. My electricity bill was through the roof. My theory this winter is forage some wood, dry it, buy some coal and peat, move my computer into other side of the living room, that way I'll have my TV at one end, computer at the other, two settees and a lot of books, as well as an adjoining kitchen, so no need to move :-)

Just don't want to get a stove set up and be like "is that it" whilst it knocks out the equivalent of two bars on an old electric heater.

highrisklowreturn

And did that keep you guys warm for the space you had to heat, and did the heat radiate throughout the house?

782sirbrian

I had a 5kw Esse 500 multifuel in a 2 bed semi burning just logs for last 5 years keep the room doors open to let heat upstairs. When it was minus outside it could have done with more. It was running flat out all the time full to the top with logs. This year got Dunsley Yorkshire fitted overkill some say I like to be warm on those frosty days !
I dont bother with the central heating my gas bill is down to a minimum !

Brian

Russ123_2

Last winter was exceptionally cold i just can't see a repeat of that happening again for along time. Especially in Northern Ireland that even for Britain has an exceptionally mild climate.

I know from personal experience just how much milder N.Ireland is compared with the Eastern Half of England\Scotland

I will eat my hat if we have another cold winter like that

highrisklowreturn

Whilst I don't encourage hat eating under any circumstances I will hold you to this.

But seriously this is the problem: One person is saying I'll easily be roasted with a 5kw, and another is saying if it goes below 20 outside, which it probably will, I'll be cold again. Plus I don't want to get a stupid airbrick stuck in as it will cause a mess in my plastering.

A._Badger

Check first that you will need an airbrick in NI. We have had posters here who say the HETAS writ doesn't extend to NI, so you may be exempt from their dogmatic stupidity.

suki1964

I have a 5 kw free standing stove up here in The Ballymoney area which was a lot colder then Belfast the past two winters ( and for longer) and I can assure you, if you stick to burning the smokeless and well seasoned wood - you will be toasty warm - my living room would easily heat to the high 20s just using the stove

Last year I never used the oil rads in any of the upstairs of the house

Our house is Detached in the middle of a field and is around 200sq meters. We have two stoves and the oil was barely used last year

Hope that helps

w50nky

I`m with suki 1964.

I have a 5Kw stove in a 4 bed bungalow and it is sufficient.
To see how warm the room will be, try putting several electric heaters to the value of 5Kw in your room for an hour or so. Building regs for ireland will dictate if you need to add an air vent. I beleive Hetas have no say in Ireland anyway.

highrisklowreturn

Stove coming this week - a 5KW - will probably need to buy some wood into Belfast. However, am worried as I just have a narrow back yard to store it in, so it will mean stacking logs maybe 3 deep on top of one another. Also don't know if they deliver in big bags too large for my hall. But thanks for advice all.

suki1964

Theres no problem with stacking logs - ours when i get it can be 10 - 20 high

What you need is for them to get air at them whilst sheltering from the worse of the elements