Multi-fuel stove not really heating the house.

suki1964

Tabby_cat wrote: »

Hi All,
Many thanks for all your helpful thoughts and comments.

I think I need to go back to the installer. You guys have given me some ammunition to help.

On this model there is a primary air intake and a secondary, which we understand. But there's also a tertiary air intake which I think is probably set too high. It is located out of the way, underneath the stove and once set by the installer shouldn't need to be moved. When we shut down the primary and secondary air intakes I think it may be burning fairly high as logs don't seem to last all that long. If we go out for a meal say, it's OK for 2.5 hours with primary and secondary fully closed, but won't last much longer. Does that sound right to you? We haven't been able to perfect overnight burning yet and my guess is it's down to this tertiary air intake.

As ever, many thanks for your time/thoughts/comments.

Sounds like the tertiary air flow is too high. I don't have one,just the two vents and find it pretty easy to keep the stove in for 4 or 5 hours without filling to max. I don't burn wood now but I read time again on here that when a wood burner is running well it's easy to keep in over night with remarkably little fuel

iwantasmallholding

Hiya

I think you may have answered your own question without knowing, If the logs you are burning are lasting no time at all then it is probably soft wood, get your self some good quality oak/ash thats a couple of seasons olds. We have open fires, and if we burn crappy pine the house is freezing, through on some oak, and the logs last three times as long and the hear output is amazing, simpilar to that of coal, only a nicer flame.

Just a thought, but if its been professionally installed you'd like to hope it was done correctly.

regards

highrisklowreturn

mardatha wrote: »

Mine's is a Parkray Cumbria, it says this -

• Total output: 13.5kW
" You can burn coal, wood, or long-lasting smokeless fuel, and enjoy a roaring fire while the hidden boiler quietly warms your home. The Cumbria can run 8 or 10 radiators as well as providing hot water, which you control using the waterway thermostat. Country living has arrived in the 21st century..."

Is that total possible output or nominal output?

mardatha

I dont know, I just googled it and copied - but it keeps the living room hot, and the chill off the other rooms...we have big rooms with high ceilings . And enough boiling hot water for 3 baths a night if we wanted. But my neighbour has a smallish log burner that has to stay on all day to heat the room.

John_the_Boy

Hi Tabby_cat,

To be honest I would say 2.5 hours is a reasonable burn time.

I live in a smokeless zone so I can't close my primary air vent past half way. The way I tend to run the stove is as follows:-

During lighting: all vents fully open.
After 10 mins when fire has fully taken: close secondary vent.
After 20 to 30 mins: close tertiary vent.
Once fire has reached working temp (approx 180 c) I close down the primary vent until I get a gentle flame.

This then usually allows the stove to reach its recommended temp per the stove thermometer.

If you want to get a longer burn time I have found this helps:-
1. Get stove to close to max temp and let most of the wood burn away just leaving a bed of wood coals.
2. Fully load the stove with as much wood as possible and as tightly packed as possible.
3. Open up the primary air vent until the wood has taken and then close down again.

My comment re fans was about the Eco fan, however it is also worth noting that in America (check out hearth.com) it is quite common to use a normal electric fan outside of the room with the stove in it to gently blow cold air at ground level into the room with the stove.

Never tried it but apparently it gets the heat circulating well so might help, you would need to experiment how best to position the fan. Needs to be at ground level, in a colder place but directing the air to the room with the stove in it.

Hope the above is useful.