Wood burning stove/central heating

Man_Overboard_2

wrightk wrote: »

thanks, the thermostatic dampener valve supplies air underneath the grate which i have been using. i have had the secondary valve closed, for burning coal. tonight i am doing what the engineer said and its not going very well. there is way too much air intake. perhaps i should just ignore him?

It is quite possible that the thermostatic dampener does not actually make a perfect closure, and that a small amount of air will be able to enter the stove even when it is closed.

wrightk

just consulted the manual
'There is also a manual secondary air
control which is located above the door
opening as shown in Fig. 2. To adjust
the setting, open the doors and use the
door opening tool to move the flap to
the desired position. This control
should be in the closed position when
burning any of the recommended
smokeless fuels except for anthracite
and homefire which should be burnt
with the secondary air inlet open'

no idea why, as am using the secondary air intake open now and its just blowing all the heat up the flue and not to the cylinder.perhaps i should just keep doing what im doing

Man_Overboard_2

wrightk wrote: »

just consulted the manual
'There is also a manual secondary air
control which is located above the door
opening as shown in Fig. 2. To adjust
the setting, open the doors and use the
door opening tool to move the flap to
the desired position. This control
should be in the closed position when
burning any of the recommended
smokeless fuels except for anthracite
and homefire which should be burnt
with the secondary air inlet open'

no idea why, as am using the secondary air intake open now and its just blowing all the heat up the flue and not to the cylinder.perhaps i should just keep doing what im doing

Ah - the secondary inlet is at the top of the stove, right?

If that is correct, then the idea is probably to allow some 'cool' air into the flue to prevent it overheating.

This refers back to some of my earlier posts about register plates and closed flues.

But, as you say, you just have to find a way that works for you...

wrightk

indeed its at the top. the whole idea of his actual visit was i thought to install a register plate, as i was getting a lot of soot falling through between the flue and brickwork. he cemented the holes up with fire cement and said a register plate wasnt neccessary. think ill close the secondary valve up now after all that :P

muckybutt

Man_Overboard wrote: »

My response to that would be that the inner surface of the flue would be protected from the corrosive effects of the sulphuric acid solution by a generous layer of soot and/or mineral dust

I have seen liners that have rotted prematurely because of exactly that cause, it does happen.

With the added moisture content of the burning wood the soot goes very sticky and wet, this in turn eats its way through the liner. Just burning wood or coal doesn't cause this problem, but burn both at your own peril if you have a liner !

Man_Overboard_2

muckybutt wrote: »

I have seen liners that have rotted prematurely because of exactly that cause, it does happen.

With the added moisture content of the burning wood the soot goes very sticky and wet, this in turn eats its way through the liner. Just burning wood or coal doesn't cause this problem, but burn both at your own peril if you have a liner !

I understand where you are coming from - trust me, I really do

But, whereas the life of a flue lining is measured in years, the life of a brick-built chimney flue is measured in centuries

The problem is not about how the home-owner wants to heat the home, it is about the fact that there is no way of guaranteeing that solid fuel will be as trouble-free as gas or electric

Long may your business flourish! (it's October, by the way, you should be in bed already so that you can go out early tomorrow and make loadsamoney!)

YORKSHIRELASS

A._Badger wrote: »

If your source of fuel is going to be wood or smokeless coal that you have to buy at normal prices, you currently use mains gas and your aim if to save money, then forget it.

The belief that stoves save money over mains gas is an urban myth - particularly if you factor in the purchase and installation costs.

.

Another stove owner who agrees with the above. We have a multi-fuel stove and burn smokeless fuel but its not a cheap option.

When the stove does come into its own is early or late in the winter when its not quite as cold and you maybe dont need the whole house heating.

I do read posts on here sometimes from people who heat their whole house with one wood burning stove but we certainly cant manage this.

Greenfires

A brick built chimney may stand for centuries - whether it remains gas/moisture tight for the same period is a different matter. I've seen several cases of staining and smells in upstairs rooms - usually where a stove has been fitted to an unlined chimney. Doesn't happen in all cases by any means, but it's not exactly a rarity.

Failed liners too - wrongly specced for the installation or just bad operation by the owners. Most recent one was less than three years old - completely disintegrated - in my opinion due to being completely the wrong liner for the job.

Man_Overboard_2

Greenfires wrote: »

A brick built chimney may stand for centuries - whether it remains gas/moisture tight for the same period is a different matter. I've seen several cases of staining and smells in upstairs rooms - usually where a stove has been fitted to an unlined chimney. Doesn't happen in all cases by any means, but it's not exactly a rarity.

Failed liners too - wrongly specced for the installation or just bad operation by the owners. Most recent one was less than three years old - completely disintegrated - in my opinion due to being completely the wrong liner for the job.

You are confirming the point I was trying to make - woodburners and multifuel stoves are very crude systems, and nobody can guarantee the results of any particular installation.

A._Badger

Greenfires wrote: »

A brick built chimney may stand for centuries - whether it remains gas/moisture tight for the same period is a different matter. I've seen several cases of staining and smells in upstairs rooms - usually where a stove has been fitted to an unlined chimney. Doesn't happen in all cases by any means, but it's not exactly a rarity.

Failed liners too - wrongly specced for the installation or just bad operation by the owners. Most recent one was less than three years old - completely disintegrated - in my opinion due to being completely the wrong liner for the job.

This is another aspect of the business that worries me. When Joe Public buys a stove, he is (more or less) forced to have it fitted (and most probably supplied) by a HETAS member.

It's they who specify the liners and most, as we know, insist on fitting one. What does a customer know about stainless steel grades? Come to that, how much do some installers? We have seen increasing reports of liner failures being blamed on the high sulphur content of some smokeless fuel and others on consumers mixing wood and smokeless (a practise, incidentally, which my own NACS sweep.and HETAS installer reckons is fine). But who do you believe?

Frankly, the market looks like a mess and I feel sorry for any newcomer who finds himself bewildered by all the conflicting opinions from people supposed to be experts.