Replacing a Rayburn royal with a woodburning stove

grey_lady

Hhmm - slightly misleading title - we've recently had oil powered central heating installed so the solid fuel Rayburn is totally surplus to requirements :j

We'd like to remove it and put a woodburning stove in its place, (not coal, fed up with emptying ash) this will not have to power any radiators or hot water, its just a nice to have on very cold nights and will hopefully look more attractive.

So questions :-)

Firstly, do we need the chimney lined? the rayburn was burning coal (anthracite) daily until a couple of months ago, heating one radiator and all the hot water (to a dangerously high temp) and the chimney was regularly swept.

Secondly - expensive British or cheap B&Q import, what's the difference? Im happy to pay for a good quality stove, heard good things about clearview but if its identical to a cheap B&Q one then would rather save my pennies.

Finally, size i was thinking that a double fronted one would look nice in that space but apparently they're meant to heat much bigger areas? which confuses me, wouldnt you just burn less wood to produce less heat?

Grateful for any information.

muckybutt

grey_lady wrote: »

Firstly, do we need the chimney lined? the rayburn was burning coal (anthracite) daily until a couple of months ago, heating one radiator and all the hot water (to a dangerously high temp) and the chimney was regularly swept..

Hmmm some say yes some will say no, personally speaking I would have it done, it makes for a cleaner burn and is far easier to sweep than a normal chimney.

grey_lady wrote: »

Secondly - expensive British or cheap B&Q import, what's the difference? Im happy to pay for a good quality stove, heard good things about clearview but if its identical to a cheap B&Q one then would rather save my pennies. .

Go for what you can best afford, if you can go for a decent make - Clearview are the mutts doo dahs, theres also Jotul - Charnwood - Morso to name but a few. The Chinese ones are pants to be blunt, they warp dont seal properly and are often just bolted together...not good to maintain or get parts for either .... imho avoid at all costs

grey_lady wrote: »

Finally, size i was thinking that a double fronted one would look nice in that space but apparently they're meant to heat much bigger areas? which confuses me, wouldnt you just burn less wood to produce less heat?

How big an area do you want to heat ? that is the question.

Stoves are meant to be burnt hot wether they are multi fuel or wood burners, burning cool is bad for combustion and for the liner / chimney, an average sized room something in and around the 5kw range would be adequate - ideally you want to get the stove sized correctly for your needs, many of the reputable online stove dealers will do tis for you.

tony6403

grey_lady wrote: »

(not coal, fed up with emptying ash)


Grateful for any information.

Woodburners also need to have the ash emptied.