wood burning stove advice,please

dyrniboy

Hi, After reading on the web that my open fireplace was sucking up all the heat from the house, I have a cunning plan !. First of all I will screw a steel plate to cover the fire opening but this will have a hole for the flue of a wood burning stove. Next to the steel plate I wil place some rigid board insulation and then next to that i will place some dense bricks like those found in storage heaters with another plate in front of that. The object of all this is to heat up the bricks when the stove is opened up and then when the stove is closed down the stored heat from the bricks will be released and help heat the home. What do you think ?. Good idea ?, bad idea ?. Would be pleased to hear views on this before i carry this out. All views welcome.

McAzrael

Do you currently have an open fire or a wood burning stove? If it is an open fire and you are thinking of installing a stove then these can be bought with the bricks built in to them. You will be amazed at how much more heat they throw out than an open fire and how much more slowly they burn the wood. Shutting the vents right down will keep the fire ticking over all day while you are out (or overnight). If you want to see the flames for atmosphere you just open the door.

They are, however, still extremely messy.

ViksB

We changed our open fire for a wood burning stove and found the room is much warmer.
The fire chucks out much more heat when lit.
When the fire isn't lit, because the door of the stove is closed there is very little draft and loss of heat up the chimney.
Personally, I would get the professionals in to do it as you don't want a fire rish.
Our chimney had a liner put down it and the gap filled with little balls to help insulate it. The gap in the fireplace had a metal plate and fire resistant board on it with the hole for the flue. I don't think you need to do anything else. All that was done as standard by the people who fitted ours.

We also find it really quite clean compared to an open fire and much less ash, but we only burn wood.
Viks

Poppycat

We had one installed about 3-4 weeks back used it a couple of times. Yes the do kick out much more heat than open fire, we still have a open fire, its very dirty and inefficient. The log burner is the opposite, clean and efficient, you simply slide a metal slider to control the flames the lower the flames the longer the logs burn. The burner gets extremely hot, its just like a very very hot radiator.

Only time we open the door it to put logs in

dyrniboy

Hi, Many thanx for your replies, Does anybody think the extra dense bricks placed between the stove and the blocked off chimney would be of any use or just a waste of time ?. The bricks would be there to heat up when the fire is opened up and when the fire is closed down the bricks would release their heat into the room.

ViksB

Personally I think and it is only my opinion, that it would be a waste of time.

Viks

Snow_Dog

Poppycat wrote: »

We had one installed about 3-4 weeks back used it a couple of times. Yes the do kick out much more heat than open fire, we still have a open fire, its very dirty and inefficient. The log burner is the opposite, clean and efficient, you simply slide a metal slider to control the flames the lower the flames the longer the logs burn. The burner gets extremely hot, its just like a very very hot radiator.

Only time we open the door it to put logs in

So you got one fitted in the end, you will be well chuffed with it in the winter, which make and model did you choose?

Snow_Dog

ViksB wrote: »

Personally I think and it is only my opinion, that it would be a waste of time.

Viks

I agree with you, the cover plate around the flue should stop any drafts.

As for heating a bunch of bricks, well yes electric storage heaters use the same principle but then with a wood burner you are heating the entire chimney breast etc, a few more bricks aren't really going to make too much difference.