What's the best heating for an old stone house?

DREKLY

Hi Theotalbot, welcome ! you say, quote " , which currently has a Rayburn that has been condemned " ???

these things are indestructible !!! who has condemned it ?
I have just got my 1955 multifuel Rayburn resuscitated, all parts are
available for them, even the earliest ones, they are so simple, and once going, chuck out tons of heat, and heat water too, if a boiler is attached.

Chumps, hi too !! perhaps yours is also worth a look at to get going?
I know it involves buying coal ovals, and kindling, and there is some associated mess with ash disposal, but you can burn almost anything on these beasts, they are simple and reliable, and you can cook chikken soup on the hob, boil kettles, the possibilities are endless !!!

(oh, and you can also run radiators off the Rayburn, depending on which model you have, mine is a No. 1, and supplies a radiator in the lounge )

Cardew

DREKLY wrote: »

Chumps, hi too !! perhaps yours is also worth a look at to get going?
I know it involves buying coal ovals, and kindling,

As discussed several times on MSE for coal/log fires/burners etc an electric firelighter is invaluable.

Although expensive to buy now the Grenadier firelighter https://grenadier.co.uk/product/grenadier-electric-firelighter

is excellent. Just point at a pile of coal/logs and in minutes you have a blazing fire. Also can be used to revive a fire or
to light a Bar-B-Q.

I inherited a similar model from a relative that was bought in 1962, and use it all the time.

[Deleted User]

Cardew wrote: »

As discussed several times on MSE for coal/log fires/burners etc an electric firelighter is invaluable.

Although expensive to buy now the Grenadier firelighter https://grenadier.co.uk/product/grenadier-electric-firelighter

is excellent. Just point at a pile of coal/logs and in minutes you have a blazing fire. Also can be used to revive a fire or
to light a Bar-B-Q.

I inherited a similar model from a relative that was bought in 1962, and use it all the time.

If my ovals etc have been delivered wet I just use a regular hot air gun to get the fire going, costs peanuts

FreeBear

Chumphs wrote: »

We will also open the fireplaces back up and install wood burning stoves in 2 downstairs rooms where the flues go through the bedroom walls which we hope will help with heating and keep damp away.

Give some thought to fitting a hot water tank with twin coils. When you come to fit wood stoves, you then have the option to get one with a back boiler that can be plumbed in to the H/W tank.

Should your main heating system fail, you still have the wood burner to heat up a tank of water without relying on an immersion heater.

Cardew

FreeBear wrote: »

Give some thought to fitting a hot water tank with twin coils. When you come to fit wood stoves, you then have the option to get one with a back boiler that can be plumbed in to the H/W tank.

Should your main heating system fail, you still have the wood burner to heat up a tank of water without relying on an immersion heater.

Before you do so take some advice. It is not as simple as it sounds unless you use a special, and expensive, device like a Dunsley Neutralizer.

Chumphs

Wow, just when we thought we had it nailed....so much to think about, thanks guys! :beer: (sorry don't know how to quote the text I want to reply to directly....)

Fitting a water tank in relation to a log burner would make sense potentially, but we'll need to suss it out properly. We're not adverse to going without a shower if we have to, but we'll definitely have power cuts at some point, so we are going to make sure we can boil a kettle/heat a pan on the top of the stove!

And the grenadier looks great! Not cheap but could make life a lot easier if we're more reliant on the old stoves. Maybe a future Christmas present for the hubby!

After getting some really useful advice about stoves (or perhaps he was just a v good stove salesman!) we have decided the Rayburn will be going....we don't have the time to deal with keeping the coal topped up or the mess it'll make. And it's not even that pretty. The log burners will hopefully keep us toasty. We've also rethought using the stove to heat the walls as it would mean having to burn more fuel to get the rooms to the same temperature. We'll probably get the pipe fully insulated to get the best possible heat into the rooms with the stoves, and make sure the upstairs rooms are properly heated to avoid damp...but then maybe the guy was just trying to sell us the insulation and actually it'd be cheaper to heat the walls/upstairs by burning more wood rather than using the CH?!?

Has anyone got any experience/advice with having oil CH but getting a bit of gas to use just for cooking? I'd be up for an electric hob, but my husband is keen for gas if possible.

Cardew

Chumphs wrote: »

1. (sorry don't know how to quote the text I want to reply to directly....)

2. I'd be up for an electric hob, but my husband is keen for gas if possible.

I. Firstly, I just clicked 'Quote' at the bottom of your post.

2. Have a look at induction hobs and read up about them on MSE. If your husband isn't convinced - divorce him;)

Gloomendoom

If you are bothered about power cuts, you could do as we do and use bottled LPG with a gas hob for cooking. We have a back-up generator for essentials like lighting and running the central heating pump etc. You don't need anything huge.

I have found that back boilers on wood burning stoves can suck the life out of them.

Oh and heating a house with wood isn't a cheap option if you have to pay for it.

Davesnave

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I have found that back boilers on wood burning stoves can suck the life out of them.

Ditto regarding boilers on wood stoves. I removed the boiler from my old one and it became a different beast; no longer having black glass that needed daily cleaning and throwing out much more heat.

Now I have a modern stove, about 1/2 the size of the old one, but more efficient, so I hardly notice.

A._Badger

If it's any help, I use oil for ch and lpg (cylinders) for cooking, plus a multifuel stove in an inglenook for main room heating.

There are two main downsides to lpg. Good cookers are getting harder to find and the stuff is overpriced. The upsides, as you probably realise, are freedom from powercuts (unless you buy one of those ridiculous cookers that only work when connected to the mains!) and the benefits of gas cooking, if that is your preferred style.

If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to try to help.