Who installs an open fire fireplace?

casper_gutman

MalMonroe said:

The problem with open fires is that you cannot now just burn any old rubbish you want to in it. Years ago you could but that was before all the clean air acts. I know of two people who are currently having woodburners installed and I just think it's a bit anti-social. They think they will be able to burn their own logs on them but they have to burn treated wood, not just any old stuff. I just think it's a totally backward step.

It is far kinder to the community and everyone else to not have fires burning in our homes.

I recently saw the documentary about the London smog in the 1950s and how it was added to by all the fires burning in people's homes. Many people died simply because of the smoke in their lungs.

I agree with those, especially Mutton_Geoff, above, who think it's a totally bad idea. And I'd beg you to have a rethink.

Eh? You can't burn treated wood, no matter whether you have an open fire or a log burner. You should be burning ordinary logs or other untreated wood. It just needs to be dried (NB not necessarily kiln dried - it can dry/season naturally in a ventilated space) to below 20% moisture content. Lower is better.

OP: if you really want an open fire, despite the major drawbacks discussed on this thread, try asking around at an architectural salvage place that sells fireplaces and inserts. If you must do this, it's not rocket science but nor is it an area where you want to get it wrong, given the potential for causing a fire or ending up with a chimney that draws badly and backs up smoke into the room.

Mistral001

I suggest that this is not a job for your usual small builder or handyman but for a builder who has experience of building detached houses as many detatched houses built these days will have open fires as well as central heating.   You will probably need a building designer such as an architect or architectural technician to draw up the specification as it is not simple.  Also to make sure that everything that Bulding Control requires is done.  I would look into getting a Baxi style fireplace which does not rely on drawing air from the room but from a pipe which is linked to a vent on an outside wall.  My oil central heating broke down a few years ago and I now use the open fire in my 1950's house for the main heating.  It is not as inefficient as you would think.  I burn wood from local tree pruning and coal from Columbia

gm0

If you must have solid fuel as a contingent heat option then stove all day long

Open fire aperture and stack size need to be "right" for the height or it won't draw properly.  Our builder got it wrong probably due to the building being taller than typical for the components used.  Result was a useless open fire that chilled the house (extractor chimney fan for artificial draw to prevent room smoke) did not really heat the room.  Did not use much.

In the same now liner dropped down it stack - external air inset stove cooks the room to >22c after a feeding it logs for a while with the stove door shut and the room doors open - 45sqm space 2.4m height.  Nominal 6.5kw Morso inset.  

If I use a floor fan to shift more air out of the room - I can limit the temperature rise at a comfortable level and heat other parts of the building - useful in an extended winter power cut

We used an inset stove to avoid demolishing chimney stack or supporting the upstairs stack with steels in order to get a floor standing stove back towards the back wall with the hearth not intrusive in the room.  The regulations on stoves are quite clear on the distances required.  I fancied a stone clad cylinder stove back against the wall to minimum distance - but settled for a metal inset with a stone front surround around it once I understood the further building modifications required to achieve the first option.  Our open fireplace hearth was too small to fit anything other than the tiniest stoves on legs which did not appeal to me either.

I looked in vain for a cheap inset stove that wasn't hideous.  And ended up with the Morso and a stone surround and hearth from my local granite cutter.  External air pipe through the back wall.  Chimney liner.  None of it was cheap per fire but the end result was good.  The fireplace was annoyingly non-functional.  This was expensive but it actually works.

If you don't have a full chimney stack already then the structure of your stack, it's flammability or lack thereof per regulations may impact what can be done.  Installer survey will reveal all.  Without a stone stack driving an inset.  A stove on a hearth and twin wall and stove pipes are a way forward in many cases.

Major issue not discussed by stove marketing.  Wood ash particulates are not fun. 
Some people are more allergic than others.
I am fairly allergic. Had I known how allergic -  I would probably not have done the project.
It can be mitigated with care on log reloading (slow and careful door opening) and ash handling (quality hoover running nearby) but not eliminated.

I suggest all family members visit a woodstove emporium in winter and sit around admiring and operating the sales stoves and check if anyone immediately gets wheezy when doors are opened and closed or in that environment.  There will be a fair amount of wood ash around in a typical stove shop where sales demo is a thing and obsessive cleaning is not.

Grenage

We used to have an open fire. Aesthetically it's the prettiest open, it looks amazing roaring away.  That's why you always see them in christmas adverts.  They are however a massive chore - they are fairly messy, they absolutely eat fuel, and 90%+ of the heat goes up the chimney.  You also can't really leave the house or go to bed whilst it's on the go.

We installed a stove about a year ago and it's 100 times better.  Just having the chimney sealed off around the flue alone is probably saving us pounds a day without the thing on.

robatwork

I've had both - open and inset. Not a stove though so can't comment on them.

They both really fall under "decorative".  With both a lot of the heat is just heating the flue/wall/next door.  But this is much more pronounced with an open fire. I've also experienced the open fire spitting embers out. Nasty.

Given the price of decent firewood is rocketing, the open fire will quickly cease to be a nice decoration. Just check the price of seasoned firewood locally.  

My inset fireplace is great though and does shove out some heat, but not enough to heat the whole open plan room. I also managed to find a local tree surgeon who chucked some oak onto my driveway. Don't underestimate the amount of work turning a tree into something you can put in a fireplace!