Solid/Multifuel stoves

Catbells

(By stove I mean the kind that heats your living room and not the kind you cook on in the kitchen, eg Aga/Rayburn.)

Given rising energy costs I want to install a solid/multi/pellet burning stove to save money. Can anyone tell me if this is a wise move and will I in fact save money. I only intend to use it in the main living room in the evening and am hoping there will be ambient heat for the bedroom above.

Can anyone recommend the best type of solid fuel stove which I can use in a large living room (17' x 15'). There are many for sale on Ebay and various retail outlet web sites but I don't know how to judge their efficiency or quality. I understand the Norwegian ones are good but which ones and are the home produced ones just as good. If anyone has personal experience I would welcome your advice.

A._Badger

I've used multifuel stoves in my past two houses and 'do your sums very carefully', would be my advice. Don't forget you will have to amortise the cost not only of the stove, but also the fitting and that can be very expensive - especially if you need a stainless steel liner.

As for fuel costs, Stoveman is absolutely right. Even though I live in a rural area where there is a lot of wood around and plenty of competition, the cost is very high if you burn it all the time. Coal is a better bet, but you will need to get your chimney swept very regularly and you will have to keep on top of soot build-up inside the stove itself.

Whether it's much cheaper than the alternatives I really don't know - but it is much nicer, as long as you don't mind a bit of fuss and bother and the fetching and carrying.

As for stoves, I agree about the Chinese ones - some of them look pretty bad. Buy a good one and it will last a lifetime.

nappy501

A._Badger wrote: »

I've used multifuel stoves in my past two houses and 'do your sums very carefully', would be my advice. Don't forget you will have to amortise the cost not only of the stove, but also the fitting and that can be very expensive - especially if you need a stainless steel liner.

I am having similiar thoughts about fitting a woodburner or multifuel burner.

As for fuel costs, Stoveman is absolutely right. Even though I live in a rural area where there is a lot of wood around and plenty of competition, the cost is very high if you burn it all the time. Coal is a better bet, but you will need to get your chimney swept very regularly and you will have to keep on top of soot build-up inside the stove itself.

I thought coal was very expensive compared to gas and electricity? Is it possible to get free wood? Like from local cemeteries, what the council cuts down, builders, joiners? I was thinking once I had the initial outlay, then it wouldn't cost me anything apart of having the chimney swept. Is that possible?

Thanks.

A._Badger

nappy501 "I thought coal was very expensive compared to gas and electricity? Is it possible to get free wood? Like from local cemeteries, what the council cuts down, builders, joiners? I was thinking once I had the initial outlay, then it wouldn't cost me anything apart of having the chimney swept. Is that possible?"

If you can get enough free wood to drive a hungry woodburner, I'll take my hat off to you!

For anyone who has never used one of these, they would be amazed if they saw how much wood you can get through in a single day. I've seen people say they get free wood and, while I've no reason to doubt them, I'm impressed if they can get the quantity needed.

To give you an example, I have two very large log bags and I will empty both in a day, if burning wood.

There is another aspect, too. A woodburner needs seasoned wood, otherwise it produces a lot of tar and creosote, which lines the chimney and catches fire, unless you are very lucky.

Coal seems expensive, but it burns a lot hotter than wood and lasts considerably longer. Some smokeless fuels (like Maxbriute) are very good, too, and don't cause anything like the soot problems that coal does, but they are horrendously expensive to use.

Check out whether you really can get free wood beforehand, would be my advice. It may be harder to come by, in sufficient quantity, than you imagine.

Ken68

When I gave up running my aged Rayburn, several years ago, I asked a tree surgeon working nearby if he wanted all my remaining seasoned logs...he declined saying he had a yard full he couldn't give away.
They are the people to see and no doubt would try to sell it to you initially. Strike a deal though, take evrything solid, no branches he might just weaken. Then you would perhaps have too much. :-)
I know humping it, sawing it down, logging, taking to the wood shed then bring it back from the wood shed all a pain in the rear.

brambleman

We payed about £550 for a hunter stove and about £300 for lining. Got a bargain with fitting at £40 but had spent £1500 on completely rebuilding the fireplace so the whole thing wa decorative as well as to replace the basket fire.

We got a ton and half of seasoned logs for £85 (look in paper ads etc) and about £85 of homefire ovals. Had it burning most nights from start October to end March and most days over weekends and xmas hols.

The heat you get off these things is great. Logs look the best but coal seems to last longer and is hotter, a standard bucket can keep it going at a nice temp for a couple of days if you don't have it blasting out. Also safer than an open fire when you have kids.

Would always try and get one in future houses.

bagathacat

Ref: stoves bought from internet. I work for an independent stove retailer, and none of our suppliers (Stovax, Charnwood, Dovre, Franco Belge, Hunter, Jotul, Scan, Yeoman, etc) will allow us to sell on the internet. They also state that if any of their stoves are purchased from an internet retailer, there is no guarantee. So, if there should be any future problems under guarantee, you may have trouble getting replacement parts. We have had several people into our shop recently who have purchased an internet stove and need parts, but our supplier will not provide them, so they are stuffed basically!! I know it's not very Money Saving to buy from people like us - we can't afford to give big discounts like the internet boys can - but it can work out cheaper in the long run to buy from independent retailers - at least you get guaranteed back-up and support.
Eevery time I post a message like this, I get flamed, but thought I'd try and help.

bryanb

If you rely on collecting the wood, sawing/chopping it yourself, you will be warm enough without lighting it.

A._Badger

Well, you may be right, bagathacat, but section 51 of the OFT guidelines on Internet retailing is currently under discussion, so I wouldn't be too confident about this guarantees business.

More to the point, manufacturers' guarantees aren't really the issue. The contract is between the purchaser and you, the retailer - that's the position under the Sale Of Goods Act. If I buy a stove made by company X and it fails, my claim isn't against company X, it's against the person who sold it to me. And that is just as enforceable if you buy via the Internet.

Moreover, I'm not convinced you are right about this prohibition on Internet selling. A few years back, I bought a Coalbrookdale stove from a major retailer via the Internet and I am not aware there was any inhibition of the manufacturer's warranty (such as it is). What's more, a quick Google search reveals quite a few major UK retailers selling via the Internet so, sorry, I'm not convinced.

As for spare parts, do tell us more! The OFT currently offers up to £100,000 for information about illegal anti-competitive trading and I wouldn't mind tipping them the wink. It'd certainly keep me in Maxibrite for a few years!

All I can say is that I have bought spares directly from AGA (no less) who have never asked me a single question about where my stove came from.

Which isn't to say people should buy any old Chinese stove off eBay. Clearly, some of these are rubbish (if not actually dangerous) and your chances of getting redress if they break are limited, to say the least.

But I would not hesitate to buy a good quality stove off the 'net, using my credit card as extra insurance, providing I felt the retailer was a reasonably established business against which, should the need arise, I could make a claim.