Thinking of getting a log burner. Anyone have some advice?

Rossplymouth · 19 January 2020 at 6:22PM

Hi guys I'm really interested in getting a log burner, the trouble is I don't have a chimney. I read somewhere that it would cost £6000 to get the fire and have it installed. The pipe I need would be about 10 meters to go to the roof. Does anyone know what sort of prices I would be looking at for everything and to get it installed? Thanks for your help.

FreeBear · 19 January 2020 at 11:53PM

It depends on the type of stove you want, where the flue is routed, and how. £6,000 could be spent on just the stove, and another £10,000 on installation & flue. That said, I've seen stoves that cost upwards of £30,000.

Have a look around at stoves and select the type/style you want. Then call on two or three HETAS registered installers to see how much it will cost to fit. £6,000 doesn't sound too outlandish for your situation. Also, do not underestimate how much storage is required for fuel or the mess it makes inside the house.

sevenhills · 20 January 2020 at 12:01AM

But log burners, also known as wood burning stoves, tend to be more expensive. 59% of people we asked own a wood burning stove, while 41% own a multi-fuel stove. multi-fuel owners paid £1,713 on average; wood stove owners forked out a little more: £2,022. Every home is different, and so are their stove requirements, including the wattage you’ll need, the amount and type of fuel you’ll use, and the hours you will be keeping it burning.

Read more: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/12/is-buying-a-log-burner-or-multi-fuel-stove-worth-the-cost/ - Which?
Stove prices start at £700 (including VAT) for a 5kW wood burner and go up to several thousand pounds for some of our larger products.

Installations start from as little as £1,900 (incl. VAT) for a smaller stove, which includes lining the chimney, commissioning and handover (including HETAS registration). Installations without a chimney breast requiring a twin wall insulated chimney system start at around £3,500. If you require building works there will be additional costs.

https://www.thestovehub.co.uk/stove-guides/guide-stove-costs/

log burners, also known as wood burning stoves, tend to be more expensive. 59% of people we asked own a wood burning stove, while 41% own a multi-fuel stove. multi-fuel owners paid £1,713 on average; wood stove owners forked out a little more: £2,022. Every home is different, and so are their stove requirements, including the wattage you’ll need, the amount and type of fuel you’ll use, and the hours you will be keeping it burning.

Read more: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/12/is-buying-a-log-burner-or-multi-fuel-stove-worth-the-cost/ - Which?

Aylesbury_Duck · 20 January 2020 at 12:03AM

Any advice? Yes, don't bother. Considered one myself a few years ago, did my research, visited friends and family to see a few in action. The upsides are obvious and undeniably pleasant, but I considered the downsides outweighed them:

The cost/effort to buy/scavenge/dry/chop and split wood.
Space needed to store it all.
Dust, soot, etc. and the clearing up afterwards.
I found the room it was in got roasting hot and the heat didn't really travel around the house.
The chimney makes the house look like a takeaway.
The cost of installation.
The (unlikely but not nil, but depends where you live) risk that future legislation will make your investment worthless or more expensive to use.

Kiran · 20 January 2020 at 7:32AM

I've recently moved from a house that has 2 wood burning stoves and have missed them. I am having my new stove installed here on Tuesday and it will be an external chimney. My whole lot is coming in under 3k but I have bought everything trade. Non discounted price for the flue components is just over 2k as a guide. For £20 you can get your flue designed and priced by the guy who runs the stove fitters manual https://www.stovefittersmanual.co.uk his component prices are pretty good but you can also use it to get like for like quotes.

The post above has a valid point about fuel, so definitely worth considering, if you are paying the going rate for jumbo bags then it will be a nice to have rather than any form of money saving when put up against gas for example. If however you are able to provide the fuel there are other benefits, it gets you out in the fresh air, keeps you fit and warms you twice!

tiggerbodhi · 21 January 2020 at 4:02PM

We have one and it is lovely to get the lounge very cosy, with the door open to the rest of the house it warms the other areas, also keeps the dogs warm through the night once it has gone out from the stored heat in it and the brickwork around it.

Storage of the wood can be an issue, we have enough room for a sizeable log store.

You can either buy logs already seasoned or like we do get all lumber jacky!, buy a chainsaw, axe and splitting maul and make your own, people soon get to know you have a chainsaw and not afraid to use it so you can get longer logs to chop down, you have to leave them outside for a couple of years to season so your first couple of years you might need to buy logs.

dunroving · 21 January 2020 at 4:12PM

Just my opinion, but if you don't have a chimney, I think you'd need either deep pockets and/or be extremely keen to spend the kind of money it would take just for a few cosy-feeling nights during the winter.

Add to that the possibility of further legislation against log burners and the inconvenience of ordering and storing wood, and it was something I ended up rejecting in favour of spending the money on other things. I do occasionally think, wouldn't it be nice to have heat blasting out from a log burner, but I can live with the loss.

FreeBear · 21 January 2020 at 4:47PM

dunroving wrote: »

I do occasionally think, wouldn't it be nice to have heat blasting out from a log burner, but I can live with the loss.

There is always something like this - https://www.dimplex.co.uk/product/bayport-opti-myst-electric-stove
No flue or external air vent. Just plug in and go.

dunroving · 21 January 2020 at 4:55PM

FreeBear wrote: »

There is always something like this - https://www.dimplex.co.uk/product/bayport-opti-myst-electric-stove
No flue or external air vent. Just plug in and go.

Yes, thanks, just the thing I have been looking at as a possible alternative. My fireplace was boarded up, with a small air vent for ventilation, and painted to match the walls. It looks very nice for now, with a small bookcase in there.

I figured as we are past halfway through winter, I'll see if the idea grows on me and if so, buy one in the summer sales!

A friend has a similar one, and it looks very realistic and does the job without the faff and expense.

rach_k · 21 January 2020 at 7:26PM

Have you used a log burner? I wanted one until we stayed in a holiday cottage with one and I realised it was far too much like hard work for me! I enjoyed it for the first day but it quickly became a chore and I was glad to get home to my nice clean (-ish) radiators!

So that would be my tip, next time you go for a UK break, pick somewhere with a log burner and try it out! If you still end up getting one, you had a nice holiday. If you don't buy one, you've saved enough for another couple of mini breaks.

-taff · 21 January 2020 at 7:28PM

I love mine. It is used to heat the house as best it can though [ the addition of a little fan was worth the expense and heats the hallway much more than it used to]. Our central heating is nothing to write home about. The wood gets stacked in the alcoves in the front porch and the wood is delivered by someone local and good quality at a fairly cheap price...

Thinking of getting a log burner. Anyone have some advice?

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