[Help] Ethanol vs Wood Burners

[Westdene Seagull]

Looking for the collective experience of NSC. We're about to embark on the journey of redevelopment of our home. One item is a 'wood' burning stove. Speaking to someone while we were on holiday that are doing something similar, they have gone for an ethanol burner instead of a wood burner - partly because of the need to clean it less.

So, to open the question, which type of burner would NSC'ers recommend ? And why ?

 

[tedebear]

On another forum I was on, I saw many people who had ethanol burners complaining of headaches...even though they are supposed to be fume free....thats sort of turned me off them for the moment. My understanding so far is it depends on the size of the space you want to heat. Ethanol gives off much less heat than a wood burner and doesn't need a chimney or flue. We have a 5kw wood burner, and yes its a bit of a faff to clean and you do get a little dust in the room and need to store your fuel but boy does it warm the room, and bake the dogs who love laying in front of it

 

[Westdene Seagull]

On another forum I was on, I saw many people who had ethanol burners complaining of headaches...even though they are supposed to be fume free....thats sort of turned me off them for the moment. My understanding so far is it depends on the size of the space you want to heat. Ethanol gives off much less heat than a wood burner and doesn't need a chimney or flue. We have a 5kw wood burner, and yes its a bit of a faff to clean and you do get a little dust in the room and need to store your fuel but boy does it warm the room, and bake the dogs who love laying in front of it

The dog bit sells it to me !

 

[Bodian]

On another forum I was on, I saw many people who had ethanol burners complaining of headaches...even though they are supposed to be fume free....thats sort of turned me off them for the moment. My understanding so far is it depends on the size of the space you want to heat. Ethanol gives off much less heat than a wood burner and doesn't need a chimney or flue. We have a 5kw wood burner, and yes its a bit of a faff to clean and you do get a little dust in the room and need to store your fuel but boy does it warm the room, and bake the dogs who love laying in front of it

Yes - but there's another thread on here that tells us we mustn't have wood burners https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/threads/wood-burners-price-and-installation-advice.384931/. As does the Guardian which seems to have taken up the cause - which has always struck me as a bit odd, because I suspect many of their core readership have wood-burners!

 

[Billy the Fish]

Guardian are still at it, once a month like clockwork

Domestic wood burners having a deadly impact in outside areas

Deaths due to wood-burning stoves are comparable to those of ‘black summer’ bushfires, says Australian study

www.theguardian.com

Wood-burning stoves help undermine fall in particulate pollution from UK roads

Defra says 19% increase in pollution from burning solid fuels at home from 2012 to 2022 reflects rise in popularity of stoves

www.theguardian.com

 

[LeicesterGull]

We have an ethanol burner, replacing a multi-fuel burner, and had quite a few problems with its functioning at first (new tech). It’s fine now though and appreciating the convenience of turning it off/on instead of the hassle of cleaning etc. We have an air quality monitor in the room and seen a big improvement when burning compared to the multi-fuel burner. There is a smell that comes off it but after a few weeks I’ve either got use to it or it’s gone away….probably the former. I’d recommend but probably a bit more expensive to run, but then we only use it 3-4 hrs over a weekend. Nice heat though, which you can regulate so less intense than our previous burner.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Looking for the collective experience of NSC. We're about to embark on the journey of redevelopment of our home. One item is a 'wood' burning stove. Speaking to someone while we were on holiday that are doing something similar, they have gone for an ethanol burner instead of a wood burner - partly because of the need to clean it less.

So, to open the question, which type of burner would NSC'ers recommend ? And why ?

Seems a right pain to me. Is underfloor heating an option?

 

[Brok]

I was going to say that I would be worried about condensation, but after 5 minutes 'research', there doesn't seem to be much. Surprised.