[Help] Wood Burners - price and installation advice

[zefarelly]

I remember I made a twin chamber smoker and first BBQ I went to buy wood was quite supprised at the cost but then found wood brickets slow burning and cheap duly purchased what a terrable mistake how I didn't poison anyone heaven knows all the food had a rather plastic taste it was only then I investigated what these brickets were actually made from and its ingreadants included things like recycled chip board and marine ply I guess the taste was from the glues within these products

Whilst Our loft/roof was being done, I did accidentally burn a pice of modern treated timber, never again, god knows what they do to it, obviosuly it buys you time to get out the house alive, but it smiokes like hell and stinks.

tyres are much better.

 

[Rogero]

We enjoy ours most nights.The best selection was from a firm near Foord just south of Arundel. Make sure that you get a multi fuel type that can take wood and smokeless coal.

 

[Boroseagull]

We, albeit in Southern Spain, use a combination of woodburner fire with built in integral fan and a pellet burner stove that fires the central heating. Sometimes, like now when it's cold and wet, both are in use. As the central heating boiler is on program (morning and evening) the woodburner supplements it. The secret is the quality and type of wood burned, in our case olive, orange, lemon and almond. It's available locally, very well seasoned and that is the secret.

So if you burn seasoned oak that should be available to you all will be well.

 

[Giraffe]

Current advise is not to use them around young or older people, surely slightly worrying?

Why?

 

[Shippers]

I fitted a stove with a stainless liner up the chimney stack and love it on those cold night with a fire burning (find it very relaxing), there are some good websites which help you on the regs for an install which I used (I think I used stove man), I have had the flu swept a few times and the guy says hardly anything comes out. I brought an Ekol Clarity 8, which is DEFRA approved, which means it burns really efficiently and can supposedly be used in smoke free zones (not a requirement in Seaford). I only burn wood and it runs very clean not leaving a lot of ash behind and hardly any smoke can be seen from top of the chimney when running up to temperature.

https://www.directstoves.com/ekol-c...MIt7Wy-vmJ7gIVCNPtCh2ElwRcEAAYASAAEgJrQvD_BwE

 

[cjd]

Why?

I live in the countryside in rural France and have two woodburners. They do get ( obviously ) very hot and will seriously burn the skin of a child or elderly person if they stumble against it.

 

[Questions]

Old boy over the road, in his 90's, ex Power station engineer, burns coal 24/7. I'm amazed Asbestositis hasn't got him.

If it does get him remember it’s flame proof.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Go for it, don't listen to the naysayers.

We installed a Hunter stove 3 years ago and it's still my favourite home improvement.

I didn't bother with multi fuel as I don't need to burn coal, although lots of the salesmen we spoke to told us to do it.
A couple of salesmen also said to get the biggest burner you can afford, this is bollocks! A 4k is enough to heat most rooms.
We paid extra to get a HETAS registered installer as we didn't want to mess with something that could burn our house down. He was very good and have some good advice, he said there's lots of people in the industry who will just bodge installs without knowing what they're doing.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I know you're not one of those that will insist that, because it's in The Guardian, it's lefty nonsense, but you might want to look at this:

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...iple-harmful-indoor-air-pollution-study-finds

This does sound like a load of nonsense from a scientist with an agenda, I'd be interested to watch what some of these people were doing as it sounds like user error.

On mine if you open the door quickly it initially sucks a bit of smoke into the room so I don't do that.
If the air intake is fully open before you open the door the draw is too strong for anything to get out into the room, even with the door open you can see it being sucked up the flue.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I live in the countryside in rural France and have two woodburners. They do get ( obviously ) very hot and will seriously burn the skin of a child or elderly person if they stumble against it.

Believe it or not they'll burn any age between if they stumble against it, even when pissed!

 

[ALBION28]

As someone who nearly died from that old thing called flu. I remain vulnerable because of that and age. Let me be clear log burners in my area are plentiful and it can be difficult to breathe particularly during the winter. This is not just some fancy notion. It is a real and present danger. Those that care please consider others.

 

[nicko31]

Buy one called a Varde Ovne. Generally I agree they aren't all that eco but nor is owning a dog!!

They are lot more efficient than an open fire, if they are run hot they run quite clean with dry wood

The hidden cost no one considered is the flu, a twin walled one is about £120 per metre so install can end up costing more than the burner.

 

[zefarelly]

Buy one called a Varde Ovne. Generally I agree they aren't all that eco but nor is owning a dog!!

They are lot more efficient than an open fire, if they are run hot they run quite clean with dry wood

The hidden cost no one considered is the flu, a twin walled one is about £120 per metre so install can end up costing more than the burner.

I did mention it . . .If you live in an older house with a proper chimney, subject to condition, you don't need one.

The added benefit being it heats that whole part of the house on the way up!

 

[mikeyjh]

I'm thinking of getting a wood burner for my front room. I currently have an open fire.

I'm sold on More heat efficiency, less use of logs, will look better, improve value of house, warmer house even if not burning apparently .

On other hand its expensive to install c £1700 , not exactly green, and there is something about open flames not behind a glass door ...

Any NSC experience, advice , thoughts ?

We have a couple, had one open fire but replaced it. You just will not get anything like the efficiency of heat as you would from a burner. One of ours is an Essential Ironheart, very big but incredibly efficient, the other a more standard 'living room' job. Takes a bit more patience and wood.

In terms of how 'green' it is, our house is about 7,000 sq ft and we spent < £300 on heating oil last year, heating is on for a couple of ours in the morning and (upstairs) in the evening.....

 

[Machiavelli]

This does sound like a load of nonsense from a scientist with an agenda, I'd be interested to watch what some of these people were doing as it sounds like user error.

On mine if you open the door quickly it initially sucks a bit of smoke into the room so I don't do that.
If the air intake is fully open before you open the door the draw is too strong for anything to get out into the room, even with the door open you can see it being sucked up the flue.

You sound like Donald Trump.

 

[A mex eyecan]

Buy one called a Varde Ovne. Generally I agree they aren't all that eco but nor is owning a dog!!

They are lot more efficient than an open fire, if they are run hot they run quite clean with dry wood

The hidden cost no one considered is the flu, a twin walled one is about £120 per metre so install can end up costing more than the burner.

Quick, burn all dogs!

 

[Hampster Gull]

Yes, i started down this route. The unused fireplace i found out had asbestos cement, quote just before xmas of £2k to get rid. That has paused my progress but suspect i will go ahead

 

[Bodian]

Been dithering for about five years after a lifetime of open fires. Finally swapped and got a stove installed this autumn. Absolutely love it - house warmer all the time (and cleaner). During the night/day when not on, there's no cold air entering. Cat loves it, as he no longer gets sparks on him. You can light it and go for a walk in the evening without worry.

Go for it.

But don't underestimate the volume of wood you'll get through, and the cost of it. Huge. Really glad we chose a multi-fuel, so we can burn smokeless coal when we light it early, and switch to wood when we sit in front of it. Some say you shouldn't burn them both together, but not really sure why not. The smokeless stuff isn't being banned - and sits and glows for ages, and is relatively cheaper for the heat output.

https://www.acrheatproducts.com/stove/acr-stoves/oakdale

 

[severnside gull]

You have to decide wood or multi fuel. Wood won’t stay in overnight but multifuel is messier. Also decide if you want a back burner but (only) if it is linked to your water supply you need building control approval. Size depending on your room size but roughly 5kw for a standard room - bigger, say 8kw, and you’ll probably never shut any doors as it will heat the house
We have our wood burner on afternoon/evening most days from late September to late March and burn around £250-worth of wood but our only other heating is the kitchen range so it’s pretty decent value.
We collect kindling in the woods and seashore on our daily walks. If you buy it you’ll spend more !

 

[Billy the Fish]

You sound like Donald Trump.

Yes, everyone who disagrees with you must be Donald Trump