Open fire/Stove

[Scotty38]

Thanks for all the comments, very much appreciated. I'm picking up on the way to go

[scbk]

Is there anyone in your house on benefits, any oaps, kids etc? You may be able to get funding for a stove or insulation etc

 

We both work so don't qualify for naff all in our cold (and rented) stone cottage! The woodburner is the main source of heat.

 

 

I think I read an open fire is about 10-20% efficient and stoves are 60-85%, so quite a difference!

[Scotty38]

Is there anyone in your house on benefits, any oaps, kids etc? You may be able to get funding for a stove or insulation etc

 

Appreciate the thought but no, well kids etc but a bit less than naff all chance of any benefits (of which I'm grateful if you see what I mean).

[Alycidon]

An open fire depending on the design is usually between 20% and 30% efficient when running. At 6am when its not running it pulls heat from your central heating system up the chimney so the overall efficiency is very very low. Some rate it as a negative figure.

 

A stove must be at least 65% efficient to achieve the legally required CE rating. However there are three ways of measuring a stoves efficiency, these depend on the moisture level of the wood used on test, in a nutshell the lower the MC level the higher the efficiency. Some manufacturers such as Morso are very conservative with their published efficiency ratings so don't take to much notice of stove efficiency figures, they should all be at 65% or more although I am aware of one or two that do fall below that. All will produce at least 4 times the amount of heat from the same amount of wood burnt. There are new regs coming in around 2018 time that will uprate the minimum energy efficiency required, while this will not effect stoves already installed older designs with lower efficiency are likely to be withdrawn. Parts will therefore become harder to obtain once the stove gets older, Morso excepted.

 

Some stoves can be fitted with direct air vents, this brings air direct into the stove from outside the room.

 

So installing a stove is a very good idea, most of my customers ( I retail stoves ) say its the best thing they have EVER bought. Just make sure you feed it DRY wood, maximum moisture level 18%.

 

There are currently schemes through energy companies like British Gas to uprate your properties heat insulation, typically you will be required to pay around 20% of the cost.

 

As far as I am aware there are no grants for disabled persons for the installation of stoves.

 

A

[Daveyboy]

I've got a Woodwarm stove and wouldn't have anything else. And I had it professionally fitted because:

 

1. You won't buy it any cheaper.

2. Having it fitted by someone who knows will make it more efficient and safer than you doing it and getting a safety ticket. There's chimney's to line, cupola's, having a hearth fitted, picking the b*stard up - they're fecking heavy!

3. They'll do it in 3 days, you'll take 3 months.

4. Get a dual-fuel so that you can burn coal or wood. Coal burns with a draft from underneath, wood burns with circulation from the top - wood wants to sit in a bed of ash. Don't burn the two together, it's a false economy.

5. Dual-fuel Woodwarms have an ash pan that you can take out and walk outside with. Most do not.

6. They'll burn anything and finally

7. They're made in Britain!

[Big J]

The common thread to all your replies is 'good stove'. They are not all created equal. A cheap duff stove won't seal well, will still eat wood and won't warm you.

 

Buy a good 'un!

 

I disagree.

 

I find that most stoves are overpriced for what you actually get. We are just about to rip out a Dunsley Highlander 7kw (with back boiler) in the house we share with a mate up north. It's a well respected manufacturer, about £1000 new and a total and complete waste of time. It produces almost no heat to the room, takes all day to heat the water for one bath, is unable to reach the zone of best operation (according to the flue thermometer), eats wood, won't stay in for more than a couple of hours and did I mention it would have cost a grand?!

 

So, it's being replaced with a 13-15kw back boiler stove from Martin Champion at The Champion Stove Company. It's a beautifully made stove, 50cm deep, 45cm high and 40cm wide. All laser cut steel and as well made as anything you'd find from Morso etc. It's also £400 (£340 without the back boiler).

 

I'm presently sat in my pants infront of a 70cm version of it, which is providing all heat (by air convection, no back boiler) to a 127 square metre, 18th century house. All corners of the house are over 17c, the living room is 20c (all doors open). It is using about 2 cubic metres of wood a month at the moment, and it's always on (24/7 from October to April).

 

So no, you do not need to spend silly money on a stove. Instead, you can support a small British business, save yourself a packet and get a top notch stove. I've three friends with stoves from him (2 installed so far, the third is to be delivered next week) and they are delighted.

 

Champion Stove Company

 

Apologies for getting on my soapbox, but it does my bloody head in when folk say 'you've got to spend £xxxx on a stove to get a good one'. You don't, you just need to know what you need.

 

Features I like about the Champion Stoves (I can speak only for my 20kw, 70cm stove):

 

* Keeps in for 14hrs. Not exaggerating, that's how long it takes to go out. It's very easy to completely heat the house stoking the fire only once every 8hrs (I should stress, that's not shut down to the point of smouldering, but happily ticking over with temperature right at the top of the zone of best operation)

 

* Logs are loaded front to back, not side to side, so nothing falls out.

 

* Wood burner only. You only need coal if you have a crap stove. A good wood burner will last just as long without all the clinker and muck.

 

* Due to there being no grate, the ash condenses amazingly. On average, I remove a bucket of ash every 3 weeks.

 

* Huge flat surface for cooking/kettles.

 

* Incredibly air tight, and complete air control via one vent. It's idiot proof to use. My elderly former neighbour had difficulty operating her Villager Bayswater for years due to bad seals (double doors) and too many vents. She loves the simplicity of these stoves.

 

* Did I mention they were a fraction of the price of any other stove?

 

You won't find the larger stoves on his website yet as mine were done by request. I'm more than happy to email photos should they be required.

 

* Rant over!

[Alycidon]

I disagree.

 

I find that most stoves are overpriced for what you actually get. We are just about to rip out a Dunsley Highlander 7kw (with back boiler) in the house we share with a mate up north. It's a well respected manufacturer, about £1000 new and a total and complete waste of time. It produces almost no heat to the room, takes all day to heat the water for one bath, is unable to reach the zone of best operation (according to the flue thermometer), eats wood, won't stay in for more than a couple of hours and did I mention it would have cost a grand?!

 

So, it's being replaced with a 13-15kw back boiler stove from Martin Champion at The Champion Stove Company. It's a beautifully made stove, 50cm deep, 45cm high and 40cm wide. All laser cut steel and as well made as anything you'd find from Morso etc. It's also £400 (£340 without the back boiler).

 

I'm presently sat in my pants infront of a 70cm version of it, which is providing all heat (by air convection, no back boiler) to a 127 square metre, 18th century house. All corners of the house are over 17c, the living room is 20c (all doors open). It is using about 2 cubic metres of wood a month at the moment, and it's always on (24/7 from October to April).

 

So no, you do not need to spend silly money on a stove. Instead, you can support a small British business, save yourself a packet and get a top notch stove. I've three friends with stoves from him (2 installed so far, the third is to be delivered next week) and they are delighted.

 

Champion Stove Company

 

Apologies for getting on my soapbox, but it does my bloody head in when folk say 'you've got to spend £xxxx on a stove to get a good one'. You don't, you just need to know what you need.

 

Features I like about the Champion Stoves (I can speak only for my 20kw, 70cm stove):

 

* Keeps in for 14hrs. Not exaggerating, that's how long it takes to go out. It's very easy to completely heat the house stoking the fire only once every 8hrs (I should stress, that's not shut down to the point of smouldering, but happily ticking over with temperature right at the top of the zone of best operation)

 

* Logs are loaded front to back, not side to side, so nothing falls out.

 

* Wood burner only. You only need coal if you have a crap stove. A good wood burner will last just as long without all the clinker and muck.

 

* Due to there being no grate, the ash condenses amazingly. On average, I remove a bucket of ash every 3 weeks.

 

* Huge flat surface for cooking/kettles.

 

* Incredibly air tight, and complete air control via one vent. It's idiot proof to use. My elderly former neighbour had difficulty operating her Villager Bayswater for years due to bad seals (double doors) and too many vents. She loves the simplicity of these stoves.

 

* Did I mention they were a fraction of the price of any other stove?

 

You won't find the larger stoves on his website yet as mine were done by request. I'm more than happy to email photos should they be required.

 

* Rant over!

 

Its always the woman of the house that has the last word, she works on how it looks. The stove from Champion I have seen has no glass, so not to nice to look at. My most popular stove this winter is the Aarrow Ecoburn Plus 5, why ?. because it has a huge glass for its size.

 

I really cant see any woman allowing that to be the centre point of her lounge. Always get your lady onside with the purchase or sooner or later she will ensure that it will bite you in the backside.

 

A

[Daveyboy]

It does sound 'reet Champion, but it's a bachelor stove, that's for sure.

 

This is what i've got - http://www.woodwarmstoves.co.uk/products/fireview-range/9kwfireview.ashx

 

Good stoves are good stoves. They've metal boxes with the occasional glass bit. And if you can't get the wood, you burn coal.

[Big J]

Its always the woman of the house that has the last word, she works on how it looks. The stove from Champion I have seen has no glass, so not to nice to look at. My most popular stove this winter is the Aarrow Ecoburn Plus 5, why ?. because it has a huge glass for its size.

 

I really cant see any woman allowing that to be the centre point of her lounge. Always get your lady onside with the purchase or sooner or later she will ensure that it will bite you in the backside.

 

A

 

Aaah, if you look through the gallery, you will find a stove with an art deco style sun burst glass door. All my stoves except the one in the office have a glass door with sunburst pattern. It's most attractive

[drythropple]

Thanks, I guess I should have introduced myself but I didn't feel new as I've been around a little while although never posted until now

 

To be fair we do seal up some of the draughts but some are difficult to do given the door's in use/the design of it and there's no obvious/easy/practical way I can get round it.

 

Agree the house probably is colder with the fire going as it certainly draws in the cold air, does look good though.....

Go for the stove! You wont get as many draughts in your house with it as you can control the airflow unlike an open fire, you will find you will use half as much fuel too!