Cath11

That is a really good idea. I’ve just acquired a pre formed pond that I am going to put in.. I will do the same with the the small bits

Thank you for this, I will try to source some

Yes you may be right

Hi thanks, yeah I already have a log store and usually buy my logs in May for the coming winter, as I intend using the stove more it’s a good idea to see if I can collect some of my own too but they probably wouldn’t be dry enough to burn this year

Well mines definitely cold then as there is loads of space in there, I will leave it alone!

I have no idea .. there is literally nothing on the eaves except the membrane that’s under the tiles! But you are right and condensation would be a horrendous problem to sort out. I think I will leave the eaves alone to breathe

I have no idea what the liner is but after burning the smokeless (compressed coal dust) for a couple of days I’ve given up and gone back to logs. The fire only burned as hot as the logs if fully open and that burned them down in no time, they aren’t cost effective. I feel so sorry for those who are really going to suffer, I’m very lucky in that I can keep costs down by turning off the gas, others won’t have that luxury

Hi, I’ve got air under the grate and tried the smokeless but it’s a no go, will end up costing more than the logs. No I don’t need it in all night, it was an idea but as you say the chimney breast stays warm to take the chill off

Yeah I’ve decided against it. I tried it over the last couple of days, just the smokeless on its own, it wasn’t getting as hot as the logs for optimum burn unless it was fully opened up which burnt through them in no time. So I’m back to logs! I’ve ordered some heat logs, will give them a whirl to run alongside the logs and see how I get on!

I work from home and have had the heating on between 10° and 15° all day, some days were bitterly cold but I had several layers on and a hat. Next winter I won’t be able to afford to have the central heating on so I am planning to just run it for an hour a day to get some warmth into every room. I’m hoping running the burner and leaving the doors open will help. Adding extra layers of insulation to homes is great, but it’s not so simple if you can’t do it yourself and have to pay someone to do it. Many people may be able to afford to buy the materials but then can’t afford to pay for the labour.

British Gas came out and sorted out cavity wall insulation, new lagging for tank, looked in loft and said they couldn’t help with that. The whole of the floor in the loft is insulated and boarded. The eaves aren’t. A handy man/woman would no doubt be able to fix up some battons, insulate and board .. unfortunately I’m not that handy. Everywhere is double glazed . I switch off the shower now while lathering up. Kettle only boils one cup at a time. Switch everything off now when I go to bed and have decided against leaving a fire in overnight as apparently it knackers the flue liner. I have tried some smokeless on the fire and it burns well but I think it would burn better if I swapped out the grate for the proper multifuel one which has more air holes. If the smokeless fuel is cheaper than logs then that will be the way forward, my gas and electric will cost £170 more per month come October and I would imagine heating will account for at least half of that so technically could use £80 as a benchmark

Yes I remember those days too! Ice on the windows, getting dressed in front of the oven with the oven on and the door open as the only other heat in the house was the open fire. The front of my house is south facing so solar panels are on my radar too

I have cavity wall insulation and partial loft insulation. That’s the next job before winter, insulate the loft sides

I have switched mine off on a night now as I refuse to pay the huge increase. I am a Yorkshire woman and also remember when the only heating we had was a coal fire in one room. I put the heating on for one hour a day now and I’ve got the burner going more and leave the doors open for the heat to travel

But those prices for Gas are pre the rise in April and pre the next rise in October. My gas will be too expensive to use for heating. The current fuel cost, April not too cold outside, is nearly £8 a day and there will be a 50% rise on top of that in October to a min of £12 a day or £360 a month.

Hi, yes I’m really not sure either. I’m quite confused to be honest as the manufacturer seems to think that I can burn smokeless fuel too although it doesn’t say that in my manual yet I have a riddler and an ash pan!

Thank you this was very useful, looks like it will definitely be cheaper to run the stove than the gas central heating come October!

Yes you may be right. I used to leave my hearing on 15° and from midnight to 7am cost 90p, it’s now costing £1.76 and come October that will no doubt rise to £2.50 minimum. My daily fuel cost was around £5 a day in winter, I suspect that will be about £10 a day come October so if the burner can be left on most of the day it may work out cheaper. The smokeless compacted coal dust is £23 for 50kg so I guess I could try that and see how it goes. Although I’m still not convinced I don’t have to change anything as it looks like the the brown coal briquettes are different to the compacted coal dust briquettes. Here is a pic of my grate and the multifuel grate. As mine has a rotating riddler, ash pan and air supply underneath is it likely to break the fire if I burn the smokeless fuel on low and keep an eye on the temperature?

Apparently they are these

Hi, my fire has a riddler in the grate, an ash pan and air inlets beneath the grate. My manual says I can burn brown coal briquettes in the fire but it was sold to me as a Woodburner. I wanted to burn smokeless fuel, something that will last a bit longer than logs .. something I can leave in overnight to keep the house warm. I have no idea what brown coal is. I thought if I replaced the grate with the part for the multifuel then I would be able to burn the smokeless fuel. I will not be able to afford to run the gas central heating next winter so I’m trying to get more use from the stove.

Hi yes this is what I was wanting to do, just change the necessary internal parts as they are readily available. My stove already has a riddler, ash pan and airflow control for underneath. I made another call to them as my manual says I can burn brown coal briquettes. This time the guy said to me that mine is a multifuel but more geared up for logs, hence the metal flat grate with centre riddler so I can either build up a bed of ash for logs or burn smokeless defra approved coal and riddle out the ash. The dedicated multifuel is more geared up for other fuels (hence the rather holey grate) and more difficult to build up a bed of ash. Of course this is what they used to sell, three versions with one being logs only, mine and the other one. But now they only make the one in this range. So it looks like I don’t need to change any internal parts, but it’s really good to know you think I can if needed, Thank you for your fab detailed response

Yes they own Dovre and that is the only telephone number available

Yes that’s what I wanted to do, just change the grate for the multifuel grate, which would effectively make mine multifuel, however after I posted this I found in my manual that I can actually burn brown coal briquettes in mine anyway .. I presume this is that smokeless coal that is in small round lumps?

Hello everyone, I am new here and would really appreciate some help. I bought a Dovre 250cb in 2015. At the time there were 3 choices, a Woodburner. A Woodburner with riddler and ash pan and multifuel. I went for the one with riddler and ash pan. I have done a lot of searching and from what I have found my stove and the multi fuel appear to be identical in every way except the multi fuel has a different grate, throat plate and firebricks. Sizes etc are the same. I rang Stovax to see if I could change them over and then effectively I would have a multifuel stove but they have said that as my instruction book doesn’t mention a conversion kit, and as they don’t sell conversion kits then it can’t be done. Does anyone know if this is correct and what will happen if I go ahead and just change these items? I have a thermostat on the flue pipe and keep the temperature in check anyway but with the way gas and electric have gone up I would like to use smokeless coal too now so that I can keep the fire in overnight. Any help and advise would be appreciated. Thank you