Draughty semi : any point in getting a woodburner, gas stove or multi fuel stove fitted at this point?

[bakalava]

I would only have access to expensive wood
Currently, we are ill so we are heating all day at 14 degrees but we really don't need to heat everywhere. There are too many radiators to turn on and off individually.

Thanks. Could I ask which woodburner you have? I have heard good things about the Bignut.

@bakalava we have the Stovax Stockton 4. It's a small stove but has an output of 4-5 kWh. We also use two stove top fans either side of the flue which really help push the heat into the room and down the hall.

I have a bignut in my annexe. It’s fine, not as good as my clearview though in the main house.

Thanks. It is a whole new world for me. So the Bignut is related to the Peanut!?

Bignut is larger than Peanut and produces up to 8Kw

Thanks. The Peanut gets rave reviews. Could I ask which Clearview you have? The leading brands obviously cost more but the unbranded ones sold online seem to have the same specs. I live in a smoke-free zone so I need to make sure the Defra/Eco is not just a claim or else I could end up with a fine!

Have you had your chimney assessed? If you need your chimney lining that Will be an additional cost. Plus factor in having it cleaned regularly.

Mordor squirrel brilliant

MORSO

Thanks. I am getting closer!
Can logs be stored in an orangery/conservatory structure or do they need to be kept out of sunlight?

They'll dry faster in there with an air flow

A conservatory would be fine as the main thing is they don’t get wet and/or dry out if they are fresh wood. You do need to consider space though, if you have the wood burner going just in the evenings through winter you will burn around a basket full of wood a day, so a corner of a normal conservatory isn’t going to cut it for space. If you are buying a lot of wood (you should buy in bulk if you want to save money) it’s probably easiest to set up a wood store or something outside if you have space, doesn’t need to be fancy, just dry.

Thank you. I would probably be better off stacking it in a summer house . I have had a decent quote for fitting of under £2,000 so I may go for it as a backup option rather than a source of heating to be used throughout winter. I think that some models have a plate which you can add on to boil a kettle/bake potatoes -any experience of that?
If I could occasionally get a really decent jacket potato out of it all then it would make it more worth it!

Builders bag of wood here is £75
best value is a truck full for 300 and it takes 6 houes to put in wood store .. a lot ! Lasts all winter with lioads left

I don’t have any special attachments on mine but as long as it has a flat top you can boil a kettle or a small pan on it no bother, I occasionally use it for tea but it takes a good while! Never done potatoes on it but I’m sure it would work a treat.

I've a little cast iron dish I pop on top with water and aromatherapy oils in, it quickly evaporates so should heat up a kettle.

You can do a baked potato inside the woodburner - just wrap it in foil. If you have a model with a removable ash tray, then putting the wrapped spuds in the ash tray works well.

The crucial thing for storing logs is airflow - you want the wind to be able to blow through the stack in order to dry them out. That's why in rural areas woodsheds tend to be quite shonky structures - it's not just because people like saving money and upcycling (though there is that), but because you want the structure to be open on more than one side to maximise airflow.

In terms of choosing a woodburner, measure the dimensions of the room to help you decide how much output you need. Online calculators are available, eg. www.glowing-embers.co.uk/blog/output-calculator/

It's very easy to end up with a stove that produces more output than the space can cope with, so don't fall into that trap - more is not necessarily better. The Eco fans are very good for moving warm air around, which helps heat the spaces beyond just the room the stove is on. www.ecofan.co.uk/

We wouldnt be without our log burner, one of the best things we ever did, wish we had done it years ago

We order wood by builders bag, seasoned wood, I dont buy kiln dried wood. You have to shop around and try to order earlier in the year like August or September, after that the prices start going up a bit.

You have to be careful about how you keep the fire going, Im not sure what people are doing to use a wheelbarrowful of wood an evening, probably not tending to it properly, you dont need it constantly roaring for max heat output

This.

for the cost of installing and maintaining one you can get the house draft proof and some insulation. or some solar panels.

unless you have your own source of wood and a place to season/store it it's not a cheap option compared to conventional heating methods.

plus the pollution issue.
plus the wood has to come from somewhere. it's a finite recource if too many people burn wood for heating.

I see you corrected this on your next post but I’m fascinated by the thought of mordor squirrels! Do we think Saruman keeps some as pets?

Christ on a bike. I think you are actually insane, OP. You are blithering on about a wood burner which you are clearly not clued up about as a primary source of heat. In the meantime you are rejecting all the sensible options such as socks (!), secondary glazing, thermal curtains, thermostatic radiator valves.

It is called learning. Maybe I am younger than you and new to all this. Don't bother contributing if you are going out of your way to be rude.

Wood is not a finite resource. It literally grows on trees