Having problems with the design of my wood burning stove central heating system...any suggestions?

[Katymac]

I have decided that as we can't get gas in our village, night storage heaters are so expensive and oil is also expensive I will install a central heating system fuelled by a wood burner.

The chimney rises through the centre of the house so adding to the warmth and I need about 7 small raditors - I have priced and sized a lovely clearview stove which will do the job......BUT it's too big for the fireplace

I can either

1. remove the whole fireplace/chimney breast (right throught the roof) and use a stovepipe
2. remove the outside edges of the chimney brest and install metal "brackets" to support the chimney (thus keeping the extra heat)
3. give up

Any better/alternative ideas?

4. Find a different stove??

i have tried..............honest

I need about 25000 btus and y fireplace is 900x900x600 - I am really struggling

secobd sp, where there is a will ther is a way!

sorry 4 the typos

Taking the whole chimney out would be a PITA and a horrible messy job. Not to say expensive.

Is 2) a really an option , structually, or jsut an idea you've thought of?

Could you have the lower part of the chimney demolished (and supported!) whilst a wider base is put in?

what are the cost implecaniants sp! of the first 2 and how do they impact on your household?

1 & 2 cost about the same

I don't think either would look very good

I had discussed widening the base on the chimney breast - but my Dad (structural engineer) felt it was impractical

I was interested in this and so I had a rummage around eco house sites - have you looked at the Hunter stoves?

They look like they have one - the Herald 8 - whihc would fit (?) and says the output is 35000 BCUs with a wrap around boiler (what's that?!).

Any good?

www.hunterstoves.co.uk

What about ground heating (I can't remember exactly what's it's called but it's really clever and they're hoping any new schools built in the future will use it to heat them)? You have to sink something (dk what) to carry the water quite deep into the ground, then the water goes down and is heated then returns to travel round your central heating system. Grr, wish I could remember more about it - sorry.

katy - do you knwo you might have to get your chimney relined? What do you burn in it at the moment?

Kristina - I burn wood atm & have a 5 yo liner - (however I may need to replace it as the larger stoves have a larger flue size) - in a stove which heats my hot water and 1 radiator

Heat pumps are great - but better for initial fit rather than retro (I understand - but am prepared to be cotradicted)

I want a bigger stove - I have looked at the hunter - but they are a bit twiddly for me I like CLearview and am currently researching some inset ones - but I'm not sure how to fill the surround (ie tiles, bricks...something else?)

Hunter 8 would be big enough ...sigh it's just so twiddly

Ah is that what they're called

They are great for wet underfloor systems and because of the relatively little power can often be run by a solar panel

I think the easiest sort is to put tubes just under the lawn for the sun to heat up (& the soil to insulate) then pump the warmer water round your heating system

There is another sort (I think) which involves a very very deep hole and does something with the differential in temp between the air and the below ground temp (but I don't really understand that sort)

and I think the initial outlay is about £10k for the underground systems. Can't see the justification for that kind of money and disruption to a mature garden for us.

Is your room large enough to resite the stove, board up the fireplace and use a stovepipe?