installing a woodburner

[mamatilly]

we are about to buy a woodburner (finally, hurrah) to replace a nasty old fireplace, wondering if you have any comments/ can recommend any makes, /thoughts on output - the shop has recommended quite a small burner for our room size, but we are thinking to buy a bigger one anyway as we want toenjoy a proper fire with doors open so hoepfully room won't become too outrageously hot!

fingers crossed for cozy wood fires all winter time!

Go for the bigger one! We did this and it heats most of the house.

Before the woodburner we spent all winter shouting "shut that door", cos it was sooooo cold in our drafty house.

We now leave all the room doors open[including the upstairs], and have a lovely toasty house.

Cant wait to start lighting it!!!

We're about to buy a Morso...

Can't imagine having doors open in house! Really truly?!?

Yes truly Rabbit!!

To be honest if we leave the sitting room door closed it gets TOO hot and the first few times we used it we had to open our WINDOWS in november!!

Then we realised it would be better to open the doors and hey presto a warm house!!

Has anyone installed a woodburner where there used to be a back boiler? The boiler and its gas fire frontage have already gone; the destiny of the hole is the next question.

Sorry Mamatilly, that wasn't meant to be an outrageous hijack... I was about to start a new thread but thought it might be OK to add a question to yours, if you don't mind.

Hearts are you sure you're not me? We are doing exactly the same.

Dita, how funny. We haven't started investigating yet -- there seem to be some pipes on the ground of the fireplace area which, I imagine might be a problem, if functioning. If we are the same person, then bagsy your half finish stripping the spindles on the stairs .

Heartease - your hijacking most welcome! all things woodburning related of great interest right now!

right definitely a larger burner and a warm toasty house will follow!

x

Hearts Actually, I've realised that we'll have most of the banisters etc replaced anyway (they're nasty wallpapered blocked in sheets now and we want spindles) so that's saved us a job Can you go round and touch up all the bits of paint the carpet fitter banged off my skirting boards today?

Sorry for the hijack from me too Will be keeping an eye on this one though ...

Backboiler people, I have an earlier thread on exactly that question and got a quote today for an inset woodburning stove at £1700. That includes removal and making good afterwards (replastering etc) If you don't remove all pipes and boiler then they explode. Having a freestanding one would cost more.
If you don't do it properly and get a HETAS registered installing type person then you invalidate your insurance and can be prosecuted. Just sos you know

Needless to say I cannot afford it so am working on getting the boiler removed and an open fire in for now and saving for the rest.

Hope that helps.

Awesome, thanks Tippy I think our boiler and pipework is already out and sold to a gypsy (to quote our plumber) so hopefully we're partway there. I would actually love just an open fire but DH has now fallen in love with a double-sided stove so we'll see what happens ...

Dita, stoves are about 80% efficient, fires about 30% so if you want heat (I do as rotten storage heating is allI have) then a stove is a better bet.
Having investigated this to the point of madness, I would say to go to a stove supplier and choose a stove and get them to arrange installation. Buying it cheaper and then getting it installed is difficult as none of the HETAS people I spoke with would use chimney liners etc that they didn't supply themselves. In the long run I think you just have to pay for it.
For people without boilers but who need chimney lining (most) then the best quote I has was £600ish plus installation so around £1100 all in.

Thanks Tippy, v. useful! I could pretty much copy and paste Dita's response -- the boiler's out, though I am wondering about these pipes I can see. If the plumber has left the central heating pipes running through the fireplace I won't be too chuffed as he knew what we had in mind. What did you need to do to have an open fire? Any work on the chimney?

Dita, our spindles were lurking under the plywood which was blocking in the banisters. And the layer of 'stone wall' effect artex which was on top of that. Will get on with the skirting boards once I've had a cup of tea, promise .

Chimney should be OK for an open fire. Your sweep or builder can check (mine did anyway) Lining is for the WBS and no, I don't understand why fire from a WBS is hotter than fire from a, erm, fire.

Heartsease, I have had a wallpaper stripper in my bedroom and half the paper off for over a week. And I am sat on my arse Mnetting or gardening. Don't be like me, do your skirting boards!

Having had both an open fire and a stove I'd go for a stove every time (cost permitting). It's cleaner, easier to control and burns more efficiently so doesn't use so much fuel. I'd recommend a multi-fuel stove as you can then burn coal, peat, logs, small children... whatever comes to hand.

The "small children" is a joke. We don't burn them... just send them up the chimney to clean it.

Ooh, I hadn't thought of looking under the boarding! We are supposed to spend our first night there tonight (eep!) so will check it out. Not sure if I will be delighted (saving the cost of the joiner doing it) or horrified (more stripping) ...

We are looking at getting a WBS and from what I understand get one too big and it won't burn efficiently and that's when your glass gets all dirty and you'll be forever cleaning it.

These things also chuck out so much heat as it isn't just going straight up the chimney, if it does get too hot you can't turn it down so worth taking the advice from the experts.

We were really surprised when we were told to kkeep our under 5k(going into a new extension so has super insulation).

I can also confirm no-one will touch a lining someone else has installed, our builder was going to do ours and I was just going to get a HETAS engineer to connect to save money but fat chance of that!

Ditavoncheese - can I join in with the thread hi-jacking? You mentioned that you have fallen in love with a double sided stove - which model are you thinking of? We live in a barn conversion which currently has a double sided fireplace in the middle of the main part of the barn, which is open plan, double height in dining area but ordinary height ceiling in sitting room. I would love to replace the open fire with a double sided stove to make it more efficient at actually heating our large space (60foot by 20 foot, approx 17 foot (at least) high, but can't see much choice in double sided stoves. Any suggestions?

Wow dotty, that sounds amazing! It's DH who's fallen in love with the stove but I think it's more the idea of a double sided one than the stove itself iyswim - it's this one he's seen.