Questions about wood burning stove

[megonthemoon]

We moved into a new house last Christmas that has a wood burning stove in the lounge. Although it was such a bad winter we didn't use it as we have never had one before so didn't know what to do, and figured it probably needed servicing as well, and with the move we didn't get round to it before winter was over.

Anyway, I want to make sure we use it this winter so need some help on what I need to do!

I'm going to get a chimney sweep round. Would a sweep also give the stove a check to make sure it is okay, or do I need to get somebody else to service it?

Then what sort of stuff do I need to get for the winter - I assume kindling and wood. Any recommendations on what and what quantities?

And finally, any safety tips given I have a toddler and a baby in the house? Do I need a fireguard like for an open fire?

Sorry if these questions sound very dim - I've not lived with any sort of fire/stove since my parents got central heating when I was 8 years old!

Stoves don't need to be serviced. Have a look here for details of how to check that it's okay to use. If you don't feel confident to check it yourself then ask your chimney sweep.

We stock up our wood store in the summer with cut hardwood logs that have been seasoned for a year. I get them delivered in a truck, 1.7 cu m at a time, but if you haven't got anywhere to store that much you can buy bags of logs. I have a small axe to split logs into kindling and I also use scrap softwood from DIY projects. To light the fire I use scrap paper. Credit card bills, letters, newspaper... anything.

The stove will get very hot so a fireguard is probably a good idea.

we have a wood burning stove and couldn't imagine life without it now. Dries washing, does toast, stews, boils kettle, jacket spuds and warms the whole house.

Do you know what type of stove it is, whether purely a wood burning one or multi fuel, what brand and watt and most importantly has it been properly installed pref. by a hetas fitter. If so you will have a certificate and plate to prove it.
YOur chimney sweep is your friend and will know best place for anthracite (much better than house coal) and wood in your area.

For kindling I use twigs i've picked up with newspaper twists and chopped up pallets- they are brillaint at getting a fire going. Got to go out now but shout if you want more info. (Hawthorn is fantastic firewood and is great for twiggy bits for kindling)

Thank you! This is all hugely helpful, and I'm really quite excited now.

Chimney sweep coming on Monday and I've found a local wood supplier who does a half tonne for £35 (no idea but seems reasonable to me!). We have a big garage we can store it in so should be able to buy big quantities like this. Hopefully I'll be able to light my first fire next week :)

You might also be able to find the model online for further ideas, or even the chimney sweep may be able to tell you exactly how to use the controls. Generally you have 2 controllable 'air inlets', one which you use to create draught up through the fire, drawing cold room air in; the other you can use continuously once the fire is burning well as an 'airwash' system that recirculates hot air over the inner surface of the the glass to keep it clean.

'Wet wood' causes sooty deposits inside your stove- avoid! We store apparently seasoned wood for a year in a dry shed before we use it, so it may bean idea to get more now to use next winter.

You will definitely need a fire guard and a pair of flame proof gloves are mighty handy to make opening the door etc far easier.

enjoy!

When mine were little I had a huge cage like fireguard screwed to the wall around the stove. It really does get hot there and that gave me peace of mind.

As long as the wood is seasoned it doesn't matter if it gets wet, so you don't need to put it all in your garage Seasoned means it has been left for a year or more since cutting down. This dries up the sap. If you burn unseasoned wood you risk a chimney fire.

I had a lorry load of logs delivered last week (£80) and they are stacked against a wall. I have a basket full next to the fireplace and another in the porch.

All year round when I am pruning or cutting branches I cut the bits into small sticks and pile them up to use as kindling in the winter. It is quite laborious.

I have a multi fuel stove with a back boiler which heats the hot water and tops up the central heating. I burn a mix of logs and coal or anthracite. You might find some things burn better than others depending how much draught your chimney has .It is expensive but we have no gas and the fire is lovely.
Oh and a tip for the glass - you may find it goes black, you can avoid this by careful adjustment of the vents. DH has perfected a technique of cleaning it with a kitchen scourer and Astonish paste.

You'll probably want a nursery fireguard.

Osbega how do you do jacket spuds in a woodburning stove, please?

Thank you all! I'm glad I started this thread to get all your tips - our boiler has just gone kaput and needs replacing :(, so I think we'll be huddling around the fire as soon as the chimney sweep has been this morning!

One more question - what do I do about putting the fire out before bedtime? Do I just let it run down and leave the warm embers to go out themselves, or do I need to physically put it out completely?

Goodness no

You bank it up (I fill with wood & coal let it burn hottly for a while, then turn it down) and it stays lit all night so the next morning I just empty the ash - I have a big box which contains the hot ah - & it is still lit so I put a small amount of kindling on pile on the logs and turn it up.

I make sure it has a good hot burn at both ends of the day, as it helps keep the deposits in the chimney down.

AvengingGerbil I bought a shallow cast iron enamelled lidded pot from Aldi last year (like Le creuset but only £19.99)and all I do is bung a few spuds in and put it on top of the stove. Smells lovely as they cook- takes about an hour and you get fab crispy skins.
DH bought a Mokka espresso pot at the weekend and has been making coffee on it almost constantly!

also if you see any pallets lying around, grab them! They are great chopped up for kindling and also good for storing wood on so you get air currents underneath the wood.

Also watch out for tree surgeons and council chappies cutting down trees and often they just take them to landfill.

Top tip for cleaning the glass... wet a piece of newspaper, dip it in some cold wood ash and rub the sooty glass. It makes a fine abrasive paste that will clean the soot off. Wipe with clean, damp paper then you'll have lovely clear glass.

Silly questions -

we have just moved into a house with a small brick fireplace that once had a small grate (now has a crummy 'living flame' gas thing we don't want to use). The apperture is only about a foot and a half wide or so. I know you can get diddly woodburners, but do they need a lot of clearance on either side, given they throw out lots more heat than an open fire?

And what about carbon monoxide? Is that a risk with wood fires? Obv we will get an alarm for that room if so.

Hi Reshape - double check that your brick surround isn't hiding a bigger original fireplace - our crappy 70s stone fireplace was blocking off the original kitchen range space - plenty of room for a ginormous woodburner!

But if your brick fireplace is the real thing: I wouldn't hide a stove in a weeny fireplace - I would instal it in front and let the flue pipe go back through the weeny fireplace.

Sorry - forgot to add:

Yes carbon monoxide is a risk if there is incomplete combustion going on - possibly from a lack of air/ blocked chimney kind of thing. There are building standards to follow about venting if your stove is over a certain size. Reputable dealer should keep you informed - ask! Or google the building standards.

Building regs require a certain amount of space round a wood burner and a certain size hearth. This document shows all the requirements. If your fireplace is tiny then you may not be able to get a stove in it with enough clearance round it.

Nope. You can get cassette style wood-burning (or dual fuel) 'stoves' built into the conventional- is it 14"? - fireplaces you might find in an 'estate' house.

like this

Our is even simpler in that our wood burner literally just slides back onto the 'hole' left once we removed the grate and ash box. It protrudes about 4" onto the hearth stone, and is actually completely sealed so no draught gets around it. There's no under-floor draughtat all (solid concrete floors) but two vent holes right through the external walls into the room either side of the fireplace. An installer will check you have sufficient draught and ventilation.