pls talk to me about wood burning stoves

[nowwearefour]

in particular the costs associated with installing one on a wall where there is no existing chimney. i assume a second hand burner from ebay is ok to get?

You need to be careful with second hand burners that the seal is still intact etc.

ok thanks little fish. maybe a new (but cheap?) one is a better way forward. safety is clearly a key concern.

Local small ads can be a good way of getting one

Seals are usually fire rope and can be very easily replaced, so I would not worry on that count

Installation...would be tricky, if you have no chimney at all you are going to need a double walled insulated metal one and that gets pricey!

I have a couple of friends who are wood burning stoves enthusiasts (to the point where I have had to witness them sending photos to each other over email of the latest pipes they've installed - seriously) - so in the unlikely event that MN can't provide the answers, I will get in touch with them for you!

We're in the process of getting quotes to install a twin-walled flue because we have no chimney in that part of the house. Flues that run internally are apparently cheaper than external ones, but obviously take up some room space in rooms above. I think we will be lucky to get the flue and installation for 1800 GBP (sorry, no pound sign) plus the cost of the stove on top of this.

twin walled flue....that's it, not double walled insulated! :D

ok this is interesting. i was hoping to not have to go up into the room above but it looks like that will be necessary. we have a nearby chimney but not close enough to be able to use it i am thinking. this room is an extension onto the 1900s ish house and needs some character! this sort of price is scary and prob rules it out for now. i will look into loclal ads. clearly i need someone to look at the specific situation but your numbers daisy are a v useful ballpark. thanks.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I was pretty shocked - 1800 quid is a really low price too and would be based on buying the flue ourselves on the internet, getting a builder to fit it and paying for it to be signed off by building control (ie a lot of hassle). Quotes from HETAS registered people were 2500-3500

We're looking to install a woodburner with flue. Budgeting around £2250.

In my searching for a stove I liked I was very impressed by these electric fires. The most effective fakes I've seen by a long way.

www.dimplex.co.uk/products/fires_surrounds/Opti-myst/index.htm

May give you the focal point you need without the huge outlay?

There's nothing like a wood burining stove, but blimey do you need a lot of wood! They consume it by the basket load.

Really nice though and quite clean as a real fire option.

Do you use seasoned hardwood Spaceman?

er.. not sure. DH just comes home with people's old sheds, wood pallets, door frames anything he can find in skips etc. So long as it's had some time in the garage to dry out it burns great.

We don't find the wood you buy in the shops any good as it's usually rotten or not dry enough.

you do need to "get to know" your stove

and the way the chimney works!

usually you can restrict the airflow, either with vents in the door or sometimes a baffle in the chimney

then it's a case of watching the flames...the more you have the faster the fire is burning, so damp it down and you don't spend the whole day feeding the fire and spending all your money on wood!

interesting thought re electric fire. we have a huge garden with enough wood to last us as many fires as we have the energy to chop them for so i guess it is initial outlay costs vs running costs in the future...

You do indeed need to 'get to know' the stove. Last year we could never get it going and got ourselves smoked out. This year its glowing away like a little ... um... wood burner.

Spacemen are you not a little worried about burning woods that contain preservatives - I thought you were only supposed to burn untreated woods - a shed will surely have been treated with some sort of chemical to preserve it - there's no way I would be happy to burn it in my house - in fact I didn't think suggested burning preserved wood outside either!

Spaceman - seasoned hardwood burns much more slowly and cleanly. It's hardwood that has been dried out. Personally I have no problem with burning whatever you can find though!