How much hassle is a woodburning stove?

[TunipTheHollowVegemalLantern]

We have a damp problem in one end wall, centred around the chimney breast. There original fireplace has been replaced by a stove which was originally woodburning, then converted to gas, and for the last few years has been out of commission. Since having dcs we haven't wanted to use it because of safety.

The damp problem has got worse and worse, we've had damp experts look at it and advise various things which we have tried to no avail. We now have a big slug problem which I am sick to death of.

I reckon that if we used the stove, it would keep the damp problem in the chimney under control. I'm sure it's got worse as a result of not using the stove.

So we want to get it back into commission. The question is, assuming both are possible (someone is coming next week to look at it), do we go with gas or woodburning?
I grew up with a coal fire and would love to have 'proper' fire, but remember it being a fair bit of work to lay and clean out. Is a stove a similar amount of hassle, or more, or less?

Thanks.

Cleaning glass takes no time at all. I wipe mine down with scrunched up newspaper, then use that to get my fire going. After a few days it sometimes needs a bit more and I use hob brite to clean it which is a really easy job..

I agree,it's more a 10 minute job.Doesn't take long.

I have a Clearview -think is a Pioneer - know nothing about it - tis what was recommended by builder/stove company - is this a good thing? shows a shocking lack of control over her build

Ours is a clearview - I'd forgotten but never had to clean it so far.

One slight issue is that there's not much heat control. Up to 25 c in here. Gone from cosy to boiled!

That's very true OhYou.The settings seem to be hot or very hot once it's going.

We've been sitting in vest tops,roasting, before and had to step outside for a cool down

Can't you just light a teeny fire in it, like one little log at a time?

Yes,to be fair,you can Tunip.

You don't have to have a roaring inferno.

Not really, it doesn't keep going easily if you do that. I could open the living room door and share the heat!

Oh x-post!
I only got mine this summer so still learning its vagaries.

You do have to be more on top of it if you do it like that,and be ready to open up the vents if it starts to die down to much and ready to feed it as needed.

It's easier just to get a decent fire established and chuck the odd log on now and then,but that's when it tends to heat up.

But,as you say,OhYou you can then share it with the rest of the house.

Open the bedroom doors and heat rises up to there.

So you can't really lose!

Oh yes that's true, it is harder to keep a small fire going than a big one.

I guess I'd need little logs to do that. We only add one or two at a time. Not got the courage to set it going to max!

I must admit that I've got a bit scared at times and gone out to check there aren't flames coming out of the chimney .

But dh sees inferno building as a bit of a competitive sport

I seem to have claimed it as mine

But I'm still to chicken to load it up!

It's not chicken,OhYou it's sensible.

If you're warm enough,there's no need to go bonkers.

Actually we have oil central heating as well, plus the stove powers a back boiler which can link into the radiators - handy if you want to use less oil or if the boiler breaks down.
It's also a multi fuel stove.
I'd still rather have gas.

We start it with a few logs, but once it's heated up you can keep it going with one single log smoldering away.

Anyone any experience of wood pellet stoves?

We have a wood burner I love it. Our friends chose to put a pellet stove in, and she regrets it now. In a power outage she can't run it and has no heat, where we just burn wood, and can even put a pot on tip and boil water one (we lost power for a couple of days and cooked baked beans and also soup on top) With the pellet stove you have to have electricity and there is a fan running the whole time so it's never quiet, not so noticeable in the day, but at night she says it bothers her.
Ours I load it with a few big logs and turn the vent down low and go to bed, it'll still be hot in the morning and just throw another log in.
We chop pallets to make kindling and this winter we have a lot of Walnut to burn that is well seasoned and will burn hot and long.

We take the dog the walk with a big shopping bag, and fill it with twigs and bark on the ground for kindling. We're always on the look out for logs - there were some trees cleared near us recently, and they gave us all the logs. When we see logs/branches lying on the side of the road, we just pick them up in the car.

You have to have space to store logs for a year to season - 'green' wood doesn't burn so well and is not great for your chimney lining. We're lucky in that we live in a semi-rural area and have lots of space to store the wood.

Dh has a chainsaw and an axe to chop down to firewood size. Occasionally I do the chopping - it's a great stress buster! I'm pretty physically weak so I don't last long.

Can you get wood pellet stoves in UK? I vaguely thought they weren't economical here, not sure if they're economical anywhere, tbh.

The big risk with glass is that you'll break it: £20 a pop to replace my tiny square. Cleaning it is easy, 3 minute job, maybe once a week, paper towel & dishwash soap does it for us. Don't let anything burning touch the glass, helps a lot to keep it cleaner.

Aldi are doing 10kg of wood for £3something from next Thursday if that helps anyone.