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 There original fireplace has been replaced by a stove which was originally woodburning, then converted to gas, and for the last few years has been out of commission.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.

Celtic thanks. So that would be about 2k just for the chimney and then another 2k for the actual stove and installation?

I budgeted 5k for the whole thing but would love a really big one like this:

www.dovre.co.uk/stoves-fires/2400cb-wood-burning-fireplace/

I'll check with DH when he gets in, I'm pretty sure it cost us around £3k for the whole shebang but we only have a little stove.

Having said they are lovely, I don't think they save you money - well mine doesn't. Had to pay 4k for stove, installation including cherry picker to reach roof and chimney lining, oh and a bit of fireplace smashing. We are storming through the wood - cheapest near me is £130 for 2 cubic metres. No way could I forage enough and we are fairly rural! (Next year is sorted due to gardener friend)

So far have managed with one hour of heating am and one hour pm and stove going from about 3pm. Our house is 150 years old, high ceilings so it is a cold house. Come cider weather we will need more heating and possibly less stove - too bloody hot in sitting room with both going!

I still love it though

Tip for cleaning the glass. Take some wood ash out of the ashpan and mix to a paste with water. Rub on the glass and polish off with newspaper. No need for the fancy cleaning stuff!

Ohhh Celtic that would be great, thanks!

Sorry Poppy didn't get a chance to post last night. DH was not as useful as I hoped! He thinks we paid about £1k for the standard installation and I know the stove was £500ish. So the lining of the chimney and replacement of the missing part must have been about £12-1500. We've got a stainless steel pipe about six inches wide rather than a traditional chimney. Another option might have been to go straight out of the wall behind but we didn't pursue that. We also had to buy a hearth which was about £250.

I think ours has saved us money, it is so much more efficient than the radiators downstairs so I've switched them off. We burn one log at a time in our tiny stove and wood for the winter cost £300 last year. One thing I would definitely recommend if you are not experienced is a temperature gauge, it tells you at a glance if the stove is burning at an efficient temperature or if it needs attention. We get much more out of the stove since we bought that and better wood.

Thanks, Celtic - much appreciated.

I thought the only way was straight through the wall, so that gives us a few options to think about, also good tip about the temperature gauge. Will do some research and definitely get a few different quotes.

Very excited, picturing a Christmas tree next to a roaring fire!

Bubbles - great tip about the newspaper, that's what we do. Or I dip a babywipe in the cold ashes and use that instead, then buff with a newspaper.

I have mixed feelings about my stove. When it is on, it is great. But when I'm out at night gathering wood and coal, then setting it I feel like I'm in Downton Abbey. Plus you need to think about how far into the fireplace it will be set. Ours is way at the back,right beneath the existing chimney, which means you lose heat round the side. Had we placed in at the front it would have been warmer as you'd get the heat from the sides and not just the front, but then there's the risk that pesky kids or even adults could get hurt. Does that make any sense?

For all those woodburner owners wondering what to buy their geeky or toy obsessed husbands for Christmas
www.theselfsufficiencyshop.co.uk/83-ecofan-800.html

or any other of the Stirling Engine powered stove top fans ....
blow the heat from the woodburner into the room :-)

PS my hearth was made of slabs of garden slate 1 inch thick, fitted by a tame brickie : total cost = £45 for the slate £45 for him

It's no good

Stove man just called me again to say Villager won't do conversions from gas back to woodburner.

Bah!

We LOVE our woodburning stove. It is the heart of our home in winter and kids love to help clean and make the fire.

Just a note of caution though. For peace of mind you should have the stove inspected or installed by a HETAS engineer:

www.hetas.co.uk/consumer/

Also I think it is now illegal to have a stove fitted without a carbon monoxide detector so this might be worth checking out. We have just bought a detector so we can sleep easier at night!

Don't despair Turnip.

If you still want one there are some cheaper ones around that are ok.
I've got this one eg www.gr8fires.co.uk/search/results.html?keywords=Stove&x=45&y=10&categories_id=&inc_subcat=1&manufacturers_id=&pfrom=225&pto=&dfrom=&dto=&gclid=CIvy3uWBvrMCFbMbtAodXy8A3w
and it's fine (it's 5kw though, not 6 as they say) - perfectly adequate for my living room (24ft x 20). I often have to open the room door to let heat out.

It is better to get a smaller stove and burn it hot than a big one with a small fire because a slow/cooler fire will give off smoke that contains creosote. Creosote (tar) bungs up your chimney liner and the acid it contains will eventually eat into the liner metal.

Re the liner - yes standard 8-9m of liner costs £180 BUT there are all the bits to join the liner to the chimney terminal and at the other end the burner and they will, together, probably cost another £100. Then there's labour - a day for 2 blokes.

However, I got mine installed and supplied for £750. Got stove in Homebase sale for £100. Opened the fireplace myself - very dirty job but not skilled (thank goodness!) Bought and got cut the welsh slate hearth myself from Corfe stone for £40 and laid it myself (just on bed of mortar).

So you can do it for £1k if you shop about and do some work yourself.

I get donated wood too. Got some brilliant apple wood this year from garden. So v.cheap to run if you can scavenge wood. Only had heating on twice so far this year!

Thanks, Bringupthebabies

We're going to do some digging and see how much it would cost.
I must say I actually LIKE the others much more than I like mine - it's rather ugly IMO.