Wood burning Stoves

[Mamf74]

We have a Late Victorian / Edwardian house and have been talking about replacing our (hideous, 80s) gas fire with an open fire, or gas equivalent.

However, looking at heating prices etc I was wondering how economical and efficient a wood burner would be? The questions I have are these:

Would it heat the room above, or are they only really suitable for one room?

Do they work out cheaper than gas, once the cost of cleaning and wood are taken into consideration?

How much (roughly) would we be looking at? I'm working on the assumption that the chimney would have to be lined and cleaned in addition to the installation of the burner itself. The room is roughly 13x11 foot (with an additional bay).

Finally, those that have one - do you regret it, and what would you do differently (if anything) if doing it again.

Thank you for reading. We currently pay about £110 per month in gas and given the energy price war currently raging it would seem sensible, albeit optimistic, to think we could save money with an alternative.

A woodburner might not fit but an inset stove probably would, you wouldnt have to open it up very much at all (we haven't) worth an ask?

I apologise I think I hijacked the thread so have started another

well it's complicated, but it is all changing over, for your house to be insured for a chimney fire, insurance companies are now insisting on a certificate that it has been swept, well in the small print your insurance invalid without a recent one, (can be every six months, some insist on more)

but only some, soon to be all insurance companies insist on a liner (especially with a burner), but to get a valid (lots are not) certificate from a qualified sweep, the sweep can only give it with a liner if there is a burner, some will give you the certificate without telling you the implications, that your non lined chimney makes it invalid with your fire set up.

There will be clear legislation soon, putting in a liner will future proof, also a lot of fitters will not warranty the fit without one.

chimney fires are really common, so insurance companies have got wise, and the fire services recommend them because they stop fires spreading,

the reason a multi burner is wise, because then occasionally you can burn coke, which burns at a very high temperature and clears the chimney.

Nearly all chimneys leak a little bit, so it's fairly sensible to put in a liner anyway.

It's really easy to have done, have a sweep first , someone goes on your roof drops a liner down, once it is done it will last for years,

liners are now coming up on house surveys so when you go to sell, it's another tick on a long list of satisfying mortgage companies demands.

No mention of lining the chimney- it's a 25 yr old house and a working chimney and he said ti didn't need lining.

But if a chimney is built to cope with a normal coal fire, surely it's going to cope with a stove? I can't see why liners are necessary in a functioning chimney- sounds like a ploy to make more money and more bloody H&S red tape. Chimney fires aren't common- only if you never ever sweep them and use your fire every day. My parents had a coal fire for decades as their only source of heat and as a child we had no central heating until I was 16- I think these risks are exaggerated tbh.

www.stovesonline.co.uk/chimney-fire-stats.html

www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/public-safety/campaigns/awareness-campaigns/chimney-fire-safety#.Ul2I2Sio5So

www.guildofmasterchimneysweeps.co.uk/safety_info.php

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6959/2172323.pdf

www.norfolkfireservice.gov.uk/nfrs/your-safety/safety-in-your-home/19-useful-guides/12-chimney-fires

If you note the above advice from the fire brigades, they suggest you have your chimney swept quarterly if you burn wood, if you were only burning coal it goes down.

Insurance companies base their decisions on fire brigade advice, all fire brigades advice liners and sweeping quarterly if you burn wood.

coal is very different, wood leaves a lot of residue in the chimney.

It's hardly H&S gone mad, when it protects your home and family from fire, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

it spreads fast

I think there is a big difference between using a fire or stove now and then- ours is used I think no more than 30 days a year max, and for burning smokeless coal- and using it daily to burn wood.

As far as I know there is nothing in our house insurance about coal fires or stoves.

Quote I was commenting on what I perceive as the irony that fire regulations and insurers are tightening up when in fact there is less usage of solid fuels now than ever - compared with how most houses didn't have central heating until the 1960s or 1970s.

Chimney fires come from irresponsible use of the fire - burning materials that you shouldn't, piling the fuel ( wood and coal) too high so the flames spread too high up the chimney and yes, not having it swept. But once every quarter? That seems excessive- as I said I was brought up in a house with a solid fuel fire and back boiler off it and my family ( and grandparents) never had it swept more than once a year or every 2 years.

with solid fuel you would almost get away with once a year, but it type of wood people burn these days, lots of it soft, and resin rich, people no longer buy and stack so you are three years ahead, unless the wood is properly seasoned, you will leave a lot of residue.

Oil - Once a year

Gas - Once a year

Bituminous - coal Twice a year

Wood - Up to four times a year

Smokeless coals - At least once a year

from the links above.

if only use your chimney occasionally, and don't have a cowl you still need to sweep birds are ever optimistic about using them for nest building.

Our old house had a gas fire and we never had the chimney swept in 11 years. I didn't think it was necessary.

Most people don't, so when you move in anywhere get that chimney swept.

we have a cowl.

MissBo would you be up for doing any of the work yourself?

Opening up the fire is dirty work but not hard and fitting a slate hearth is simples - just get it cut (corfe stone did mine for £20) and lay it on a good bed of mortar. & fit a CO2 detector yourself too before fit of stove. That would cut the cost a bit. My HETAS guy charged £700 for fitting supply & fit of liner and registration plate.

Although your chimney might be ok, I'd still fit a liner because a stove will work much better with one. Chimney fires are rare thankfully but I always sweep at least once a year and have bought a moisture meter (£12) to ensure I never try to burn hardwood with more than 20% ish moisture so not much deposit of tar in chimney. Get a smaller stove rather than bigger then you can keep it burning hot with the same amount of logs a bigger one would only slumber with. My room is about 25ft x 15 and my 5kw stove is still really toasty (too hot last night)