Wood burning stoves

[longtallsally2]

How much does a wood burning stove cost to install - heating a lounge only, not a boiler - and can you get them second hand??

Any advice much appreciated.

Really interesting thread. We have been considering a multifuel burner; I had no idea they cost so much.

Can anyone suggest some decent brands to consider? My research on the internet so far has thrown up a range of opinions from, "They are all made in the same factory in China anyway," to "The cheap ones are absolute deathtraps".

We were quote about £4k to put one in my office (single story building) which included all installation and a hearth. That was with a twin walled flue.

decent brands include Morso, Charnwood, Clearview, Contura and they aren't all made in China. Mine was made in Denmark (Morso) and the Clearviews are British as are Charnwood

You don't absolutely need a liner - check out the building regs. I have a small 4KW stove and a chimney in good condition and the v experienced HETAS installer said no need for a liner, just get an extra metre of stovepipe.

However, most installation firms insist on lining to cover their arse, and if you're in any doubt you should get one.

although the Chinese ones probably won't kill you (unless falling on your head) they will never be as good in terms of craftsmanship, quality of the metal and operating qualities. The airwash won't be anywhere near as good and you might find it isn't airtight resulting in sooted glass or wood that burns too quickly

fab site for stove reviews

My understanding is that the cheap Chinese ones don't retain the heat so well as, for example, a Morso or Charnwood stove.

I last 'fed' my Morso stove at 9pm yesterday (and then only with a couple of small logs) and it was still warm and the flue was at 200 degrees when I came to light it a few minutes ago.

Ooh lots to think about; getting one to burn efficiently seems a bit of a dark art. Yours looks lovely Who.

You woodburning folk, do you find them dusty? Are the woodburning type easier to clean out than the multifuel?

Mine is a Charnwood. It is pretty, lights well, clean glass. It's multifuel and very easy to clean out.

The ash just falls down Into a tray and when the tray is full you pull it out and take it to the wheelie bin and empty it. That's all I do.

We would be putting ours upstairs so I'd need some cunning way of getting the ash out of the house without knackering the stairs carpet!

We're having a Charnwood multifuel fitted in a couple of weeks - we're doing most of the grunt work ourselves this weekend, and are paying for the flu to be relined and stove fitted. We've built the log store, and are lucky enough to have access to seasoned wood for free!

What else will we need? Companion set? Ash Bucket? Log Basket? Coal Bucket? How do people light their stoves - matches or lighter?

I have this

And the log and kindling baskets here

I use a lighter.

I don't have a companion set, just bought a poker. Don't have an ash bucket. Just take the tray straight outside.

I have a coal scuttle, log basket, kindling basket and for the the ashes, a 2.9kg Quality Street tin

Love the idea of using an old Quality Street tin, noel, thanks!

Will we need gloves or similar for protecting against the heat when adding more logs/adjusting airflow?

I got a free glove with my stove, never use it.

I too had a free glove and never use it.

I don't find the Multifuel particularly dirty to clear out. I do it every few days. The only issue is that the stove retains heat so well that the ash rarely is cold enough to dispose of.

We have a coal bucket, log basket, and a companion set but I only ever use the poker bit.

The best firelighters are the Certainly Wood ones and you need to shop around for good kindling. Stuff from garages, farm shops, DIY stores is usually poor quality and a false economy.

What makes kindling 'good'?

We've got lots of dry twigs from the same woodland as the logs which I was hoping would be suitable?

hawthorn twigs are good

we use pallets; dh cuts them up with saw and then I split them . The blocks are good for keeping a fire going as well but make sure the pallet is marked HT = heat treated to preserve it rather than chemicals

Ours was going to be about £3.5k. Needed lining, cherry picker and wasn't the cheapest stove as limited to what we could have. Still saving up to have it done.

Needs to be really dry.

About to complete on a house that has a stove with backboiler and can't wait maybe a little naive/hopeful that will be easy to live with
One thing I haven't asked the vendor yet is how often should it be service? Chimney swept?

Chimney sweep every late spring assuming I have used it plenty the winter before. The sweep pointed out loads of faults with our installation (luckily fixed for free by the company). They also advise on replacing stove rope & any other or even aesthetic safety issues.

There's info online how you can do your own sweeping which eventually saves money, but I like getting another opinion.

Only house-fire I ever witnessed was from a chimney.

we have ours swept twice a year - costs us £35 a pop- essential when you are burning wood