Recommend me a budget woodburner!

[EvelynWardrobe]

I'm looking for something plain as it's for a modern house, I don't want anything too twirly and olde worlde.

5kw will be big enough according to the calculators.

Sorry, been away from the thread! Some nice stoce action here. Hmm, wondering about multifuel now, but I don't want to keep coal in my living room.

Evelyn, we only use coal in ours to 'keep it in' when we go out, or when we go to bed on a cold night as it's in the middle of the house. To that end we only bring in what we need when we need it and have a black scuttle to hold it.

Bear in mind if it's very cheap the metal parts are likely to be thinner and so will distort more quickly and at lower temps so don't burn pallet wood or pine for instance.

Hhm, that's good to know.

Does anyone have the Charnwood C4 (not the Country 4)? @kumquotorphysalis, would you mind posting know which one yours is when you get it, and if you like it?

Reading with interest, DH and I are going stove shopping this afternoon!

We have the AGA little wenlock and it has worked perfectly for the 4 years we've had it!

Wood burning stoves cause terrible air pollution. Just saying.

Wood burning stoves cause terrible air pollution. Just saying.

Mine actually coughs out very little. When they're well laid and fuelled with seasoned wood they're actually pretty clean. Its not like having a bonfire on the go.

Probably cleaner than using my oil boiler to heat the entire house too since it's centrally located and heats 3/4 of the house.

Have you looked at Greymetal? Link here: www.greymetal.co.uk/multi-fuel-stoves/greymetal-small-wood-burning-stoves-cube-om-omega-nero.html

They have a lot of modern stoves and the smaller ones are very cheap.

We have a larger one and have been very pleased with it.

woodburning stoves can cause smoke.

I've only had a multifuel with "smoke eater" secondary combustion. Apparently it also keeps the chimney cleaner so reduces the frequency of chimney fires. That's why the London proposal says that the clean-burning stoves will still be permitted.

But if you have a big stove with a small fire in it, or a simple one without the tech, it will be polluting.

Can you tell me a bit more about the secondary combustion thing? And does this have it?

The reason we're thinking wood burner is because there is no such thing as an attractive gas fire, and if we're going to go for something with flames I thought it made sense from an efficiency perspective to go with a wood burner rather than an open fire. I'm right on that, aren't I?

not my field, but I believe the heat of the fire drives smoke and flammable gases off the fuel. Extra air is introduced into this stream of gases so they burn away, which I believe also burns off the tarry material that comes off, especially from softwood. I think this may also be what keeps the glass clean. It also improves efficiency.

If you have a big stove with a small fire, it does not get hot enough for total combustion, so burns dirtier.

I don't know that stove, but I'd expect the description to say things like "clean-burning" "smoke eater" "high efficiency." The sales line will know. At that price I hope it is.

there might be a better description in Sadiq Khan's announcement, which was falsely headlined in the right-wing press as a "ban" on stoves.

This is mine.
I've had it 6 years and its wonderful.
All the pleasure of a fire with none of the smell and a lot more heat.

www.aradastoves.com/stoves/ecoburn-plus-5

It's described as DEFRA exempt, which I'm guessing is the environmental bit. It's more than I was hoping to spend, so I'm still looking. Will look at the eco credentials of the Saltfire one.

That Aarrow is nice too, v similar to the black Charnwood C4. I need it to be under 5k though, to avoid needing to put in an air vent.

We had a Charnwood Country 4 woodburner fitted a couple of years ago which I love to bits.
We found this review site very helpful in choosing www.whatstove.co.uk We wanted something small in output (because of the size of the room) and inexpensive (because for various reasons the costs of fitting were substantial). With some trepidation I bought online from www.woodburnerwarehouse.co.uk rather than from one of several fancy local showrooms which seemed interested only in selling me a poncy expensive stove rather than the technical difficulties of my installation. Woodburner Warehouse had decent feedback and could do the best price by some margin. They turned out to be absolutely brilliant - helpful and knowledgeable on the phone about the techy stuff and really proved themselves when the stove arrived damaged in transit and they pulled out all the stops to replace it in time for the fitter.

The stove itself is fantastic. Easy to light, chucks out a huge amount of heat and looks gorgeous.

Clearview here, amazing brand, I wouldn't go budget on a wood burner. I'd rather save up a bit more and get one that will last.

On the question of an air vent, we had to have one because the woodburner is effectively in the same room as the cooker hood. But we had a grille fitted in the floor near the stove so it is not obtrusive but still provides airflow when required.

Evelyn
try this one (its the Aarow that is important, not that seller)
www.aradastoves.com/stoves/ecoburn-plus-4

I bought mine online from Somerset.
My brickie put the hearth in for me
Two guys arrive at 10 am , lined the chimney, fitted the cowl, installed the stove, did my HETAS cert
left at lunchtime
whole shebang was under £2k

cheap woodburners are more likely to crack
good ones are an asset to your home

We found a nice electric stove in the end after lots of hunting - the Yeoman CL3 Electric Stove. Not the cheapest but it uses the same cast iron body as the wood burning and gas Yeomans. At first glance it does look like a real fire. You can have just the flames on with no heat which makes for a nice focal point for the room.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=Merlin+Woodline&client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmvuuA-NTWAhURK1AKHewZAmEQ_AUICygC&biw=979&bih=472#imgrc=SqcZeJLl0YoRsM:

Merlin Woodline. Recently had ours fitted. It only burns wood, so has no need of grate or ashpan. You just set the new fire on the layer of old ash; and empty a bit of ash every few weeks when it gets deep.

One simple control - very easy to light. We are pleased with it.

£1800 fully fitted with large slate grate, flue liner, cowl the lot.

Clearview, not budget but nothing else compares. Buy cheap buy twice.

Just to second a point already made: I would buy one of the stoves with reduced emissions: look at the DEFRA list. Regulations on stoves may change in urban areas in the future, so it's worth buying the cleanest one you can to ensure you don't have to buy twice.

If you burn well-seasoned, dry wood, emissions are also a lot lower.

I have a Morso 04 and I absolutely love it. It is so unbelievably well-engineered. I've never struggled to light it or to get the fire going.

On your question if wood burners more efficient than open fires, the answer is yes, with an open fire approx 80 percent of the heat goes up the chimney, 20 percent into the room, with a wood burner it’s the opposite, 80 percent into the room, 20 percent up the chimney. It’s a huge difference.

"It is estimated that between a quarter and a third of all of London’s fine-particle pollution comes from domestic wood burning. In January, during a period of very high air pollution, it contributed half the toxic emissions in some areas of the capital, according to King’s College London research."

www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/29/air-pollution-sadiq-khan-calls-for-ban-on-wood-burning-stoves