Talk to me about woodburners

[2moveornot2move]

We have just had an offer accepted on a house 🎉 Currently it has a back boiler (with fire) and another fireplace with a gas fire. I would like to intall woodburners in both, because I like the look of them, but do not actually know what is involved. Can anyone advise?

I'm also interested in this, we're getting a house refurb next year and I like the look of them as well.

Do you have a supply of wood and plenty of room to store it? If not it can get expensive. I have woodland so we have a steady supply. Our woodburner was here when we moved in. I do like it, but I don't think I'd have bothered putting one in if it had been up to me.

If you have a woodburner, you need a flue pipe for them. Either a chimney or an outside wall. We haven't lined our chimney as it's an 80s build and didn't need it but some older properties may need a flue all the way up to the roof. You can run a back boiler from a woodburner if you want to run radiators off them too, but I'd get someone in to survey the place first. And don't forget to factor in the cost of wood..... we spend around £80 a load on seasoned wood. We paid around £3k for our inset woodburner with granite surround and installation.

They are not a cheap option to buy and install. Nor are they cheap to run. You need a big space to store logs unless you want to pay over the odds in small bags. we buy a crate each year for around £160 wiphich is about 1x1x1 metres in size, then have shelving all along the back of the garage to store it. If you chop your own wood, it has to be stored for a year or so to season it, or else the burner won't burn efficiently.
We live in a small terraced house and our burner heats all downstairs so to have 2 would be a total waste. My DD has a really big house and has a bigger burner which again heats the whole ground floor.
All that being said, I wouldn't be without it!

Agree about storing wood. It needs to be planned ahead for winter and this winter will be using the wood stored from last year and is now dry enough to burn. Price of wood dependent on how seasoned it is so ready to burn more expensive.

We buy in by the fork lift truck load and very cheap as it needs to be stored and dried till the next year.

Don’t bother with kindling - Dh just uses axe to chop into smaller pieces.

Wood burner price varies according to the kw size so obviously bigger is more expensive but start at about £300, flue and chimney sweep and capping chimney all cost too but I think it was about £1500 and that included knocking out hole in fireplace to make bigger, oak beam mantle piece and marble hearth.

All in one worth it as very cosy and lovely to look at flames.

Cor blimey, £1500 is cheap!

We have been quoted £3500 to take out the fireplace, line the chimney, have a lintel and hearth and the woodburner installed.

Hi there was a fireplace in already and flue so maybe fhat’s why.

We heat our house solely with a wood burner. It’s going 24/7 Nov-March. DH sweeps the stovepipe every 6 weeks. (It’s much cheaper to learn to do that yourself)

We burn approx 4 chords a year (8 forklift pallets stacked 4ft high) that’s about 4-6 trees. we cut and split it ourselves from our land.

We also have a wood burning AGA which I love.

@redneckstumpy impressed you can get fire to burn overnight. Haven’t mastered the art yet!

Halvec

A big log goes on at bedtime at 10:00, then DH will restock it at 5:00 when he gets up.

You want a decent 8” diameter 18” long oak log to last the night.

I love Woodburners. I've used them exclusively for 40yrs.
Our wood burner heats the whole house - 8 radiators & all hot water.
Fully thermostatically controlled programmable system.
We do have space to store a lot of wood though so always have 3 years or so worth 'seasoning'.
We get the wood free or very cheap as lengths, saw it up and season it well. Only costs us £5 a week in the winter for a lovely warm house.
Really good, seasoned wood is hard to come by, despite being advertised as such & is expensive.
But if you've got space & a chainsaw it's a very cheap way to heat.
Not to mention the joy of sitting in front of a roaring wood burner 😊

Redneckedstumpy
Thanks but not sure burner could fit that size of log!

Good luck OP with your woodburner.