Water tank and wood burners

[BlackAlys]

Am currently renovating and am hoping to have a wood burner in my lounge. DH is wondering about the possibility of having a separate water tank where the Ayer inside can be heated by the wood burner and used for bathing/showering etc.

We're also hoping for an Air source heat pump but the water tank was an idea to boost our supply when needed. Is this doable?

Yeah my in-laws have this type of set up. They are very environmental. Their builder was the driving force behind it all as regards to what where and how etc.

Wood burners are not very environmental at all. You can have the set up but wood burners are not the eco dream.

It's certainly doable (we have a back boiler) but I doubt it would be advisable.
Don't get romanced by the stove, sure they do look nice but it takes quite a bit of work if they're used as a main heat source.

Yes, you can get a modern wood burner with back boiler that will heat water. However you will need a regular source of dry wood. Either you need an acre of trees and prune every year and somewhere to stack them to dry (shed, garage), or it will be expensive.
Most good quality modern log burners have filters on them so not as polluting as people think.

The main problem with using a 'live' heat source to heat water is the lack of controlability. I used to have a solid fuel Rayburn that also heated the water through a gravity system. If the fire got up a bit too much the water was dangerously hot and I had to run it off (I lived alone, so didn't need much HW). Fortunately I wasn't on a water meter as I had to do this regularly. Of course, the alternative was also true, and you could end up with just lukewarm water. These types of systems have a safety valve which will blow if the water boils. Systems might have improved since I had mine, years ago.
I know only one person who had his heating and water attached to his woodburner in a house, but he would only light the stove for a few hours some evenings, so it was a waste of money having it set up. (He also had a boiler).

@TheQueef

It's certainly doable (we have a back boiler) but I doubt it would be advisable. Don't get romanced by the stove, sure they do look nice but it takes quite a bit of work if they're used as a main heat source.

Wouldn't be the only heat source. Hoping for either an Air source heat pump or failing that, calor gas as we aren't on the natural gas grid

@MintJulia

Yes, you can get a modern wood burner with back boiler that will heat water. However you will need a regular source of dry wood. Either you need an acre of trees and prune every year and somewhere to stack them to dry (shed, garage), or it will be expensive. Most good quality modern log burners have filters on them so not as polluting as people think.

Luckily, we will be in a position to source a lot of wood. Also building in 2 wood stores.

@Brownlongearedbat

The main problem with using a 'live' heat source to heat water is the lack of controlability. I used to have a solid fuel Rayburn that also heated the water through a gravity system. If the fire got up a bit too much the water was dangerously hot and I had to run it off (I lived alone, so didn't need much HW). Fortunately I wasn't on a water meter as I had to do this regularly. Of course, the alternative was also true, and you could end up with just lukewarm water. These types of systems have a safety valve which will blow if the water boils. Systems might have improved since I had mine, years ago. I know only one person who had his heating and water attached to his woodburner in a house, but he would only light the stove for a few hours some evenings, so it was a waste of money having it set up. (He also had a boiler).

This is really helpful? Thank you.

We would like it as a secondary water heating source should the electricity powering the heat pump pack up (DH is reading into theories of scheduled power cuts happening in the UK) so by having a secondary water heater, we could still function with heat and hot water.

That said, what you said makes sense and I also wonder whether the pressure system has been improved.

Rogue '?' there. I sound sarcastic - definitely not meant.

We have this in our house. We have a large wood burner that has a back burner that heats water. Our water tank has 3 heat sources, one from the stove, one from solar panels and one electric. The hot water from the stove also heats the radiators.

In reality if we heat the hot water tank from the stove then the radiators don't get enough heat, so in winter we favour them and heat with electricity overnight and just boost from the stove during the day as needed. In summer the solar panels pretty much provide all our hot water.

Our plumber said we didn't need the electric but I'm very glad we insisted.

We had a similar set up with our first wood burner. Rayburn solid fuel heating the tank from the kitchen, immersion heater for summer and wood burner heating it along with seven radiators none in the same room or dining room. We had a larger tank as six of us including three mucky boys.
Rayburn was very old and gave out after about five years and couldn’t afford to replace it. Woodburner / multi fuel last about 25 years bar having a new back boiler once. The guy put it all in was a plumbing and heating engineer and had several in his mansion b& b that he was doing up.
We have no mains gas here either and we do get blackouts. We have a Charnwood Country 16 now and an Everhot 110i in the kitchen. It does the same as the previous stove with a little bit of adjusting of copper pipes. It is a much more efficient stove and lights more easily than the previous decorative one which is now blacked up and in my herb garden with nasturtiums tumbling out of the top pipe.
We built three wood sections with pallets and roofing felt on the roof sides and front open back next to the fence. We have just had a joiner make a new coal bunker and wood store next to the herb garden for very bad weather and snow so it is closer to the house. Our wood Is bought in quite cheaply and very well seasoned and then stacked and used in rotation. We also get the chance of removing a fallen tree from the road and therefore can keep it or share it. We pick up large branches and sticks to go in one section to season for a year or more. We don’t find it a problem. I used to bring a load or two before I went to work so I didn’t have to scrabble about in the dark later. A wheelbarrow to the back door saves a lot of going and frying.

We were advised to get a Charnwood 12 but we took the lower W (Coalbrookedale Severn)the first time and I felt I knew our house better. We have a three bedroom, two reception, stone, semi detached cottage in the north west England. It is cold in the winter often freezing or below think -10 —15C but once was -25C and we lost our freezer in the outhouse. So think carefully about the size if it is to be your only source of heat. If you are unsure I would go up if you can afford it.