Property/DIY
Woodburning stove, or electric?
forcedfun · 20/02/2022 13:59
We have an ancient gas fire in our sitting room and I am just starting to think about renovations to that room.
I grew up in a Victorian house so am used to log burners /open fires. And if it wasn't for the environmental /air pollution considerations I would get one in a heartbeat. But the various reports around air pollution are making me very hesitant.
Are there alternatives that give the same benefits? (I love the heat from a fire and also the relaxation of just being in a room with a crackling fire to watch)
CrabbyCat · 20/02/2022 18:52
We love our wood burner. However, we aren't on mains gas so a gas one isn't an option, and have a fairly old oil boiler that has several times broken down. We also primarily scavenge wood as we have the space to dry it for a couple of years before burning it, so for us it's a cheap way to heat.
It's been brilliant having a back up source of heating, it's meant it's not been a problem if it takes a day or two to get the plumber out. I find it does warm a room far more than any gas fires I've ever experienced, and like a poster above we've found it's great for drying out a room and reducing damp issues. We use an air purifier in the same room to help with the air quality issue, see allergycosmos.co.uk/blogs/news/wood-stove-pollution-how-to-best-protect-yourself . (We already had the purifier to help with summer allergies, so the only research I've done is to check it should probably help and definitely wouldn't hurt, I didn't research properly and don't know if there are counter claims about purifiers being a waste of time).
euniceanddudley · 20/02/2022 19:00
@CrabbyCat
It's been brilliant having a back up source of heating, it's meant it's not been a problem if it takes a day or two to get the plumber out. I find it does warm a room far more than any gas fires I've ever experienced, and like a poster above we've found it's great for drying out a room and reducing damp issues. We use an air purifier in the same room to help with the air quality issue, see allergycosmos.co.uk/blogs/news/wood-stove-pollution-how-to-best-protect-yourself . (We already had the purifier to help with summer allergies, so the only research I've done is to check it should probably help and definitely wouldn't hurt, I didn't research properly and don't know if there are counter claims about purifiers being a waste of time).
I think a lot of people still need to rely on wood burners Crabby. I did in previous homes with oil central heating, old windows lots of draughts, listed so modifications limited (and expensive).
In one house I had a Rayburn, a woodburner and an open fire. One power cut lasted for ten days in 2010. We slept in the woodburner living room for all that time.
My Dimplex thing would have been no good at all there!!!
Shmithecat2 · 20/02/2022 19:11
@lljkk
You can't see a lot of the fire inside the burner, just a little window, and it easily gets dirty.
Does your woodburner not have an airwash system?
lljkk · 20/02/2022 20:34
I am not understanding what "airwash" is -- is it a vent above the glass? We have 2 vents higher than the glass.
if wood is burning & that burning wood falls against the glass then it leaves char on the glass.
My stove is tiny, btw, so easily some wood can slip to lean against the glass.
An open fire offers a lot more view of "open fire" than any woodburner could.
Oh, and the glass can break (twice for us)... and stoves need maintenance. Like re-lining the rope that lines door or glass, because it perishes, annual chimney sweep, other servicing actions. Our baffle plate is partly damaged. the sweep said safe enough, but it may crack or disintegrate completely, eventually.
SnowdropsInSpring · 20/02/2022 20:47
Wood burner. No matter what happens (power cuts etc), we have a heat source (and light).
SnowdropsInSpring · 20/02/2022 20:51
@lljkk
if wood is burning & that burning wood falls against the glass then it leaves char on the glass.
My stove is tiny, btw, so easily some wood can slip to lean against the glass.
An open fire offers a lot more view of "open fire" than any woodburner could.
Oh, and the glass can break (twice for us)... and stoves need maintenance. Like re-lining the rope that lines door or glass, because it perishes, annual chimney sweep, other servicing actions. Our baffle plate is partly damaged. the sweep said safe enough, but it may crack or disintegrate completely, eventually.
Is your wood burner old? We have large glass windows that never need cleaning (unless the burn is not hot enough - which is bad for the air - and that almost never happens).
We have it serviced and swept and nothing has needed replacing other than the baffle when I broke it (used to have a metal one and didn’t realise the new one was more delicate. It’s never broken since I learned how to handle it).
lljkk · 20/02/2022 21:48
There's A LOT of advice online about cleaning burner glass, specialist products, even, so i humbly submit that glass needing a clean is a common experience.
Seems like 'clean' might be a relative term.
I've got these items, burn to target temperature, the wood I'm burning is all < 19%.
So I have to say that a woodburner is a lot more faff than just flipping boiler switch on. Nice backup when power goes, though (4 hours out on Friday).
bellac11 · 20/02/2022 21:59
Our window rarely needs cleaning too, due to the airwash and the heat. We do have some cracked bricks at the back but we need to order those on amazon.
I dont find it a faff. We have it swept obviously.
Duntelchaig · 20/02/2022 22:09
We live rurally with 2 power cuts recently. I boiled water for coffee, boiled eggs for breakfast and lunch time steaks on the top of my woodburner. No mains gas, no oil, and we were all completely warm. If you live less rurally you may not need it but I was so so grateful for it.
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