Log burner or open fire?

[Hoolahoophop]

We have a log burner in the new house, but it looks damaged, massive crack down the back so I presume will need replacing.

I have never had a log burner before, but have lived with open fires, used mainly in the winter for coziness rather than as a heat source, but have come in handy during prolonged power cuts.

New house is rural so no restrictions for air quality reasons, and we have a lot of trees that will need managing so a constant supply of wood, fruit trees, holly, and fur mainly and space to store it.

Would you go for the tidy log burner or the less efficient and messy open fire?

House is Georgian in style and the fireplace is central in a large room, internal wall.

Thanks

Depends how much you use it. Open fire is obviously horribly polluting internally. But if you only use it a couple of times a year probably tolerable.

If you intend to rely on it a lot then it probably best to get the log burner.

If it is cracked it is probably because it has been used a lot ?

I would imagine we would only use it weekend evenings on particularly cold evenings in winter. Christmas Day, as a child we had an open fire and Sundays in winter we lit it late afternoon and toasted our bread and crumpets on it for tea. That's my vision. Obviously could also cook on a burner with the doors open.

I wondered if there were differences with the type of wood you can use on a burner rather than an open fire.

I doubt we would rely on it and wouldn't have time to set fires on working evenings, doesn't seem much point when you don't sit down until 9pm and go to bed at 10. So a toy rather than a resource.

No idea how much the old owners used it, but the ash box was full so presume it had been used.

Open pit fires are now a breach of building regulation.

@Papricat I didn't realize that.

I was thinking about replacing the broken wood burner either with another wood burner or something like this.

Pembroke Black Cast Iron Fireplace - Castfireplaces

In my old cottage I had one of these

Valencia Cast Iron Fire Basket with Back - 21''

I presume those are most polluting as half the smoke used to come back into the room. It was difficult to keep clean that's for sure.

Open fire because I like the crackling sounds. Less heat but not a problem if you have central heating in the room, too.

As you may be reliant on it in a power cut, I'd chose the log burner personally - particularly one that you can put a small pan on top of.

Log burner. If you want cozy tea and toast vibe then get on with a flat top/ hot plate so you can boil a pan. Ours is also used for radiator heating so is massively insulated and would be useless in a power cut if you wanted to stick a casserole on it...

My understanding is that you can keep an orginal open pit fire (usually for pre war properties) but not allowed to add one on a property. For log burners it need to have efficiency ratio >85%.

Log burner is much more efficient - at burning more and getting less ash, at heating the room not sending heat up the chimney, at burning at higher temps so cleaner smoke (fewer particles).

But you need to properly “season” the wood, especially fir. Once chopped, leave it to dry for at least a year before burning.

Both need the chimney swept annually.

When you say it’s cracked do you mean the fire bricks inside? They do crack and are replaceable.

@user7843209785 oh really? Yes I opened the door to have a good look inside the burner and at the back it looks like it has several massive cracks. If they are replaceable that would save some money.

We would need to get the chimney swept before we use it in the winter anyway. Would a sweep be able to advise us on if its still safe to use, or needs a bit of maintenance?

Yes a chimney sweep should be able to advise and repair it.

An open fire is about 10% efficient converting wood to energy (heat). A properly sealed slow combustion stove or inset is up to 88% efficient these days.

Try and get one with a flat top so you can cook on it if in need and pop one of those little fans on it as the air movement really helps with room comfort.

Yes, a certified chimney sweep will be able to advise you. We’ve got two wood burners, one has had a crack in the brick for a couple of years now but the chimney sweep who comes twice a year says its okay still. I’m pretty sure DH has replaced them in the past so can’t be too tricky!

And get it looked at now would be my advice, they wont be so busy this time of year - everyone waits till just before christmas and decides they want the chimney swept!

Get a Clearview wood burner.
They are the best on the market. We wouldn’t have anything else.

Open fires spit out wood (more-so with soft wood) and you will end up with lots of burns on your rug.

Log burner for sure. You still get the crackling noise and it’s just as cosy as a fire but more efficient and must be less polluting inside the house.

id buy a decent brand. Mine is a Charnwood. I think they’ll last longer, burn better, etc.

edited, mine is actually a multi fuel rather than a log burner. Smokeless fuel will burn longer than logs so a good option for an all day fire at weekends.

Are you on mains gas and how frequent are power cuts/blips in your area? If not on mains gas and in an area where intermittent power blips are frequent then get a modern wood burner which performs well on efficiency and emissions.

If you have a area of woodland to manage the wood will pile up quickly keeping fuel costs down and wood burners are essential backup heaters in many rural areas.

Log burners can get going very quickly once you get the hang of it. If I were sitting down at 9 and going to bed at 11 I'd put mine on.

My Dad's logburner has a set of bricks. The annual chimney sweep also.services it and replaces worn bricks. Then he buys replacements so he always has a set at home.

See if you can ask a sweep that knows your brand of logburner and get them to advise.

If you know the make and model.you can look on suppliers like Rangemoors to see what replacement parts they supply and the costs. But I wouldn't buy until you can be sure of what you need.

The cracks you can see are most probably just fire bricks which you can easily replace yourself.

As others have said, it sounds like the fire bricks that have cracked, so easily replaceable. Get a chimney sweep round to sweep the chimney and check it over. Also a good idea to get a cage on top of the chimney pot to stop birds from nesting in the chimney.
Log burners are much more efficient, but open fires are beautiful to look at. We have both and I love both of them. But hopefully you won't need to replace it, but repair and sweep the chimney.
Just to add, yearly sweeping by a qualified and insured sweep in usually mandatory for your house insurance.

We replaced our open fire with a log burner as we were losing so much heat from our central heating up the chimney when the fire wasn't lit.

Log burner. It’s more efficient, less polluting and better for your health (compared to an open fire). It’s just as lovely and cosy to look at too.

Thanks for all the helpful information. Will find a sweep asap. We are on mains gas. As in a new area not sure how frequent power cuts are. Just remember we had lots in my childhood village. The carpet here had a LOT of burn marks even with a wood burner! More than we had from our open fire. Maybe just careless users.