Top considerations when buying log burners

Ever since i moved to a house with a woodburner I have not bought any wood(6 years). If you see some wood dumped in a laybye stash it in the boot.See a skip on the road side where building works are taking place, ask to take it. It will mean the person who is paying for the skip might need to order fewer skips.

I was down the wholesale markets not long ago and they have loads of cheap thin wood in the form of crates. Just ask the people in the stores before taking it.

I only have experience of these appliances from our annual holidays in Scotland. We try to book cottages with wood burners just for the novelty value. Of the dozens we have used I have to say ordinary wood burners eat logs, without any exaggeration they simply eat them.

Many years ago most of the cottages supplied free logs, but we have noticed a change over the years. Some now only supply a starter bag and leave getting replacements up to the cottage hirer. The initial free bag just lasts the first day and night, then they are gone.

The last digs we had actually had two log burners, to keep them going from early evening through the night so the house was warm in the morning cost us over £50 for the week. Commercially bought logs are expensive up Jockland.

Angel1.

Ive just purchased a Woodwarm Phoenix Firegem 5kw stove for just over £1K. Its being fitted next week. Fitting costs (including 904 grade SS liner and building work to fireplace) are £1,100. Im using a local HETAS approved builder.

Ive just purchased a Woodwarm Phoenix Firegem 5kw stove for just over £1K. Its being fitted next week. Fitting costs (including 904 grade SS liner and building work to fireplace) are £1,100. Im using a local HETAS approved builder.

I hope you only have a small room to heat.

A 5kw would be useless in my place.

I have an 8kw and cost about the same....

It heats my large living room ( two room knocked into one ) with an open plan staircase, and it does the job just fine.

Ive just purchased a Woodwarm Phoenix Firegem 5kw stove for just over £1K. Its being fitted next week. Fitting costs (including 904 grade SS liner and building work to fireplace) are £1,100. Im using a local HETAS approved builder.

Did the fitting cost include the hearth it sits on and the alcove tiled and a beam/mantle piece?

I hope you only have a small room to heat.

A 5kw would be useless in my place.

I have an 8kw and cost about the same....

It heats my large living room ( two room knocked into one ) with an open plan staircase, and it does the job just fine.

Well my 5kw heats my large living room and large U shaped kitchen perfectly. Any bigger than 5kw and id be opening windows to let the heat out which is false economy.

Did the fitting cost include the hearth it sits on and the alcove tiled and a beam/mantle piece?

I acquired my own stone for the hearth but the price included fitting everything including mantle piece and rendering the inside of the fireplace.

Any builder can probably do it cheaper, or you could do it yourself as long as it complies with Part J with Building Control, but I wanted a HETAS builder to install mine and provide the HETAS certificate. Im not really a fan of the HETAS organisation as it seems to be a licence for their certified builders to print money, but it was an quick and easy option.

We also haven't bought any wood for the last 5 years. It is easy to come by but requires space to store, organisation and disciplined work sometimes at inconvenient moments to take advantage of the free wood available not to mention the chopping and sawing. But nothing compares to the rosy glow of free heat. We use two hand fulls of paper from the shredding machine and 2 small rolls of brown corrugated cardboard from boxes which you can tie with string (we use an steel ring) under some twigs to get the fire going in seconds - so no firelighters even. In fact the only cost is matches.

I've just had my wood burner installed earlier this year and I had it on for a couple of days before summer hit. Here is my take so far from what I've learned and been told.

• Burn good wood as it really does make a difference.
   
  
• It takes a while to get used to lighting it and getting it going, I'm down to about 30 minutes of tinkering but I've been told I will get used to it.
   
  
• I got a specialist, multi-fuel stove, which is permitted in Sheffield due to the smoke restrictions.
   
  
• I'm mainly burning wood. However, my friend has loads of coal and this winter he is giving me some. Apparently when you get the stove going pop a couple of these in and they keep it hot for a while.
   
  
• Invest in a good stove fan if you have high sealings. It is powered by the heat of the stove and boy does it keep you warm. Without it the room got hot but this made a noticeable difference.
   
  
  • By a stove thermometer. You need to get the stove at the right heat level but not too hot. Too cold and you are not doing the stove or chimney lining any good. Too hot and you can crack the stove. This will tell you.
     
    
  • I needed seasoned wood so I went on Gumtree and found a guy who was great. £55 for 15 netted bags. Lots of people do builders bags full for £80ish but I live in a mid terrace so getting that around the houses would be a nightmare. I filled one wood store with this.
     
    
  • I also pick wood. If I find a fallen chunky branch, a tree trunk or something similar while walking the dog I pick it up, take it home and go wood splitting on it. Don't go cutting trees down! I've almost filled a second wood store from this.
     
    
  • Also, ask around. I did one facebook status asking if anyone had any trees they cut down, not ferns or similar, and I got five replies.
     
    
  • I live in a two story mid terrace and the living room has got up to 26 degrees with the door slightly open. It warms the stairs but that's about it. Don't expect it to heat your house.
    

   

  I hope this helps

   

---------- Post added 04-09-2016 at 11:16 ----------

We also haven't bought any wood for the last 5 years. It is easy to come by but requires space to store, organisation and disciplined work sometimes at inconvenient moments to take advantage of the free wood available not to mention the chopping and sawing. But nothing compares to the rosy glow of free heat. We use two hand fulls of paper from the shredding machine and 2 small rolls of brown corrugated cardboard from boxes which you can tie with string (we use an steel ring) under some twigs to get the fire going in seconds - so no firelighters even. In fact the only cost is matches.

Agreed. Chopping wood is strangely stress reliving.

Anybody on here Recommend a heats registered woodburner installer, any numbers or advice greatly appreciated, many thanks

Anybody on here Recommend a heats registered woodburner installer, any numbers or advice greatly appreciated, many thanks

Have a look here:

https://www.hetas.co.uk/find-installer/

Can anyone give a ballpark figure for removing a gas fire and installing a wood burning stove? We just want a vague idea to see if we can be bothered saving. Its purely a vanity project, we don't need it to heat the whole house, just a medium sized living room.

I can’t answer your question but having looked into it a while ago we decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and cost due to the work involved i.e installation, maintenance, fuelling, cleaning (fire and chimney).

You need to say whether you have a chimney and if so, what state it is in. The flue can be a considerable part of the total expenditure. If you don’t have a chimney a twin wall flue is needed and they are very pricey. Stoves vary in price dependent on quality - cheaper ones are being imported, some from China.

Nortons on Rutland Road is a good place to go for more information. They can also recommend HETAS heating fitters for installation.

If you have the central heating thermostat in the same room the heat from the fire could turn the heating off so other parts of the house will be cold. Maybe switching a radiator off or down might help with that.

If it is the look that you are after but not the expense and work there are some realistic electric and gas stoves on sale that might be worth looking at. With an electric stove there is the advantage of the glow but not necessarily the heat.