Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: CLKD on December 28, 2013, 07:38:53 PM
-
Any of you run a wood burner, multi-fuel stove etc.?
-
My next door neighbour does.
Why ?
Honeyb
x
-
We've had one fitted recently.
-
Me.
Bramble
-
We have a multi fuel stove - absolutely great - wouldn't want to be without it. The heat you get from them is fabulous. We find we only need to have the central heating on very low when the stove is going and the heat generates through the house. Where we live there is no gas and if there is power cut at least we have the multi fuel stove to keep us warm and heat up some water. We burn wood and coal. Wood burns more quickly and coal is great for a long slow burn.
We put the washing on a clothes horse in front of it when we go to bed and everything is dry when we get down in the morning - so much better than a tumble dryer.
DG x
-
Me too, love it ;D
Libby
x
-
:thankyou: so next question:
what types/makes did you decide upon ..........
-
Me too
Clearview - because the glass doors don't get brown like others seem to.
-
Do some research. I looked online and bought a Aarrow Stove as it was British made. Apparently many of the cast iron stoves are made in China these days and often crack I'm told.
I went for a Steel body - heats up quickly. The brick walls inside can be replaced every few years. Clearview is supposed to be good for keeping the glass clear.
It's cheaper to buy the stove and accessories online and find someone to fit it - there are Building Regs regarding fitting stoves so you need to find someone registered or who knows about these things. Unfortunately most stove fitters want you to buy the stove through them and that can cost more so shop around.
Check if you need to get your chimney lined - it's not always necessary though many companies insist on it.
Once you have had a multi fuel stove you'll always want one - so cosy and welcoming. DG x
-
:thankyou:
-
Clearview for me too. British designed and made.
Bramble
-
Clearview is supposed to be good for keeping the glass clear.
Check if you need to get your chimney lined - it's not always necessary though many companies insist on it.
Clearview is good for keeping the glass clear - not just supposed!
Lining the chimney really helps with the "draw" - that may be why companies insist on it
Might as well get it done while the stove is being installed?
-
The installation company should do a smoke test on the chimney before the installation, to check whether it does need lined or not.
Bramble
-
The Company we visited yesterday told us that many installers will insist on a liner when it isn't required. A smoke test should be done anyway, to check for good smoke 'pull', before an order is placed. Our house being 1960s should not require a liner as the chimney is probably clay lined.
Under Building Regs. a carbon monoxide monitor/alarm is a Legal Requirement, as is an Air brick if the heater is over a certain wattage.
-
I have neither a CO alarm nor an air brick. Pretty difficult that one with the fire on an internal wall!
Bramble
-
I love the look of them and thought my neighbours one was lovely. The only complaint I would have is she can't turn it down. Not good for me when I was having flushes. The room was so warm. When we visit I want to wear my swimming cozzie ;D
Honeyb
x
-
Love our Vermont Castings wood burner, esp these last few days with little electricity, lovely light and warmth.
Do check how much heat output they give, ours is about 4-5 kW in a large old farmhouse sitting room and I still have to throw off clothes when the dreaded flushes kick in! If you have a well insulated house you may overheat! Dogs love it though, they'd lie and bake all evening.
Plan B consider a pellet stove to run the central heating??
-
Francesca :welcomemm:
-
We already have an oil burning central heating system to run 10 rads off. An open fire in the centre of the lounge on an inside wall, which we haven't lit for over 15 years ::)
An air brick would be inserted in the outer wall which would cause, I think a draft across the room ???. That is a building reg requirement over a certain kilowattage, 6+ I think.
Oh door bell, be back later!
-
Right - that's the bin men sorted with a New Year carrier bag of biscuits ;)
If a commercial company fits a stove they have to provide a carbon monoxide alarm, I think this is charged for. It's wise to have one anyway, we have one in our camper van and a smoke alarm.
Watch this space as they say - still in the debating stage ;D
-
We haven't got a any sort of alarm. Neither do we have an air brick, bit difficult when the walls in that room are 6' thick by the fire and 4' at their thinnest elsewhere in the room.
When we lived in a house with normal walls, we had an air brick by the fire (normal open type), which allowed air to come in without causing a draft across the room.
Our multiburner stove was installed in 1995, perhaps requirements may have been different then?
-
Yep Limpy expect they were different. For example carbon monoxide alarms weren't common then. Now Building Regs. are more tuned to H&S as many people have died from CM.
As for air bricks - we lived in a Georgian house with deep windowsills - stone built it was bitterly cold in Winter and cool in Summer.
Underfloor draft means that there isn't cold air across the floor towards the fire-place but I can't face the mess etc..
-
The size of stove you get should relate to the size of the room - too big a stove can make the room too hot. Many of the newer stoves have some form of control on the heat output - even the really small ones like ours. We tend to get it going quite strongly and then close up the vents so it ticks over quite low and occasionally open them up if we need a little more warmth. We got a 4 Kw stove because that was all we needed and we didn't need an air brick fitted for that size. I think an air brick is only needed for stoves above 5kw.
The best thing to do is to get a couple of stove fitters to give you a survey and a quote and then you can determine if it's worth having stove.
You can easily buy carbon monoxide alarms - they are not expensive.
You need to have the chimney swept every year even if you have a lined chimney. A small expense you have to budget for.
We had a stove in our last house - the chimney didn't need lining. In our current house we did have the chimney lined and fitted a cowl which was attached to the lining. It really wasn't a big job so don't be scared off. Good luck DG x
-
I mistakenly read this topic as Multifuel Stovies and thought, 'Oh I wonder what everyone is putting in their stovies!' ;D
-
;D you have a recipe?
-
You could keep your stovies warm on top..........
We have a clearview which runs 10 rads and has saved us over £1000 last year on oil. We have oil central heating which comes off a boiler. The woodburner is multifuel so can be left on 24hrs a day. The stove is amazing kicking in and taking over from the boiler and because it does radiators the room its in never gets too hot. Ours is in a hall/sittingroom so you can see it burning merrily away the minute you enter the house, very cheery. Cant recommend them highly enough. It also has a special tank where water is released in the morning to do showers , not sure of all the technicalities. The glass stays clear . :)
-
:thankyou:
-
Sounds great, not as good as stovies though ;D ;D
(Traditionally made with meat such as stewing steak, but we make make ours with skinless sausages, onion and corned beef as well as the tatties of course CLKD and brown sauce on top goes down a treat!)
-
You really live and learn on this site.
To my eternal shame I had always thought stovies were a sort of bread roll / bap type thing. ::)
The stovies described here sound much better. ;D
-
I come from the north of Scotland. Traditionally we don't put any meat in stovies - just potatoes, onions and lard. Down in central Scotland where I now live, the most popular addition is corned beef.
Bramble
-
Corned beef :beaurk: :sick02:
-
Hmm - The corned beef option sounds just like corned beef hash, interesting.
However, tomorrow I am doing roast lamb.
Will the leftover meat do for stovies?
To get back to the point of the topic - stoves.
Any stovie resulting from the leftover lamb, will be cooked on top of a clearview stove - honest..... :whist:
-
Yes, lamb can be used too. Sorry for changing topic from stoves to stovies ;D ;D
-
I'me glad you did Lily - else I would never have known what they are ;D
-
That's OK! going to spend the money on double glazing instead ::)