Anyone use a wood burner?

[John Slater]

Fair enough to study these things to make people aware and then let them choose.
Our choice was between an open fire and a multifuel stove. We're off the gas main and have an oil boiler.
After 8 years of living in the sticks it's been essential to have the capability to keep one room warm if the boiler has failed or the electric is off!

 

[Cali Phillip]

Fair enough to study these things to make people aware and then let them choose.
Our choice was between an open fire and a multifuel stove. We're off the gas main and have an oil boiler.
After 8 years of living in the sticks it's been essential to have the capability to keep one room warm if the boiler has failed or the electric is off!

totally, we are off gas grid here too, everyone around has a wood burner.
We ended up with Biomass when refurbishing the house which is good and have a multifuel stove which was our first heating, which we burn wood and smokeless fuel. Don't use it much once we sorted out the house with good insulation back when we bought the house we had one warm room, the one with the multi fuel stove in !

 

[John Slater]

We considered biomass when building an extension along with ground source but costs were tight and the biomass storage was a bit of compromise.

 

[Cali Phillip]

We considered biomass when building an extension along with ground source but costs were tight and the biomass storage was a bit of compromise.

at the time ground source would not have worked in our house due to very poor insulation, biomass storage is a issue, 1/3 of the garage is pellets. it works will now insulated, single brick and dry lined with no insulation was grim. now outside cladding and internal insulation its good.
Probably why I notice the heat loss in the cali.

 

[John Slater]

That much space reduction in the garage would've meant less bikes

 

[Cali Phillip]

That much space reduction in the garage would've meant less bikes

that's what's in the rest of the garage, bikes !
The cali will not fit in the garage so little matter, have thought about a larger garage.

 

[westfalia]

Only in winter, 70€ for a cubic metre of beech delivered.
80€ to anyone else.

From this guy

We also mix it up bit with these

Ours is a full rounded thing with lots of glass, i've found that the best way
of cleaning the glass is with wet newspapers dipped in the ash.

 

[Hotel California]

We invested in one of these 15y ago and would do it again if building a new house.

Sydämestään aito suomalainen vuolukivitakka

Puhdasta lämpöä, joka säilyy.

www.nunnauuni.com

Ours is 2500 kg of stone , burning wood in it only for about 1,5h a day it keeps our freestanding house from 1952 pretty much at a good themp. Usual about 20kg wood a day at freezing themp we do burn it twice a day .
The stone accumulate the heat and releases it afterwarts.
in 15y i only payed a few times for wood , most wood i get for free , i did get a decent chainsaw and a small woodsplitter.
if i tell friends and colleagues how little our monthly bill for gas/electric is they can not believe how little we spend compared to new build houses with super isolated walls , we pay (70€/month for our electrics and gas for hot water , the central heating is used very litlle)
But the stove was about 12.000€ 15y ago , prices now sure gone up.
It’s 2500kg lavastone , a few hundred blocks build like lego...
It burns a such high themp that the inner side walls of the stove are not coverd in black dust but are burned clean white...
We burn the wood , in most other stoves you smolder wood whitch gives more pollution .
in fact it’s burning as i’m typing....

 

[John Slater]

that's what's in the rest of the garage, bikes !
The cali will not fit in the garage so little matter, have thought about a larger garage.

I'm trying to convince the Mrs to build a house, eco style with GSHP and a big garage but not there yet!

 

[davidgmo]

We have had a wood stove for eight years and wouldnt be without one. I am careful about ensuring there is enough kindling (and ground up candle wax) and paper to get the fire going well. Once it is burning well and vey hot, it is fine to open the door to add another log as the there is no smoke. if it fails to light properly, I wait until the fire has completely died down before trying to restart it. I also use a log maker http://www.logmaker.org.uk/ using up old newspapers and filling with shredded egg boxes - these dry logs ensure the starter flames really enlarge to set the logs on fire. Oh, and as soon as our woodstove is going, I switch off the central heating as the stove keeps the whole house warm. Spend the spring and summer gathering and chopping downed branches and trees to stock the log stores dotted throughout the garden, Pre Flo the Cali, we also had a bell tent with a woodstove in that too - we will be using this tent next year (with its stove) as an awning for Flo - already have plans to use part of the bike rack as a wood store so I take my own supply with me....

 

[subthree]

Got another delivery of logs coming on Monday. The exercise I get moving them to my log store is very beneficial

Who do you use? We have had a couple of deliveries from Langley Logs, but interested to hear who you use. Thanks.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Who do you use? We have had a couple of deliveries from Langley Logs, but interested to hear who you use. Thanks.

Local guy (Aylesbury) called Steve, £60 a load. Can give you his number if you’re interested.

 

[GSX1300R]

My son in law is a project manager for a big company in Wales. In the past we would have a truck turn up out of the blue with a few tons of 10 ft logs. Some almost a quarter of a ton. Would spend the next couple of days with my chainsaw cutting it all up.. Not had much now for the last couple of years and not going to pay £50-60 a bag for logs that only last probably a week. So mainly use coal now..Here’s hoping to get some more free wood in the future.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Local guy (Aylesbury) called Steve, £60 a load. Can give you his number if you’re interested.

To clarify, £60 is a pickup truck full.

 

[Wildcamper]

We use Pini Kay wood briquettes from White Horse Energy. A full one tonne pallette is £320, get to burn the pallette as well. The burn very hot, very little smoke, no tar in the chimney and not much ash. Moisture content is about 5%. Use about one briquette per hour (come in packs of 12) once the stove is hot. Gets out main room up to the high 20s C and the stone work radiates the heat for at least 12 hours.

 

[Big Bloke]

I'm a Chimney Sweep, I bought my business in 1993, whilst also being a full time Firefighter. I've been retired from the Fire Service almost 7 years now. I have helped to install literally hundreds of Log Burners & Multi Fuel Stoves, over the last 7 years as our son is a HETAS registered Stove Fitter and I have worked alongside him whenever he has been short staffed.
I average about 400 sweeps a year, mostly Stoves. Fitted and maintained correctly, alongside burning well seasoned dry wood, there shouldn't be a problem. There are some great Stoves out there and some really poor ones, we have a Clearview Pioneer and a Clock Blithfield both of which I can highly recommend, price and manufacturer is not always a good guide!
As for the article about spillage when refuelling a Stove, yes this can happen but if the stoves air vents are opened fully prior to refuelling and the Stove door opened nice and slowly, to allow for pressure to equalise, then any spillage should be pretty much eliminated. In my experience, virtually all problems with Logburners / Multi Fuel Stoves comes down to user error.

 

[Jay gas]

I just fitted mine In the new extension this year £80 for a tonne of seasoned wood and I love it
It’s much nicer than a gas boiler and I should know I’ve fitted more of them than I’ve had hot dinners

 

[CaliG]

I haven't had a woodburner in any of my Californias over the years but I sure like the one in my vintage Yellowstone caravan. Very cosy!

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

I haven't had a woodburner in any of my Californias over the years but I sure like the one in my vintage Yellowstone caravan. Very cosy!

Little known fact but wood burning stoves can cause human toes to grow longer and turn in on each other.

 

[Jay gas]

Little known fact but wood burning stoves can cause human toes to grow longer and turn in on each other.

Great so my hobbit feet are going to end up looking like something that should be wrapped round a perch

 

[ArunAlec]

Fair enough to study these things to make people aware and then let them choose.
Our choice was between an open fire and a multifuel stove. We're off the gas main and have an oil boiler.
After 8 years of living in the sticks it's been essential to have the capability to keep one room warm if the boiler has failed or the electric is off!

Same here! My oil fired heating is currently playing up so we would be lost without the wood burner.

 

[John Slater]

Same here! My oil fired heating is currently playing up so we would be lost without the wood burner.

Had that a couple of Christmases ago with family visiting. We replaced the 40 year old boiler later that year!

 

[ArunAlec]

Had that a couple of Christmases ago with family visiting. We replaced the 40 year old boiler later that year!

Tried to explain to SWMBO that I can fix it and she doesn’t understand that its a ”bloke thing” that I need to fix it myself. But as Christmas looms..... things aren’t looking good!
I can put up with the cold but not the daily demands for progress reports

 

[larrylamb]

Our 10 year old Clearview stove is the best thing we've ever done to our house.

 

[Wondering Star]

Anyone know anything about small wood pellet stoves.
We do have a quality wood burner using properly seasoned wood.
However after putting an air quality moniter in the room when adding extra wood the VOC /Pollutants go off the scale.