Newbie from UK looking for some basic advice on what to buy

[Fifi]

Hi just introducing myself. I'm from UK living on edge of city so would need smokeless cleanburn. Have an old victorian semi that still has fireplace/chimney in lounge. Not been used for years, just boarded off at moment. Mainly use central heating but last year we actually had more snow than I've ever seen around here before, and my Mum was visiting and I thought it would have been great to have some sort of wood burning stove for harsh winters/emergency power cuts etc. The area is central/southern UK so the climate is usually not too freezing but it does get around 5C below zero if we get a bad winter. The stove would be mainly to suppliment the central heating (the lounge faces north and gets quite chilly for sitting in the evenings) and I would also like one that I can boil water on the top if the electric went off. My room is approx. 14 x 14 foot. Oh and I thought multifuel would be good so I want to have that option. And the clearwash door cleaning system.

I have had one site survey from a local company so far who have suggested that my chimney breast/mantlepiece etc. are very solid (which is true) and that the easiest option would be to site the stove in front on the grate with the flu venting out the back and up the chimney. This would also then give clearance to put kettle on top. They said thought that this would mean sweeping costs would be more as it would take two men to move it each time, unless I had a "ash box" higher up.

My main questions are:
What is ash box higher up chimney breast?
Looking at stoves on internet some quote as having a hotplate for boiling kettles etc. Have read that this is necessary as they direct the heat differently and that other stoves the top doesn't get hot enough. MY sister says one she had wouldn't boil on top. One company I phoned said some are hot enough even without hotplate. As optional emergency cooking is one of my main criteria I'd like some clarification on this.

How do chimney's get swept once you have a stove? Do they all need removing each time anyway? Is it once a year that this needs doing? (bearing in mind my intended usage wouldn't be too heavy).

Any ideas on lifespan of say a mid-range multipfuel stove with light usage?

I also wanted to try roasting some chestnuts in it are there any special requirements?

If the whole thing gets too expensive/complicated I may just get the chimney swept so I could use an open fire if it got really cold but I can see myself never bothering with using that as it's more hassle to keep remove/replace draught excluding board etc.

Hope this is in the correct section.

Fifi

 

[raybonz]

Welcome to the forum Fifi! I don't know what stoves are available in the UK but we have a regular member here from the UK that goes by the name Woodchip and he may know..

Good Luck!

Ray

 

[woodchip]

Hi Fifi,

A warm welcome, I've pm'ed you, but in case the picture didn't come out on the pm, I have a Clarke Regal woodstove, as below:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-regal-stove

It puts out a surprising amount of warmth, which means you are not stuck in the cold if you have a power cut!

If you have a free (or cheap) supply of wood, you will cut down your utility bills no end, and have a feeling of independance as a bonus.

You can also cook or boil a kettle on the flat top of the Regal, it get extremely hot:

Best thing to do is get a chimney sweep in first, get the chimney swept, and download the product catalogue from Clarke's website, and show him what he thinks.

The Regal has been around a while now, and there may be newer ones out there from other manufacturers which might be better for you.

Let us all know how you get on!

 

[woodchip]

My main questions are:
What is ash box higher up chimney breast?
Looking at stoves on internet some quote as having a hotplate for boiling kettles etc. Have read that this is necessary as they direct the heat differently and that other stoves the top doesn't get hot enough. MY sister says one she had wouldn't boil on top. One company I phoned said some are hot enough even without hotplate. As optional emergency cooking is one of my main criteria I'd like some clarification on this.

How do chimney's get swept once you have a stove? Do they all need removing each time anyway? Is it once a year that this needs doing? (bearing in mind my intended usage wouldn't be too heavy).

Any ideas on lifespan of say a mid-range multipfuel stove with light usage?

I also wanted to try roasting some chestnuts in it are there any special requirements?

If the whole thing gets too expensive/complicated I may just get the chimney swept so I could use an open fire if it got really cold but I can see myself never bothering with using that as it's more hassle to keep remove/replace draught excluding board etc.

Hope this is in the correct section.

Fifi

Extra answers to your questions........

The ash box they mention is a soot door set in the chimney which I have which means you just open the door and sweep the chimney.
The lifespan of a multifuel stove will depend on how scrupulous you are with cleaning, leaving old ash and crud inside will reduce the life, but I'm hoping mine will last me at least 10 years with regular winter use.
Don't roast chestnuts in the stove, it's so hot inside, they will explode. They will cook quite happily on top in some tin foil.

Don't even think of an open fire, I used one for 25 years here before getting the stove installed, now I can keep really warm.
Before, with the open fire, I was never that hot indoors, even when chucking logs on every 20 minutes.

And one thought about wood stoves, you might be thinking about using one as a standby......

That's how I thought.

Last winter, we used the central heating as a backup to the stove, and cut our gas bill from over £1000 for 2009/10 down to under £260 for 2010/11.

And we were warmer........ outside on Christmas day here was 14f, in our lounge it was 92f. Sitting in T shirt and shorts ;-)

 

[Fifi]

Thanks Woodchip will mention that make to the ppl I'm getting a quote from. I read chestnuts don't explode if you cut a cross slits in them but maybe they would anyway if it was so hot?

Is that pineapple rings underneath?

How long does kettle take to boil? What you cooking in them pots lol?

The soot box thing sounds quite a good idea maybe I'll get a quote for with and without. How big is it? I assume it might be quite hard for them to make the hole but cheaper than trying to knock out the whole existing fire surround.

Wood isn't so plentiful around here but I can put scrounge feelers out to friends and neighbours and maybe get some freebies if any are having tree pruning done etc. I have a friend who does an annual fireworks/bonfire party and he gets give lots of free wood people are throwing out.....for an invite to the party lol.

The catalogue they gave me was for Yeoman stoves which is obviously the main make they stock, they look quite nice. I quite fancy one of the little "Exmoor" models. Have found the Stovax (Yeoman) site and e-mailed asking if their flat tops get hot enough for boiling water.

Fifi

 

[Jags]

I would caution the use of multi fuels. If its a good wood stove, its not a very good coal stove. If it makes a good coal stove, it probably will not make a good wood stove. Air is directed differently for the different fuels.

 

[gyrfalcon]

Wood isn't so plentiful around here but I can put scrounge feelers out to friends and neighbours and maybe get some freebies if any are having tree pruning done etc. I have a friend who does an annual fireworks/bonfire party and he gets give lots of free wood people are throwing out.....for an invite to the party lol.

Fifi

Time for the wood seasoning advice for stove newbies. If you are to burn easily and efficiently, get decent heat out of your stove and avoid the risk of chimney fires from creosote build-up, you must have well-seasoned (or "dry") wood. In the States, it's very rare to be able to find truly seasoned wood. That means wood that's been cut, split (crucial!) and stacked out in sun and wind for at least a year, preferably two or three. Getting a proper fuel supply is the most difficult thing to manage for new burners. In the States, when wood suppliers advertise "seasoned" wood, almost always it's not even close.

If you use the search box for this site, you will find innumerable sometimes very long discussions about what "seasoned" or "dry" wood means for modern stoves. I'm sure there's also some articles about it in the Wiki or elsewhere on the main part of the site. Bottom line is that whether we buy it from a supplier or cut it ourselves, most of us find it's necessary to have a place to stack a couple years' supply on our own property in order to have properly seasoned wood to burn.

Don't even think about using those recently pruned limbs this winter.

 

[woodchip]

Is that pineapple rings underneath? No, apple rings

How long does kettle take to boil? About 10 minutes, depends on how hot the stove is

What you cooking in them pots lol? Stew and dumplings on the left, cooking a ham in cider on the right

The soot box thing sounds quite a good idea maybe I'll get a quote for with and without. How big is it? It is about 7 inches square

I assume it might be quite hard for them to make the hole but cheaper than trying to knock out the whole existing fire surround.
It involved the removal of three or four bricks. Mine's outside, as our house is detached. If it's on an inside chimney breast, you could hang a picture or something over it to hide the door

Fifi

The Exmoor stove looks quite nice, have you looked at the Aarow site, they are made near where we live.
http://www.ukstoves.co.uk/product-catalogue/Aarrow_Stoves

If seasoned wood is your problem, some people do burn pallets on their stoves.
The downside is they burn fast, and a pile of old chopped up pallets looks really grim inside your lounge.
Unless you have a log basket and keep a few nice looking logs on top just for display purposes...... ;-)

 

[raybonz]

Woody that's a nice looking stove you have there and glad you found this thread as I thought you'd be the best resource..

Ray

 

[woodchip]

No worries Ray, thanks for the tipoff!

I'm on holiday for a week in Wales now, I suspect the stove will be lit as soon as we get home.....

Almost looking forward to coming home ;-)

 

[raybonz]

No worries Ray, thanks for the tipoff!

I'm on holiday for a week in Wales now, I suspect the stove will be lit as soon as we get home.....

Almost looking forward to coming home ;-)

Have a good holiday Woody! I understand what you mean I ran my stove last night started with a 1/4 of a Super Cedar firestarter.. I just got up and it is 42 degrees F outside and still 71 inside with just a small fire.. Gotta love that!

Ray

 

[raybonz]

Hi Fifi,

A warm welcome, I've pm'ed you, but in case the picture didn't come out on the pm, I have a Clarke Regal woodstove, as below:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-regal-stove

It puts out a surprising amount of warmth, which means you are not stuck in the cold if you have a power cut!

If you have a free (or cheap) supply of wood, you will cut down your utility bills no end, and have a feeling of independance as a bonus.

You can also cook or boil a kettle on the flat top of the Regal, it get extremely hot:

Best thing to do is get a chimney sweep in first, get the chimney swept, and download the product catalogue from Clarke's website, and show him what he thinks.

The Regal has been around a while now, and there may be newer ones out there from other manufacturers which might be better for you.

Let us all know how you get on!

Are you drying pineapple slices under your stove Woody? That's a clever way to get the most out of your stove beside heating and cooking!

Ray

 

[Fifi]

Thanks for all the advice so far. A sweep is coming on Fri. to get it all swept and ready and checked and he said he was happy to give advice and he knows about wood burners. At least it will be ready for an ordinary open fire even if the wood burner idea proves too expensive to do this year.

The soot box thing doesn't sound too big so that might be the route to go, I already have a nice big picture hanging there lol.

I shall take note of the wood supply advice, so far I just have some wood from my old sofa ready and started gather some odd sticks that are lying around to start practicing drying them out but I won't use them this year. Will buy in some for the first year and try to find a reputable dealer so I at least get a chance of it being reasonably ready. I guess if I get into it I will need a "wood store". So far I have gotten one of those plastic box stores underneath a covered car port area to put the dry stuff in, that gets good sun, so the drying out sticks are sitting on top.

I also got a baby chimenea thing that was on sale to start learning how to start a fire outside where it's safer.

I hope woodchip has a nice holiday.

Fifi

 

[woodchip]

Are you drying pineapple slices under your stove Woody? That's a clever way to get the most out of your stove beside heating and cooking!

Ray

Apple rings. We have a small orchard, and try to dry as many as possible, they are so expensive to buy, and free to make.

And yes, I try to make my wood do as much work as possible whilst it's burning ;-)

 

[raybonz]

Are you drying pineapple slices under your stove Woody? That's a clever way to get the most out of your stove beside heating and cooking!

Ray

Apple rings. We have a small orchard, and try to dry as many as possible, they are so expensive to buy, and free to make.

And yes, I try to make my wood do as much work as possible whilst it's burning ;-)

Now I know where us New Englanders get our frugality from! I have thought of baking apples on top of the woodstove but haven't done it yet.. Gotta do that this year..

Ray

 

[Fifi]

The sweep couldn't come he had a prang in his van, I have to wait until Sat.

I never seen dried apple rings, how do you store after drying?

Fifi

 

[woodchip]

I store them in kilner jars.

With this years harvest, I hope to fill at least half a dozen jars, they hold about 2lb each, so that is a lot of apple rings

 

[Fifi]

Hi sorry I haven't been back on, busy lots of work at the mo. Well the sweep came and swept it all out, he advised:

I have all the original Victorian bits in quite good condition, it might be shame to get rid of as some people are paying lots to have that sort of stuff put back in, why not try it as is for one winter to see if I like.

So that combined with the fact that the firecplace isn't big enough to do what I really wanted with a wood burner and would require lots of knocking out I've decided to do the open fire thing this winter. I can see the wood burners would be much better so I haven't completely given up the idea, maybe next year.

There's a small hole that needs filling with fire cement first and hopefully my handyman guy is coming this week to do that and make a draught board the easily slots in/out which should keep most of draught out when I'm not using fire.

Will try to post a pic of the fireplace.

In the meantime I got a small chiminea for the garden to start practicing with, my first ever fire lol......smoke....smoke.....had to get the neighbour to come help.... then my first ever chestnut roast.....burn offerings at first but the second batch was ok...think I'll try marshmallows next. It hasn't been cold enough yet to use it much but I feel a nip in the air yesterday.

Fifi

 

[Fifi]

OK I've had my first fire and tonight doing my second one, here's a couple of pics. Tried boiling kettle on trivet tonight took....... less than 30 mins. I forgot to check on it exactly.

Tried toasting a marshmallow last time, got a nasty goooey mess lol, looked up some instructions and had another go tonight and got a nice crispy outer with a soft inner....result.

Fifi

 

[raybonz]

Very nice Fifi! Looks like that fireplace has been around a very long time!

Ray

 

[woodchip]

Nice looking fireplace there Fifi.

If it looks like we'll have power cuts (which at the moment, it doesn't), might be worth keep a thermos of hot water handy so a cup of tea is never far away!

You'll never see me far from a cuppa..... ;-)

 

[Fifi]

It's original Victorian the sweep said it would be a shame to knock it out so I've stuck with it for now and it's obviously much cheaper than trying to install a burner.

I'm thinking "useful if we have any power cuts this year, it was more snow than usual last year but my area didn't have any cuts.....always a first time though...I could sell tea and hot soup to the neighbours lol".

Fifi

 

[Fifi]

Oh BTW I did try a cup of tea.....it was hot enough but it tasted rather smokey...is this normal? Or maybe it's because it's the first use of the cast iron kettle? I put some of the rest of the water in a hot water bottle ready for my bed. It was too heavy to easily pour so I poured from the kettle into a jug and then used that to make the tea and fill the bottle.

Fifi

 

[woodchip]

Nothing wrong with smoky tea, when I was in outback Australia years ago, we always made tea in a billy can, and it was always smoky.

Something I do out on the firepit here now and again in Summer just to remind myself of how tea could be ;-)

 

[Fifi]

aha well ok I expect if there was a power cut and that was my only source of tea I wouldn't mind it a little smokey! I finally managed to do a perfect toasted marshmallow......next I think I will try maybe a corn cob and a jacket potato in foil.

I found a local company that deliver the smokeless coal to save me trying to lift the big bags. I'm not lighting it every night, only if I'm in early and it's really cold as there is obviously some work the next day...but I've found it only takes around 15 mins to sweep out the old ash and restock the coal bucket so not too bad.

Do you have snow in your part of UK yet Woodchip? None here yet but did have some gusty wind storms, nearly got blown off the bike.

Fifi