Things to remember when buying multi fuel stoves

[ElissaGilbert]

I want to install a multi fuel stove in our new house. When I told this to my sister, she immediately recommended this online seller of multi fuel stoves. Well, it’s great that we already have a provider to purchase from. But the problem is, I have no idea how to choose the right stove to buy. Can you guys give us some things to take note of when purchasing multi fuel stoves? Your replies will be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[kennyp2339]

My biggest suggestion is to find your brands and then go one youtube and watch all available videos, you will get a general consensus of what the stove is about, also pay attention to the posters location, heating requirements and house construction, you don't want to buy a stove that is barley heating a place in the south if you live up north.

 

[jetsam]

The best tip you'll get here is probably "don't buy a multifuel stove".

Wood stoves are designed to burn wood efficiently. If you require the stove to handle other fuel types, you need to engineer in compromises that a straight wood stove isn't required to make.

Stoves aren't leaky cast iron boxes with a fire inside anymore; they've got a lot of design and engineering to them (for better or worse, sometimes).

That's not to say that a multifuel stove can't make heat; it's to say that you'd use less fuel if you picked one fuel type and got an appropriate stove.

 

[begreen]

This is for the UK. If they are in an urban or suburban location or don't have a lot of room a multifuel stove may be the best option for their needs.

There are a lot of good name brands sold in England. Look for a major company like Morso, Dovre, Stanley, etc. and decide the look that fits your decor and size of stove needed to heat the area. Compare stove efficiencies, there can be quite a difference.

 

[LondonNeil]

READ the articles on a website called the stove fitters manual. they will give you the things you need to think about. In short.

1. I see you are between leeds and bradford, I'm guessing outside of a smoke control zone, but check. if you are in a smoke control zone there are still loads of stoves that can be fitted (DEFRA approved stoves) but it rules some out.
2. chimney. what state is your chimney in? think very very carefully about lining it if its an older property. if the property ws biult before...errr....about 1960 (can't remember exactly when) it is almost certainly just a brick chimney, no lining. Line it, it cost more but the stove will run better and it is so much safer.
3. If you are going try and line it, howbig is the flue? and is it straight or does it have bends? will it get 8" flexible liner, 6" or only 5" this then limits your stove choice as bigger stove need bigger flues PLUS only defra approved stoves can run on a 5" flue
4. So you've picked your liner, or not, and smoke control status, and narrowed your list of stoves a bit, or not. Now are you after a stove for a bot of ambience (like most in the UK currently) or for a serious amount of heat? and How big is your house or more importantly the room its goin in? there are plenty of simple calculators about where you can plug in a room size and it wll return a stove size in kW. now....that stove rating is improtant...but its also very much just an arbitary figure. its been tested to that and met emissions but that doesn't mean much. you don't want to go massively too big with the stove as its hard to do a small fire in a big stove, and a big fire in a small room makes the room very warm. ok you can open a window, but its not comfy. So use the calcualtors and size the stove but remember the published stove rting is a bit...well its only a rough guide.
5. Now get a 5kW stove. no really, you almost certainly will. its about the right size for a lot of UK rooms for a bit of ambience AND most importantly its easier to fit thn bigger stoves because UK building regs require additional air supplies to the room once you go over 5kW (i.e. you need mre airbricks) It's not much...something like 20cm2 per kW over 5kW and knocking an airbrick through an outside wall isn't hard, its just you'll have some making good/deorating to do. As a result evry stove shop and HETAS installer will urge you to consider 5kW stoves.
6. where the stove is going, is their a constructional hearth that meets building regs sizing (a solid concrete hearth, 500mm protrusion from the firplace jams and err....250mm either side iirc. ? if not then you either need to put one in (more work) or fit a stove that only requires a decorative hearth for ember protection.
7. ok so you've sized the stove and determined the hearth requirement, now look at some and pick a design you like the look of, check dimensions of the actual stove and check it fits including the clearannces to combustibles and noncombustibles. then make your final decision.

as for brands, there are loads. I'd suggest under £600 and you are in the realm of cheap and won't last. £600 for a 5kW and suddenly you get a decent stove. pay more and you may get better controlability or maybe not...the driver will be your budget and looks i suspect. stovax, franco belge, chanwood, morso, jotul, burley, woodwarm, arrow , dovre are but a few of the decent (and very very good brands) there are more too, just google and look around, find some you like the look of, read some reviews.

I've a stovax (british) and a franco belge (french). both great stoves, but I'd be very happy with any of the others i mentioned, or a few more.

 

[LondonNeil]

Have I done it again? I have, I've killed another thread. I basically only post when a Brit strays here, and I seem to ensure they run away! Oops.

 

[jetsam]

Have I done it again? I have, I've killed another thread. I basically only post when a Brit strays here, and I seem to ensure they run away! Oops.

I should like to retain your services for a future thread or threads to be named.

What are your rates?

 

[bholler]

Have I done it again? I have, I've killed another thread. I basically only post when a Brit strays here, and I seem to ensure they run away! Oops.

Hey atleast someone could help them. Most of us have no clue about that market

 

[LondonNeil]

Our building construction is a little different, . Your regs generally seem tighter, your stoves far far bigger and designed for heating larger, whole houses. We don't have fans (other then ecofans) we don't have catalytic stoves, we don't have automatic control. What is the same is...a stove is a stove and a flue is a flue.
Basic approach for the op is same for you I guess, check local laws, check house, hearth and flue construction, identify limitations, size flue and stove, cost flue and other install work, set stove budget, determine what you seek (ambience, heat a room, heat a floor etc), short list some stoves you think are pretty, check details.

Maybe I should change my name to Fred Assassin.

 

[bholler]

Our building construction is a little different, . Your regs generally seem tighter, your stoves far far bigger and designed for heating larger, whole houses. We don't have fans (other then ecofans) we don't have catalytic stoves, we don't have automatic control. What is the same is...a stove is a stove and a flue is a flue.
Basic approach for the op is same for you I guess, check local laws, check house, hearth and flue construction, identify limitations, size flue and stove, cost flue and other install work, set stove budget, determine what you seek (ambience, heat a room, heat a floor etc), short list some stoves you think are pretty, check details.

Maybe I should change my name to Fred Assassin.

Yeah basically the same just with different regulations and different products.