Wood burners / Wood burning stoves

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
Personally I would like to know how the ones you mention were installed and maintained before making any assumptions.
 

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
I have a woodburner, it is a mine field when coming to get them fitted you get told allsorts! It is best to go to a reputable dealer and have them fitted by a hetas registered fitter! You should have a flue installed in your chimney although some fitters who aren't registered with hetas will tell you different! It is a costly exercise because the local company we bought from didn't tell us about the hetas fitting he was just looking to sell the burner without mentioning the hetas bit, we thought our builder we had in could fit it at the time, who has apparently fitted loads round stafford. But this isn't the case get the proper advice and go through hetas! You also have to have your chimney swept once a year and get a certificate for it to present to the house insurancers should there be any problems, again by a hetas registered person!
 

Catabatic

Well-Known Forumite
Our primary heat source, central heating and water, for many years out in the sticks was a free standing wood burner. Never had a problem but I had lined the chimney with a stainless steel liner.
 

Graham

Graham
A good chimney is a must with a log burner. Problems are usually caused by a combination of factors: Burning wood of too high a moisure content; not running the appliance at full chat; old, porous chimneys.

Air dried logs at their best will have a moisture content of approx. 15-20% which is fine. Freshly cut will be much higher depending on the species with ash being one of the driest and will burn well from green. Forget about tales of such and such species being better to burn/hotter. All wood has a very similar calorific value weight for weight and of the same moisture content but if you buy your wood in make sure it's by volume and not weight!

Buy a suitably sized woodburner for your needs. Too big and it'll be running below its optimum and the smoke generated will condense in the chimney depositing tars where chimney fires start. With the correct burner there will be enough heat to burn the gases and tars in the smoke.

Make sure the chimney is up to the job. Preferably install a liner which will heat up easily, take away flue gases without leaking and be easy to sweep.

He who cuts wood gets warm twice. He who buys wood only gets warm once :)
 

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
Just saw a clip of the tap's chimney of fire at the beginning of the BBC 1 o'clock news. Didn't catch exactly what was said, but think the jist was the same as your OP.
 

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
Kickstart said:
Graham said:
but if you buy your wood in make sure it's by volume and not weight!
Err, did you mean that to be the other way round?

All the best

Keith
I would imagine not, I would assume Graham was saying don't buy wet wood by weight as you will be paying extra for the weight of the water in the wood.
 

Graham

Graham
Rikki said:
Kickstart said:
Graham said:
but if you buy your wood in make sure it's by volume and not weight!
Err, did you mean that to be the other way round?

All the best

Keith
I would imagine not, I would assume Graham was saying don't buy wet wood by weight as you will be paying extra for the weight of the water in the wood.
Yes. Thanks
 

Kickstart

Well-Known Forumite
Hi

Sorry, I was reading it that if you bought by volume you could get very little weight of wood for the volume.

About 2 years ago my father had a couple of sacks of wood for his stove which turned out to be scrap offcuts of oak. That stuff lasted ages in the fire.

All the best

Keith
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
We've recently built a open-sided wood shed for this very purpose, it's amazing how little weight there is in properly dry wood, but it burns so much better.
 

MarkyD

Marcus
They're safe so long as you don't;

* Burn things you shouldn't. I.E Plastics, cans, explosive objects etc...
* Build them up too much (depending on the size of your stove) causing huge flames. As it might set your chimney on fire.
* Buy a fire guard to stop hot spitting embers from moist logs or coal getting on your carpet.
* Unless your stove has doors and air chokes (vents that close to stop oxygen getting in) then PUT THEM OUT before you go to bed or leave your home.

Other than that, enjoy. Nothing beats a nice warm log fire :)
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
Thoroughly recommend them, very efficient compared to open fires or gas 'log' fires. Just make sure you take chimney advice from a reputable supplier / installer. We used a firm in Newport. Shropshire Stoves I think they were called.
 

Ecker

Well-Known Forumite
There was a report on the BBC Midlands news on wednesday around 13:30 featuring the chimney fire at the Tap and Spile.

A considerable part of the report was taken up with the problems of burning wood of too high a moisture content which backs up Graham very well.
 

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
One thing noone tells you is to be careful bringing logs into the house check for woodworm!
 

WildwoodPaul

Well-Known Forumite
My mate has a log burner, recently fitted, randomly the one on the BBC the other day. It's extremely warm and relaxing. However I think I'm too lazy to cut the wood up and get it going etc.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I did put a small one in my Dad's shed a few years ago - keeps him from under my Mum's feet.
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sooty

Active Member
There have been four fires caused by wood burning stoves recently and the fire service have called on people not to leave them alight when they go out or when they go to bed. Has anyone got one? Would you recommend having one?
Can I just say, not all qualified people are competent, check the HETAS Register, I am a HETAS registered installer, chimney engineer and sweep, and will happily answer any questions on fires of any type.
Most fires are caused by DIY fitters, and incompetent builders, neither of These are legally allowed to touch chimneys or fires.
If you DIY fit, you are breaking the law and endangering lives. It is perfectly safe to leave a woodburner or Multifuel stove overnight, if fitted correctly. Would you let anyone play with your gas boiler? Therefore call an expert, I am always happy to help and good advice is not only free it saves lives
07879048679
 

sooty

Active Member
Does any one know of a stockist for Eco Logs? in Stafford
Briquettes made of hard wood
You can buy them online, there are many suppliers
However
A lot are produced in the far east and India and are made from unsustainable resources
Some are much better than others
Be careful when buying ask a lot of questions

Need anymore help, just ask!
 
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