Real world experiences of log burners.
Discussion
Love ours, it heats the house better than the central heating.
To light we don't use newspaper anymore it's to smokey. Use these http://www.poundland.co.uk/home-and-pet/around-the... . 2 on the bed of ash some kindling in a latice and a log straight on top just fire it up and push door to. Petrol firelighters smell a little but these are great no smell no smoke. Takes under a minute to get going, maybe another minute to clean the glass if needed.
To light we don't use newspaper anymore it's to smokey. Use these http://www.poundland.co.uk/home-and-pet/around-the... . 2 on the bed of ash some kindling in a latice and a log straight on top just fire it up and push door to. Petrol firelighters smell a little but these are great no smell no smoke. Takes under a minute to get going, maybe another minute to clean the glass if needed.
After much discussion and weighing up pros & cons, I think we're sticking to gas now.
We decided that we could deal with "the faff" if we found the right looking one for the sitting room and we didn't want the traditional cast iron style. The only one we both agreed looked good, was around £9,000. Plus fitting, Plus the flue...
Maybe in the next house.
We decided that we could deal with "the faff" if we found the right looking one for the sitting room and we didn't want the traditional cast iron style. The only one we both agreed looked good, was around £9,000. Plus fitting, Plus the flue...
Maybe in the next house.
I just bumped into a bloke loading up a LWB transporter van near me with loads of neatly cut wood. He must have got about 3-4 van loads. Started chatting to him about it and he said he had a stove, and said that nothing prepares you for how much wood you'll actually go through. He was quite chuffed with his haul.
Think he said it was all Ash too, which he called the rolls royce of wood for burning...
Anyway, I have a quote for work to be done for mine:
Labour
Including:install stove,chimney lining,making fireplace inglenook,dumping rubble £1134.00
2.Carbon-monoxide alarm-£28.00
3.Long adjustable 5’’pipe £77.00
4.Air-vent kit-£68.00
5.Other materials( screws,heat resistant silicone,spray paint,sand,cement,adhesive,etc.)- £150.00
6.Chimney closing plate-£70.00
7.Pot hanging cowl with mesh-£92.00
8.Fluelineradapter-£42.00
9.6inch(150mm)Flexible flue liner 904
Long life product-30 year warranty period-Hetas approved.
£93.80p/m-20%
£93.80-20% =£75.04x10m=£750.40
10.4’’12mmbar-£36.00
11.Fireboard £82.00x2=£164.00
Total labour materials: £2611.40
Sorry formatting was a bit odd, how toppy is this? I can't say I have a huge amount of choice, not many people do this in my area, and its adapting an existing, small fireplace.
When it comes to stoves he's given me a choice of 3, and is happy for me to source them from wherever I want, any advice?
Arada 6.1kw Ecoburn Plus 7
Newbourne 60 Freestanding Stove without side windows 7kw
Newman Hartland Beam +Blackstonehearth +Grande Vista7.5kW Stove
Just found out that my mates cousin is a tree surgeon, so looks like I'll be sorted for wood at least
Think he said it was all Ash too, which he called the rolls royce of wood for burning...
Anyway, I have a quote for work to be done for mine:
Labour
Including:install stove,chimney lining,making fireplace inglenook,dumping rubble £1134.00
2.Carbon-monoxide alarm-£28.00
3.Long adjustable 5’’pipe £77.00
4.Air-vent kit-£68.00
5.Other materials( screws,heat resistant silicone,spray paint,sand,cement,adhesive,etc.)- £150.00
6.Chimney closing plate-£70.00
7.Pot hanging cowl with mesh-£92.00
8.Fluelineradapter-£42.00
9.6inch(150mm)Flexible flue liner 904
Long life product-30 year warranty period-Hetas approved.
£93.80p/m-20%
£93.80-20% =£75.04x10m=£750.40
10.4’’12mmbar-£36.00
11.Fireboard £82.00x2=£164.00
Total labour materials: £2611.40
Sorry formatting was a bit odd, how toppy is this? I can't say I have a huge amount of choice, not many people do this in my area, and its adapting an existing, small fireplace.
When it comes to stoves he's given me a choice of 3, and is happy for me to source them from wherever I want, any advice?
Arada 6.1kw Ecoburn Plus 7
Newbourne 60 Freestanding Stove without side windows 7kw
Newman Hartland Beam +Blackstonehearth +Grande Vista7.5kW Stove
Just found out that my mates cousin is a tree surgeon, so looks like I'll be sorted for wood at least
Edited by HotJambalaya on Saturday 18th February 19:55
HotJambalaya said:
I just bumped into a bloke loading up a LWB transporter van near me with loads of neatly cut wood. He must have got about 3-4 van loads. Started chatting to him about it and he said he had a stove, and said that nothing prepares you for how much wood you'll actually go through. He was quite chuffed with his haul.
Think he said it was all Ash too, which he called the rolls royce of wood for burning...
Anyway, I have a quote for work to be done for mine:
Labour
Including:install stove,chimney lining,making fireplace inglenook,dumping rubble £1134.00
2.Carbon-monoxide alarm-£28.00
3.Long adjustable 5’’pipe £77.00
4.Air-vent kit-£68.00
5.Other materials( screws,heat resistant silicone,spray paint,sand,cement,adhesive,etc.)- £150.00
6.Chimney closing plate-£70.00
7.Pot hanging cowl with mesh-£92.00
8.Fluelineradapter-£42.00
9.6inch(150mm)Flexible flue liner 904
Long life product-30 year warranty period-Hetas approved.
£93.80p/m-20%
£93.80-20% =£75.04x10m=£750.40
10.4’’12mmbar-£36.00
11.Fireboard £82.00x2=£164.00
Total labour materials: £2611.40
Sorry formatting was a bit odd, how toppy is this? I can't say I have a huge amount of choice, not many people do this in my area, and its adapting an existing, small fireplace.
When it comes to stoves he's given me a choice of 3, and is happy for me to source them from wherever I want, any advice?
Arada 6.1kw Ecoburn Plus 7
Newbourne 60 Freestanding Stove without side windows 7kw
Newman Hartland Beam +Blackstonehearth +Grande Vista7.5kW Stove
Just found out that my mates cousin is a tree surgeon, so looks like I'll be sorted for wood at least
£75/m for 6" flue liner?! Someone is having your pants down. Think he said it was all Ash too, which he called the rolls royce of wood for burning...
Anyway, I have a quote for work to be done for mine:
Labour
Including:install stove,chimney lining,making fireplace inglenook,dumping rubble £1134.00
2.Carbon-monoxide alarm-£28.00
3.Long adjustable 5’’pipe £77.00
4.Air-vent kit-£68.00
5.Other materials( screws,heat resistant silicone,spray paint,sand,cement,adhesive,etc.)- £150.00
6.Chimney closing plate-£70.00
7.Pot hanging cowl with mesh-£92.00
8.Fluelineradapter-£42.00
9.6inch(150mm)Flexible flue liner 904
Long life product-30 year warranty period-Hetas approved.
£93.80p/m-20%
£93.80-20% =£75.04x10m=£750.40
10.4’’12mmbar-£36.00
11.Fireboard £82.00x2=£164.00
Total labour materials: £2611.40
Sorry formatting was a bit odd, how toppy is this? I can't say I have a huge amount of choice, not many people do this in my area, and its adapting an existing, small fireplace.
When it comes to stoves he's given me a choice of 3, and is happy for me to source them from wherever I want, any advice?
Arada 6.1kw Ecoburn Plus 7
Newbourne 60 Freestanding Stove without side windows 7kw
Newman Hartland Beam +Blackstonehearth +Grande Vista7.5kW Stove
Just found out that my mates cousin is a tree surgeon, so looks like I'll be sorted for wood at least
Edited by HotJambalaya on Saturday 18th February 19:55
http://www.stovefitterswarehouse.co.uk/collections...
xe mini said:
dsl2 said:
Just fitted this to out new build, well pleased with it. 
That looks very nice what make is it.Your sofa looks rather uncomfortable though
http://www.gr8fires.co.uk/invicta-ove-10-kw-wood-b...
Its a Tonwerks T-eye stove, super clean burn & high efficiency but purposely low output suitable for passive house or highly insulated homes, so its not for you if you need something to really pump out the heat.
Its totally room sealed drawing its air through the floor but can be used normally with air from the room if required by doing away with the seal & raising the feet.
Its totally room sealed drawing its air through the floor but can be used normally with air from the room if required by doing away with the seal & raising the feet.
I'm a woodburner obessesive and have gone on about how I love mine on various threads like this here.
The less hands-on you are with generating your own fuel the less it makes financial sense. I love the work-ethic aspect that goes with it all though. This:
Goes to this:
Which becomes this:
...and because of it, I'm (a bit) less fat than I would have been and each pick-up load I generate is worth probably £60-£70 when it's seasoned. You don't have to do it this way but 6 years ago I'd never picked up a chainsaw or felled a tree. I love it!
The less hands-on you are with generating your own fuel the less it makes financial sense. I love the work-ethic aspect that goes with it all though. This:
Goes to this:
Which becomes this:
...and because of it, I'm (a bit) less fat than I would have been and each pick-up load I generate is worth probably £60-£70 when it's seasoned. You don't have to do it this way but 6 years ago I'd never picked up a chainsaw or felled a tree. I love it!
Our entire house is heated by a multi-fuel stove (basically a very big log burner) so we are either firing on coal or wood every day at this time of year. It is like being a Victorian light house keeper on very cold days - someone has to keep the light burning!
It is a hugely expensive way to heat a house unless you have wood (we get through about £5 of coal briquettes on a very cold day) and is a pain in the arse first thing on a frosty morning so we're getting a boiler but I do love having it firing away so it will stay as a feature somewhere. I have about a year's supply of logs in the shed or drying in a pile and another 4-5 in trees I will be felling over the next year or two.
The dirt from wood and ash is unavoidable but we live in the country so have mostly hard tile floors which are swept often. The plus side is that you get very good at lighting fires which is a proper man-skill. I just have to look at the f
ker now and it lights!
It is a hugely expensive way to heat a house unless you have wood (we get through about £5 of coal briquettes on a very cold day) and is a pain in the arse first thing on a frosty morning so we're getting a boiler but I do love having it firing away so it will stay as a feature somewhere. I have about a year's supply of logs in the shed or drying in a pile and another 4-5 in trees I will be felling over the next year or two.
The dirt from wood and ash is unavoidable but we live in the country so have mostly hard tile floors which are swept often. The plus side is that you get very good at lighting fires which is a proper man-skill. I just have to look at the f
ker now and it lights!sidekickdmr said:
marcusgrant said:
captainzep - very nice. The trees you chop down, how do you find them? Do you just go to a wood and chop them down?
Dont do this 
you'll end up in trouble in no time!Im assuming he has his own trees/woods, or knows someone that does.
I live in rural west Wales. The felled ash in the first pic is on my Gran's land, although I'd best not take any more...
It's an area which saw a lot of English people wanting to do the "Good Life" thing in the 80's buying smallholdings etc. Now they're at retirement age there's often someone who wants a tree taken down or hedge tidied up. I take a look and if it's something within my capabilities (and if I have the time) I'll turn up with the chainsaw and do it for free if I can have the wood. You only need to do this 2-3 times a year depending on the size of the tree. I've not run out of logs yet...
bulldong said:
I agree with the comments about ash being the best for burning.
We are very pleased with ours. Heats the whole house to a temperature which is impossible to reach with CH without burning £20 notes.
Ash is my favourite, partly because it's splits so straight and easily, partly because of that lovely orangey, slightly purple-blue flame which gets the stove so hot.We are very pleased with ours. Heats the whole house to a temperature which is impossible to reach with CH without burning £20 notes.
Currently getting through a load of Beech I was given from a dead tree which was an absolute pig to split, but it's dry and burns very hot too.
Oak is the one that I've been disappointed by so far. I know it takes an age to season but even when the moisture meter is reading 15-20% it never seems to get going or get really hot.
captainzep said:
Ash is my favourite, partly because it's splits so straight and easily, partly because of that lovely orangey, slightly purple-blue flame which gets the stove so hot.
Currently getting through a load of Beech I was given from a dead tree which was an absolute pig to split, but it's dry and burns very hot too.
Oak is the one that I've been disappointed by so far. I know it takes an age to season but even when the moisture meter is reading 15-20% it never seems to get going or get really hot.
I'm currently burning a load of birch, and not very well seasoned birch at that. For 30 odd years of firewood making I've always avoided birch as I felt it would be more like a soft wood and hard to dry but when I was asked to clear a small coppice for a mate for a house build, I took the wood anyway as my supplies were running low.Currently getting through a load of Beech I was given from a dead tree which was an absolute pig to split, but it's dry and burns very hot too.
Oak is the one that I've been disappointed by so far. I know it takes an age to season but even when the moisture meter is reading 15-20% it never seems to get going or get really hot.
I'ts been a revelation, I only cut it down last autumn and it still feels heavy and unseasoned but it burns great. Quick to light, lots of heat, and slow to burn down. Already looking for the next batch.
I've one of these in the basement, driving three radiators upstairs. 1 Cubic Metre of seasoned logs lasts about a week, or it burns about 25 quids worth of coal in the same time, but it runs much hotter. (minus 20's are common in our winter). If the glass gets dirty open the flue damper to burn it off, or dampen a scouring pad, dip in the ash from the fire and the soot just wipes off.
http://www.prity-bg.com/products/products.php?lang...
http://www.prity-bg.com/products/products.php?lang...
brrapp said:
captainzep said:
Ash is my favourite, partly because it's splits so straight and easily, partly because of that lovely orangey, slightly purple-blue flame which gets the stove so hot.
Currently getting through a load of Beech I was given from a dead tree which was an absolute pig to split, but it's dry and burns very hot too.
Oak is the one that I've been disappointed by so far. I know it takes an age to season but even when the moisture meter is reading 15-20% it never seems to get going or get really hot.
I'm currently burning a load of birch, and not very well seasoned birch at that. For 30 odd years of firewood making I've always avoided birch as I felt it would be more like a soft wood and hard to dry but when I was asked to clear a small coppice for a mate for a house build, I took the wood anyway as my supplies were running low.Currently getting through a load of Beech I was given from a dead tree which was an absolute pig to split, but it's dry and burns very hot too.
Oak is the one that I've been disappointed by so far. I know it takes an age to season but even when the moisture meter is reading 15-20% it never seems to get going or get really hot.
I'ts been a revelation, I only cut it down last autumn and it still feels heavy and unseasoned but it burns great. Quick to light, lots of heat, and slow to burn down. Already looking for the next batch.
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