Hi anyone have a wood burner how easy are they to get going and especially cleaning I struggle to get up and down my bills are big they want near £400per month so really considering switching .
heating : Hi anyone have a wood burner how easy... - NRAS
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Vonnie10
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I have had a stove for the last 30 years, it is a multi stove and I burn solid fuel. I can honestly say it is the best money I have ever spent. I have just had my delivery of fuel and although it has increased in price by £8 a bag (I get 5 at a time) even at £150 it is cheap, I probably won't light it till about Oct and it will last me till about March.
I don't light it every day as it gets that hot my living room is still warm the day after. It can take a little time to get use to one but they aren't complicated even my 11 year old grandson can sort it. They only take about 5 minutes to clean out but if you can't kneel down easily you might have a problem with it.
I went the shop today he said do I want multi fuel or solid I don't know the difference. Hubby can clean it but you know they never clean the same as us woman
I would say a multi fuel so you can burn solid fuel or you take the bars out and burn wood. I've only tried wood once but I found it burnt away too quickly ( I might have done something wrong🙄) I've always run mine on solid fuel and found it cheap. I have a galvanised coal bunker outside for storage and buy a quarter ton at a time (5 bags)
There isn't much to clean really apart from the glass just a wipe with a damp cloth for the body and I polish mine once a year with grate polish.
I would check out fuel merchants and ask their advise on the best to burn because it can be trial and error, you can usually buy small bags of solid fuel to try. Oh and get a cast iron stove not an enamel thing
😂
Besides having to bend down as you age, consider the dust a wood-burner produces (so considered polluting in some quarters). Solid fuel better.
Thanks
We don’t use ours any more. Huge contributor to air pollution. Slightly less damaging if you burn smokeless fuel.
Why my husband won’t have one as as you say it’s a huge environmental pollutant. I think many people don’t realise this. His sister doesn’t give a flying fig about the environment in any way and they have a wood burning stove and it’s like a sauna in their lounge and they sit in beach clothes.
😂 I have this vision in my head of people in beach clothes sipping cocktails in front of the fire 🔥
They are just very ... errr .. odd!!
Hi neo I'm afraid needs must with the huge rise in cost I have a loveky fire now very modern but sadly will have to go.
It’s awful what hardship so many of us are going to go through 😑 re laying heating bills and I understand fully you want a more economical option. Hope you are alright, Vonnie. 💗
Woodburners are carbon neutral, they are one of the most environmental ways of warming your home.In Scotland they have cut down 13.9 million trees to build wind farms. ( worth noting 22 million trees have been planted) but if you are worried about carbon it's worth noting these are small trees that'll take decades before they have any effect on carbon levels. It's also worth noting the terrible pollution coursed by the short life span of the blades used in wind generation. Some only ten years before the end up in land fill. That's before you take into account the billions of birds killed by them.
Light your fire enjoy the the natural and environmentally friendly heat.
Headlines only ever tell you what they want you to think.
If you are interested in understanding more about carbon, and it's effect on global warming Dr Patrick Moore the Co-Founder of green peace has a fascinating insight into global warming. If nothing it's an interesting topic to research, I hope you find it interesting
My pollution information is from the University of Leicester. Not headlines!
Have a look at what the Co-founder of greenpeace has to say. He's also linked to university's Burning wood is carbon neutral. It maybe that this message has been lost in dogma
Science should be based on evidence that looks at all possibilities. Not political driven agenda.
I commented not to Criticise, but out of interest, it's a Science based point of veiw that is supported but over 32,000 independent scientists. But one that receives very little publicity.
In times where most of us are struggling to pay the bills where heating our homes is a luxury and are fearful of what this winter is going to bring us. Burning wood is an environmental option that may became a necessity.
Using electricity even from wind farms is far less environmental.
Its a great shame the British government decided a luxury super marina is more important than harnessing title power in Wales.
Nothing made of the materials used for wood burners are carbon neutral! Burning wood is not carbon neutral. We have a wood burner to supplement an air source heat pump in the nw of Scotland. It’s necessary.
Lol just as with heat pumps making them has an environmental impact. The problem with heat pumps is powering them, as we've seen wind farms aren't anywhere near as environmentally friendly as hopped ( we where told) Comparing like for like woodburning stoves are still the most environmental option. In January when the UK is hit by the predicted power cuts everyone with a stove in there home will be warm while those with heat pumps will be cold.
Please don't get me wrong if I had my own home and could afford it I would have both a heat pump and a stove. As it is its been 20years since my landlord has had my 1960/ 70s boiler serviced. The single glazed windows are cracked and the rain pours into the sitting room if the wind blows in the wrong direction. I'm stuck in bed most of the time so at least I warm. Food this winter is going g to be a problem
That's the reality of 2022 britian.
The problem with heat pumps is badly insulated homes. They're best suited to newbuilds which have an adequate level of insulation and underfloor heating is the most effective - that;s just my experience. But we shouldnt underestimate the cost of fitting the whole thing. Its not like plumbing in a new boiler. Ane everything has an environmental cost doesnt it.
Everything we do has an impact along with an ongoing cost. As so often those who have, pay less than those who don't.There are working families far worse off than us, who live in worse conditions.
The cold and the damp makes my condition worse but at least I can keep warmish in bed. Or better still sleep infront of the stove in the shed. The way things are looking we might have to move into it as its going to be the only place that's we can afford to heat.
On the bright side the garage is still 3rd full of fire wood. If these power cut come in then we can cook on it as well.
So many places in Highlands were in big difficulties because of power cuts during last autumns storms. The only source of heat/ cooking was their wood burners
A wood stove is the heart of the home. It's not just environmentally friendly but a life saver. As you say in the high lands when the power goes off they adapt, this is something we are all going to have to get used to.
The bottom line is super marinas for the rich are more important than tidal power projects. Power cuts are wanted, so we have to execpt it and make the best of what we can.
At the very lest get a power bank with mains out put (around £200) I've used solar pannels to charge mine for several years.
Get a camping stove and have at least 1 weeks food in the house.( in the Highlands they keep several weeks)The other day I was talking to someone who shops everyday, I had no idea people did that . Apart from it being more expensive.
I know we are coming to the end of an ice age but they still get snowed in sometimes. And of course it courses more stroms. Guess in 50 years or so it'll start cooling down again
May go live in a caravan be easier .
i lived in a caravan for a while, it was great though i need far more space now, not so easy to store a wheelchair let alone move around in one lol
Not that i can do that in the house I've been living in for the past 30 years. Hence the shed can get to everything without needingvto get up.
I'm.full of anxiety with it all driving my hub mad over it all I do hope we don't have power cuts so sad what a state our country is in..hubby says wait and see what the they say about energy this week . I have no hope in them.
Hope for the best prepare for the worst. With the choice of new Prime Minister being so poor things can only get worse for us.
I've got some solar panels and a battery station thing that'll keep the freezer running. Can cook on the stove in the shed.
Power cut or not they want the price of electricity, gas, petrol and food to go up so it will. So look on the bright side power cuts will be a way of saving of fuel costs. Lol
I think they’re going to produce a loan to keep prices down. Problem is the taxpayer is funding that. Long term consequences less important to them but they are to us
If you look at whos on the board of directors of these companies then you see why they won't put a cap on prices. The kickbacks are much better if you use the public purse to pay for the disgraceful price rises.
Britain only gets around 4% of its gas from Russia, the majority of power prodeced in the uk comes from renewable sources ie wind solar. Theresa may stopped the tidal power project (In favour of a super marina fir her super rich friends)
Crude oil price is also very low at the monment yet profits are at an all time high. Fule poverty is wanted, it hits people with disabilities and young families harder because it is wanted. It used to be that a working family could save for the future. This isnt wanted if people are struggling or in dept they are easier to control / exploit this is wanted. Hence ths high prices for basic essentials. Power cuts will be a way of reinforcing the struggle and the idea that we are responsible for climate change.
Just another excuse to cut back the nhs and sell it to corprate America. All the time not only the quality of peoples lives will be effected, but they will loose their lives. So far over 100,000 people has died while on the nhs waiting list after the disastrous way covid was handled.
Sorry if this seams off subject, but it is directly linked to the treatment available to people who live in the uk and who can't aford private health care. In the uk we haven't had to face the reality of pay or die yet.
Yes, you might as well smoke cigarettes inside as have a wood burner. Not only do they pollute the outside but inside too. They’re extremely bad for your lungs if you have RD (or breathing allergies) - not forgetting children and animals.
We do have a wood burner & have had for yrs. we use smokeless coal. It’s easy to clean they do created a lot of dust though but so does our very large dog. I love an open fire.
I agree with a lot of comments here. Smokeless coal is much kinder to the environment than wood. It burns longer and warmer and you won’t be constantly cleaning the glass. Pop a bit more on at bedtime and build a tight pile in the back corner, close all the air vents and it might still be going in the morning. You get more ash with coal than wood. We’ve installed an air source heat pump and expecting solar panels to be installed in the next couple of weeks. It’s a hefty outlay but we get about 70% back from the state for the heat pump. Nothing towards the solar panels unless you’re on benefits. I don’t know what the payback is. We’re trying to be as green as we can and hope to not be out of pocket in the long term.
We have a multi fuel stove, it’s super, we burn logs during the day and put smokeless coal on at night, it’s still going the next day. I’m in a small bungalow and it heats the whole house. The downside is the dust from it and you do have to sweep round about it regularly, I blacken ours once a year and it comes up like new. If you have one of those long handled brushes it shouldn’t be a problem. I hate looking at ash if it’s spilt through, I have to clean it after filling it up. Wouldn’t be without it. Won’t be using our central heating this year with costs the way they are. It’s not cheap if you have to buy your logs, we usually get ours free but they take a long time to dry out as you can’t burn wet logs, we have a large log shed and use logs from last year. Coal also has gone up in price. We get bags of 25kg delivered, you would also need somewhere to store your coal. There is a lot of pros and cons with it but it is worth it coming in to a lovely cosy fire.
If you do decide to buy a wood burner (or multi fuel), rather than a freestanding model perhaps you’re able to have one built in, which would reduce the need to get down on your (or hubby’s) knees to fill and clean it. ….or if not, then look at those with the longest legs! Equally as important as your choice of burner/stove is the flue….it needs to be lined and correctly installed by an improved installer. Having had one for years, they certainly are an effective way of heating (partly psychological I feel, because of the comfort factor from looking at/watching the flames! and if you buy a multi-fuel burner then you can use the ‘coal’ to keep it going overnight/when your’e out. You’ll still need a good fire guard and don’t forget to factor in a hearth (to protect flooring from any coal, wood that might accidentally fall out) and fire irons. Kiln dried wood emits less air pollutants, creates less tar within the body of the burner and flue and gives out more heat…but is more expensive than green wood, so buying a multi fuel stove could be a better solution to keep running costs lower. Your dealer will advise which smoke free fuels to use etc. as you’re area might have a ban on using other fuels. I hope I haven’t put you off, but the initial purchase price of the whole package is quite considerable. You could look for re-conditioned of course, but don’t skimp on the flue. Oh, and you’ll need a chimney sweep once a year! Good luck….I’m already imagining cosy evenings with a toasting fork and scarlet cheeks 😂. Sue.
Hi it will be installed by the correct company and brand new its £2500 with the hearth and brick insert on the inside and a wooden plinth I haven't been put off I can't justify giving them greedy companies my money
They are not cheap to install if done properly because of the flue that is needed. They can be dangerous if not installed correctly so don’t be tempted to take short cuts or use a rogue installer. You could still save money longer term though as gas and electricity prices rocket!
My son is i the process of putting a wood burner in, so we will see how he benefits from it.xxxxx
Do you or anyone in your family have asthma? As all solid fuel fires (and wood is a solid fuel) produce particles. Some are worse than others but if you have asthma all of them can exacerbate it.
Have you considered why your fuel bills are so high? As sometimes you would get the same reduction in bills by spending the money on proper insulation rather than a new stove,
Hel we don't have any chest problem this is what they predicted my bills to be infact Dec and Jan is in the over £500 mark ..my is a dorma bungalow built in the 1970 so top half of the house is nit insutalted great it's baltic up there jn winter and absolutely baking in summer down stairs isn't to bad that half is brick built. Make sense to but a wood burner will pay for ut self in a few months .
And so will money spent on insulation!
Even if the fuel is cheaper, you will still be wasting a lot of heat if your house is poorly insulated as it will be vanishing into the sky.
You may also want to consider that houses with poor energy rating can be difficult to sell and not get the best price either. Maybe you don’t want to move now, but one day you might. So get the benefit of a well insulated house now!
think its around 35 thousand pound to get my dorma re done proobaly more now with everythink costing more. and im sorry i dont have thats amount spare my houses on our lane fly out when been sold due to area and so on so not worried on that account. Downstairs is fine thats brick.its upstairs thats cold in winter and baking in summer .
£35k!!!😱. Are they insulating with gold?? Should be about a 10th of that…and you can get a grant for a good chunk of it.
We have a multi fuel burner. It heats all our 16 radiators and we don’t use any gas!! We use smokeless coal. We also use wood and is responsibly sourced! We buy from the forestry commission when they fell dead wood and thin out.We live in the country side not on a big city. There is a lot of work involved. We have a big garden to store the wood(season it)&coal.My hubby cuts it up and brings it in weekly. The cost of wood will be much more expensive if it’s cut and normally delivered in bags.
Do your research, we were told the stove would stay lit all night with 1 large log on but it won’t !!!
If you have someone to maintain it then I would recommend it. The cost of fuel will be life changing for a lot of people this year onwards.
I couldn’t maintain it if my hubby wasn’t here and I work ( cleaner )!
We've got a multi-fuel stove and will have a wood burner in the new place. Modern stoves have to meet tight restrictions, we have lots of wood from trees in our garden and will also have lots left from the build but we have also bought in eco-friendly blocks and some of them definitely stay hot enough overnight so you can fire it up the next morning without relighting it. If you want to burn non-wood products you'll need a multi fuel rather than a log burner, I think. On our current one, I can cook casseroles on the top because it has a large enough area; you could probably boil a kettle but definitely heat up a saucepan.Definitely look for one which is raised up and if it's on an outside wall, you can have an opening put on the outside so that the chimney sweep can access the chimney for cleaning without coming into the house. Hubby deals with ours but has bought a specific hoover-thingy which makes dealing with the ashes much easier.
Your are better of getting a multi fuel burner, some of the compressed sawdust fuels burn better if you can give them a riddle. Burning wood is one of the most environmental ways available to heat you home they also have great mental health benifits and give a wonderful natural heat that many claim gives health benifits.
Depending on the area you live in you may need to get a stove that have to be DEFRA Approved. This basically means the air intake can't be fully closed and it meets efficiency targets.
Also worth considering is a back boiler thought it costs more to buy and install. fitting an outside air intake ix a good idea if possible. This eliminates cold drafts .
How easy and cheaply you find it to operate depends on your disability or ability. You also need somewhere to store the wood.
I dought a hudge tree from a Tree surgeon the only cost me a £100 and filled the garage, he even cut it into manageable sized chunks that are easy to split. Unfortunately my home us rented and I only have a stove in my workshop/ shed /escape from being stuck in bed the house. Something so wonderful about sleeping in front of a real fire. I'm still burning the wood after 4 years.
I've got a spinal injury with limited movement.
If you intend to keep the fire on 24hrs might be worth getting one that you can empty the Ash tray without needing to open main door. Apart from that it's not to hard to look after.
If you live in the countryside you can pick up fallen wood if you can get out. A fire is a living friend that becomes part of your life. It's not as easy as switching on the central heating but we couldn't afford to do that last winter and this one is going to be far more expensive.
I would google, Green Doctors. Groundwork is an environmental charity that does home visits to check for fuel efficiency/ insulation etc. I would do this before spending any more money.
Vonnie10 in reply to
I've had them out my house is a semi detached dorma bungalow ..and my adjourning wall with my neighbor isn't insulated ..my nit so nice neighbor wouldn't agree to it been insulated even tho all her other 3 walls are insulated . She nit very nice she fell out with 2 neighbors ate the back her garden runs across them two and her neighbor at her otherwise and now me.
in reply to Vonnie10
Internal walls don’t need insulating, that’s more of a noise issue.
Most heat escapes through your roof, then windows, then external walls and doors. Insulation, double glazing, thermal curtains for doors & windows, draft excluders are the way to go.
Vonnie10 in reply to
I live in a dorma bungalow so heat escaping via hhr dorma.
My son has a multi fuel wood burner that can also run their heating however the (control) boiler (which also runs central heating independently) broke in Jan this year and was horrifically expensive to repair and left them without any heating for about 6 weeks. I commented to him last week that he should put a log order in asap before winter sets in and he said with the price of logs it wasn’t worth it (W Yorkshire) (sorry!). V x
I have a Jotul 118 which is a long narrow wood burning stove from Norway. I have had it for 28 years. It takes two foot long logs and burns 24 hours with just two loads of logs. Sadly they don't make them any more. Are they hard to use or clean? Clean? Other that a quick sweep out of ash every few weeks there is no cleaning. Chimney sweeping should happen 2-3 times a year, but you can pay someone to do that if you want.
Yes, you have to bend down, but what I do is have the kindling and logs close by so once I am down I don't have to get up again.
Lighting is easy for me. Six pieces of newspaper coiled up, a layer of tiny sticks, one of larger ones, then three logs, two foot long, 6 inches in diameter. Like the paper, open the damper, walk away for 15 minutes, then close the damper. But once it is lit I don't have to relight it, I just rake the coals forward and put more wood on.
But this is a large and specialist wood burner. Some things you will need to think carefully about is the output wattage. If the stove is too big for the area then you lose efficiency, you end up with too much heat. We have an open plan barn so the 8kWatts works for us, but it would be too much for a house with smaller rooms.
We also have a local source of dry wood from an estate, so you need to take that into consideration on top of how much the stove costs. And if it is vented through a chimney that hasn't been used for a while, either you will have to have it specially checked, or run a stainless steel flu pipe up it which will also cost.
So yes, it is possible if used properly to be able to combine a wood burner with arthritis, but make sure you do your sums first, as wood isn't necessarily as cheap as people think and there are other costs to installing a stove.
Wood prices are far cheaper than gas I'm in a average 3 bed house and the shop that fitting it done my last fire so it all good to go .I have a built in modern fire now.and tbe guys that fit it have been doing fires for 30 odd years so should fine he says a 5 kW should be fine.
Hi, we have a wood burner and it saves a considerable amount of money from using our electric storage heaters. We have a modern style round wood burner, the actual fire bit is high off the floor so much easier to manage, no bending down to much. It also burns clean so very little ash, no need to empty every day. It’s worth spending time researching the best model for you. ☺️
We have a stove. I'd recommend a dual fuel as coal burns more efficiently than wood in terms of getting up and down. Fill up with coal and it will last the night. With wood your up and down refilling it.
As for pollution. We use smokeless fuel. Most energy production causes pollution. Whether its miles away at a power station or mining for battery materials. It would be lovely to have solar panels everywhere but we can't afford them.
Financially its much cheaper than gas powered central heating. My husband recycles unwanted packaging wood from work to get it going. Coal to last the winter is about £150.
This is our dual burning stove, we've had it about 15 years & the best thing we ever bought.Our heating bills were astronomical, we live in a 1960's dormer bungalow. Downstairs was always freezing in winter & upstairs like an oven as heat rises.
Bought this which is based in the middle of our downstairs, the heat is amazing & enough rises to warm upstairs perfectly.
We had to have the chimney lined when it was first fitted, we get it swept regularly & last year we had to get a new inside cover for the flue, we also have the fan on top which is activated by heat & blows the heat in whatever direction you want.
We also had solar panels back when they first came out, these have needed servicing & repairing over the years & we also bought a battery 2 years ago to store more electric for us to use.
Never regretted buying both x
This is our dual burning stove
Hi we have a multi burning stove, we live in an old cottage 1850’s when we moved in 19 years ago we moved the two storage heaters out 8 months later, that first winter without the stove we froze was on a waiting list till we could have the stove fitted, the storage heaters cost so much for very little heat, we have never considered central heating, having small rooms I didn’t want to spoil with radiators we bought one with a flat top and have cooked quite a lot on the top and regularly boil the kettle, my main joy is roasting chestnuts on the top, we buy wood from local timber yard that sells large bundle of odd ends and unsaleable pieces that husband cuts up and stores or trees that have fallen locally my husband is lucky able to cut and season and we burn smokeless coal, we have bought a pallet of 40 bags for £380 that should last us two years, yes the dust is a bind but I wouldn’t change it and even the coldest days feel very lucky to be warm, just sorry that the location of the chimney we where unable to have a back boiler for water so have to heat water on the immersion heater. I do hope we don’t have the predicted power cuts but we have invested in some camping lanterns and extra candles just in case. Good luck with whatever you chose to do.
This is what im getting .. not sure if I want just a beam or a surround
Fire
We have a beam. My husband cut it too short so I call it the mustache. 😁
Vonnie10 if the upstairs of your bungalow is freezing it sound as though you would benefit from improving the insulation in the loft to help reduce your heating costs. You may be able to get a grant for that too!
lola im.in a dorma bungalow my bedroom are basically in my roof if you get what i mean.
ive asked about grants its not as easy as it made out to be typical goverment strings attached.
We've had one over the decades. Important you check your council's regulations, what's the best way to keep smoke pollution down.
Also look at the type of wood you choose to burn, i.e. not talanised.
We buy our logs already seasoned, and also store for the following Winter.
Check when your chimney was last swept?
Ok I manage the stove fine (even with painful, weak hands ) I find emptying the ash regularly rather than build up so not too heavy to carry is good to do. Stove burns better too.
I do make more trips than hubby carrying the logs in, but we stack them in the hearth and basket next to the wood burner.
Hope this helps
😊
Hello I have a wood burner I luv it leave all the doors open heats all upstairs just got a big bag of logs for £60 yer you can pick what logs your able to
You could always get some one to bring some in in a basket
I would recommend one sit on a chair and toast best thing wrap pots in tinfoil put them in ash pan best pots you’ll ever taste
That's interesting about the potatoes - how long do they take?
just like we did when we were kids on bonfire night them were the days. I will be trying it agian once i get used to using it beebeen Fittied on tbe 12 oct.
For anyone that thinks global warming is real then watch this talk given by Nobel prize winning scientist, Ivar Giaever.
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