Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Coal or Wood Burning?  (Read 23060 times)

Sandy

  • Guest
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2012, 09:18:17 pm »
We have 2 open fires and heaps and heaps of wood, the chimney pot from our Inglenook fire fell off and as we also need repairs, we may consider a wood burner but not sure it would spoil the look of the room...I do think we would find it more economical but then again, we only light the fire when we have the heating on low or its very cold!!!!!!!

Small Farmer

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Bedfordshire
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2012, 09:25:39 pm »
I would urge you to get a wood burner if you have lots of wood.  We run it all the time and keep the central hearing down.  When it was an open fire it produced a bucket of ash a day and draughts like Siberia.  Now it's homely and cosy - and much cheaper to run
Being certain just means you haven't got all the facts

ramblerskitchen

  • Joined Nov 2010
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2012, 09:27:17 pm »
i installed a stove about 20 years ago which is dual fuel.  I usually used as a woodburner, but when its really cold and I want to keep the fire in overnight, I burn coal.  Just need to move the grates at the bottom which takes seconds and can be done whilst still burning.  One of my better purchases.

johnmac

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Perth
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #18 on: February 02, 2012, 09:52:16 pm »
I've got a multifuel stove 8.9kw

A Firefox. Great value and it burns wood and coal! Important to have multi options in case you run out of one!

I fitted my stove myself. Technically 'illegal' but I did it properly and fitted a carbon monoxide alarm to be ultra safe. Total cost of installation and stove £1000.

Fuel bill for oil (drafty old farmhouse with poor insulation) went from 2,200l of oil two winters to 500l last winter (coldest winter in 100yrs!!)

Still have an open fire in the other room... Inefficient as hell compared with the stove!


doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
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Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #19 on: February 03, 2012, 11:43:23 am »
Yes, they are very economical but can be expensive to install.  I had no chimney so needed a special double skinned pipe and fire insulated wall panel as well as a reinforced concrete plinth - total was £4500 for all work, materials and fire (a well made more expensive one as some of the cheaper models just don't last and don't give out the heat.) - a lot of money but definitely well worth it.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

Goldcraig

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • North Ayrshire
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #20 on: February 18, 2012, 07:58:14 am »
We have decided to fit a multi fuel burner in place of the coal fire....Are they easy to install into an existing chimney opening?...chimney liner, flue and regulator plate?
Trust me.....I'm a Chef !!

johnmac

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Perth
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #21 on: February 18, 2012, 09:00:32 am »
Are you thinking of installing yourself??

There were big building regulation changes back in 2000? That mean its got be signed off of you do it yourself, or fitted by an installer at massive cost!

I fitted mine myself in a pre existing fireplace, which made things easier!

http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/

Is a great website for showing you what you need for installation. I sourced my liner and register plate from other places. I also back filled the chimney with vermiculite (micafil) readily available from most builders merchants.

All in all, stove £360 (Firefox 8.5kw multifuel stove) £400 for 10m of liner, £30 for carbon monoxide meter, £100 for vermiculite, £50 for pipes/fittings and fire cement.

So did it all for £1000. If I'd got someone else to do it it would have cost £3000+

It's not 'signed off' but I did it 100% properly and safely! Two years later still going strong and saving me a fortune in heating my drafty old farmhouse!

One tip.... Buy the correct sized stove!! Our room calculator said 4kw was enough for the room size. But allowing for drafts and heating other rooms went for the 8.5kw!

Enjoy

LouiseG

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Appleby-in-Westmorland
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #22 on: February 18, 2012, 09:45:33 pm »
With regard to signing them off officially, if you don't have them signed off by the relevant authorised body your household insurance is void for any fire related claims even if nothing to do with your wood burner.

We had an AGA one fitted last summer and have had such a lovely cosy winter with the heating barely on. And we've only burnt free wood so far  :) the stove and fitting cost us just under £2000.

Would go for our woodburner over our old open fire any day.
So many ideas, not enough hours

Yeoman

  • Joined Oct 2010
  • South Northamptonshire
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #23 on: February 20, 2012, 06:13:47 pm »
A rule of thumb is that with an open fire 80% of the heat gets wasted up the chimney but with a stove 80% stays in the room.

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #24 on: February 21, 2012, 07:55:56 pm »
You can install yourself and get the installation signed off by a solid fuel heating engineer. Just read all the regs so you don't get caught out when he inspects. Building Control at the council should have them.

Coal is rubbish nowadays. We were advised by a solid fuel heating engineer to burn smokeless to get better heat output and save on the annual chimney sweeping necessary for house insurance if you burn wood or ordinary coal.

Given the choice we would have woodburners without a doubt. Round here there is so much from garden tree clearances they just light a bonfire to get rid. Tons of the stuff wasted so we could heat for the price of cutting and collection. Problem is the 1830 house has a 6 flue chimney stack 45 feet high. Messing about enlarging the builder's aperture could bring the whole lot down! So we are stuck with little coal fires.

sausagesandcash

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • UK
    • IrishHandcraft
Re: Coal or Wood Burning?
« Reply #25 on: February 22, 2012, 10:07:20 pm »
In my opinion, if the size of the house warrants it, a multi-fuel stove is the way to go. Our house is 3500 sq ft, and we fitted the largest stove we could find 29Kw (Hercules). We have not used oil since we installed it. A nice mix of Anthracite, ecobrite, wood and turf goes for hours. Our stove was fitted to a pre-existing chimney and works superbly. We had a back boiler in before that, which was great as we had all the water pipes present.

 

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