[DippyEgg]

Hi, I need a woodburner ! There are so many to choose from . We've had a couple of installers round and they recomm3nd/sell sifferent brands.

What do you all have? I need one that is around 5kw, doesn't need an additional airvent and is safe to be on constantly during the winter months.
Thanks 

[doganjo]

I've had a few - always preferred the Scadinavian ones - they're experts because of their weather.  Currently I have a Morso Badger, 6kw output.  I only burn wood in it, but it can take coal. You can often get second hand ones when people are upgrading
I like it becasue it has a flat top I can boil water or soup on.  It has exits for flues both at the back and on top, whatever is requred

[DippyEgg]

Ooooo that sounds ideal, thank you! Off to google it....

[macgro7]

Much better option than a standard metal wood burner is a MASONRY HEATER.
Have a look:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonry_heater

You will use a lot less wood. Provides warm over much longer period of time. My both great grandmothers used to fire them only ONCE in the evening and it kept the house warm the whole night. In the morning they use the kitchen stove to heat the house.
Also the tiles won't get near as hot as metal wood stove - less risk for kids etc.

[DippyEgg]

Yes I like those maxgro7, but my husband doesn't!
Are you/were your great grandmothers Swedish?

[macgro7]

Polish. They care very popular in Poland. Even now there are loads of companies making them. There are as many designs as bathrooms or kitchens. You can actually have a kitchen tile stove.

[DippyEgg]

Oh! Didn't realise they havw them in Poland.

[pgkevet]

If you don't have access to your own wood - or to really cheap wood then think twice. Even with your own wood you have to consider the cost in time, fuel and equipment to cut cart and split the stuff.If you plan on running it all day/night then you will have to keep chucking the stuff in, sweeping it 3-4 times a year and the darned things are messy and dusty with risks of chimney fires and CO poisoning.

I have two.. a large older one with back-burner in the main house and a very modern 5KW unit in my hobby shed. OK, so they're a nice type of heat but the house one gets through a heaped wheel-barrow of timber a day easily. the one in my hobby-shed is more practical becase the shed is so well insulated. I can fire it up and in 15 mins the place is toasty and it can be banked down and left to use up it;s fule  gives me a couple of hours of heat on the coldest day without too much timber use - but still dust and mess to deal with.
I have my own woodland that needs maintaining but the workload with splitting and stacking is quite high.
When I first had the shed burner in - and it does have an additional air vent. I discovered that really stoking it to roaring set off the CO alarm and had me dizzy - I now keep a window cracked open as well. That alarm saved me.

Sit down and do your sums compared to a modern reverse flow air-con system (daikin are about the best) I have a couple of those as well ( a 3kw and a 6kw) The 6KW inverter tech draws amazingly little electricity for it's output. The 3KW is in the main bedroom and used perhaps more on those really hot days as AC for a good nights sleep than in winter for heat. The downstairs unit is clean, maintenance free and hassle free. I just popped it on now to take the chill off the early morning 20mins on and job done, switched off (6C outside before the sun came up).

We avoid the wood-burner when possible after the initial love-affair with it. Unless you sweep it yourself (which I do but hate doing) it'd cost £60 3-4 times a year here to have it done - that needs to be factored into costings.

[chrismahon]

Jotul is thought down here to be the best, although there are far cheaper units available Jotul is the one to have. We had a little Jotul 3 which burned seasoned oak down to a fine white ash- no ash tray and it didn't fill up over a whole day. Woodburners are much cheaper than oil heating or electric to buy and run, but as said they have inherent problems. I've had CO poisoning twice, first from a fire in a rental which wasn't in serviceable condition, second from knocking the fire and disconnecting the flue slightly. You must open a window before opening the fire, otherwise CO is drawn into the building. The government advises people to open all the house doors and windows for 12 minutes every day to flush out accumulating CO. People sweep the flue once or twice a year using very inexpensive kits sold in the hardware stores and take dated photos to prove to the insurance that it had been done, otherwise they won't pay out on a fire claim. But the frequency will depend on how well seasoned and dry your wood is and that takes some management, even down here. There is a lot of work involved in cutting, splitting, stacking and moving wood and it needs a lot of storage space as well as seasoning can take two years.


I prefer the oil central heating and use the woodburner just for a few hours in an evening at either side of the heating season. We burn briquettes as they occupy a quarter of the storage space of the equivalent wood. But keeping them dry is another problem as they readily absorb moisture and disintegrate.

[doganjo]

Yes I like those maxgro7, but my husband doesn't!
Are you/were your great grandmothers Swedish?

Ugly things!!!

[shep53]

Have 2 wood burners and access to free wood , burnt wood and solid fuel all my life SO LOOKING FORWARD TO MOVING TO A PROPERTY WITH GAS CENTRAL HEATING SHORTLY . You get warm 3 times burning wood first cutting and stacking then cutting and splitting  then finally burning . Like pgkevet  co2 poisoning once and alarms woken us up 3 times and 2 small chimney fires

[Maysie]

We have a HWAM and it is excellent. 

As other replies above, the Scandi ones tend to be the better end of the range as they just know what they are doing. 

The HWAM models (and sister company Wiking) have automatic heat control in the air intakes, so are easier to keep set at the right heat level as they self regulate.  They are a bit pricey, but are well worth the money. 

[macgro7]

Yes I like those maxgro7, but my husband doesn't!
Are you/were your great grandmothers Swedish?

Ugly things!!!

You can have any design you want. Any tiles. Just as you can have any tiles in the world in your bathroom.any shape as well. You can make them look exactly the same as normal fireplace - it's all about 're design inside - it has to absorb the heat and slowly release it over long period of time. I have seen some fantastic designs, small, large. In the middle of room, in the corner, fireplace design, kitchen desktop design, with a warm bench, wood drying shelves etc

[macgro7]

My uncle burns old pallets, chairs and tables from the skip to heat his central heating system - and has done that for 20 years - all you have to do is pick it up.

[pgkevet]

Old czech picture books show village houses and farm houses with large stone stoves.. built as a 5 foot by 3 foot block with a waisthigh fire hole.. used for baking and casseroles etc. My old mum used to talk about the old lonely village woman who moved into their farm house and sat rocking by it all day in winter and fed it ocassional logs. The heat from it warmed the whole house and at night the youngest kids slept on top. Like a lot of austrian/swiss eastern european country cottages it had the overhanging eves understacked with split logs - added insulation and easy access. But we're going back to WW1 era and when her dad bought a tractor it was the first the village had seen and everyone was in awe.
An unrelated story was when an uncle turned up and ate a raw tomato. No-one had seen anyone do that and thought it must be disgusting. Tomatoes were for cooking...