Recommendations for a stove heater

[bluetoaster]

The old gas fire is going to be taken out and I am looking at putting in a stove. Does anyone have any advice as to what to look for, what makes are good, what to avoid etc?

[zoco]

How big is the room? How much do you want to pay?

I got myself a Masport pot belly stove in my first house:



(They're a New Zealand company who also make lawn mowers, oddly enough). Paid about £500 ISTR including fitting. Pot bellies do stand proud of the opening of the fireplace so you may need to extend your hearth. You may also need to line your chimney if it's not already done. Get a flexible flu and, once in place, fill the void with vermaculite - it'll reduce heat loss considerably.

[CloudWalker]

Fill your Boots

http://www.woodburnerworld.co.uk/

[Scrag Meister]

I have a Stockton Midline 5 in my kitchen diner.

But as mentioned it does depend on the size of the room, insulation, venting and size of the available hearth etc.

[Pondlife]

We have a Burley in the living room

Modern Fire Surrounds,Traditional Fire Surrounds,Fire Surrounds UK

Super toasty and very little ash produced.

[v8gaz]

I have a dovre Astrroline - Dovre Astroline 4CB Multi-Fuel & Wood Burning Stoves - Dovre Stoves & Fires

Things I learned when buying mine - multi fuel does not mean gas/wood, it means coal or wood. There are regulations about having stoves in a room with extractor fans. 10Kw is feckin' hot and chews through wood like nothing. We don't have much hardwood in Scotland and import most of it from Latvia. Installation costs can be high if it's done properly, with outside air fed in.

Also, they are great to sit in front of with a book and a glass of wine during the winter - I don't think we watched TV for the first 3 months.

[barrydidit]

I've had a couple installed. It's going to cost you a couple of grand to do it properly. Once the gas fire is out you'll want the chimney clearing out, sandblasting (this will fck your entire house) and lining. You'll need a 6 inch twin walled stainless steel flue liner, it's about £30 a metre. As for the stove, make sure it's cast iron, not some steel chinese import. The best looking ones I think are Norwegian but there are British manufacturers too. I have a firefox 8kw which is super toasty in a 5 by 5 metre space. It should be installed by a Hetas registered bod so you have the appropriate certification when you come to sell up. And also so you don't get poisoned. Anything above 5kw will need an external source of air (just like for gas) - they'll probably want to put an air vent in an outside wall, but if you have a cellar, you can create a draw from there.

Oh, and make sure you get it swept every year. If you're burning softwood/anything not properly seasoned you'll get tar deposits in your flue liner which can corrode it. Also beware that you'll turn into a right little scavenger whenever you see timber at the side of the road. A previous clientco had some big trees felled in their carpark - I waited till everyone had gone and filled the car

[MicrosoftBob]

I've found Rangemasters ok

[bluetoaster]

Some useful stuff there, thanks.

I don't need it for heating as such and I'm looking at a 5kW stove for a room of 20' by 11'. I haven't considered ventilation and I'll look into that. I was aware of the need to line the chimney.

Are there any real quality differences between manufacturers? or is it a case of go for what looks good?

[v8gaz]

Are there any real quality differences between manufacturers? or is it a case of go for what looks good?

Totally. Think about having to replace the thing in 5 years when it falls to bits - then realise that it's worth investing in a good quality Nordic machine.