JulesB Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 My gas fire is on its last legs and what with energy prices going up I'm thinking of getting a multi-fuel/woodburning stove installed. Can anyone who has got one tell me roughly what they cost to run versus using gas fire/central heating please? I've looked into buying the stove and having it installed and I reckon I would be spending about £1300 all in, so I'm thinking I would have to be saving quite a bit to make it worthwhile. I think I might just want one so I can buy a chainsaw and log-splitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 No advice but am v jel (as they say in Essex) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzeanna Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I'll ask my daughter this evening what hers costs...they aren't on mains gas, so all their heating is done with one. I know she does complain about having to haul wood and coal in from their woodshed when it's pouring with rain or snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil_angel Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Elainew has a wood burning stove. We had it roaring on Saturday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 We installed a wood burning stove last year. It does not heat the central heating, which we then only used for a couple of hours first thing in the morning, as the stove goes out overnight. Do you know where you can buy logs and how much they cost? Cut logs are dearer than tree trunks which you cut up yourself. We were buying large logs( 6 feet long) from a local community forest for £35 for half a ton, buyer collects. In winter we used slightly more than the half ton, but spring and autumn that did us. Summer obviously is less as most days the stove is not lit until evening and some days not at all We have just bought 25 tons ( tree trunks) from Scottish Woodlands for £840. That should last us about 5 years. You need a chain saw and good axe to make them into usable logs and a woodstore to dry them/ keep them dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzeanna Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Emailed my daughter and found she now only used coal on hers, since they had a chimney fire caused by the sap in the logs according to the firemen. She buys bags of best coal at about £10 a bag and they have two or three deliveries a year of ten bags a time..but she only uses the stove for about five months of the year. Don't suppose that's much help really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 You have to make sure you have a suitable liner out in if you don't have one, and you have to sweep the chimney more often especially if you are burning softwood which coats the chimney in resinous and inflammable gunge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 (edited) I have a wood burner but it was already there when I bought the house. My neighbour however installed a fairly big one new that does the heating & hot water about two years ago (think he said 20kw & around that kind of money) & reckons it has more than paid for itself in the savings on gas - burning a mixture of manufactured coals & wood. Hardwoods would burn longer than soft & coal even more so but they obviously cost more. You may however be able to scrounge wood from local builders / firms that would otherwise pay to have it taken away. Eg the blocks from old pallets burn well There are also options such as http://www.mrbriq.co.uk/ Edited June 14, 2011 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nettie Posted June 16, 2011 Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 We got our multi-fuel stove from http://www.woodburningstoveslimited.com/ which are really good value and quality - will be getting another for the kitchen in October time (when the kitchen is finished). Can't tell you how much it costs to run in wood as we have a supply at the moment that we didn't have to pay for - still got about another year's worth for two households - having the wood burner has reduced the amount of time we run the central heating by probably half. We also burn coal as it lasts longer and gets hotter, start with a log fire and then add coal. Once you get to 'know' your stove you will learn how to bank it at night so you just need to add a couple of logs in the morning to get it going again without lighting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I luvs my stove, what I would say is don't get one thats too big, they belt out a heck of a lot of heat, if you get one that's bigger than you need it'll be too hot to sit in comfortably, we have a small 5K one and it heats our large livingroom no problem, you can feel the heat hit you in the face when you come in the front door. I've started using Anthracite, which makes less ash and burns longer than regular coal, it stays lit all night which is great in the winter, it costs about the same as grade A coal, one bag lasts about a week,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesB Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thanks for all the advice people OK, my little Stovax Huntingdon 25 stove is on order, we're going for a 5kw multifuel DEFRA approved version as we're in a smokeless zone. Have found a couple of sources of free wood plus some already seasoned wood sources, sorted where my woodstore will go, and booked the builder/installer to sweep and line the chimney, and hack out the fireplace. I don't think I'm going to go down the chainsaw route as I'm a bit scared of accidentally cutting some of my body parts off, but a friend has said he will chainsaw any big lumps I get and I will use a bowsaw/mawl/logsplitter to do the rest. Just need to get the gas capped off, find a lintel and some stone for the hearth and we are away. I'm very excited, bring on the cold weather I will be laughing in the face of 30% energy price rises. I hope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 get a moisture meter to check the wood is dry enough to burn efficiently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy Bear Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) We have a woodburning stove. Came with the house We are having the chimney swept next week Don't know what they will find but we are expecting the worst. The people we bought the house from apparently didn't have it done so we are having a full inspection as well. Will be picking sweepy man's brains for advice on everthing stovish. Will let you know what he says. DB was lookjing in the yellow pages and couldn't understand why one sweep advertised chimneys, boilers, stoves, weddings !! I had to explain to him about sweeps being lucky for weddings! Surely everyone ('cept DB) knows this ? Edited June 30, 2011 by Mommy Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy Bear Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Well, he found a jackdaw and a kestrel - very dead. The good news is that there is no tar on the chimney but we were advised to have it lined. Also there is a sticky out bit (technical term) where there was a fireplace upstairs!! Got to make sure bits arn't about to drop off it. The sweep works with his daughter and they made a great team. Very clean. It took them a while to do it and they did a thorough jub. I know 'cos I looked up the chimbly after they had gone. £45 !! Worth double!! Have been exploring flue lining sites :ohmy: Expensive. The kits are cheap enough but the installation cost is huge. Two peoples, ladders and ropes etc. Hope DB doesn't decide to climb on the roof and do it himself. I aint gonna be peoples number 2 - I don't do roofs and ladders! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesB Posted August 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 Thanks for all the tips folks. Stove is in and we've even had a couple of small fires, to bed it in. Does anyone want to be bored to death with my pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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