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Get the Very Best from your Stove

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Get the very best from your stove. Wood burning stove maintenance and cleaning mostly consists of regular removal of the ashes which also boosts the stove’s efficiency.

You should occasionally clean the internal surfaces with a wire brush or scraper and at the same time keep a close eye on potential problems such as holes in the ash pan, cracks, spots of rust on the finish and other unusual signs that may indicate damage.

It is also advisable to clean the glass on a regular basis because the longer you postpone the cleaning the harder is gets to remove the tar deposits.

Always leave your stove to cool completely before you carry out any maintenance or cleaning chores and make sure that the ash is completely cold before you dispose it.

Always use professionals (HETAS registered)

In addition to keeping your stove clean inside and outside, be sure to have it inspected by a licensed professional (HETAS) at least once a year to make sure that everything is working perfectly.

It is vital to have your chimney cleaned and checked by a chimney sweep at least once a year or more often if you use your wood burning stove on a regular basis.

Poorly maintained or blocked chimneys pose a serious safety risk because they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and chimney fires.

Can we help?

Finally, would you like to get the very best from your stove? If you require any assistance with your wood burner, please make contact and one of our qualified fitters will be happy to assist.

 

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Looking For A New Stove ?

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Looking for a new stove? Considerations you need to take into account when choosing your new wood stove.

When you browse the internet you will see lots of lovely looking options, now is the time to be prepared. Do your research and list down your requirements, then seek the advice of a fully qualified HETAS fitter who will point you in the right direction.

Wood only or multi-fuel?

A dedicated wood burner can be the most efficient so It’s worth considering if you’re never going to want to burn other fuels.

This issue is one you will need to spend time on. As such ask yourself if you will ever want to burn other fuels, such as pellets? Get the opinion of the fitter as they will be able to inform you of the plus’s and minus’s, thus ensuring you make the correct choice.

Air wash

If you want to see the flames, which no doubt you do, the stove needs a window that stays clean. So you want an Air wash model. This pulls air into the stove that blows across the glass so when it’s working right the soot and tar doesn’t reach the glass.

Clean burning

Yes please no doubt. Of course, the cleaner the better. “clean burning” is a marketing term it’s not a quantifiable standard. It refers to a system where additional air is introduced to the gasses above the fire, allowing more combustion. This burns off more of the gasses that would have gone up the chimney. So it should give a higher heat output for the same amount of wood.

Help required?

Finally are you looking for a new stove? If you would like help choosing or fitting a new wood burner please do make contact and one of our fully qualified HETAS engineers will be happy to help

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Save Money On Your Heating Bill

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Save money on your heating bill. Firstly, installing a wood burner in your home could save you in the long term a great deal of money. The savings will depend on how efficient your new stove is and the fuel you use.

Crucial – Burning wood with 20% or less moisture will minimise pollutants and increase efficiency. Kiln-dried wood has less than 20% moisture but is more expensive than seasoned logs. Most stove owners burn seasoned logs, and 23% of the owners told us they collect free wood from local resources.

Just imagine the savings you could make if you could source your own wood to burn free. 

A higher-efficiency stove should save you more and potentially cut pollution. Also new efficient stoves reduce potentially harmful particle emissions by more than 80%. This is compared with stoves from 10 years ago, according to the Stove Industry Alliance.

As such stove can cost varying amounts to buy and install.

A recent survey of stove owners taken to establish whether it’s really worth the initial outlay discovered that 68% said their stove does save them money.

The cost of a stove can vary wildly, ranging from £500 to more than £2,000. This is excluding installation costs.

Stove installation costs

A stove installation will again vary depending on the siting of the new stove. As such do get professional advice (HETAS registered) as this could save you money both in the short and long term. As an example, if you already have a chimney, that will make it cheaper, as one won’t need to be built. However, it might need to be relined to make sure it won’t let any gases escape into your home.

You can also have a freestanding stove, which doesn’t need a chimney. But you will still need to have the flue (effectively acting as the chimney) fed outside somewhere. This will involve some  construction work on your home.

Can we help?

Finally, if you are thinking of installing a wood burning stove please contact us and one of our fully qualified (HETAS Registered) advisers will be happy to assist.

 

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Seasoned Logs Are A Must

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Seasoning your wood is a must for efficiency

Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you will need to let them season for up to 2 years.  (Ash is an exception and can be burnt a bit earlier although the wood burns best when seasoned.)

You will find Wood stoves – Hardwood is a must for efficiency and the environment.

that hardwood is more expensive to purchase than softwood like pine and fir. But the hardwood burns longer so you’ll need less wood and in turn save money.

Heat efficiency and cost effectiveness

Seasoned wood burns better than green wood, because it produces more heat and less creosote build-up in the fireplace and chimney. Green or unseasoned wood, on the other hand, is hard to light and difficult to keep burning. If your wood smoulders and burns poorly with little heat, it’s probably green wood.

You can tell if wood is seasoned by looking at it. On the outside, seasoned wood probably looks grey and dusty from sitting around for a while. But on the inside, it’s often dry and white, usually lighter than on the outside. New wood, on the other hand, looks like it came fresh from the timber mill with the same colour throughout the wood.

Can we assist?

If you would like help selecting and installing a new wood burning stove, please do make contact. We have fully qualified (HETAS) fitters and advisers waiting to take your enquiry.