best stove for me

It is time to Service your Stove

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Service Your Stove

Service Your Stove. Make sure you’re ready for the coming months.

As we all know the dreaded winter months will very soon be with us, so if you have a wood burning stove NOW is the time get prepared.

Have you had your chimney cleaned yet?

Ask yourself this, when was the last time you had your stove cleaned and serviced?

If the answer is more than a year ago then you should act now to ensure your stove produces the heat required for your homes comfort.

Wood stoves are cleaner than you think.

Open fireplaces are great, but they are not very energy efficient at approximately 20%. Wood burning stoves are much more efficient, at around 80%, so you get all the benefits of a real fire without most of your money going up the chimney in smoke!

Only burn mature logs – Vital for heat and efficiency.

Wood is a far more environmentally friendly fuel than oil, gas and electricity – and subject to far less price rises. Freshly cut wood contains a lot of water, so you should dry it out before you can burn it. This can take as long as 18-24 months.

It is very unwise to burn wet or unseasoned wood as this will cause a soot build up in your chimney and make your burner very dirty.

Expert advice

For your protection and safety, you should always have a fully qualified HETAS registered professional install your wood/pellet burning appliance. At Kent Stoves, we will evaluate everything for you to ensure your safety and maximise efficiency.

Can we assist?

If you are looking to install a new wood burning stove, please do make contact and one of our qualified fitters (HETAS registered) will be happy to guide you.

Does A Stove Add Value to my Home

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Does A Stove add value to my home? The experts will tell you that indeed it does.

A fireplace and professionally fitted wood stove can add as much as 5% to the value of our home, thanks to its wow factor.  A Stove can also save you a great deal of money. While energy firms have been hiking up the price of gas and electricity by 50% or more this year, the cost of a wood stove has remained constant.

Sales of wooding burning stoves are going to reach record levels this fiscal year. And the future looks very bright and very warm indeed.

HETAS registered installers

To enjoy using a log burner safely and responsibly, it’s important to do your research. Think first about the size of area that needs to be heated. As a rule of thumb, 1kW of heat output for every 14 cubic metres of space is needed. This will make your room 21C when it’s 1C outside.

When it comes to installing a brand-new stove, it is often best to request the help of a professional. A stove is an investment you don’t want to get wrong. As such an incorrectly installed stove could not only perform badly but could also be dangerous.

Contacting a HETAS installer is the best way to get your stove fitted professionally.

Since any changes to your chimney is considered building work, there are a number of building regulations that you will need to adhere to.  The benefit of having a HETAS installer fit your stove is that they already know every wood burning stove regulation, saving you the headache of reading up on them yourself!

Can we help?

If you would like assistance selecting and installing a new log burner, please get in touch and one of our HETAS qualified fitters will be happy to help.

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Looking to Install or Replace a Wood Stove ?

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Looking to install or replace a Wood Stove? It is strongly recommended to use a certified wood stove.

To be sure a stove meets your needs, choose a HETAS approved one, which comes from an experienced manufacturer. Apart from the safety element, wood stoves have improved so much of late it’s vital to select the correct one for your home.

If you seek professional help the fitter will consider your lifestyle and the type of property you reside in. An open-plan, well insulated home for example can use a stove to cut down fuel bills. The fitter will explain all the advantages and savings that can be made when looking to install.

Professional fitting is vital for safety and home insurance peace of mind.

HETAS approval. Poorly installed stoves do pose very real risks from carbon monoxide poisoning to house fires and smoke inhalation. All of which can have devastating and fatal consequences. It is recommended to use a HETAS qualified fitter. They will install any wood burning appliance to safety and insurance purposes standards. At Kent Stoves all our fitters have Hetas approval.

A new stove offers you style and elegance.

As well as giving you a wonderful source of heat which is ideal during those colder months, wood burning stoves also look great. When you add one to your room, you will find that the wood burner becomes a new focal point. Thus adding character and style to the living space.

The heat output is simply astonishing.

One of the most desirable features and benefits of a wood burner is the heat output it produces. A wood burning stove provides a powerful heat source for your home. As such meaning that the room or rooms get warm very quickly and effectively.

Wood Stove Install Help?

If you require assistance with your current or new stove, please do make contact and one of our fully trained fitters (HETAS) registered will be pleased to guide you.

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Save Money on your Heating Bill this coming Winter

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Save Money on your heating bill this coming winter. 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. New efficient stoves reduce potentially harmful particle emissions by more than 80%, compared with stoves from 10 years ago, according to the Stove Industry Alliance.

Not only are wood stoves becoming more eco-friendly, but they’re also more efficient. This means that more heat is used to heat your home rather than being expelled up the chimney.
An open fire loses as much as 75-80% of the heat through the chimney, making them incredibly inefficient at heating homes.
Is your existing stove older than 10 years?
Older stoves will also have a lower efficiency rating, so if you want to ensure you’re getting more heat into your home, then a new stove would be a wise move. Not only is a more efficient stove better for your wallet as you’re spending less on fuel, but it’s also better for the environment.
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.

Grab A Summer Stove Bargain

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Grab A Summer Stove Bargain. Summertime is here, not so warm yet but….

In the summer months most homeowners try to forget the cold times and those large fuel bills. However this is the time to act as there are many very good offers available. Fitting engineers are far less busy than the winter months. No is the perfect time to grab a summer stove bargain offer.

Installing a wood burning stove in your home will:

  • Reduce energy bills
  • Likely increase the value of your property
  • Give you more control on heating your home

Managing the airflow to gain extra heat

As far as your stove is concerned, air comes in two flavours. Primary air feeds the bed of the fire, and secondary air feeds the flames above it. Additionally nearly all the energy from wood comes from burning gases released when it is heated. This means that secondary air is much more important than primary.

Vital rules you should always follow

Never completely close the secondary air vent. It’s the easiest way to create soot and tar and completely coat the glass on the front of your stove with gunk (a technical term). Also remember you’re always looking for a hot fast burn. This will be the cleanest, most efficient way of running the stove. Also consider a small hot fire is much more efficient than a large slow burning one.

Never burn green damp wood!!

This is the most fundamental thing to get right when you’re burning wood. As such it might be surprising, but green wood is around 45% water. That means that for every kg of green wood you add to the fire, you’re effectively adding around 500ml (a pint) of water.

Can we help?

 If you would like assistance, please do contact us. One of our qualified fitters (HETAS registered) will be happy to help.