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Siting your new stove is very important 

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Always get expert advice before buying or installing it could save you 1000’s

The type of wood burner you choose can impact where you can safely place the stove in your home. Steel stoves often feature double-wall construction, which means they can be placed closer to a wall than other types of stoves. The double-wall construction helps to prevent heat from spreading, which protects surrounding surfaces from damage or fire. Cast iron stoves, on the other hand, require more clearance space for safety, and should not be placed near a wall or other furnishings.

As you can see there are plenty of important decisions to make when selecting your new stove. If you would like assistance please do contact us and one of our (HETAS registered) advisers will be happy to help. 

Steel or cast iron, again seek advice to its suitability for your home?

Wood burning stoves bring the rich scent of burning wood and the cosy crackle of a warm fire to indoor living spaces. When shopping for a wood burning stove, you can choose from just a few common materials, including traditional cast iron and more modern steel units.

Consider factors such as maintenance, appearance, construction and operation when comparing these materials to narrow your selection and find the right model for your home.

It is highly recommended to speak to a qualified fitter who can explain all the pros and cons of each metal.

Can we help?

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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A wood burning stove, what actually is it and could it benefit me?

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A wood burning stove is simply a home appliance that is used to heat the home. It is usually made of a metal such as cast iron or steel and generates heat by burning wood fuel in an enclosed fire chamber.

They can be placed in most rooms of a house and need to allow fumes and gases to be drawn away from the room and out through flue.

Wood burners have been around for many years but have risen in popularity in recent times due to their efficiency and low running costs.

Heat output

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, meaning that the room or rooms get warm very quickly and effectively.

Sourcing your wood.

To make sure you get the most out of your wood-burning stove, and don’t create additional pollution to the atmosphere, it’s important to use the right kind of wood.

First and foremost, you need to burn wood that is as dry as possible – it should only contain less than 20% moisture.

Important You can reduce the moisture content of freshly cut wood by drying it yourself, which is called seasoning. To do this, it’s best to store the wood in a dry place for at least a year, preferably two. To help you work out how dry your wood is, you can also buy a moisture meter – these cost around £20.

For the best results, the wood should be left on a dry surface protected from rain. Leave the sides exposed to air and wind, as it will speed up the drying process. You can buy dedicated wood stores to help with this.

Can we help?

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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Safety & Efficiency is key to fitting a wood burner

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A professionally fitted wood burning stove can save you hundreds on annual fuel bills but do make sure your new burner is suitable for your home.

Many people tend to install without seeking professional advice, this is fine, but if you want to get total efficiency do seek advice from a qualified fitter.

One thing is for sure, if you have a stove fitted and you are selling your property the buyer is likely to want to see a certified certificate for the installation of the stove.

Homes with a certified fitted boiler can be worth a lot more money when selling, also bear in mind some insurance companies will not accept the risk unless the stove has been professionally fitted.

A HETAS registered fitter is fully trained in fitting and able to give advice as to the most suitable wood burning stove for the area to be heated.   

Wood-burning stoves in the past few years and have proved extremely popular in the UK and Europe alike. Both efficient and practical, stoves have become a really viable heating solution. Their owners are also able to make real energy savings. With the cost of energy increasing all the time a wood stove has become a very serious player in the heating market.

Unlike years gone by wood burners now come in various shapes and sizes and many distinct colours so there is bound to be one to suit your home.

Help required?

If you would like assistance selecting your new stove or require help with your existing one, please do make contact and one of our qualified (HETAS reistered) fitters will be happy to assist.

 

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Select your stove wisely and get advice.

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To enjoy using a log burner safely and responsibly, it is important to do your research. Think first about the size of area that needs to be heated and the style of burner you would like.

It is a particularly good idea to check the size and cost of logs you’ll need and whether you can buy them locally. Please also remember you will require an area to store your logs, preferably outdoors and dry.

Damp logs are simply no good for your burner and need to be air dried for at least 2 years, damp logs will cause soot build up and create extra cleaning.

Why are wood burning stoves so popular?

Wood-burners have become a sought-after design statement during the past decade.

They can provide a sense of charm and ambience to a property. Modern wood-burning stoves give your home that warm heart as you sit around with friends and family on winter evenings.

Can they really save you money? most certainly YES!

At first glance, it would appear that installing a wood-burner is a costly exercise, with owners spending upwards of £500 to get one installed. However, the long-term financial benefits are far more appealing as they can result in reducing the cost of other fuel sources.

Excellent quality dry wood can be found in most areas and prices differ from supplier to supplier. Obviously if you can source your own then the savings are generous indeed.

Expert advice is a must

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

Can we help?

If you require assistance, please do make contact and one of our fully qualified fitters will be happy to help.

 

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Wood burners are becoming so popular these days

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Wood-burners have become a sought-after design statement during the past decade.

They can provide a sense of charm and ambience to a property. Modern wood-burning stoves give your home that warm heart as you sit around with friends and family on winter evenings.

A professionally installed burner can increase the value of your home, estate agents will tell you that a home with a log burner is very sought after.  

Could this be a money saver?

At first glance, it would appear that installing a wood-burner is a costly exercise, with owners spending upwards of £675 to get one installed. However, the long-term financial benefits are far more appealing as they can result in reducing the cost of other fuel sources.

Excellent quality dry wood can be found in most areas and prices differ from supplier to supplier. Obviously if you can source your own then the savings are generous indeed.

Ever more popular this year

In total, over 265,000 wood-burners were installed last year, according to the Stove Industry Alliance. This is up from 215,000 in 2020.

Fuel costs as we all know are increasing rapidly with electricity and gas prices leading the way. Installing a wood burner will help keep these rises in check.

Need some advice?

Please do get in contact and one of our qualified fitters (HETAS registered) will be happy to help.

 

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New generation stoves are good-looking and a very cost-effective heating solution

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This year has started with a huge increase in sales!

Today’s wood heating appliances are designed for beauty and performance. A wood stove or fireplace insert can be the focal point of any room. Regardless of your taste, there is a stove designed for you and your budget. In fact, it is difficult to find ugly stoves or inserts nowadays. With so many beautiful stoves to choose from and the costs coming down this does make a great heating solution.

Another great advantage of wood heating is having heat when there is no power. There’s not much more satisfying than being warm and happy around your wood stove when all the lights in the neighbourhood are out. You’ll have that pioneer feeling, as you should. You thought ahead!

The biggest advantage homeowners have with a wood burning stove is the quality of heat the burner will give off. Wood stoves operate on the principal of radiant heat, which warms an area faster and more efficiently than warm air being blown through a home’s vent system.

The powerful heat from a wood stove radiates from all sides of the unit as well as the top, sending warmth in all directions. Fitted in a central position in your home you will be amazed how the rest of your house suddenly gets a whole lot warmer.

Can we assist?

If you would like to know more about heating with a wood burner, please make contact and one of our fully qualified fitters will be happy to help.

 

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It’s getting colder and we are spending more time at home

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If you have a log burning stove you will no doubt see the full benefit this form of heating has to offer in the coming months.

Wood burning stoves are becoming more popular by the day as sales increase on an unprecedented scale. More households around the country are trying to reduce their heating bills and installing a stove can certainly help towards this aim.

With Covid19 we have to remain at home more than ever and to make this more enjoyable a lovely woodstove burning in the house helps.

One noticeably big mistake a lot of owners make is not using correctly matured timber to burn, damp logs can be dangerous and cause chimney fires.

Nothing will cause your stove to function less efficiently than to fill it with green wood, so to avoid the problem you should begin the seasoning process in the early spring if you want your wood to be ready by the next winter.

If you plan to use any wood that is larger than normal, you will need to set it out to dry even earlier than that. Essentially, you should be harvesting your wood about a year and a half in advance of when you actually plan to burn it.

Seasoning.

Wood being dried should be stacked in open areas under cover where it will be exposed to the sun and the wind. If you put it in a shed, garage, or outdoors in the shade, you will inhibit the seasoning process significantly. Having said this if you are buying pre-seasoned wood from a supplier then any form of dry storage will normally be fine.

Can we help?

If you are thinking of installing a new wood stove please do get expert advice as fitting the incorrect stove could prove costly. Should you require assistance please do make contact and one of our fully qualified (HETAS registered) fitters will be happy to assist.

 

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Burn hardwood only for a cleaner environment and more efficiency

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For the serious wood stove enthusiast, you may want to invest in hardwoods like oak, ash, hickory, walnut, and fruit trees such as apple or cherry.

Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you’ll 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.)

There is absolutely no point in burning unseasoned wood as you will be boiling water, and this is just inefficient and bad for the environment.

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

The secret to a good fire, is wood that has been seasoned for more than a year. In the case of oak, you’ll want to season the wood at least two years, sometimes longer. Much of the wood for sale now is actually green and needs another year to season.

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. That’s because unseasoned wood has a lot of liquid inside. Fact, one fresh-cut cord of oak is said to have enough water to fill as much as six 55-gallon drums.

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.

 

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Time to find ways to say on your heating costs!

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A wood stove could most certainly help you achieve this.

Facts:

  • A fireplace and professionally fitted wood stove can add as much as 5% to the value of your home, thanks to its wow factor.
  • A modern wood burner is more efficient than many central heating systems and far more appealing to look at than a traditional white radiator. 
  • According to reports, regular use of a wood burner can knock a third off fuel bills, providing savings of at least £650 a year.

Use matured logs only

Wet or unseasoned logs will leave more sooty deposits and could increase the number of sweeps you need, so it’s best to use seasoned or kiln-dried wood to cut down on maintenance (minimum 2 years old). Read more

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Considerations for that new wood burner you want!

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Things you need to think about when selecting a wood burner.

When you enter the store 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 – Get expert advice it pays!

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. Read more