Good stove maintenance

Wood burning stove maintenance and cleaning mostly consists of regular removal of the ashes which also boosts the stove’s efficiency. Occasional cleaning of the internal surfaces with a wire brush or scraper will also improve your stoves performance. You should always 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.

In addition to keeping your stove clean inside and outside, be sure to have it inspected by a registered fitter at least once a year to make sure that everything is working perfectly. If there are any signs of damage such as cracks, leaks or warping, or if you have any problems with the stove have them repaired immediately. Read more

What are the plus points of Wood burning stove

Plus points:

The market for wood burning stoves has increased month on month over the last 5 years. Usually at this time of year interest wanes, but due to rising fuel bills homeowners are frantically looking for alternative heating options.

Wood burning stoves are a real alternative and these days they really do offer an impressive range of options to meet your home’s needs. Long gone are the days when wood burners were seen as an ugly and dirty heating source. Read more

Advantages of Stoves & Secondary Heating

Stove advantages

  1. Exceptional heating

The biggest advantages homeowners have with a wood burning stove is the quality of heat the unit gives off. Woods 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.

  1. Better for the environment

Compared with using fossil fuels for heat (natural gas, propane, etc.) wood is much eco-friendlier. It’s considered “carbon-neutral,” which means when it burns, it doesn’t add additional carbon dioxide to the environment. This is because in its natural state as a tree, wood absorbs carbon dioxide that’s in the atmosphere. Read more

A Great Green Heating Solution

The modern stove

The “green aspect” hardly needs explanation. Wood is a renewable and easily obtained source for burning. There’s a zero-sum impact in carbon emission as well. When a tree falls in the woods and takes 50 years to completely rot away, ever so slowly it gives off heat, water and CO2, and leaves its mineral content in the forest.

When you burn wood the exact same thing happens only obviously very quickly. No additional-anything is produced. Keep in mind those minerals are in the partly form of ash and what’s commonly called creosote– which can stick to the inside of the chimney. That’s why there are chimney sweeps. Read more

How, what, when, why a wood burning stove

Increased popularity

Wood burning stoves have become incredibly popular over the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. With spiralling energy costs, people are really keen to find ways to save money and not only do wood burners save money, they also make a great looking feature in a room and as a result have become very desirable for many households in the UK.

Whilst stoves can be used as an alternative for the main heating system in a home, they really are an excellent supplementary system. In cold periods when the central heating isn’t enough, or you don’t want to turn it on full blast, the stove can be used as a supplement, and this proves particularly cost-effective compared to the cost of electric room heaters. Read more

Making sure its not too hot in the room

As well as the making sure your new stove will physically fit into its new home, it is important to consider that the stove’s output is sufficient for the room. You should also ensure that it is not too large for the room, as this can cause just as many problems as a stove that is too small.

A stove that is too small for the room will not be powerful enough to heat the room adequately, on the other hand, if you have a stove that is too large it will need constant attention to keep the temperature down. A result of this is the combustion within the stove will not be complete and you will quickly have a build-up of soot not just on the glass, but up the chimney as well. With this in mind, when calculating the required output, a slightly greater output should be considered (no more than 1.5kW), as there will be a greater need for rapid heating in the long dark cold months of winter. Read more

We love our stoves

Sales of stoves continue to increase month on month as the UK public look for ways to reduce their heating bills.

Whether you’re the proud owner of a shiny new stove, or your thinking to install one, there are a few things that you need to know to really get the most out of that heating machine in the fireplace.

 Don’t burn water

This is the most fundamental thing to get right when you’re burning wood. 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. This means that you will need to make sure that your fuel has been dried properly. There are a few ways of doing this, but the simplest are as follows. Read more

Getting the best from your wood burner

A modern wood burner is virtually carbon neutral when using current burn technology. High-quality wood emits less CO2 when burned than it does with natural decay, so with correctly installed stoves producing emissions of only 0.008 kg CO2 per kWh – compared to 0.198kg for gas, and 0.517kg for electricity – wood provides an attractive alternative to gas and electricity for heating the home.

Design and technology has moved forward dramatically over the past ten years, with the introduction of controlled secondary and tertiary combustion and improved baffle arrangements.

A wood burning stove should be given serious consideration when selecting a heating method for your home. Read more

Sales boom in the UK wood burning stove market

Sales of wood burning stoves are increasing year on year but this year has seen exceptional growth with to date a 29.4% growth compared to the same period last year.

The UK has been in the grip of some very bad weather and the experts say there is plenty more to come.

When you look at the facts, the figures are not that surprising especially as traditional heating costs seem to be increasing daily. The increases we are told are down to the looming Brexit talks and the weaker pound so if this is the case will they ever reduce?

Homeowners have responded to these increases by looking for alternative forms of heating and a log burner is very high on the wish list. Read more

Focal Point in your home

A log burner make great focal point for interiors, are cleaner and more efficient than open fireplaces, and can even save you money on your heating bills. If you’re dreaming of installing one as the winter chill sets in, you’re in good company – 175,000 are installed each year in the UK.

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 to make your room 21C when it’s 1C outside). You’ll also need to factor in the cost of installation and maintenance, as these can change the final price quite dramatically. It’s a good idea to check the size and cost of logs you’ll need and whether you can buy them locally.

Wood burners are a great way of bringing the comfort of a real fire into your home, even if you don’t have a vast amount of space. If you live in an urban area that is smoke-controlled, you’ll need to check the stove you are buying is approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or go for one that has the option of burning smokeless fuels as an alternative. Read more