Open fire or stove...

baggote2 · 10-10-2014 2:39pm #1

Hi. We've just bought our first home. There's currently an open fire place there but we're unsure as to leave it or get a stove in its place. What's people thoughts & opinions? Cheers

PaleRider · 10-10-2014 4:03pm

An open fire is always nice to look at etc.

But an open fire is not efficient way to heart a room.

A stove is mostly 75% efficient. A open fire is only 30% at best.
Will burn slowly when air vent is adjusted, allowing you to leave home and return to a nice warm room.
Next morning this room will be warm.

Just a few things to consider. Consider any stove carefully- and don't get one that is to big.

NauP · 10-10-2014 4:07pm

Installed a Stanley inset stove (6kW) recently. Very happy with it and should have done it years ago. Was always a fan of an open fire but a very inefficient way of heating a room.

kenmccarthy · 10-10-2014 4:22pm

Definetely STOVE!!!!! Cleaner, much more efficient and way way less fuel, I put in a stanley oisin model ( 6W)- best thing ever, less than half fuel open fire was burning, MORE actual heat and ceiling in sitting room doesn't need painting every year.just ensure you have a carbon monoxide dectector in the room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kenmccarthy · 10-10-2014 4:24pm

Definetely STOVE!!!!! Cleaner, much more efficient and way way less fuel, I put in a stanley oisin model ( 6W)- best thing ever, less than half fuel open fire was burning, MORE actual heat and ceiling in sitting room doesn't need painting every year.just ensure you have a carbon monoxide dectector in the room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thargor · 10-10-2014 4:37pm

Stove all the way aswell, I absolutely love them since I rented a place that has one, having a kettle always on the boil in the evening is great, finding a big pile of wood in a skip or in a ditch that you can just cart home and burn for free heat is my new favorite hobby, drying clothes in 2 hours over one etc. Also most importantly obviously the clean endless heat you get out of them for the sake of a tiny bit of fuel.

When I get my own place a Stanley with a proper water heating function will be my first purchase.

shanered · 10-10-2014 6:34pm

If you can afford it a stove is a better option in energy effiency terms

DarByrne1980 · 10-10-2014 9:47pm

stove the whole way. What youll pay in buying it and getting it installed youll save over the years in fuel costs. A 6kw stone (no back boiler) will heat a decent size room and the adjacent rooms also. And as the other lads have said .. really clean and tidy.

pawrick · 10-10-2014 10:40pm

Another vote for a stove. No trouble with smoke. Not sure if common or not but the one I have (came with the house) can be left open with a gard attached or closed so best of both worlds.

Rubberchikken · 10-10-2014 10:43pm

We have an oen fire. 10ft ceilings. Place never seems to heat.
When i have the money saved, i'm going for a stove.

HeidiHeidi · 10-10-2014 10:50pm

Stove all the way!

Got one installed last year, best thing I ever did.

I'm now heating the ground floor of my (fairly small, in fairness, but high ceilinged, with single-glazed windows) house for approx. €1.50 per evening.

This will obviously rise a bit as it gets colder, but it surely beats putting half a bale of briquettes or more into an open fire, which as soon as I let it die just let the cold draughts back down the chimney. Plus, the open fire only supplemented the rads - now I don't even turn them on.

And, as someone said earlier, you can load up the stove, go out for four or five hours, and come back to a toasty warm room/floor/house. In completely safety.

Stove all the way!

Welruc · 10-10-2014 10:57pm

Just put a stove with a back boiler where we just had an open fire(no boiler), best more ever, 4 bed house and it gets all the rads heated easily, and the water up to about 45 degrees. Cost about 2500 all in but defiantly would recommend

v638sg7k1a92bx · 12-10-2014 11:05pm

deuceswild wrote: »

Just put a stove with a back boiler where we just had an open fire(no boiler), best more ever, 4 bed house and it gets all the rads heated easily, and the water up to about 45 degrees. Cost about 2500 all in but defiantly would recommend

Was that €2,500 including hooking up to the boiler? If so then that's quite good, I got a quote of €3k just to reopen the fireplace and install the stove.

hexosan · 13-10-2014 8:55am

Saul Curved Palate wrote: »

Was that €2,500 including hooking up to the boiler? If so then that's quite good, I got a quote of €3k just to reopen the fireplace and install the stove.

Did that quote include dinner before they screw you.

v638sg7k1a92bx · 13-10-2014 10:00am

hexosan wrote: »

Did that quote include dinner before they screw you.

Ha, I know! I didn't take their quote but stoves in general are about €1,200 and up so €2.5k to supply and fit to the back boiler seems reasonable.

stooge · 13-10-2014 11:01am

Stove definitely and preferably with a back boiler.

Have a stanley ashling in one room with a back boiler, heat in the room is good, and it heats up most of the radiators in the house (about 20) using thermostats to control zones.

In another room (much bigger) we have a Kingstar stove. The heat from this is unreal! Heats the room and if you leave the door of the room open it will heat down the hall! Just a pity we dont have the back boiler on this.

I can recommend a place that shows, sells and installs stove by PM if required.

Cork selfbuild · 13-10-2014 9:14pm

We have an open fire in our current house and hate it!! Wind seems to catch chimney sometimes and downdraft of smoke on a windy night we hate, not to mind the soot it blows into the room even when not lit.

We are building at the moment, gone for 2 stoves, one with back boiler for DHW, can't wait to be rid of the open fire!

Welruc · 13-10-2014 9:48pm

Saul Curved Palate wrote: »

Was that €2,500 including hooking up to the boiler? If so then that's quite good, I got a quote of €3k just to reopen the fireplace and install the stove.

Stove was 1200 then additional 750 for copper and fittings etc and then the plumber was 550 for labour

The lips · 13-10-2014 10:20pm

I have put a chimney sheep in my open fire flue today as a little experiment to see just how colder the room with an unused open fire gets.

I will get the stove when I get the €€€ together.

The thoughts of getting a plumber to lift floor boards etc for boiler piping to upstairs cylinder puts me off a little.

whizbang · 13-10-2014 11:12pm

The Stove also blocks off the chimney even when its not in use, so no more howling gales from the chimney.

The Lips, keep us posted on the temperatures..

richballs · 23-10-2014 7:46pm

Hi lads i have been following this for the last couple off days has any one heard off the stove door they can put on an open fire it actually looks like a stove and it's suppose to be more efficient than the open fire in thinking off gettin one fitted any body any input on this for me tks

Effects · 28-10-2014 5:06pm

I imagine you are thinking of the fire door from Boru. http://borustoves.ie/shop/dry-stoves/doras-fire-door/

stooge · 29-10-2014 2:13pm

Effects wrote: »

I imagine you are thinking of the fire door from Boru. http://borustoves.ie/shop/dry-stoves/doras-fire-door/

looks like that is DIY install? Not wanting to scaremonger here but with any solid fuel fire certain precautions need to be taken with regards Carbon Monoxide?surely certified install is the way to go?

murph226 · 29-10-2014 6:40pm

We have an open fire in a single story granny flat at the rear of our two story house.

When we get North Westerly winds we get a lot of smoke and soot back down the chimney, so bad that the fire has to be put out.

Would there be much involved in fitting a stove?

sydthebeat · 29-10-2014 6:46pm

murph226 wrote: »

We have an open fire in a single story granny flat at the rear of our two story house.

When we get North Westerly winds we get a lot of smoke and soot back down the chimney, so bad that the fire has to be put out.

Would there be much involved in fitting a stove?

the problem is not the fire place, its the draw on the chimney... a stove wont solve that issue

Pretzill · 29-10-2014 6:52pm

Stove with back boiler for me. We had a large fireplace - old style country cottage - the open fire was a bugger at the time we had oil central heating - got a stove small one Stanley Oisin (small house) heats all the rads - it's clean - we've had it for 12 years only had to get new grates (try not to use firelighters they burn out the grate) and door rope once.

At the time the stove was 400 and it cost about another 400 to have it fitted - the boiler changed to duel if we ever wanted to use the oil again (which we never did) and the area around the stove tiled, flue piping etc. It has been the best thing I ever got done and I get an extra warm feeling saving wood for the winter!

Was thinking of upgrading to a larger stove and notice that they have risen a little in price but I'm testament to the fact that they last a long time!

Pretzill · 29-10-2014 6:56pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

the problem is not the fire place, its the draw on the chimney... a stove wont solve that issue

It solved the issue for me. Our open fire had very little draw - and blew smoke back into the room. The stove made an immediate difference and we only went three flue lengths up the chimney.

murph226 · 29-10-2014 7:09pm

I think it's due to the draw because of he chimney height compared to the main house, is there any other solution other than raising the chimney?

We have tried every gizmo under the sun on top of the chimney to stop the smoke.

stooge · 30-10-2014 1:50pm

rotating cowl?

donegal. · 30-10-2014 2:07pm

i have an open fire , and i love it. How it looks, the sound , the smell of logs.

But my sister has a stove and i'll definitely be changing. More efficient , hot water, radiators heated.

ger vallely · 30-10-2014 2:37pm

donegal. wrote: »

i have an open fire , and i love it. How it looks, the sound , the smell of logs.

But my sister has a stove and i'll definitely be changing. More efficient , hot water, radiators heated.

We had an open fire in our bungalow. There is no back boiler. I am not a fan of the stove at all since changing over. I accept that we do burn less fuel but there are a few draw backs. I find that I can't clean it as well as I did the open fire, the glass cracked within a month of getting it when one thin twig banged off it quite gently. It has no benefit to the rest of the house at all and the room it is in can get unpleasantly hot rather quickly. I was always the one who cleaned out and set the firem now I find there is a knack to lighting the stove and some days it just will not take for me. In a bungalow with no back boiler I would much rather my open fire. Although my husband loves the stove.

Thargor · 30-10-2014 2:50pm

Open a door and let the rest of the house heat if it gets uncomfortably hot? Or burn less fuel?

Effects · 30-10-2014 3:36pm

stooge wrote: »

looks like that is DIY install? Not wanting to scaremonger here but with any solid fuel fire certain precautions need to be taken with regards Carbon Monoxide?surely certified install is the way to go?

I don't know. I just remember someone telling me about them a few years back and I thought about getting one. Still open fire with back boiler though as planning to sell and don't want to spend money on it.

Effects · 30-10-2014 3:41pm

ger vallely wrote: »

It has no benefit to the rest of the house at all and the room it is in can get unpleasantly hot rather quickly.

Did you find your open fire a benefit to the rest of the house?
As mentioned, surely you can solve problem number one by applying problem number two? Or else burn less fuel perhaps? Sounds like you don't really understand how stoves or heating works.

Stinicker · 30-10-2014 4:07pm

Over the last three weeks in my house I have removed our old Stanley Super 80 solid Fuel range from the Kitchen which was converted into an Oil burner way back in the early 90's. It was an absolute pig of a thing, guzzled oil and never gave much heat to the heating system, really really inefficient.

I also had a back boiler in the living room fireplace, the back boiler sucked the heat from the fire resulting in no proper heat to the room and only a tiny contribution to the overall central heating system. As part of my project I disconnected and the back boiler from the system and drilled it and for the first time ever the open fire in the living room actually provides nice heat as the back-boiler was sucking heat always. I will remove the back boiler entirely and fit a small stove in the living room next year as an open fire is a disaster with ashes and dust and quite often on a windy night the smoke would get blown back down the chimney and stink the whole place, a stove by its more sealed nature helps solve that problem also.

So I replaced the Stanley Super 80 with a Henley Blasket 21kw stove which will drive the central heating and hot water. Simultaneously I fitted fitted a high efficiency Firebird Heatpack 26kw outside boiler as I am still retaining the oil fired option but I expect the new stove to provide the lions share of the heat now instead of the oil. I also pumped the cavity walls during the summer so I'm expecting this winter to have a much warmer house for far less money which will repay the large capital outlay for the stove, oil boiler and installation costs.

The whole thing is a big undertaking but I am glad I've done it because the Firebird boiler provided the first true proper heat this house ever had as the old Stanley Range was beyond useless in that it was underpowered for the size of house also.

I went for a proper registered plumber and I must say it is the way to go, very professional and exact to his standards and absolutely no short-cuts taken and everything done to code and perfection. Yes it will cost me more but I have always believed if something is worth doing it is worth doing right.

There is also alot of cowboy chancer bob the builder types out there now doing stoves as they are selling very well and the Stove industry is undergoing something of a boom and there is also alot of no name unbranded chinese junk stoves on the market. A neighbour of mine called to see my stove install the other day as a new stove he fitted two years ago saw the entire grate melt and its now pretty much useless.

ger vallely · 30-10-2014 8:28pm

Effects wrote: »

Did you find your open fire a benefit to the rest of the house?
As mentioned, surely you can solve problem number one by applying problem number two? Or else burn less fuel perhaps? Sounds like you don't really understand how stoves or heating works.

Obviously I have opened the door to try benefit the rest of the house, I am not entirely stupid. Yes I also burn less fuel now to prevent the build up of too much heat. And no, my open fire did not benefit the rest of the house either. I have a grasp on how heating and fire works, no need for sarky comments. I just rather the open Fire. OP asked people's opinions and that was my two cents. The heat for some reason does not circulate around the house so once we move from the kitchen the stove may as well not be lit.

Thargor · 30-10-2014 9:11pm

Try a fan, even a tiny one.

Open fire or stove...

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