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Open fire or stove...

  • 10-10-2014 2:39pm
    #1
    baggote2
    Registered Users Posts: 36 ✭


    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


«1

Comments

  • #2
    PaleRider
    Registered Users Posts: 155 ✭✭PaleRider


    An open fire is always nice to look at etc.

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

    1. A stove is mostly 75% efficient. A open fire is only 30% at best.
    2. Will burn slowly when air vent is adjusted, allowing you to leave home and return to a nice warm room.
    3. 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.


  • #3
    NauP
    Registered Users Posts: 108 ✭✭NauP


    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.


  • #4
    kenmccarthy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 160 ✭✭kenmccarthy


    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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  • #5
    kenmccarthy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 160 ✭✭kenmccarthy


    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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  • #6
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,865 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    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.


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  • #7
    shanered
    Registered Users Posts: 1,117 ✭✭✭shanered


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


  • #8
    DarByrne1980
    Registered Users Posts: 311 ✭✭DarByrne1980


    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.


  • #9
    pawrick
    Registered Users Posts: 1,721 ✭✭✭pawrick


    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.


  • #10
    Rubberchikken
    Registered Users Posts: 5,083 ✭✭✭Rubberchikken


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


  • #11
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,792 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    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!


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  • #12
    Welruc
    Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Welruc


    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


  • #13
    v638sg7k1a92bx
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,913 ✭✭✭v638sg7k1a92bx


    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.


  • #14
    hexosan
    Registered Users Posts: 1,735 ✭✭✭hexosan


    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.


  • #15
    v638sg7k1a92bx
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,913 ✭✭✭v638sg7k1a92bx


    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.


  • #16
    stooge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,395 ✭✭✭stooge


    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.


  • #17
    Cork selfbuild
    Registered Users Posts: 649 ✭✭✭Cork selfbuild


    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!


  • #18
    Welruc
    Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Welruc


    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


  • #19
    The lips
    Registered Users Posts: 468 ✭✭The lips


    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.


  • #20
    whizbang
    Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭whizbang


    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..


  • #21
    richballs
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭richballs


    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


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  • #22
    Effects
    Registered Users Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Effects


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


  • #23
    stooge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,395 ✭✭✭stooge


    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?


  • #24
    murph226
    Registered Users Posts: 1,385 ✭✭✭murph226


    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?


  • #25
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 40,977 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    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


  • #26
    Pretzill
    Registered Users Posts: 4,683 ✭✭✭Pretzill


    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!


  • #27
    Pretzill
    Registered Users Posts: 4,683 ✭✭✭Pretzill


    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.


  • #28
    murph226
    Registered Users Posts: 1,385 ✭✭✭murph226


    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.


  • #29
    stooge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,395 ✭✭✭stooge


    rotating cowl?


  • #30
    donegal.
    Registered Users Posts: 4,635 ✭✭✭donegal.


    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.


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  • #31
    ger vallely
    Registered Users Posts: 766 ✭✭✭ger vallely


    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.


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