Stove/ open fireplace - pro's/cons

Pandamonium

Hi,

Just got our planning permission on a new build and have run into a snag when it comes to our fireplaces. The house is 2500 square feet which will have solar panels and oil. We will also have a ventilation system and will want to make the house as air tight as possible.

And here is the problem. Myself and my better half are at loggerheads over the open fires/stove argument.

Her dream home involves an open fire.
I feel it goes against the air tight house we are going for (obviously)

We both hate free standing stoves and integrated ones are meh.

What can we do? Must be solid fuel.

Thanks in advance

Oh and is there a way of keeping the glass on a stove clean and not going black all the time?

Ellian

We had the open fire and coverted to a multifuel stove last year - never looked back. The heat output is brilliant and personally I think aesthetically it is just as warm and inviting as the open fire - although due to aforementioned heat output we now tend to sit a bit further back from it. So I would say pros are the heat output and also the fact that it burns everything down to dust (which I find useful because it's a nice addition to the compost recipe). Cons are that you need to be a little bit more careful with your wood storage - it does not like damp wood at all, and you can clog up the pipes quite badly if you persist in trying to burn damp wood.

Keeping the glass clean is a doddle. Get a piece of damp newspaper. Dip it in the ash in the grate. Wipe glass with that. Then wipe again with clean dry newspaper. Hey presto, good as new.

Pandamonium

Ellian wrote: »

We had the open fire and coverted to a multifuel stove last year - never looked back. The heat output is brilliant and personally I think aesthetically it is just as warm and inviting as the open fire - although due to aforementioned heat output we now tend to sit a bit further back from it.

Thaks for commenting. I will be usually be burning turf. And thanks for the hint about the glass.

Ellian

Hope someone else can comment on turf as I have never tried to burn that but imagine same rules apply as for wood as regards keeping it dry.

Sligo Stoves and Fireplaces

An open fire gives and efficiency of 20-25%. A stove gives efficiency of 75-80% and some even higher than that.
For an air-tight home (or any home for that matter), a stove is the best option, ideally a stove with an external air feed system. There are a few different styles on the market for freestanding and inset stoves, both traditional and contemporary. To consider putting an open fire in a house that is also air-tight isn't really feasible as you need a good and freely available supply of air.

Ddad

I'm in a similar boat and have done bucket loads of research on stoves. They are a no brainer compared to a fireplace for efficiency. They are just as inviting if you get a quality brand with a large glass door with an airwash that keeps it clean. Having done the research I don't know why anyone installs a fireplace in a modern home. Less fuel, more heat, great looking, room sealed!

If your burning turf you need a multifuel stove btw as it'll destroy a wood burning stove with tar and your flue with it.

Ellian

Oh and not sure what the law is in Ireland but in the UK, if your kilowatt output is greater than 5KW you need a vent. And in all cases you need a carbon monoxide detector, which is actually a great thing to have in the house whether you have a stove or not.

Jam

This is something I've wondered too.

It's mostly been hit on the head by previous posters, but:

Why the hell would anyone get a fireplace? They look lovely, and are aesthetically pleasing, but are so ridiculously inefficient it's absurd. A stove basically acts like a giant heatsink/radiator, most of the heat from one piece of fuel goes into heating the metal, which in turns goes into heating the room. In a fireplace it just goes straight up the chimney.

Or just tell her fine, you'll get the fireplace, but she can buy all of the fuel for it. Which will be 3x as much.

paddy147

Open fire = about 80% of your heat and money up the chimney and wasted.

I also had an open fireplace converted to take a large Stovax multi fuel inset stove,and the difference is like night and day.

Couldnt be happier with the results.:)

Carbon monoxide detector is a no brainer too,its just as important as a smoke/fire alarm.Piece of mind too.

paddy147

Pandamonium wrote: »

Hi,


We both hate free standing stoves and integrated ones are meh.

Well what do you want or expect then,if you dont mind me asking????

Pandamonium

Sligo Stoves and Fireplaces wrote: »

An open fire gives and efficiency of 20-25%. A stove gives efficiency of 75-80% and some even higher than that.

Thanks for the facts.

Ddad wrote: »

I'm in a similar boat and have done bucket loads of research on stoves. They are a no brainer compared to a fireplace for efficiency.

Thanks man. I'm going to look into that airwash idea.

Ellian wrote: »

Oh and not sure what the law is in Ireland but in the UK, if your kilowatt output is greater than 5KW you need a vent.

Thanks again.

Jam wrote: »

This is something I've wondered too.

It's mostly been hit on the head by previous posters, but:

Good idea but I get my turf for free. I think that we want to be efficent as poss will be a better arguement

paddy147 wrote: »

Open fire = about 80% of your heat and money up the chimney and wasted.

Thanks for the comments

paddy147 wrote: »

Well what do you want or expect then,if you dont mind me asking????

Well I was kind of thinking someone could jump in with an idea that we had not thought of but trust me all your comments have helped and got us talking.

Thanks again guys and if anyone else wants to comment feel free I've got about 2 weeks to decide.

sinjim

Maybe a Bioethanol fireplace?
If you were willing to bend on the must be solid fuel part

Ddad

No connection or endorsement of the business but they have a good gallery which could steer you in the right direction

http://www.flamebydesign.ie/

I found it useful for clarifying what we wanted.

trickyvicky

Just wondering how the burner is working our for pandamonium. Would you recommend one? Thanks in advance

DoneDL

Though I would never dispute that stoves are more efficient than a standard back boiler there are some very inaccurate figures being quoted

OPEN FIRES

Simple Open Fire – 37% (Radiation only)
Open Fire Freestanding Convector – 47%
Open Fire Inset Convector – 45% mineral fuel, 43% wood
Open Fire with domestic hot water boiler - 50%
Open Fire with high output boiler – Trapezium or rectangular grate – 63%
Notes. The standard test fuel used for open fires is a reactive smokeless fuel and/or
wood logs as specified in the appropriate BS EN.
Additionally, heat is given out from the appliance by convection and conduction which
provides added heat to that measured in the earlier BS tests on which these minimum
figures are based.

ROOMHEATERS/STOVES

Roomheater without boiler – 65%
Roomheater with boiler – 67%

Note. The standard test fuel for Roomheaters is an anthracite based briquette and/or
wood logs.
Pellet Fired Stoves without boiler – 70% (at nominal load), 65% (at part load).

Pellet Fired Stove with boiler – 75% (at nominal load), 70% (at part load)

These figures are from hetas.