STOVES questions and answers here(see mod note in post 1)

TomDug · 30-06-2013 10:19pm

Last year I bought a cubic meter of kiln dried birch. It burned too hot and fast for my purposes. Basically the problem is my stove is too big for the room. Is there a longer, cooler burning wood? Would I be better off with ordinary seasoned wood instead of the kiln dried stuff?

jimmytom · 01-07-2013 12:39pm

Deleted User wrote: »

guidelines: (from the above guide)

1) You must have a gap of 150mm each side of the stove to non combustible materials and 230mm if there are combustible materials to the side.

2) You must have 230mm above the stove to non combustible materials and 460mm above the stove if there is combustible materials (for example wood)

hi all,

I am installing a 14kw double sided stove, plastered block walls to each side and a plastered plyed out flue starter to the top. The gap to the sides will be 240mm and to the top will be 585mm. My query relates to the gap to the top of the stove from the combustible plastered plyed flue starter, is this enough or does anyone have any experience with vermaculite boards and as to whether I should install this onto walls around and above stove

Gedmen · 01-07-2013 5:39pm

"I've an EB 12 insert here but not due to be fitted into the hearth till Monday. Pulled out an old non boiler model and was a bit worried about heat output to room. Guess I won't really know till next Tuesday. Hope its not too warm Tuesday as I won't be able to wait to give it a go..... eager beaver..............."

Its on my shortlist Spyrogyro please let us know how you get on asap!!

Positives - Good UK brand actually made of steel and in England not China.
Negatives just enough / borderline to water for my downstairs only but have zoned upstairs downstairs - heat output to room 1 to 5kw nominal what does that actually mean and how will it translate in a bad winter? I was hoping to turn off the rads in the sitting room but probably not an option if obtaining less than 3.5 Kw in the room (23x12.5x8 2 doors, bay windows x3)

what did you pay and where purchased? Any thoughts more info on it?
Cheers

Brianne · 01-07-2013 5:59pm

Gedmen wrote: »

Its on my shortlist Spyrogyro please let us know how you get on asap!!

Positives - Good UK brand actually made of steel and in England not China.
Negatives just enough / borderline to water for my downstairs only but have zoned upstairs downstairs - heat output to room 1 to 5kw nominal what does that actually mean and how will it translate in a bad winter? I was hoping to turn off the rads in the sitting room but probably not an option if obtaining less than 3.5 Kw in the room (23x12.5x8 2 doors, bay windows x3)

what did you pay and where purchased? Any thoughts more info on it?
Cheers

I don't think you'll be turning off any rads. Our insert Yola is 14 to water and 3 to room. Our room 16x12 and we have a large double rad which is needed on. Its great to heat the rads but without a rad in the room we would not be warm.

Gedmen · 01-07-2013 6:12pm

Thanks Brianne
Have read a few of your posts while searching on here for insert boilers. You have actually put me off the Yola a little for that reason. Why did you choose the Yola over the Stratford if you dont mind me asking? I'm looking at that one and the Cara+ or Henley Achill. The Achill works by convection to room which might make a difference but no reviews

- its great to ask someone who's already done a bit of research and taken the plunge. Any and all tips appreciated.

Brianne · 01-07-2013 8:32pm

Gedmen most boiler insert stoves will not throw out massive heat to the room without having a rad as well. A lot of people that sell them will tell you that also. I remember being in a stove shop and the guy selling them put me off but anyway we are very pleased with the Yola as we have a large double rad.
If we did'nt have that the room would not be warm enough in the winter. It is certainly great for the rads.

Gedmen · 01-07-2013 8:49pm

Thanks Brianne, it just means that i'll probably have to turn one off elsewhere.

Brianne · 01-07-2013 10:35pm

Gedmen I just see on a post you have further up the page your sitting room is way bigger than mine 16x12 and off the stove I have 2 large double rads and 5 large single. What I find good about the Yola is it has a really big firebox, very little blackening atall in the glass, fine big window also which I love. Totally Irish made. Now there is a bigger Yola inset with 18 to water and 7 to room and to me that would be much better output for you. Maybe with that you could leave the rad turned off ok.
Shop around when you're looking, prices can vary quite a lot.

Gedmen · 01-07-2013 10:50pm

I didn't see that one - def an insert? Do you have a link?

Brianne · 01-07-2013 11:02pm

Sorry Gedmen, you're right its a boiler one, my mistake.

Gedmen · 01-07-2013 11:22pm

No worries. Now if the Cara plus had that output i'd be v happy, as long as i could hang on to my wooden fire surround.

micks_address · 05-07-2013 9:51am

Unless your wooden surround is the required distances away it will probably need to be replaced.. we only had small fires in our cara and it was melting the surround from the wall... we had to change to marble... 550 mm to the top and 350mm to the sides... we even find with the marble that the marble mantel gets very warm just above the cara... i wouldnt be happy leaving papers on it etc.. its the way the stove throws heat back into the room.. it just convects it out the top.. what the couple of fireplace fitters we talked to said was that most people are really taking a dangerous chance with wooden fire surrounds, and that with enough heating over time they can just self combust... not a chance worth taking really...

Gedmen wrote: »

No worries. Now if the Cara plus had that output i'd be v happy, as long as i could hang on to my wooden fire surround.

Gedmen · 05-07-2013 5:16pm

Agreed.

The Cara plus inset distance to combustibles is 150mm to the side, the Stratford ecoboiler inset is160mm all around. I have that and more.

But if their outputs were improved to what i want - say 16kw to water, then the stove's output to room would possibly be correspondingly greater. This could possibly increase the required distance to combustibles and putretaining my timber frame in some doubt.

This is not a given though because, as Brianne points out, it is difficult to get decent heat to room with a boiler as the water jacket takes so much more of the heat.

Currently Cara plus inset maximum to room is 5kw (wood) but "nominal" 3.6kw. The Stratford 12i inset is 1kw to 5 kw (nominal). When the rads are hot the eco plus regulates the stove air intake automatically, further reducing heat to room output when the set required temp. is reached.

auditions · 06-07-2013 9:39pm

Hi, I have a stanley oil range in my kitchen(the type they can't be converted to solid fuel).

Is it possible to pull out the range and hook a the equivalent multi fuel stanley or stove in it's place without having to re plumb what's already there? In other words just hook it up to the existing plumbing for the oil range.

Thanks

Robbie.G · 06-07-2013 9:56pm

auditions wrote: »

Hi, I have a stanley oil range in my kitchen(the type they can't be converted to solid fuel).

Is it possible to pull out the range and hook a the equivalent multi fuel stanley or stove in it's place without having to re plumb what's already there? In other words just hook it up to the existing plumbing for the oil range.

Thanks

It should be able to be done.First you need a gravity non pumped circuit for safety as solid fuel is a non controllable heat source.Your best bet is to get someone in that has experience of solid fuel as the heating load needs to be sized and for their advice on if this is possible and how much work is involved

08-07-2013 11:16pm

Gedmen wrote: »

Its on my shortlist Spyrogyro please let us know how you get on asap!!

Positives - Good UK brand actually made of steel and in England not China.
Negatives just enough / borderline to water for my downstairs only but have zoned upstairs downstairs - heat output to room 1 to 5kw nominal what does that actually mean and how will it translate in a bad winter? I was hoping to turn off the rads in the sitting room but probably not an option if obtaining less than 3.5 Kw in the room (23x12.5x8 2 doors, bay windows x3)

what did you pay and where purchased? Any thoughts more info on it?
Cheers

Did a few burns even though its very hot anyway to test it.................

Seems to be perfect, heating the rads nicely...... I am very happy with it but will only really know its true worth after a cold winter.

Seems the business though I must say...........

Bought it from Hurst heating and plumbing in Mayo for about 1400 euro inc free delivery. I am in the midlands so was a bit away from Hurst but they were top notch people, good to deal with.......................

Best of luck with the stove........

08-07-2013 11:31pm

Oh yeah Gedman,

Just saw your room size and it seems big. Previously we had a non boiler 7 kw and it heated two rooms joinsted by an arch and heated them well so I hope the lower Kw to room of the ecoboiler 12i inset plus a large single rad will do the same job. Also its an ecoboiler HE, which I presume means high effeciency and seems more frugal on the fuel than the previous stove. This would mean we would probably use it more but no use more fuel to achieve the same level of room heat that we had with the non boiler. Thats the hope anyway. There are a huge amount of variables, even different smokeless fuel seems to give different results and obviously some woods are better than others for heat output. All in all a difficult business to try to figure out for the best............:)

All I can say is that for the moment the Stratford seems to be capable and exactly what we were looking for.... a surprisingly large firebox too.

08-07-2013 11:56pm

And if you are in the midlands or thereabouts Gabriel and Jason Latham are very good plumbers.Don't think they are on the web (father and son outfit) but you can get them on 087 2594643. My plumbing was a mess before they arrived and it seems like they did a very good job at a good price.
They were very patient with me, I can be a bit pedantic about stuff.....

There's a chap who does steel work in Mountrath but they were a complete waste of time. I never heard the word tomorrow uttered so often before.
Don't think I am allowed to mention him but steer clear,...... Terrible, I eventually told the guy to go and F^&* himself after the fifth "TOMORROW." I wanted a steel surround, got it elsewhere and sprayed it myself.

Gedmen · 09-07-2013 5:45pm

Thanks Spyro. Glad its going well for you. What did you pay for the install and was there any existing pipework from the fireplace? I don't have any. There's a new bigger Stratford Inset out in August - Stratford 16 HE insert. Don't have the specs yet but will hold out for that. It should give 16kw to water and the dual should give me hot rads downstairs no bother with some to spare. I could be selective and try for the whole house switching some off.

Brianne · 09-07-2013 7:49pm

Gedman whats to room from that one?

Gedmen · 10-07-2013 7:42am

Not certain - Its either 1 to 5 Kws (nominal) or 2.5 to 8 Kws (nominal). Specs should be out in August.

10-07-2013 9:02pm

Gedmen wrote: »

Thanks Spyro. Glad its going well for you. What did you pay for the install and was there any existing pipework from the fireplace? I don't have any. There's a new bigger Stratford Inset out in August - Stratford 16 HE insert. Don't have the specs yet but will hold out for that. It should give 16kw to water and the dual should give me hot rads downstairs no bother with some to spare. I could be selective and try for the whole house switching some off.

in

No, there was no existing pipework from the fireplace but there was some pipework in the utility room behind the fireplace and he was able to hook into that and other pipework elsewhere.Like just about everything here it was originally put in topsy turvey...........:rolleyes: There used to be another type of oil based burner/boiler though what it was I have no idea. I actually thought it was some kind of LPG system but it turned out it was some type of 1970's oil based thing..... Had me stumped as to what it was..... I better not quote his price here or he might kill me if he finds out...lets say he was very fair.

restive · 10-07-2013 11:02pm

Deleted User wrote: »

And if you are in the midlands or thereabouts Gabriel and Jason Latham are very good plumbers.Don't think they are on the web (father and son outfit) but you can get them on 087 2594643. My plumbing was a mess before they arrived and it seems like they did a very good job at a good price.
They were very patient with me, I can be a bit pedantic about stuff.....

There's a chap who does steel work in Mountrath but they were a complete waste of time. I never heard the word tomorrow uttered so often before.
Don't think I am allowed to mention him but steer clear,...... Terrible, I eventually told the guy to go and F^&* himself after the fifth "TOMORROW." I wanted a steel surround, got it elsewhere and sprayed it myself.

How many rads do you have in total? How many are double rads?

leanbh · 13-07-2013 12:41am

This post has been deleted.

Invincible · 13-07-2013 12:46am

leanbh wrote: »

Hi,
Am a newbie to stoves so be gentle!! I hope to install a freestaning multifuel 8kw stove in existing chimney which is 700mm wide . What width should my stove be?
Also any good deals in sales on decent stoves? Am looking up north at the moment and seems very competitive but am a bit worried about after sales service.
Any recommended brands?
Trust me to be writing about stoves during a heat wave!!:D

You probably need to leave 150mm either side of the stove.
Dru,Dovre,Morso and Stovax are all good brands.
Have a look at stovereviews.co.uk for details of stoves available.
Gordon's heating supplies near Ballinasloe are competitively priced.

Emcm · 13-07-2013 6:35pm

Hi there

I am in the process of pricing up boiler stoves we have had our plumber out to check what the job entails so we know the score on that end. Dreading the job being done as I know it will be messy but hopefully will be worth it in the end.

My problem is what stove to pick our plumber said we would need a 21 kw as our house is about 2300 sq ft so lots of rads to heat. I was originally very keen on the brosely Hercules I quite liked the look of a 2 door one but our plumber pointed out it had cast iron handles so would be very hot for opening and closing he thinks a single door is a better option. So I have been back surfing the web and found an Olymberyl Aidan ( I think it might be fate my babies name is Aidan). Is anyone here familiar with this stove is it a good make and reliable.

Also are they as good as they say we are really anxious to reduce our oil costs last year we spent €3000 on oil which we just cannot afford anymore will this stove be the answer to all our prayers. Also feel free to suggest other stoves you have found good. Our preference would be a cast iron one .

emg74 · 13-07-2013 11:44pm

Have a look at the stratford EcoBoiler Range - We have the EB12 version but there are bigger ones available - EB20 & EB25 (http://www.stratfordboilerstoves.co.uk/models/stoves.html)

We have ours about a year now and I am so impressed at its efficiency. We are heating less rads than you but we barely used the oil at all last winter. We burn a mix of timber, turf and smokeless fuel

I know you were looking at a cast stove but I would recommend you have a look at these ones too.

Fart · 14-07-2013 7:22pm

Hi guys,

I'm hoping someone here can help me. I'm looking for a stove for my kitchen. I'm hoping to install it in the old fireplace where there is already a flue in place.

It needs to to adhere to the following:

Max. 22 inches high
Airwash feature (I've read that this is important)
Price max. €450

I've looked at the Stanley Oisin but it doesn't have the Airwash feature.
I'm completely new to stoves so any recommendations would be great.

I'm based in Dublin, in case anyone wants to recommend me a place to buy.

Cheers

.

Gest · 18-07-2013 12:25am

Hi,

Quick and probably stupid question. I live in a typical 3-bed semi detached, 7 year old house. I have an open fireplace in the sitting room and oil burner heating the rads. Is it possible to put in a boiler stove into an ordinary sitting room fireplace to heat the room and the rads?

Thks

Robbie.G · 18-07-2013 7:32am

Gest wrote: »

Hi,

Quick and probably stupid question. I live in a typical 3-bed semi detached, 7 year old house. I have an open fireplace in the sitting room and oil burner heating the rads. Is it possible to put in a boiler stove into an ordinary sitting room fireplace to heat the room and the rads?

Thks

It is possible depending on your plumbing.Is the heating an open vented system or sealed one? What's the layout of the house 3 storey or single storey? Where's the hotpress? These all have a factor in the stove so your best bet is to call in a plumber with knowledge of solid fuel and get their advice

STOVES questions and answers here(see mod note in post 1)

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