Author Topic: Gas vs wood fuel technical question (Read 15787 times)

Domestique · « **Reply #50 on:** 13 December, 2015, 02:02:00 pm »

I think if I was having a burner installed again I would go for a multi fuel one, coal and wood. Almost certain that involves a different liner to a wood only stove.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #51 on:** 13 December, 2015, 08:32:07 pm »

Not necessarily - coal doesn't burn as hot as wood. The main difference is in the arrangement for air supply; coal needs a lot of air from below. My stove is ordainarily a multi-fuel one but, because it's been installed as a "room sealed" device, it can only be used with wood. This is because the outside air supply is only for the secondary air. In fact, the primary air control on mine has no effect whatsoever.

Tewdric · « **Reply #52 on:** 14 December, 2015, 05:33:16 pm »

Multi fuel stoves have always struck me as an impossible compromise. Coal needs a grill with airflow from underneath, wood needs a solid bottom and an ash bed. I've never seen a really successful compromise although am prepared to be enlightened.

Basil · « **Reply #53 on:** 14 December, 2015, 05:58:21 pm »

Our wood burner has a lever on the side. Turning it origamis the grill from open to closed.

Wombat · « **Reply #54 on:** 14 December, 2015, 06:04:12 pm »

Ours isn't even that hi-tech. it has a grate with a reasonable airflow, which is shut-offable, but still leaves the holes in it, so if we want to definitely burn just wood, we don't bother to empty the ashpan, hence there is a solid bed of ash. If we want to burn coal (pretty rare, but its easier to keep going overnight with coal) we empty it properly. It has primary, secondary, and tertiary airflow controls. We always leave the tertiary one fairly well open, as this is what allows it to digest its own snot and you can see the combustion take place around the tertiary air inlet holes, burning nice and clean.

Ours is not an expensive one, its a Hunter of some sort, but its a clean burn one.

Domestique · « **Reply #55 on:** 14 December, 2015, 07:43:50 pm »

We have a Charnwood Country 4, which can be easily upgraded to burn coal, about £100 for the multi fuel kit. Afaik its the chimney liner that needs to be different to a wood only burner, but I am no expert.
Cracking stove by the way.

Poly Hive · « **Reply #56 on:** 14 December, 2015, 09:00:45 pm »

Totally non plussed here.

I was led to believe from school days that coal burned a lot hotter than coal, yet it is being claimed the opposite is true?

Links please

PH

Jaded · « **Reply #57 on:** 14 December, 2015, 10:09:10 pm »

Quote from: Domestique on 14 December, 2015, 07:43:50 pm

We have a Charnwood Country 4, which can be easily upgraded to burn coal, about £100 for the multi fuel kit. Afaik its the chimney liner that needs to be different to a wood only burner, but I am no expert.
Cracking stove by the way.

I can do the same. I'm led to believe that wet coal = sulphuric acid = dead flue liner

nicknack · « **Reply #58 on:** 14 December, 2015, 11:37:40 pm »

Quote from: Poly Hive on 14 December, 2015, 09:00:45 pm

Totally non plussed here.

I was led to believe from school days that coal burned a lot hotter than coal, yet it is being claimed the opposite is true?

Links please

PH

You may wish to edit this.

P Walsh · « **Reply #59 on:** 16 December, 2015, 05:04:29 pm »

Sorry, can't be bothered to read all the contributions to this thread, but in answer to the original post, a wood burner is a simple solution. You drop a purpose-made flexible flue down the chimney and fix it to the wood burner. Professional installation is best. Burner (good one) and installation should cost £1500. You may want to raise the lintel on the fire place to give the burner more room (+£200). The flue liner acts as a super hot radiator, drying your chimney. Case solved.

Aunt Maud · « **Reply #60 on:** 16 December, 2015, 06:44:53 pm »

Coal is a no, no.

You, the rest of us and the environment would be best served if you sourced your fuel from well managed and fast grown local coppiced woodlands.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #61 on:** 16 December, 2015, 06:53:06 pm »

Many of the contributions seem to be about chopping wood anyway

I'm leaning back towards the wood stove (although I did briefly wonder about the possibility of getting an additional tall thin radiator installed under the sloping ceiling next to the dormer instead) but have decided not to set anything in stone until I see how the gable end repointing works, that my neighbour has just agreed to go halves on, go....

Aunt Maud · « **Reply #62 on:** 16 December, 2015, 07:16:42 pm »

While you're waiting for the shocker report, try not to panic when you get it though, I recommend to the forum Lars Myttings' "Hel Ved"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Norwegian-Wood-Chopping-Stacking-Scandinavian/dp/0857052551

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #63 on:** 16 December, 2015, 07:41:51 pm »

Shocker report?

Aunt Maud · « **Reply #64 on:** 16 December, 2015, 07:51:54 pm »

Sorry my dyslexia playing up......, re-poining works.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #65 on:** 16 December, 2015, 08:26:38 pm »

Aah, I thought you knew something I didn't!

Aunt Maud · « **Reply #66 on:** 17 December, 2015, 07:07:07 am »

He's not going to repoint it during the winter is he ?

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #67 on:** 17 December, 2015, 04:54:22 pm »

<googles> Oh feck, good point.

I asked the surveyor for his impartial opinion and he thought that my firm has a good reputation in the industry and that they would take account of the weather at the time, but being as the scaffolding is hired in I'd probably rather push them back a bit to be sure.

Thanks for pointing (haha) that out.

Aunt Maud · « **Reply #68 on:** 17 December, 2015, 05:14:07 pm »

And if he tries to give you any baloney about it'll be ok as theres a little bit of cement in the mortar to make it go off quicker, tell him to "sling his hook", as that's not a lime mortar.

That's a big full stop too.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #69 on:** 20 December, 2015, 07:52:42 pm »

Stoves installation is stupendously expensive if you don't have a chimney and you need a stainless steel flue up the outside of the house. However, you do get unusually effective heating because the stove isn't trapped in a fireplace, giving very effective convection, and you can also have a metre or so of plain vitreous flue between the stove and just before it goes through the wall, which gives off lots of extra heat. The other benefit of a through-the-wall installation is that you can have it room-sealed with no sucking of cold outside air from around doors and windows. I have a 5kW stove which happily heats the entire house due to a fortuitous internal layout (staircase off the living room, which allows heat to rise up the stairs) and reasonable insulation. In cold weather, hardwood consumption is about 17-18kg a day. If I light it at breakfast, by 5pm it's generally so hot indoors that I allow the stove to die down.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #70 on:** 01 January, 2016, 06:03:03 pm »

Had a play with my brother's stove last night... (where's the pyromaniac smiley?), and feeling how long it's taking the GCH to warm up the room (got home and switched it on before 2pm and the thermometer still says 15.3°C, brr!)

am thinking about this a bit more seriously now...

He was using those compressed woodchip briquettes (they look like a giant piece of cat litter) which seemed to be quite easy to use.

Basil · « **Reply #71 on:** 01 January, 2016, 06:35:42 pm »

We use those briquettes, but not exclusively. Mixed with ordinary logs. I rather like them.

P Walsh · « **Reply #72 on:** 01 January, 2016, 06:58:41 pm »

Just to clarify on an earlier question, coal and coke can burn much hotter than wood, to a point where, if uncontrolled, you can damage the stove. And you ought to check that the flue liner is the right spec before using coal. Wood is nicer, though, being both greener and providing ash that is easy to incorporate into the garden.

All this technical stuff is easily found on websites for stove suppliers.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #73 on:** 07 January, 2016, 05:15:02 pm »

Can I ask what sort of prices people are getting their stoves and installation done for? I've phoned a couple of places today and they've given me ballpark figures of £4500 for the basics, and that's not even Aberdeen prices! Even with recycling the scaffolding there for the pointing. Seems excessive to me.

peliroja · « **Reply #74 on:** 07 January, 2016, 06:19:45 pm »

Ours (Morsø Squirrel) involved rebuilding the fireplace including lintel (there wasn't one) and a nice chunky wood beam and stone hearth. It set us back £3k.