My Log Burner...

May I ask, where does everybody source their fuel (wood/coal) from?

Over the past year, we've been using up wood/coal left over from projects and hosue warming gifts (standard bag of coal!) etc etc, never actually had to buy any....
 
Nightglow said:
You need kindling & paper to start a fire, & gradually build it up until you can add the logs

I always remove the cartridge, less chance of accidentally turning it on,& have gas leaking & igniting, also it's top heavy torch, so there is risk of damaging the torch or canister, I have a mapp canister here, which has bent screw valve as a result of falling off the bench.

Might also affect the seals in the torch leaving it permanently attached.
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Ah ok, i think i just got the impression from Spits initial post that he just toasted the logs with the torch and that was it!

In that case if you build the fire as normal wheres the benefit of using a torch instead of just a regular lighter?
 
DXP55 said:
Learning lessons from previous fit's the new one now is in a metal box - had it fabricated to fit hole - this way any lining around fire won't crack - burn of fall off.
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Love that, would it be easy enough to retrofit if the stove is already installed?

Think I'd just do the cheeks and bring it out across the register plate as I have exposed brick at the back but I'm having issues with cracking along the cheeks and on the beads across the face.

How much was it to fabricate if you don't mind?
 
Shaz]sigh[;25179314 said:
Love that, would it be easy enough to retrofit if the stove is already installed?

Think I'd just do the cheeks and bring it out across the register plate as I have exposed brick at the back but I'm having issues with cracking along the cheeks and on the beads across the face.

How much was it to fabricate if you don't mind?
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the one I have requires the flue connection to pass through the top, I wouldn't have thought it was a good idea to try and retrofit - do you have a flue liner that has been packed in place? that could be a major problem if it was anything like trying to get mine in place!
 
Shaz

It was around £100 - I also had the brick's out above the box so box was fitted first - I had already measured up for flue so hole in top was cut out in right place - I then took out one clay flue liner leaving a socket from one above - The stove supplier made me an adapter to reduce 8" down to 6" - I then had him make another pipe just bigger than 6" to fit between bottom of adapter and box top - That was so I could pack vermiculite all round pipe and adapter - The flue from adapter and top of stove was telescopic by about 2" so to get fire out all I do is push up bottom half of flue. - then it was brick up and fill with vermiculite till it was bricked. - Then plastered round surround of box.

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I would not like to retro fit mine but if you have the headroom above fire it could be done.

If you look at picture of my old house you will see a sheet of stainless steel behind fire painted black - that is fixed to wall and spaced out by an inch and gap at bottom - that allows air to circulate behind and keep wall cooler - if you can do it on sides of yours it will help - If you can get a bend on front edge it would look neater but I think you will have to remove fire to get a good job on it.

Dave
 
Just ordered myself one of these:

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It's a Fireline Fx5, 5kw multi fuel stove. Really looking forward to getting it put in. :)
 
McMav said:
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Thread bump. Still a work in progress but it's mainly decorating to be finished. Ended up with a Dunsley Highlander 5 stove nice and easy to light, only done a few small fires so far to cue the paint but it does chuck out the heat. Plan is to finish the painting/skirting in next week or so once wee fellah is away to see his aunt at start of summer holidays. Then all good for the winter :D
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Is that a legal install? I might be wrong but thought you had to go at least 600mm before using any kind of bend? unless using a T peice. Or that could just be out the back of the stove and not the top, not sure!

Edit, yes im right:

Minimum straight flue height before bending
600mm (2') from the top of the stove
In exceptional circumstances shallow bends of 15º from the top of the stove may be specified by a Hetas installer to help clear some fireplace lintels
 
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Indie said:
May I ask, where does everybody source their fuel (wood/coal) from?

Over the past year, we've been using up wood/coal left over from projects and hosue warming gifts (standard bag of coal!) etc etc, never actually had to buy any....
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My father in law is very good at keeping his ear out for people who want to get rid of trees. If I help I get half, already have all of next years wood :D
 
Indie said:
May I ask, where does everybody source their fuel (wood/coal) from?

Over the past year, we've been using up wood/coal left over from projects and hosue warming gifts (standard bag of coal!) etc etc, never actually had to buy any....
Click to expand...

Brother in Law works for the National Trust as a gardener. I just hire a van for half a day, go round to his and fill it up. I have to store, cut and split them myself.

For kindling I use anything from pallets to parquet flooring. Just cleared out my wife's grandparents loft and brought back enough kindling to fill the boot of the car with the seats down.

For paper, I subscribe to The Times digital package, but still have the paper delivered just for lighting the fire.

Medium quarter log at the front of the grate, loosely scrunched paper behind and 9 bits of kindling in a three layer lattice. Light the paper in as many places as you can and then close the door in the first latch. After a couple of mins, when the kindling is going put on another log front to back so that it rests on the initial log and the back of the chamber so you don't smother the kindling. Leave the door on first latch until the second log has caught and then you are away.
 
I have a couple of questions.

Would there be any downsides apart from original cost to buying a slightly bigger or much larger stove than you actually needed?

e.g. say you could easily use a 4-6 kw to heat the room but wanted a 8-12 kw to heat the whole house at times as well?

Or do they require them to be pretty much fully loaded with fuel all the time to work properly? e.g. say I have a 12kw but I only wanted to heat the room not the whole house so I throw in 4 logs instead of 10, would this then fail to heat the room or work efficiently due to it not being designed to only output a small amount of heat or would it be comparable to having an electric one and turning it down from high to low?

As for logs there's always ads on gumtree from gardeners/foresters in my area to pick them up, so all that it would require is some manual labour, drying and running costs of the car to get them on a regular basis which could be topped up with burning any junk mail, catalogues, newspapers and cardboard packaging I always have around on a regular basis as well.

I also have a set of woods near my house with public footpaths (30 second walk), say if I were to walk through that on a regular basis and a tree has fallen over due to high winds or whatever, can I just chop it up and wheelbarrow it home? Obviously I wouldn't go in there and just start cutting down trees but looking for ones that had fallen over, it's a large area of woods, takes about an hour to walk around it and several hours if you were to scavenge through them looking for such trees.

The only thing I'm worried about is flue costs, someone said on here that they don't last long or well the lining doesn't for chimneys. How long are we talking here or was that a mistake? I mean if I paid several hundred pound for a flue or lining of the chimney then I would expect it to last tbh.
 
I can't see why it wouldn't last 20 years.

If you fit a bigger log burner you'll need an air vent. Anything over 5kw.

I have an 8kw but go through more than 4logs a day to keep it going over 2hours.

You're not supposed to pick up dead wood. The council say its health and safety. But no one really cares. It's just been brought in. Be more wary about private woods. As they'll care more. A council wood is a public wood. That's my thinking and they don't really care if a dead branch is taken away.

I pay £35 for a dumpy bag and the rest I find outside skips. Pallets but only ones I know no one wants and other places. You start to get a good eye for where the wood is.
 
mattyg said:
Do you need a flue. I would investigate whether you need one first. I don't have a flue in my 1890's Semi
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don't these things get hotter than what normal chimneys were designed for? i saw a programme on tv where someone had bought an old cottage out in the sticks and their house burnt down because their chimney wasn't fit for purpose and he was basically rebuilding his cottage again from scratch because there was nothing left.

i don't like the idea of the chimney getting so hot it gets damaged and ends up burning the house down.

even if someone said it was safe i would rather pay the few hundred quid for a flue so long as the flue lasts several decades because i wouldn't want to have the worry of that happening at any point in time.

these come with a 10 year guarantee

http://www.pgfireplaces.co.uk/flue_liner_package.htm?gclid=CM_5teSD6rwCFTMPtAodJGUAjg


no idea how good they are but something that comes with a 10 year guarantee and has no moving parts and is basically a metal tube should imo last a lifetime.

i would rather pay £300-£500 and never stress about it than think what if it's not safe.


if everything i burn i get for free then effectively over time it should pay for itself so i don't see the need to skimp on anything in my eyes.


anyway i wont be getting one anytime soon just looking at what the options are.
 
I was poorly advised by a HETAS approved installer to have a flue lined. Its a huge money spinner. They should asses your current flue and advise you but will most likely advise you that you need one. I'm still annoyed about the poor quality of work they charged a premium for while insisting I needed one. My sweep told me I didn't actually need one; he too was HETAS registered.

IMO A chimney sweep is the best bet to come and have a look and sweep your flue; he will be impartial and may be able to install one in the summer. You will need building apporval from the council; this is about £30 from what I recall. The sweep should check for what debris comes down and any tar or discolouration on the outside of the chimney stack. Ask around for a recommendation as plenty of white van and wheelbarrow types have moved into this area; a good sweep is amazing to talk too and they have a wealth of information.
 
Impartial and able to fit, sounds really impartial and not just making it cheaper to look more attractive....

Lined is always better, there isn't even an argument to say otherwise - it will draw better, be easier to sweep and be safer. You don't always need a liner but i wouldn't be disappointed that you have one, do some actual research about how badly chimneys in the UK have been built for the past 100 years and the issues not having one could lead to and you can see many reasons to get one let alone the fact a stove will run better with one!

FWIW my folks have a stove without a liner and i got a liner fitted after doing lots of research, my folks are changing their stove from inset to free standing and will also get a liner and my dad has been as against them as has had open fires etc for decades without one.

As for having a stove bigger than you need, during my research into stoves it was said you shouldn't ever be under-firing a stove long term - it will not be creating enough heat to burn off lots of the crap and it will end up in your chimney leading it to get blocked and potential fire risk, stoves all have a temp range they want to be in for best efficiency etc and a 12kw stove is going to pump out far to much heat for a room designed to need 6 - that room will be far too hot and the does move around the house but not to the degree you will have the room its in at a nice temp and other being heated well!
 
Lined is the way forward, as the chimney will be taking the majority of the punishment, probably more than the stove. the initial meter is as hot as the stove. Also a word of caution, most will sell a liner on the point that its 316 grade, well there is badly made 316 liners and brilliantly made 316 liners.

Also a note on correct stove size for the room, you do need the correct KW for the room, as you can both over-heat and under-heat a stove. Over heating will just destroy it, most likely the baffle and bricks inside, and if its of the cheaper variety it will buckle. under heating will not cause as much damage but will get 'sooted' up quick, so the glass will blacken, the gases will cool in the chimney so it will stick to liners etc.
That being said most stoves have a good KW range, a nominal 5KW will do 4-6KW, more in some cases, it depends on brand.
 
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