Does Your Stove Work For You?

 When many people think of a wood burning stove they imagine it heating only one area of the house. However with a little planning and initial disruption, your wood burning stove could heat the entire home, whilst saving a fortune on electric and gas.
Some stoves can be fitted with a back burner that means as you light your stove the hot water tank heats up, from the energy created and fills your radiators with eco fuel that keeps every room in the house toasty warm.
Although initially fitting a wood burning stove with a back boiler can be more disruptive than simply attaching a stove to a chimney, this is an ideal way to heat the home for less, and ensures you get the full benefit of all that heat without opening doors in the home to let the heat travel through.
Even the incredibly contemporary wood-burning stoves such as Firebelly (We found the best prices here) can be ordered and built with an optional back-boiler, and in the 18 different colours you're sure to be able to find a colour you love.
Before back boilers wood burning stoves were huge heavy things, that would be used for cooking, drying clothes, heating water and the home, however just because times have changed and we now rely on oil and gas, it doesn’t mean we can’t learn a thing or two from our ancestors.
Range Cookers, more commonly called Aga's after the brand that made them so successful, are strongly back in fashion, and whilst at the beginning of the twentieth century these were thrown out with the rubbish, now they cost a pretty penny and are a must have for any designer kitchen. Manufacturer's such as Broseley have created some stunning Range Cookers, that allow you to enjoy the warm glow as well as being able to do almost anything. Unlike the Aga's that have hidden everything behind heavy metal doors.
Your wood burning stove can perform the same jobs as an Aga, as there are now so many on the market with extras, that the past is coming into the future.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, scour antique shops and reclamation yards, they will have the old type of wood burning stove that can easily be transformed with an expert hand. These older stoves will have special compartments at the side- a single cast iron cupboard, where you can place slippers to warm or even leave bread to rise. This creates not only warmth in the home, but a delicious smell too, and makes sure that in these winter months there really is no place like our own abode.
If planning a home renovation and the kitchen or study adjoins the lounge, another idea for an open plan feel is to remove the wall where the wood burning stove will go. Some stoves will have glass on both sides, so each room can feel the benefit of the flames as they lick you into a state of relaxed happiness.
With all these features, there’s only one worry left when buying your wood burning stove, how to keep a stockpile of wood big enough! Try growing your own fast growing trees, some only take a year to grow, and as one is chopped down replace with another secure in the knowledge that you really are going green with your energy!

Stoves Are For Life, Not Just For Sherry & Mince Pies

Carefully placed mistletoe and oversized stockings surrounding a fireplace is a quintessential Christmas image. However, it is a shame that fireplaces are not used more often, instead of being reserved for sherry and mince pies on Christmas Eve.

Given that open fires are notoriously poor heat emitters (typically producing efficiencies of just 10-15%) it is understandable that homeowners prefer to reach for the central heating controls rather than chopping another pile of logs. However, for those who still yearn for a roaring fire but don’t want all the heat to disappear up the chimney, there is an alternative – the wood burning stove. They might be a logistical problem for Santa, but wood burning stoves supply efficient and sustainable heat to a home and can happily justify the title of being carbon neutral.

Aga, probably most famous for their range cookers rather than their wood or multifuel stoves have put together this handy guide to explain why a wood burning stove is not just for the festive season – it can last a lifetime.

The Aga Minsterley Can Also Heat Water & Radiators

SO WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE A WOOD BURNING STOVE?

Some independence from the utility companies and the option of using a carbon neutral fuel are
just two of the reasons people choose a wood burning stove. With ever-increasing prices in gas and
electricity, the way we heat our home is more important than ever.

By depending less on the grid we can make our winter
fuel bills more predictable. Plus, stoves still give your
room an important focal point as well as delivering
up to three times more heat into the room than an
open fire.
The Little Wenlock Classic, for example, has
efficiencies of up to 81%, meaning that only a fraction
of the heat generated goes up the chimney. So, it
need no longer be a special treat to light the fire – its
additional warmth can be enjoyed on a daily basis.

ISN’T WOOD JUST AS EXPENSIVE AS GAS OR ELECTRICITY?

Not necessarily - especially if you source your wood locally. It can be a very cost effective way to
heat your home.
Of course the quality of wood can vary and it is important that you use well seasoned, dry wood as
too much moisture in the logs reduces the efficiency of the stove.
To find your nearest firewood supplier try
www.yell.com or alternatively check the Forestry
Commission’s website for a wood scavenging license
in your area.

DO STOVES NEED A LOT OF MAINTENANCE?
Not really. There are some checks that you should carry out on a regular basis to make sure you keep your stove in tip top condition. These include inspecting the ash tray and glass door for any cracks, the finish for any rust and checking the seals are tight.
All of these are important but take a matter of minutes and can prolong the life of the stove. Finally, once a year the chimney should be swept to remove any build-up of deposits – ideally by a sweep who is a member of the National Association of Chimney Sweeps. For more information visit
www.nacs.org.uk

ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE STOVES AVAILABLE?
Yes – it’s definitely a case of getting what you pay for. If you choose a stove from the lower end of the market which may have been imported, it might be poorly constructed with little or no testing and could be potentially dangerous.
Here at AGA Stoves, testing is rigorous to ensure all imperfections are rectified before the product is sold. And to reassure homeowners, we’re one of the few manufacturers to display all the approvals on a data plate. It means that all the salient information is in one, clearly visible place.

WHAT IS THE LIFESPAN OF A STOVE?
The lifespan of a stove very much depends on the quality of its construction and the levels of maintenance undertaken throughout its life.
A cast iron stove can function for decades although you may need to replace some firebricks or a grate, but these are usually available from the more reputable manufacturers and spare-parts retailers, So if you choose to have a wood burning stove, the investment really can last a lifetime.

For The Complete Guide as well as for more information on any of the Aga Stove range visit http://agaliving.com/media/stoves/aga_stoves_christmas_21.10.11.pdf

Aga Little Wenlock Classic in Ideal Home

The Aga Little Wenlock Classic stove makes a welcome appearance in the November issue of Ideal Home, taking pride of place in Matthew and Rebecca Stenson’s living room (p.30). The Stensons’ home is a new build cottage, located in a Cambridgeshire village close to Huntingdon. Although the cottage is only three years old, it has been faithfully built in the rustic style using a traditional oak frame with modern structural insulation panels.
The Stensons have created a home rich with old world charm, but have incorporated the convenience of modern technology wherever possible. With underfloor heating and an air-source heat pump to keep their fuel costs down to around £80 per month, a wood burning stove is more a feature than a necessity. The Aga Little Wenlock Classic woodburner they have installed in their living room is a perfect fit for the character of the cottage with its timeless combination of traditional and modern aesthetics. However, the suitability of this stove for their home goes much deeper than looks alone.

The Aga Little Wenlock Classic stove achieves fuel efficiency of up to 81.2%, making it a good fit for the eco-friendly ethos of fuel economy seen in the rest of the Stensons’ heating system. The Little Wenlock Classic stove has a heat output of 4.7kW. This gives it the power to keep a small living room toasty warm in the worst of weather, but also makes it ideal for supplementing central heating in a medium living room such as the Stensons’.
The Stensons have gone for high quality materials wherever possible both in building and decorating their home. It is no surprise therefore that a solid cast iron woodburner would appeal to them. Aga are renowned for their quality control, being unwilling to release stoves with even the smallest superficial defect. While there are cheaper stoves on the market with similar designs, a close-up comparison will always show the Aga stove to have a flawless finish where a budget stove may well have the odd rough edge.

Ideal Home Magazine is one of best selling homes magazines, and it’s easy to see why. Every issue is crammed full of inspirational ideas, creative decorative techniques and the latest interior design style trends....




Do you have a question that needs answering? Or you want your heat appliance reviewed by the Fires Fireplaces Stoves Team? Why not contact us on firesfiresplacesstoves@gmail.com

Keeping The Glass On Your Stove Clean

Keeping stove windows clean is a complex subject and varies for each appliance, type of fuel and other operational differences such as overnight burning. All of which can then be affected by chimney performance.
Most modern stoves have an "air-wash" built in. This is basically a curtain of air that is desigend to flow across the surface of the window and stop any carbon being deposited onto the glass.

Air-wash works best when the appliance is fully up to temperature, with the heat from the fire being the main driving force of the air across the glass. However when the stove is first lit or when all the air controls are shut for overnight burning the airwash is significantly reduced. It is at these times when the deposits of combustion materials, condensation or sooting most often occur on the glass.

On start-up, the window is cold. Water vapour escaping from the burning fuel (even the most seasoned wood will still probably contain 15-25% water) reaches the cold surface of the glass and condenses, this vapour normally carries with it a waxy like substance which once deposited on the glass acts like a magnet and deposits more and more onto the glass.
However once the stove has heated up these deposits burn away relatively quickly, with more stubborn carbon deposits normally burnt off at a higher temperature.

But inorganic oxides produced are often left behind and then burnt onto the glass, the process repeats itself with more area for further deposits and this can quickly escalate once the process has begun.

Prevention Not Cure
On shut-down, or for overnight burning the air-wash control is normally fully closed. The fuel burn rate drops and inefficient and incomplete combustion can occur. The speed of the air in the air-wash is now too low to carry away any of the heavy combustion products which will lead to them being deposited on the glass.

Unfortunately it's not a case of stopping it, as once the process has started it becomes a landing spot for more and more deposits to land on the glass, its more a case of preventing it. .
To put it simply, the cleaner the glass is kept and the more air-wash present during operation, the cleaner the glass will remain.
Other helpful precautions include:
Not burning wet or unseasoned wood.
Ensuring the air-wash is open at all times
Not overfilling the grate
Allowing the last refuelling of the day to burn on high for half an hour or so before turning the air wash down.
In short, it's the common-sense factors that can ofter prolong the clear view.

If the surface does become slightly marked most glass manufacturers recommend tepid water and a lint free cloth, with gentle pressure and irregular motion the marks should come off, but remember to allow the glass to dry before firing up the stove.
Should the window become more heavily marked then a specialist ceramic glass cleaner is available from most local hardware or DIY shops. Followed by a water wash and thorough drying.

It is best to avoid traditional acid based window cleaners or abrasive oven cleaners, as well as the traditional meothod of newspaper dipped in spent ash, as fine abrasive ash can damage the surface of the window. Actually making it easier for deposits to build up in future.

Hillandale Stoves Multi-Fuel Collection

Hillandale Stoves have a superb collection of multi fuel stoves, which can burn an array of fuel and a combination of fuel effectively and highly efficiently. With energy efficiency in our thoughts, and the constant rise in electric and gas prices, many homes in the UK are becoming more energy efficient, because of this a recent interest in multi fuel stoves has arisen. Multi-fuel stoves, particularly cast iron multi fuel stoves, are not only having the option of burning a selection of fuels but can burn clean fuels and renewable fuels too, ensuring a cleaner environment and producing supreme heating to your home.

The Hillandale Stoves Multi Fuel collection includes the Hillandale Monroe, Hillandale Monterrey and Hillandale Hercules Boiler Stoves and they are available from a number of retailers online and in showrooms across the UK.

The Hillandale Monroe Multi Fuel Stoves are available in several sizes with differing outputs allowing a suitable stove for most room sizes. The Monroe 3, Monroe 5 and Monroe 7 have the potential maximum heat output as that number specified in the name, so the Monroe 7 has a heat output of up to 7kW. The styling of the Hillandale Monroe is one that would suit a more traditional setting and will create a feature in most rooms and homes.

The Hillandale Monterrey Multi Fuel Stoves similarly to the Monroe stoves come in three available sizes, the Monterrey 3, Monterrey 5 and Monterrey 7. The potential maximum heat output of the stoves also correlated to number in the name. The Hillandale Monterrey however has much simpler design and would lend itself better to be featured in a more modern or even contemporary setting. The large viewing window on the Monterrey stoves means that when the stove is rapidly burning a stunning and mesmerising focal point is created.

The Hillandale Hercules Multi Fuel Stoves are the largest multi fuel stoves that Hillandale provide at present. These are boiler stoves and provide heat to the room as well as heat domestic hot water supplies as well as radiators. Available as the Hillandale Hercules 12, Hillandale Hercules 20 and Hillandale Hercules 30, (like the other stoves the numbers in the names relate to potential maximum heat output) they power differing amounts of radiators depending on their size.

Hillandale multi-fuel stoves are made in the United Kingdom and have solid cast iron construction, and the stoves have many additional features like Primary, secondary and tertiary air flow control and riddling grate etc that make them functional, effective and controllable. All of the above stoves are suitable for class 1 flues, so if you have a brick built chimney in your home then these should be fine in them.

A general note on safety to any one considering one of these stoves is that they are extremely effective at heating, hence the use of cast iron, however they can heat up to very high temperatures and will hold the temperature for some time. Because of this it should be recommended that additional care is taken when children and pets are in the household.

The Woodfuel Cycle

In a bid to help both customers and retailers better understand and appreciate woodland management and firewood production, Hereford based firewood producer, Certainly Wood has just launched it's first YouTube video.
Entitled The Woodfuel Cycle, the four and a half minute video chronicles the journey from forest to stove and every stage in between.
Commenting on the video, Managing Director Nic Snell said: "This medium provides us with the perfect way to show our customers what goes into the production of firewood and offers an insight into the sacle of our operation in jsut a few minutes. It is a brilliant way to bring the process to life. We hope the video will help those retailers who have not had a chance to visit us and better understand the process. They can also use it in their showrooms and link to it via their websites to promote the importance of burning kiln dried logs"
Certainly Wood are planning to launch more videos throughout the year focusing on specific aspects of the business.

How Not To Install A Wood Burning Stove

Just a quick video to show the difference it can make using experienced, recommended fitters to install your wood burning stove.

The client had seen the work we had carried out in their next door neighbours house and wanted the same in theirs. They had their builder carry out the work to the fireplace and were going to give us a call regarding installation of the stove. They had other workmen in the house at the time who said they could arrange for the stove to be fitted as they had a friend who fitted them. The client assumed that all fitters would install his appliance to the same standard but soon found this not to be the case.

We were called out to tidy up the installation as the client was not happy with how it had been left........we did this and it was a good job he called us in as the register plate had been made from flammable material and also the stainless flexi liner was installed upside down.....this doesn't sound like a big deal bit it will take your liners life expectancy from 20 years down to a possible 5 due to condensation getting between the two skins causing the liner to corrode prematurely.

In the end the client was delighted but unfortunately had to pay for the installation twice. He had no comeback on the installer as he was a friend of a friend and didn't want to cause upset.............the installer also wasn't HETAS Registered so there was no paperwork or notification given to building control. This would be mostly likely to render his home insurance invalid should he have had a fire caused by the stove.

Tiger Stove Featured On Grand Designs

For those of you who watch Grand Designs, you may have caught the 90 minute special on Peel Castle in Yorkshire. You will have seen the plight of Francis and Karen Shaw and they looked to turn the dilapidated and uninhabitable Peel Castle into a family home.

The episode follows the two year journey from basically a couple of walls being held up with rubble into a stunning family home and bed & breakfast. As you can see below the castle was in complete disrepair.

"I first saw Peel nearly 30 years ago on the way to a holiday in Scotland with my parents.
I was navigating so we ventured down nearly every rough track between the Midlands and Oban until they reached ‘tower house fatigue’ and took the map off me. However I had been hooked, and who would not be? It was nestled in a valley within a parkland settling; a castle with parts over 750 years old and the main tower having been built by one of the last Knights Templar" -Francis Shaw

Francis and Karen along with their team of archaeologists, stone masons, builders and decorators worked tirelessly to bring Peel Castle back from the Brink and to the right you can see the finished result:

As you can see from the pictures they've done a fantastic job at restoring the castle to it's former beauty.

Now, enough about the outside of the castle (beautiful as it is). What we want to talk about can be found in the Old Bedroom, Situated on the second floor and the master bedroom, the Old Bedroom is a charming romantic bedroom, combining history and modern day amenities. The en-suite in the Old spiral staircase and King John's 'look out' for the wet room shower is all part of the original Pele Tower.

Nestled in the stunning open fireplace with exposed stone lintel and pillars surround it is the Gallery Firefox stove. The simple styling works brilliantly with both the traditional and contemporary aspects of the room, while the single piece cast iron body means that the maximum amount of heat is transferred into the room. It will not be difficult to imagine sat in front of the stove with the warm glow eminating from the large viewing window and just able to "take stock" as it were of all the history and character of the room and building you are sat in.
The exposed stone on the exterior wall just adds to the feel and almost adds to the effectiveness of having a traditional stove in an open fireplace warming the room.More information on the historic Peel Castle and images of other rooms in this stunning castle visit http://www.peelcastle.co.uk/

Heating a house with a wood burning boiler stove is an increasingly popular option in the UK

With Scottish Power putting their prices up and with the other big suppliers certain to follow. More and more people are turn ing back the clock, more and more people are returning to burning wood. Firewood is a secure and relatively cheap form of fuel and a wood burning stove provides a cosy focal point to any room. A back boiler wood burner stove gives your family plenty of hot water, as well as running a complete central heating system and by heating your home by burning wood as fuel, you are reducing your CO2 emissions.

A wood boiler stove is an appliance that can burn wood to create hot water. Some take the form of what you would recognise as a traditional wood burner whilst others look and work much more like a gas boiler.

There are various types and permutations of boiler for wood stoves available but they all do the same job - they transfer heat from the burning wood into water, which can then be piped where it is needed and used for heating or domestic hot water. In a traditional wood boiler stove the boiler is usually a simple metal box filled with water and with 2 or 4 tappings to allow you to attach your water pipes to it. These tappings are usually 1" BSP fittings. Usually these boilers replace the fire-bricks inside the firebox of the stove and are known as back boilers because the bulk of the boiler is at the back of the firebox.

Wood boiler stove heat output to water

Wood boiler stoves can come with a variety of rated boiler outputs from around 5,000 BTU to 90,000 BTU. Make sure to check whether the rated output is the maximum or nominal. The nominal output is the output at which the stove would normally be run and is of course lower than the maximum output. You would not drive a car at it's full speed all the time and a wood boiler stove is just the same. Also when sizing the boiler stove for your needs remember that you need to use the nominal heat output.

Central heating and hot water from a wood boiler stove

A boiler stove can be used to power your central heating system and to provide hot water as well. Designing such a heating and hot water system is relatively simple but you will need the help and advice of an experienced heating engineer.

Wood fired central heating

Here the wood boiler stove is connected to the house heating system, commonly radiators, and the heat from the burning wood is pumped around the house. If your house uses underfloor heating then you would connect your boiler stove to a hot water tank and then the underfloor heating would be connected to that.

Heating hot water with a wood burning boiler stove

One of the differences between a boiler stove and a conventional gas/oil boiler is that it takes time for the hot water coming from the stove boiler to get up to temperature. This means that you cannot simply take hot water directly from the stove boiler: you need to connect the boiler stove to a hot water tank. The water in the tank is heated by the stove and stored up for use when needed.

Unvented system

In an unvented system there is no header tank and the water in the pipes is under pressure. Modern heating systems run by gas boilers tend to be unvented (or pressurised). One give-away is that there is often a pressure gauge on the boiler measured in 'Bar'. When the water in a pressurised system expands the pressure in the system increases. Most stoves are not suitable to be directly linked up to a pressurised system because with a stove it is possible to boil the water in the boiler. However a vast majority of stoves supplied by authorised dealers can be linked directly to pressurised systems with the incorporation of an expansion vessel - which expands to cope with pressure increases, a pressure release valve, and a heat dump system with additional safety features.

Firebelly FB1 Wood Stove

The modern and contemporary wood burning stove is the Firebelly FB1 Wood Burning Stove from Firebelly. Designed and hand-built in the UK this modern take on the wood burning stove breaks from convention.

People who have owned previous generations of wood-burning stove will know the stereotypical look of a wood burning stove, small squat cast iron block sitting in the fireplace with a small viewing window offering limited if not poor visibility of the impressive wood fire inside.


The Firebelly FB1 is unlike traditional stoves with an impressively large viewing window and modern design featuring an unique airwash system that helps keep the large viewing window clean. The well propotioned stove available in a range of colours, Charcoal, Pewter, Matt Black and Metallic Black which provides maximum flexibility to fit in with most living spaces.

The heat reflective brick lining of the FB1 keeps the firebed at an optimum temperature and allowing the wood to burn more efficiently with a maximum heat rating of 6kW and efficiency of up to 78%. A solid fuel kit is also available for this fire, allowing the flexibility of burning coal or charcoal briquettes while convection channels either side of the fire allow more heat to be evenly distributed throughout the roon. Intuitive controls and a stay cool handle also mean this stove is simple and easy to operate.

The clean unbroken vertical lines of the legs add vertical definition to a stove which sterotypically is a squat little thing, while the large viewing window dominates the front of the stove, affording the maximum possible view of the fire inside. The clean and uncluttered design of the fire also breaks from traditional cast iron fires that may feature decorative details cast into the side of the fire, the convection channels either side of the fire box circulate warm air are discreetly hidden either side of the fire so as not to distract from the crisp lines and clean design of the stove, and with 18 different colours to choose from, you can truly make the FB1 match your home or make it a true focal point by using a colour such as Shimmering Rose (Right)
The Firebelly FB1 is also available with a logbox which raises the height of the stove by 300mm to create a convientient and safe storage location for logs. The design of the logbox is in keeping with the clean and efficient design of the fire and simply bolts onto the bottom of the stove.
The Firebelly FB1 and rest of the Firebelly range is now available from The Stove Megastore

Carbon Neutral Heating For Your Home

Wood burning is better in ecological terms as the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is the same as, or less than that absorbed by the tree during it's lifetime.
It is also a renewable resource, especially when derived from plantations and cultivated woodland. When using your wood burning stove, for optimum results, it is recommend that logs should be seasoned for 2 years or more to achieve a moisture content below 20%. This will not only give up to twice the output of freshly cut timber but help avoid a build up of tar in your stove's flue.

Additionally, if it is possible for you to obtain hardwood logs this is better still, as they will have around twice the calorific value of softwoods.

This photograph displays a fire through the glass of a modern, high-tech woodburning stove, one that is CE certified and HETAS accredited. Please observe that the flames are big, lush and semi-transparent, very different from the dark, opaque, ragged flames you would see in an open fireplace.
The small jets and feathery flames at the top of the image are flowing downward from the tiny combustion air holes at the top of the firebox.

Not only do these modern woodburning stoves burn much cleaner and more efficiently than older conventional stoves, but can also offer larger unobstructed views of the raging fire inside.
By upgrading to a CE certified and HETAS accredited wood burning stove, you can save wood, reduce smoke and enjoy the view all winter long.

Carbon Neutral Benefits
The Forestry Commission have recommended that millions of trees are planted to cover an extra 4% of the UK in woodland, equivalent to 30,000 football pitches a year, increasing the UK's total woodland cover to 16%.
According to the Solid Fuel Technology Institute, logs are the cheapest form of heating energy. The cost per kW of useful energy is now around 4p. This compares to 5p for anthracite, 7p for natural gas, 7.5p for oil, 9p for LPG and 12p for electricity.