In this article I have included a testimonial and a tribute to Mr. Bernard Davis whom in my and many peoples eyes was a great pioneer within the UK stove industry, with the supply of his products throughout the UK and Ireland from the 1960s to this very day.
Many years ago when I entered the stove industry, over 25 years now, there were only a handful of dedicated “stove people”, selling multifuel and woodburning stoves in the U K. It was not even until more recent years that there was a stove trade show to go to in the UK, which was held in a large marquee, as the numbers were not big enough to justify a large venue. Those were great days as all the stove traders were dedicated to their trade, living and breathing woodburning stoves. They would have been considered as “anoraks” to coin a phrase by the general public. A lot of them operated from small dwellings normally in a rural setting.
Nowadays everybody has caught on to these wonderful high efficiency machines and they can be bought from a dedicated woodburning stove supplier right down to a builder’s merchants or even local hardware suppliers in some areas. This is only because of their present sales potential. Maybe I am old fashioned but to me buying the correct woodburning or multifuel stove is a serious business, as correct planning, stove selection and fitting are of the utmost importance. We had dedicated stove fitters in those days but now there is a team of expert fitters covering the UK, which you can source from www.hetas.co.uk.
A woodburning or multifuel stove strangely becomes an integrated part of the family, as it is easily lit, supplies a great and comfortable heat and gives a lovely feeling of ambience and friendliness when in use in any room setting.
Maybe this stems back to our roots when our ancestors sat around the fire to cook, keep warm and talk about their daily adventures.
I became interested in woodburning and multifuel stoves, through a great stove enthusiast from Sussex called Mr. Bernard Davis. This English gentleman was in many ways a pioneer within the industry from as far back as the 1960s. Bernard’s enthusiasm, passion, foresight and design capability was my inspiration for becoming passionate for these timeless high efficiency machines, with a long history dating back centuries. The earliest cast iron stove being discovered in China and dating back to 200 AD.
Bernard’s story is fascinating in that his background was in sculpturing.
He began by designing an open fire basket for his home, as in those days only expensive so called antique fire baskets could be purchased. He had his template design cast in a local foundry. Bernard soon found that the word was spreading and his career in cast-iron design had begun. Bernard’s fascination for art and design, combined with his engineering and technical abilities soon led to a range of ornate cast-iron stoves being born. Bernard and his wife Diana were soon sourcing cast-iron foundries at home and abroad to bring these creations to life.
Similar to most woodburning stove enthusiasts Bernard and Diana never sought the bright lights of city centre shops, but worked and operated for many years from their rural setting in Sussex, England with great success. Bernard constantly visited the foundries where he cast his stoves, and spent endless hours constantly improving the combustion of his designs long before any one had heard of CE approvals. Bernard’s range of cast-iron woodburning and multifuel stoves were and are still known as Longlife stoves. Look for the BD & Co logo at the front of the stove, beneath the stove door, and that will be one of Bernard’s designs.
I have customers that have purchased longlife stoves from my shop over 20 years ago and even with constant use, the stoves having had normal maintenance, still look well and perform as designed. Nowadays you will see a multitude of copies similar to Bernard’s Victorian traditional looking designs but they do not bear his logo.
Bernard and Diana prided themselves in always keeping the necessary spare parts for all their models in stock. Most good stove traders always keep a supply of necessary spare parts for their woodburning or multifuel stoves.
As times and emission controls changed so did Bernard’s designs and burning systems. The longlife range has grown with the times and today also offers more plain designs with large glass windows, for a greater view of the fire.
Although, many of the experts in the stove trade operate from home and rural shops, they have not been slow to enter the world of the Web. Should you wish to buy your woodburning stove on line from one of these experienced traders you will find a little bit of their history in their “about us “ section on their website. Some have help lines and technical assistance numbers, but it may only be a dedicated husband and wife team. You will soon know when you contact these sites, whether or not you are talking to an expert or a sales assistant.
Sadly Bernard has passed away, leaving the legacy of his stoves in the hands of his very capable wife Diana and his son Anthony, who have continued on his work and have kept the name BD & CO a logo, representing good quality cast-iron stoves. In conclusion, as mentioned at the start of the article, woodburning and multifuel stoves are available everywhere just because of their present sales potential. My recommendation is that you seek out local or on the Web dedicated woodburning or multifuel stove traders. Some of these traders will supply brand names but many do not. Rest assured if your chosen trader is a dedicated “stove person” he or she will have vetted their products thoroughly and you should be buying a great woodburning or multifuel stove with full CE or Din approvals at a competitive price. You will also find they have an abundant knowledge on everything, from the stove suitability for your situation to a great knowledge on fitting, chimneys and technical issues .A lot of them will provide you with a technical assistance telephone number as well for “after care” and one thing is for sure when you call that number you will get the right person to help.
18th June 2009
For more information on multifuel woodburning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Primary air, Secondary air/airwash, Cleanburn and Tertiary air Explained
Primary air
Many years ago in the mid 19th century, long before the days of global warming discussions, stoves were being widely produced in Europe as cast-iron boxes with many chambers, designed with a firebox in the bottom chamber. Air entered the stove in many cases at the base of the fire bed to ignite and burn the fuel. This was known as primary air.Primary air is still used today in multifuel stoves as a controllable inlet at the base of the stove door. It is the primary or main combustion air inlet into the stove chamber under the fuel bed .The air ensures good ignition of fossil and non fossil fuels and if not controlled by the inlet control will cause the multifuel stove to burn fiercely. Multifuel stoves up to more recent years had only solid cast-iron doors, as pyroceramic glass was not available. All stoves with glass had those little strips, which I am sure many can remember, or mica, which yellowed over time.As our woodburning and multifuel stoves advanced, with panes of pyroceramic glass and better fuel combustion a requirement to reduce emissions, secondary air was developed.
Secondary air
Secondary air is an extra addition of air through an inlet or inlets above the stove door. The secondary air exit vent is close to the angled baffle plate at the top of the fire chamber, and angles downwards appearing as a narrow vent above the stove door and glass This introduces a stream of warm air just as the unburnt gases rise to pass the baffle plate, and enter the gas exit chamber. The warm air ignites them, thereby giving a secondary burn with more heat and less emissions. The secondary warm air from the vent flows downwards behind the glass to the top of the fire bed, also aiding in secondary combustion and presenting a warm air film over the glass. This hinders the smoke from blackening the glass. As the temperature in the fire chamber rises and the secondary air flowing downwards behind the glass gets hotter you can see the hot air visibly clean the glass. This action is called airwash. Woodburning stoves work best after initial ignition by only using this upper controllable inlet, as they burn differently than stoves that burn fossil fuels. The secondary air inlet should also be used to control multifuel stoves, once the fire is well established, with the opening up of the primary air inlet again when more fossil fuel is added or if the fuel is not combusting well.
Cleanburn or preheated secondary air
Cleanburn is really preheated secondary air. The secondary air as opposed to entering the woodburning or multifuel stove at an inlet or inlets above the door is very often brought up ducts from the lower back of the stove. The air is partially fed into the lower part of the fire chamber and rest of the hot air, is ducted above the stove door to a similar exit vent as described above, near the edge of the baffle plate. It again flows down over the door so give a hot airwash and into the fire chamber as hot secondary air. The next time you have a good look at a stove you will see the same channel just inside, above the door on both secondary air and cleanburn stoves. The difference being the clean burn stove will normally have its secondary inlet control at the base of the stove. This preheated secondary air ignites some unburnt gases in the lower and upper parts of the fire chamber, which burn off at higher temperatures than the direct secondary air can achieve. The glass usually stays super clean with preheated secondary air systems.The result of the cleanburn or preheated secondary air is a much better combustion and lower emissions from a woodburning stove.
Tertiary air
Tertiary air further compliments the cleanburn system as a third air intake, which I have seen working superbly in Norwegian woodburning stoves and modern/contemporary woodburning stoves with large burning chambers. The air is normally drawn up the back of the stove via a series of chambers and is then injected into the back of the upper fire chamber through small steel jets. The jets of superhot air ignite the remainder of gases that will only burn off at very high temperatures. . The emissions from these stoves as long as good seasoned wood is being burnt are very low with co emissions in some cases lower than .0.09 vol% at 13% CO2. Many of these contemporary/modern woodburning stoves carry the Din + standard for high combustion and low emissions.
I hope I have made this woodburning stove jargon a little more clear.
These triple burn stoves as I like to call them tend to be in the more expensive range. I suggest that as long as the woodburning stove that you purchase has the obligatory CE Approval or a Din Standard Approval you will be purchasing a good stove with acceptable emission standards. Always burn the recommended fuels to achieve these emissions with a chimney that is regularly serviced and a properly well fitted and maintained woodburning stove.
Please view our many other articles on stove and energy issues.
17th June 2009
For more information on wood burning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
Many years ago in the mid 19th century, long before the days of global warming discussions, stoves were being widely produced in Europe as cast-iron boxes with many chambers, designed with a firebox in the bottom chamber. Air entered the stove in many cases at the base of the fire bed to ignite and burn the fuel. This was known as primary air.Primary air is still used today in multifuel stoves as a controllable inlet at the base of the stove door. It is the primary or main combustion air inlet into the stove chamber under the fuel bed .The air ensures good ignition of fossil and non fossil fuels and if not controlled by the inlet control will cause the multifuel stove to burn fiercely. Multifuel stoves up to more recent years had only solid cast-iron doors, as pyroceramic glass was not available. All stoves with glass had those little strips, which I am sure many can remember, or mica, which yellowed over time.As our woodburning and multifuel stoves advanced, with panes of pyroceramic glass and better fuel combustion a requirement to reduce emissions, secondary air was developed.
Secondary air
Secondary air is an extra addition of air through an inlet or inlets above the stove door. The secondary air exit vent is close to the angled baffle plate at the top of the fire chamber, and angles downwards appearing as a narrow vent above the stove door and glass This introduces a stream of warm air just as the unburnt gases rise to pass the baffle plate, and enter the gas exit chamber. The warm air ignites them, thereby giving a secondary burn with more heat and less emissions. The secondary warm air from the vent flows downwards behind the glass to the top of the fire bed, also aiding in secondary combustion and presenting a warm air film over the glass. This hinders the smoke from blackening the glass. As the temperature in the fire chamber rises and the secondary air flowing downwards behind the glass gets hotter you can see the hot air visibly clean the glass. This action is called airwash. Woodburning stoves work best after initial ignition by only using this upper controllable inlet, as they burn differently than stoves that burn fossil fuels. The secondary air inlet should also be used to control multifuel stoves, once the fire is well established, with the opening up of the primary air inlet again when more fossil fuel is added or if the fuel is not combusting well.
Cleanburn or preheated secondary air
Cleanburn is really preheated secondary air. The secondary air as opposed to entering the woodburning or multifuel stove at an inlet or inlets above the door is very often brought up ducts from the lower back of the stove. The air is partially fed into the lower part of the fire chamber and rest of the hot air, is ducted above the stove door to a similar exit vent as described above, near the edge of the baffle plate. It again flows down over the door so give a hot airwash and into the fire chamber as hot secondary air. The next time you have a good look at a stove you will see the same channel just inside, above the door on both secondary air and cleanburn stoves. The difference being the clean burn stove will normally have its secondary inlet control at the base of the stove. This preheated secondary air ignites some unburnt gases in the lower and upper parts of the fire chamber, which burn off at higher temperatures than the direct secondary air can achieve. The glass usually stays super clean with preheated secondary air systems.The result of the cleanburn or preheated secondary air is a much better combustion and lower emissions from a woodburning stove.
Tertiary air
Tertiary air further compliments the cleanburn system as a third air intake, which I have seen working superbly in Norwegian woodburning stoves and modern/contemporary woodburning stoves with large burning chambers. The air is normally drawn up the back of the stove via a series of chambers and is then injected into the back of the upper fire chamber through small steel jets. The jets of superhot air ignite the remainder of gases that will only burn off at very high temperatures. . The emissions from these stoves as long as good seasoned wood is being burnt are very low with co emissions in some cases lower than .0.09 vol% at 13% CO2. Many of these contemporary/modern woodburning stoves carry the Din + standard for high combustion and low emissions.
I hope I have made this woodburning stove jargon a little more clear.
These triple burn stoves as I like to call them tend to be in the more expensive range. I suggest that as long as the woodburning stove that you purchase has the obligatory CE Approval or a Din Standard Approval you will be purchasing a good stove with acceptable emission standards. Always burn the recommended fuels to achieve these emissions with a chimney that is regularly serviced and a properly well fitted and maintained woodburning stove.
Please view our many other articles on stove and energy issues.
17th June 2009
For more information on wood burning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
Simplified stove maintenance guide for woodburning and multifuel stoves
In this article I intend to point out some stove maintenance procedures that are relatively simple and will keep your highly efficient woodburning or multifuel stove at its high efficiency levels for years.
The foremost thing in any stove maintenance programme is to ensure the chimney is swept on a regular basis. Have a look at our article on: Chimney cleaning for woodburning and multifuel stoves.Make sure the woodburning or multifuel stove has been fitted properly. You may also want to read our article on: Fitting of woodburning and multifuel stoves.
The second procedure in the stove maintenance programme is to check the stove for poor seals which causes excess air to be drawn into the lit fire chamber resulting in lack of control of the burning fuel, poor combustion and under certain conditions gas leaks from the stove. This is best carried out at the start or end of each heating season or if at anytime the stove burning becomes more difficult to control.
Before you start please make a quick sketch of the stove.
Simply close all the air intakes of the lit stove, put on a pair of heat protecting gloves and take a cigarette lighter or a gas hob lighter. Slowly move the lit cigarette lighter or gas hob lighter around the stove door where it seals against the doorframe. Best to ensure that there are no major drafts in the room at the time of doing this. If the lighter flame is drawn towards the door seals at any point you immediately know that excess air is being drawn into the combustion chamber at this point. Note the whereabouts of any leaks on the sketch and carry on around the glass where it meets the door to ensure there are no leaks between the glass and the glass rope seal. Some cast-iron multifuel and woodburning stoves are bolted together by a system using iron rods that pass through the stove corners from the top of the stove plate through the insides of the stove to the underside of the base plate where they are bolted...Another method used is with interconnected lugs and bolts inside the woodburning or multifuel stove. All the cast-iron plates 6 in all, the top, base, front, back and two sides normally have grooves so they interconnect well before being bolted together .The grooves are normally lined with fire cement at the time of manufacture to ensure a good airtight seal. Run the lighter slowly along the joints where all the plates meet both vertically and horizontally right around the stove, again noting any point where the flame is being drawn to-wards the stove. Job done, you now know whether or not your stove is still working as it was designed to do or if it has developed a few leaks due to wear and tear.
The next stage in the stove maintenance programme is to sort out any of the leaks that may have been found as soon as possible. Let the woodburning or multifuel stove go out and do not light again until the leaks have been fixed. Poor sealing here under certain conditions can cause poisonous undetectable gases such as carbon monoxide to enter the living quarters if poor combustion is taking place in the stove. This is a special concern if smokeless or fossil fuels are being burnt in a multifuel stove. I like to leave the rest of the stove maintenance to the end of the heating season for reasons that will be explained later.
Once the fire in the woodburning or multifuel stove is out and the stove has cooled down, any leaks in the interconnected stove plates can be quickly sorted. In the past I have heard of people breaking their stove apart, re-fire cementing the plate joints and rebuilding the stove. I personally feel this is too much hard work and the same results can be achieved using a much more simplified method. The lid or top plate on most cast iron wood burning or multifuel stoves have a lip, which overhangs the stove body. Check your diagram from earlier to see if you have detected any leaks in this area. Run your finger under the lip where the lower plates are joined to the top plate. You may find excess fire cement that has squeezed out from the joints and hardened at the time of manufacture. I normally remove the excess with a strong flat-headed screwdriver and a mallet, tapping the excess off along the joints. I use a rubber mallet so if I miss I don’t damage the stove in any way .Now smooth off with wire wool. Nowadays you can purchase black high temperature silicon, which is great for this job. Fire cement eventually cracks with heat and falls out so I avoid using it whenever I can. Put the silicon tube into the silicon gun and cut a small angle slot at the top of the tube. Squeeze the silicone into the areas that are leaking or do all the plates, as it will last for a very long time and reduce future maintenance. Any excess you create can be easily wiped off with a small damp sponge.
The next stage of stove maintenance is to sort out the leaks where the door meets the doorframe of the woodburning or multifuel stove. Again in a cast-iron stove you will find that most doors close into a groove in the cast-iron doorframe. Sometimes the door catches or hinges are adjustable, if so consult your user manual instructions for the adjustment methods. I have found this more on traditional steel stoves, which makes more sense, as they don’t have the groove arrangement. The simple remedy is to replace the acrylic / fibreglass rope door seal. The glass rope seal can also be changed at this time if you have found leaks there, but make sure firstly that the glass is over the seal on all four sides as sometimes the glass moves a fraction due to the fact that on some stoves the glass is only held in place with lightly tightened metal clips. Most doors just lift off as they are hinged with removable pins so the rope can be replaced with the door lying flat. Remove the offending rope seals and take them to your local plumbers merchant, stove merchant or hardware store where the diameter can be checked and you can buy replacement lengths off a roll. Plumber’s merchants normally carry all sizes of this type of rope. There is a special rope seal glue you can also buy to complete the job, but yet again when I have been stuck I have used the high temperature silicon with no problems at all afterwards.Clean out the door groove with a small screwdriver and smooth off with wire wool.Just over half fill the groove with the adhesive you have purchased and apply the new rope being careful not to stretch it in any way. Tuck the two raw ends where they meet into each other and you are finished.
Now I have a reason why I always do the full stove maintenance at the end of the heating season (with the exception of checking and fixing leaks in the stove casing joints or doors) Spare parts at the start and during the heating season if needed are not always readily available because of demand. This then is a good time to always check the inside of the burning chamber of your woodburning or multifuel stove for wear and tear. As you wont be using the stove for some months to come it gives you plenty of time to order the parts if needed. Worst case scenario you might need a new baffle plate, firebricks or cast-iron linings, a grate or ashpan.
The baffle plate is the piece of cast iron, steel plate or scamalux board , which straddles the stove inside the upper part of the fire chamber. It is an important piece of kit as it deflects heat back into the chamber, thereby protecting the lid from excessive temperatures and aids in the secondary burning system of the woodburning stove. The baffle plate also creates a ventura effect for the draw of the stove. Replace this if warped badly or at least order a new one if it looks like it won’t last another heating season. The plate can be a bolt free fitting, but is normally held in place with bolts through a couple of lugs on which the plate rests. Some manufacturers use different methods to keep the baffle plate in place so consult your user manual for this if it is not obvious.
Cast-iron woodburning or multifuel stoves normally have internal cast-iron or firebrick linings to protect the outer cast iron and reflect heat back into the fire chamber. I simply replace these with scamalux board. This is a high temperature insulation board, which you can easily cut into the firebrick sizes, or cast lining plate sizes inside your stove .It is normally 20 to 25 mm thick. In the case of cast-iron liners fitted inside the stove, check with your supplier that it is ok to replace with scamalux board so you don’t infringe any warranty you may still have on the stove.
Check the pyroceramic stove glass for crazing, as the high temperatures seem to cause this over time. Measure the size and make sure you replace like for like. Your stove supplier can provide this if you have the stove make and model number. Carefully refit trying not to over tighten the screws. The glass may be great for high temperatures but it is susceptible to uneven stresses and knocks. The glass is sometimes held in place with small clips, so if this is the case put a small piece of flat fire tape seal, also available for stoves, between each clip and the glass surface. This does help reduce cracking from a slightly over tightened clip.
The final part of the stove maintenance programme although not essential is to buy some high temperature stove paint (assuming your stove is not enamelled.) This is available in sprays and brush on so you can have your stove looking like new again while it is sitting there over the summer months poised for action. While using the spray, which I prefer, mask off the glass and brass or chrome handles and hinges and surrounding areas. Best to use a mask and open a window if you are in a confined space as it has a very strong smell. The paint normally dries at normal room temperature in a very short space of time. Never ever use on a warm stove. Re light the stove on a cool summer evening just to re-test your joints. Don’t be over concerned if a little air seems to be drawn through the upper control vent when closed. Remember a woodburning or multifuel stove fire chamber requires a little oxygen to stay lit. Total starvation of air and the fire will go out.
I have a story if your not too tired reading all this information on stove maintenance.Sometime ago an elderly gentleman and his wife who had purchased several multifuel stoves from my shop for holiday homes told me that they were having a big problem with a smoking stove in their home that they had purchased some years ago from another supplier. They were advised that there chimney was at fault and it needed lined with a flexible liner. This seemed strange to me as the stove had been working perfectly for years, the chimney cleaned regularly, had a good clay liner and no cracks or leaks had developed. They took the advice and although costly had the chimney lined, as it was a good idea for the long-term life of the chimney and stove efficiency. However the multifuel stove still did not draw any better and smoke still filled the room when it was lit. They then decided that the stove must just be too old and needed replaced. I suggested that if they didn’t mind I would like a look at the stove, as I was intrigued by this story. When I visited the home the fault was quickly apparent. The cast-iron lid on the top of the stove was a little loose. On examination inside the multifuel stove I could see that one of the bolted lugs holding the lid down had broken. This meant that air was being drawn into the stove via the top plate rushing up the chimney and upsetting the whole combustion process within the fire chamber of the multifuel stove. I tried a simple solution to resolve this rather than take the stove apart or replace it. I simply used high temperature black silicon under the lid to seal it again and advised the couple to leave it 24 hours before re-lighting. The result was 100% successful and shortly afterwards a new lug was welded inside the stove. That was almost 5 years ago now, and the multifuel stove is still performing well and staying in overnight as and when desired. Thankfully this elderly couples’ serious stove leak problem showed up immediately on the bolted stove lug breaking. Imagine the possible consequences if it had been a combination of small leaks due to lack of stove maintenance over the years and they had have been burning fuel with the odourless carbon monoxide gas being emitted into the room due to the stove combustion gradually deteriorating.
A wood burning or multifuel stove is a very efficient and safe way to heat a home but always remember that chimney and stove maintenance are very important factors to maintain a safe as well as a warm home.
15th June 2009
For more information on Maintaining wood burning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
Chimney cleaning of woodburning and multifuel stoves
Although woodburning stoves are highly efficient machines nominally 70 to 80% compared with an open fire with an efficiency of 20-to25%, cleaning of the chimney or stainless steel insulated flue still remains an important issue. In theory a good woodburning stove with the correct air supply and a highly efficient burning chamber should produce little or no smoke if burning only good seasoned wood. Having said this, bear in mind there may be smoke when the fire is initially lit which causes soot deposits and this may continue until the woodburning stove chamber reaches it optimum burning temperature. Leaving the woodburning stove in slumber mode (starved of air ) for long periods will also increase sooting of the chimney. Under these conditions the flue gas temperature falls, condensation occurs and deposits on the chimney liners or steel flue lining takes place. Have your local registered chimney sweep clean your chimney prior to the installation of the woodburning stove. It is always advisable that you enquire from your chosen chimney sweep initially that he has knowledge and experience of cleaning chimneys connected to a woodburning stove.
Try the guild of master sweeps at http://www.guild-of-master-sweeps.co.uk/ to locate a registered sweep in your area. Recommendations are that you normally have the chimney cleaned again half way through the burning season, which is about 3 months if the woodburning stove has been used regularly. Check then with the chimney sweep after the first clean on the amount of deposits that where removed from the chimney. Should these deposits be negligible which can be the case if only seasoned wood was used in the woodburning stove, your chimney sweep will recommend his next date for a visit providing the seasoned wood is being continually burned in the same way. In our showroom we used lovely seasoned beech acquired from a re-forestation farm in North England. It was burnt daily in a contemporary steel convector stove approved to Din+ standards. Three months later after continual daily burning for approximately 8 hours a day we had the stainless steel attached flue cleaned. The steel liner was amazingly clean and the chimney sweep advised that another clean would not be necessary for at least another six months.
Woodburning stoves fitted with a top exit flue
Woodburning stoves can normally be cleaned through the door of the stove providing a stove exit pipe has been fitted on the top outlet of the woodburning stove. The baffle plate will need to be firstly removed to give a clear access to the stovetop exit. This is a plate which straddles the upper part of the internal stove chamber and is either freely fitted or held in place with a couple of bolts. This procedure is not normally possible if a central heating wrapround boiler has been fitted into the stove, as part of the boiler becomes the baffle plate. The woodburning stove should then be cleaned in the same way a woodburning stove fitted with a back exit flue pipe is cleaned. This is normally carried out via a soot door either mounted on the vertical exit steel flue pipe or through an internal or external soot door mounted on the chimney breast where feasible.
Woodburning stoves fitted with a rear exit flue.
Ensure, prior to the fitting of a woodburning stove where a back exit flue 90 degree bend is required that your qualified fitter also provides a soot excess door. This can be fitted on the internal or external wall of the chimney breast for easy cleaning purposes and also ensure that the rear stove exit 90 degree bend is fitted with a door for debris removal. This also applies to an external insulated stainless steel flue where sections of the flue are purchased with flue cleaning access doors. Many customers with an internal chimney breast opt for the soot door to be fitted on the chimney breast in the roof space. The chimney sweep can then clean upwards and downwards, pushing the debris into the back bend of the woodburning stove The door on the back bend is then opened and the debris sucked out, as well as being sucked out of the woodburning stove chamber. A backbend, more commonly called a 90-degree bend, can also be purchased as a 90 Degree T piece. I think these are great as the chimney sweep removes the T cap at the unused end, attaches a debris collection bag and then cleans the flue via the soot door as described above. The stove fitter will be well aware of this product.
On a final and very important note if you are using a multifuel stove it is recommended that the chimney be cleaned at the same regularity as if you where using an open fire. The reason for this is that unlike woodburning stoves, multifuel stoves are left constantly burning for days on end and are used a lot to burn fossil fuels. The result of this is a much dirtier chimney as they are left in slumber mode during the night. This results in a drop in temperature in the burning chamber and chimney leading to more pollution due to non-combusted gases. Please consult your registered chimney sweep on this issue,
11th June 2009
For more information on Multifuel wood burning stoves visit http://www.hotstovedeals.com/
What is best type of wood burning stove to buy?
Firstly, before you purchase a woodburning stove contact a qualified fitter in your area for an idea of the installation cost. Check out www.hetas.co.uk for more information on qualified fitters. The cost should be affordable if you already have an existing masonry clay lined chimney in the home that is in use and in good condition, although this may require a twin wall flexible stainless steel liner for solid fuel should the clay liner have a cross sectional area greater than 20% of the woodburning stove flue pipe. Your qualified fitter can advise you on this.
In the case of a woodburning stove into a new situation in the home with no existing chimney, a twin wall rigid and insulated stainless steel class1 flue for solid fuel will need to be fitted. Once again the qualified fitter can advise on this. Other requirements such as the building of a masonry clay lined chimney instead of a twin walled rigid and insulated stainless steel flue system will require the services of a builder. Bear in mind in both of the above cases you will need to consult your local building control and possibly planning in the case of a masonry chimney before carrying out any work. Please see one of our other articles on Ventilation and fitting of woodburning stoves with references to building control regulations.
Now let us get down to the matter in hand. Ensure you can get a good supply of seasoned wood so the woodburning stove will combust as designed and give high efficiency.There are many wood farms in the market place to-day that provide this service. Ensure you buy from a company that uses a tree replanting programme, thereby helping the balance of nature.
Many people when purchasing a traditional stove prefer cast-iron because of its lifespan, looks and long heat retention. The heat output of a cast-iron woodburning or multifuel traditional style stove will be much greater than the same size of a steel traditional style stove. Nowadays traditional looking steel stoves although plainer in looks are very well insulated with scamalux fireboard and the doors along with the internal grate systems are usually made of cast-iron.
There are a multitude of woodburning stoves in the marketplace to-day, made from cast-iron or steel and claiming high efficiency and clean combustion.
Ensure that the woodburning stove carries a C E approval stamp which shows that it has been tested by an authorities body for combustion and emissions. In the case of taller contemporary/modern steel convector stoves look for the Din+ approval which means it has acquired the high German standards for combustion and emissions.
Many manufacturers to-day have there castings made abroad in places like Poland, Hungary, Bosnia, Bulgaria, India etc and the well known one China. Remember China is the home of castings and although I have seen some poor excuses for stoves emanating from China in the past, I have more recently seen some well made, quality traditional cast-iron multifuel and contemporary steel stoves that have been tested and carry full CE approvals for combustion and emissions.
Prices may vary greatly form manufacturer to manufacturer but many woodburning stove suppliers now buy directly from countries like China so you should find these competitively priced. How long this will last no-one knows but as the quality and standards improve from China and the employees standards of living and wages rise it will not be long before their prices are close or even on a par with Europe.
While you are carrying out your research why not also consider a multifuel stove as opposed to a woodburning only stove . These stoves will burn coal, smokeless fuel, dry peat and can easily be converted into a dedicated woodburner if you have a good and steady supply of seasoned wood.
It is a simple case in many of the traditional multifuel stoves of removing the grate and ashpan, and placing a layer of sand on the cast-iron internal base for insulation. It is a good idea to place a retention bar between the burning wood and the door so that the stove can be re-filled safely when lit, without the concerns of burning wood embers falling from the stove when the door is opened. The seasoned wood then burns directly on top of sand covered base with the primary air vent at the base of the stove door kept closed and the air vent above the door used to control the burning. The reason for this is that coal and other fossil fuels need a good air source under the fire bed to aid combustion whereas seasoned wood burns best with an air flow over the top of the wood. Wood ash can be left for several days before emptying . Always leave a good bed of ash under the wood when re-lighting the stove.
10th June 2009
For more information on wood burning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
In the case of a woodburning stove into a new situation in the home with no existing chimney, a twin wall rigid and insulated stainless steel class1 flue for solid fuel will need to be fitted. Once again the qualified fitter can advise on this. Other requirements such as the building of a masonry clay lined chimney instead of a twin walled rigid and insulated stainless steel flue system will require the services of a builder. Bear in mind in both of the above cases you will need to consult your local building control and possibly planning in the case of a masonry chimney before carrying out any work. Please see one of our other articles on Ventilation and fitting of woodburning stoves with references to building control regulations.
Now let us get down to the matter in hand. Ensure you can get a good supply of seasoned wood so the woodburning stove will combust as designed and give high efficiency.There are many wood farms in the market place to-day that provide this service. Ensure you buy from a company that uses a tree replanting programme, thereby helping the balance of nature.
Many people when purchasing a traditional stove prefer cast-iron because of its lifespan, looks and long heat retention. The heat output of a cast-iron woodburning or multifuel traditional style stove will be much greater than the same size of a steel traditional style stove. Nowadays traditional looking steel stoves although plainer in looks are very well insulated with scamalux fireboard and the doors along with the internal grate systems are usually made of cast-iron.
There are a multitude of woodburning stoves in the marketplace to-day, made from cast-iron or steel and claiming high efficiency and clean combustion.
Ensure that the woodburning stove carries a C E approval stamp which shows that it has been tested by an authorities body for combustion and emissions. In the case of taller contemporary/modern steel convector stoves look for the Din+ approval which means it has acquired the high German standards for combustion and emissions.
Many manufacturers to-day have there castings made abroad in places like Poland, Hungary, Bosnia, Bulgaria, India etc and the well known one China. Remember China is the home of castings and although I have seen some poor excuses for stoves emanating from China in the past, I have more recently seen some well made, quality traditional cast-iron multifuel and contemporary steel stoves that have been tested and carry full CE approvals for combustion and emissions.
Prices may vary greatly form manufacturer to manufacturer but many woodburning stove suppliers now buy directly from countries like China so you should find these competitively priced. How long this will last no-one knows but as the quality and standards improve from China and the employees standards of living and wages rise it will not be long before their prices are close or even on a par with Europe.
While you are carrying out your research why not also consider a multifuel stove as opposed to a woodburning only stove . These stoves will burn coal, smokeless fuel, dry peat and can easily be converted into a dedicated woodburner if you have a good and steady supply of seasoned wood.
It is a simple case in many of the traditional multifuel stoves of removing the grate and ashpan, and placing a layer of sand on the cast-iron internal base for insulation. It is a good idea to place a retention bar between the burning wood and the door so that the stove can be re-filled safely when lit, without the concerns of burning wood embers falling from the stove when the door is opened. The seasoned wood then burns directly on top of sand covered base with the primary air vent at the base of the stove door kept closed and the air vent above the door used to control the burning. The reason for this is that coal and other fossil fuels need a good air source under the fire bed to aid combustion whereas seasoned wood burns best with an air flow over the top of the wood. Wood ash can be left for several days before emptying . Always leave a good bed of ash under the wood when re-lighting the stove.
10th June 2009
For more information on wood burning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
Fitting & Ventilation requirements with building control references
Nowadays it is always important to ensure all regulations are followed when dealing with any fuel burning appliances in the home. Failure to do this in some cases may have repercussions should you try to sell the house or dwelling in the future.Assuming there is an existing fireplace in the home with an existing masonry class 1 chimney the fitting of a woodburning or multifuel stove whether it is of traditional or a modern/contemporary design should not present any great problems.It is always wise to consult a qualified woodburning stove fitter such as a Hetas engineer for the fitting of the woodburning stove to ensure all regulations are met and the stove is fitted safely. Visit www.hetas.co.uk for more information.
In the case where a new woodburning or multifuel stove is to be fitted in the home with an internal or external class 1 double insulated stainless steel flue, consult your local building control department to ensure the fitter complies with all local regulations. In some areas building control may require an application for the work and issue a certificate after the fitting showing that the work has been carried out to the required standard.
Download ref:building control regulations UK 2002 approved document section J
Always have your chimney smoke tested if it has been out of use for a long period of time and have it properly cleaned by a registered chimney sweep in your area. A proper smoke test is important for an old unused masonry or clay lined chimney. As a rule of thumb always line unlined masonry chimneys with a twinwall stainless steel flexible flue for solid fuel burning before fitting your woodburning or multifuel stove. The flexible flue is connected to a section of rigid enamelled pipe from the woodburning or multifuel stove with a flue adapter. It is recommended in the case of a chimney already fitted with clay liners that this is also lined as above if the cross section area of the clay liner is 20% greater than the cross section area of the stove pipe from the woodburning or multifuel stove. This ensures that the stove does not draw more air into the fire chamber than is needed and results in better control of the woodburning stove with better combustion and hence higher efficiency. Always ensure that the rigid fluepipe from the woodburning stove is properly sealed when entering a masonry or clay lined chimney. This is normally achieved with the use of a metallic register plate. Failure to do this will result in great inefficiency of the woodburning stove and can lead to toxic fumes entering the living quarters.
When fitting a traditional cast-iron multifuel stove into a fireplace opening lined with a NON COMBUSTABLE material most manufacturers advise a space of 150mm either side of the stove and a minimum of 50 mm clearance at the back of the multifuel stove. Always consult the manufacturers fitting instruction manual on the stove or seek advice from a registered fitter before adjusting the fireplace opening for your multifuel stove. Visit www.hetas.co.uk for further information.
When constructing the hearth to support the stove, the hearth must be made of non-combustible material and should be 125 mm in depth extending a minimum of 300mm from the door of the stove and a minimum of 150mm either side of the stove. Be careful with this one as I have always recommended that the hearth extends slightly more than the door when it is in the fully opened position bearing in mind that most multifuel stoves now have a large single door. The reason for this is purely for safety. Fine hot ash can lies at the base of the door inside and may fall when the door is opened. It is also safer for ash removal from beneath the multifuel stove, reducing the risk of hot embers falling onto a non-combustible surface. It is always recommended to use an ash caddy when removing ash, purchasable at your local hardware store.
All woodburning or multifuel stoves require ventilation to the outside world if the output is greater than 5 kilowatts. Your approved hetas installer can advise you on this or visit www.hetas.co.uk for more information.Many contemporary/modern woodburning or multifuel stoves are now provided with a 120 mm inlet at the base of the back of the stove for this purpose. It is a clever system as it means this is can be directly connected to the outside and the air is then drawn directly into the base of the woodburning stove when the fire is lit. This method eliminates draughts in the room which can be felt with an indirect vent in the wall.
9th June 2009
Modern contemporary steel convector Wood burning and multifuel stoves
Many of todays contemporary style stoves are mostly wood burning stoves yet several manufacturers have designed them also to burn smokeless fuel. This is due to the thickness and grade of steel along with high temperature internal linings. The designs are mostly taller than the traditional multifuel stove mostly seen in the UK. An advantage of the taller wood burning stove is that it has a much bigger burning chamber than the traditional cast-iron stove. The bigger burning chamber leads to a better fuel combustion, cleaner burning with less emissions and a high efficiency. The wood burning stoves are cleverly designed with inner and outer steel sides. Air rises from inside the base of the stove heats up in the cavity and is expelled from the top. This is known as convection and as well as heating a room quickly it helps keep the side walls of the woodburning stove cooler as the convection is continually dissipating the heat. Radiant heat is mainly from the front of the stove. The best of these woodburning stoves not only will have a primary burning system which is necessary for solid fuel burning but a preheated air system for a cleaner glass. The result of the larger burner chamber and preheated airwash is a log burning fire that is stunning to look at with a great heat output. Primary, secondary and tertiary air are discussed in more depth in another article. Many modern wood burning stoves are used as stand alone features and add to the ambience of a room like a well designed piece of furniture. The stoves look equally good when placed in a fireplace opening as long as a minimum of 300 to 400 mm is left clear above the wood burner so as not to impede the air convection.
Many of these contemporary wood burning stoves are supplied with an upper chamber in the outer design of the stove which can be used for keeping plates, coffee or food warm .Some of the stove designs have even a pyroceramic glass oven door on the front with a glass mounted temperature gauge. I have used this type in our showroom to successfully cook bread, small chickens and pizzas all to the delight of our customers.
A large number of our customers who started their stove experience with a traditional style wood or multifuel stove have since moved on to the more contemporary, modern wood burning or multifuel stove.
I recommend that you always look for a Din or Din+ kite mark with your contemporary wood burning stove which shows it has been produced to high German standards for quality and emissions
For more information on Modern Contemporary Steel Convector Multifuel woodburning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
Many of these contemporary wood burning stoves are supplied with an upper chamber in the outer design of the stove which can be used for keeping plates, coffee or food warm .Some of the stove designs have even a pyroceramic glass oven door on the front with a glass mounted temperature gauge. I have used this type in our showroom to successfully cook bread, small chickens and pizzas all to the delight of our customers.
A large number of our customers who started their stove experience with a traditional style wood or multifuel stove have since moved on to the more contemporary, modern wood burning or multifuel stove.
I recommend that you always look for a Din or Din+ kite mark with your contemporary wood burning stove which shows it has been produced to high German standards for quality and emissions
For more information on Modern Contemporary Steel Convector Multifuel woodburning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com
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