Luvachicken Posted October 30, 2017 Author Share Posted October 30, 2017 Our chap came today and was here for ages. He was very thorough but sadly has told us that we cannot have any other kind of fire in our existing fireplace Bit of a shame because I love my sparkly granite and he can't make me another one like it to fit a wood burner in. On the up side, the real thing will be coming my way in 6 - 8 weeks time and I will have real flames and heat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Yayyy for you. Shame about the granite - it isn't cheap either!!! But it's going to be soooo much better than an electric fire. Most people in this little cul-de-sac have real fires in their living rooms. The previous occupants had gas installed and faux chunks of something rather than use coal or wood. It does need cleaning out from time to time and mostly it's the ash from stuff we've thrown on there to burn. But the best memory is sending the Christmas wish lists to Santa and watching them both shoot up the chimney - the children were delighted because that meant Santa could read the smoke - while we panicked whether it would set the chimney alight! But with 2 radiators in here too, we seldom need the fire on because it gets just too hot in here. Came into it's own when the boiler broke though - New Year's day some time ago while the cousins were visiting! Typical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 I use mine to cut back on heating costs; the thermostat is set to 19deg twice a day and 17deg during the day when I am out at work. 19deg is more than enough for me, but when it's cold, or if I am working from home during the week, I have the stove running to prevent the heating kicking in. The wood is free, so I save a bundle on my already frugal use of gas and the hounds are super-happy about the stove being lit... next to me feeding them, and hunting stuff to kill, melting themselves in front of the stove is their next favourite thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 31, 2017 Author Share Posted October 31, 2017 When we first moved here we had a hideous open, brick fireplace that went along quite a bit of our wall and wasn't even in the centre. It wasn't even made with 'pretty' bricks - just some left over from the building of the house. I put up with that for 6 years We lit a fire in it but you had to be right next to it to feel anything. When the chimney sweep came he was surprised we even got a fire started because the chimney was so short. We then had a gas fire put in with coal effect but in order to light it, we had to open all the windows for about half an hour. We decided later that this was no good and possibly dangerous so we got rid of it and ended up with what we thought was the ideal solution - our faithful pretend flame (except in a power cut) and my sparkly granite. 12 years on and with wood burners all the rage now, we are really hoping it will work with not too much faffing around or we'll be wishing we'd stuck with what we had. I'm hoping we will be like you Dogmother and use less heat on the radiators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 It's brilliant in power cuts too - source of heat, boiling kettles and I have cooked on it in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 31, 2017 Author Share Posted October 31, 2017 It's brilliant in power cuts too - source of heat, boiling kettles and I have cooked on it in the past. Yes, we used to have lots of power cuts but they don't happen so often now, fortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 We have the radiators in the lounge turned off and now the children are away most of the year I can’t see our heating getting used much. I hate the stuffy feeling you get with it, a wood burner keeps the air moving. We rarely have the radiator on in our bedroom either because we don’t like sleeping in a warm room. I have to have a little cotton hat on Now most of my hair has gone but only on the coldest nights. Not sure how bald men like my husband cope in the winter yet never thought if it before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 Ah, that must be the reason why my hubby sleeps with his head under the pillow Do any of you have temperature things on your wood burners to show that it is burning at the correct temperature ? Just been to a friends house and she has something on the front of the pipe. She said if you burnt things at the correct temperature it would stop residue forming up the chimney. We won't have one of these things as you won't be able to see our pipe and I'm not sure where else it would go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Do any of you have temperature things on your wood burners to show that it is burning at the correct temperature ? Just been to a friends house and she has something on the front of the pipe. She said if you burnt things at the correct temperature it would stop residue forming up the chimney. We won't have one of these things as you won't be able to see our pipe and I'm not sure where else it would go. Yes, I have a small gauge on my flue, which tells me how hot it's burning; I try to keep it in the 'zone' but don't get too worried about it. Liz - is it a wee willie winkie hat with a tassel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 We were given a magnetic gauge for temperatures,it looked a bit naff so we don’t use it. Could you get a stone mason to cut your sparkly granite and use it. ? in the garden maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 I think the hearth bit will get broken as it was concreted in The back bit will probably survive and hubby says he could cut it into something if I wanted, but not sure what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 I'm sure you've thought of this, but is there enough room for air circulation around your burner? I can't remember the figures, but there needs to be a certain amount of clearance to allow it to heat the room effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Liz - is it a wee willie winkie hat with a tassel? I was thinking a cute frilly one like the sun hats my daughter used to wear when she was little! I toss and turn so much that I wonder how the hats stay on! Also prefer lower heat in the bedrooms - no point in having the heating on at night because we have the window open. It goes on in the mornings though. OH feels the cold more now with his tablets - I sleep almost on top of the covers and he has an extra blanket (so 2 blankets one quilt and a sheet) because he wasn't sleeping very well, probably because he got cold in the night. He's rather thin on top (not allowed to tease him about it - but meh, I don't take any notice mwah ha haaa) so I wonder if he's losing extra heat from the baldy patch? If your granite is large enough and not too damaged, it would make a nice seat in the garden. Smaller bits perhaps a little table. Hope you don't lose it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 We've had a wood burner as our only heat source for 5 years now and have had two close shaves with Carbon Monoxide poisoning. We have a CO detector but they only alarm at 50 ppm (parts per million) after several hours at that level whereas the cumulative effects of the poisoning start at 30ppm. Both times it was because the burner was faulty; first was a missing door seal plus broken glass seal and the second was a flue connection. Fist time I didn't know what was happening but Googled all the symptoms; feeling sick, loss of balance, tiredness, aches. The second time I knew immediately when I woke up because I couldn't balance properly. The first sign is strange dreams and when they start that's when to look at the appliance. It takes about 6 weeks to fully recover. High efficiency wood burners create a lot of CO so it is really important to have fresh air going into the room. The most important thing is to fully open a window before opening the fire, otherwise the odourless fumes are drawn into the house. Then it is important to have the appliance properly inspected annually and keep the flue clean. ours is swept out beginning and middle of the burning season and if the fire isn't at a high enough temperature or particularly if the wood is wet or not seasoned you may need to check every week. Worth trying are the compressed wood brickettes, but don't burn more than one at a time or the fire can overheat. They must be stored in complete dryness otherwise they take in moisture, swell and disintegrate very quickly; industrial film wrap works well to protect them, even outside (under cover). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Good point! We have a CO detector in the lounge and one by our 31 year old boiler in the kitchen. They don’t cost a lot but give peace of mind. We keep the wood burner well maintained, replace the door sealing rope each year and check the fire cement seals on the flue pipe. A well maintained and sealed stove should never burn madly when air vents are adjusted once the fire is established. They should be burned hot for the first 15-20 minutes after lighting to keep the flue pipe clean then closed down to a gentle burn. Always burn well seasoned dry wood so that an adequate operating temperature can be reached otherwise the flue will clog up with sticky tar which is highly flammable. If you burn efficiently and have the chimney swept and the burner inspected annually you should have no problems. A good chimney sweep will do this and check the condition of the seals and fire bricks then give you a certificate which you may need if you are selling a house with a wood burner installed. Ours charges about £45 which is a small price to pay for peace of mind. We have had ours for 10 years now and it’s as good as new Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 5, 2017 Author Share Posted November 5, 2017 The men who come to fit the fire also fitting a CO detector. It all sounds quite complicated but I'm sure we will soon get the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Love ours, best purchase ever, even tight husband says the same. Cooking roast chestnuts as we I type, first of the year. Delicious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Does very good baked spuds in a trice too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Now you are making me hungry! I can't wait!!!! I want one. Not here though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursula123 Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 OH has been chopping wood and storing, we don't have a wood burner but hopefully we will change the noisy pellet burner next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 7, 2017 Author Share Posted November 7, 2017 Hubby says we haven't bought it to cook things in I mentioned it the other day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Hubby says we haven't bought it to cook things in I mentioned it the other day Completely agree, we didn’t either but as we all know men like to multitask and may like that it’s a free sideline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Neither did I, but if there's a power cut so the cooker won't light, then it's great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 The men who come to fit the fire also fitting a CO detector.It all sounds quite complicated but I'm sure we will soon get the hang of it. Our Woodburner fitter said we had to have one and that it needed to be certain distance from the fire. He fitted it the day he fitted the fire when the building work was done. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I have CO detectors too - one in the room where the burner is and one in each room above, which that chimney/flue passes through. I have also opened up and had swept the Victorian cast iron open fires in each of the bedrooms; will be nice if I can use those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
