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UNLESS YOU DROP A LOG ON YOUR FOOT !

Heat with wood? Good for you.

If you heat your house with wood, please take a moment to reach around and pat yourself on the back. Despite all the hype about the alternatives, it turns out that burning wood in a stove or fireplace is good for the environment, good for the local economy and good for you.
     Heating with wood is good for the environment because wood is a renewable fuel. That means that as long as we take proper care of the forests, we can continue heating with wood forever without depleting the earth's natural resources. Heating with wood fuel does not contribute to the problem of global warming because of the natural carbon cycle of trees. It goes like this: Trees absorb carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas) as they grow, in fact, about half of the dry weight of wood is this absorbed carbon. When the tree dies and falls to rot on the forest floor, it slowly releases carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere as it decomposes. If instead, the tree were consumed by a forest fire, or burned on your stove, exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide would be released. So, when you heat with wood instead of oil or gas, you displace a fossil fuel with a renewable fuel and the environment benefits. The main condition is that the fuel is processed from trees harvested using sustainable forestry practices.
     Heating with wood is good for the local economy because the money you spend on fuel tends to go to a neighbour, who might then spend it in town. By comparison, your payments to the big energy utility goes out of the community and much of it may go out of the region or even out of the country. Heating with wood keeps money close to home, providing jobs and strengthening the local economy.
     Heating with wood is good for you because handling that wood is a healthy activity and the entire process of heating with wood keeps you in touch with the earth's natural rhythms. But the big payoff is the feeling of comfort and security that you get from spending your winter evenings within range of a stove that glows with a fire you built yourself.
     Wood truly is the feel-good home heating fuel.

It is the responsibilty of the client and their installer to assess the suitability of the product for it`s intended site.

We strive to give clients a high level of technical information and our experience is vast so please ask as many questions as possible before purchase.

Please make sure you are in an area of the country where you are allowed to burn wood by checking at :-

  http://www.uksmokecontrolareas.co.uk/locations.php

Frequently asked questions.

What is Cleanburn ?

Cleanburn is a additional air flow within the stove bringing air in at a higher level of the combustion chamber. This helps to ignite the volatiles (potentially wasted fuel) in the smoke, resulting in lower emissions.

What is Airwash?

Airwash is a system where airflow is directed down the glass pushing volatiles back into the fire to help keep the glass clean when burning for a better view of the fire. Whether the glass stays clean is dependent on the fuel you burn but most Airwash Systems do a good job. Burning wet or green wood, and bad quality fuels can still cause the glass to blacken. 

What is Multifuel?

A mutifuel appliance is capable of burning wood, coal and smokeless fuel. Although most manufacturers specify wood or smokeless fuel and not coal, mainly down to environmental reasons and high bitumen and creosote contents.

Who are Hetas?

Hetas are the governing board over solid fuel heating, very much like Corgi are to gas. They have played a key part in setting a standard for stove installations, cutting down issues afterwards like inability to sweep and downdrafts e.t.c. Getting a Hetas registered engineer should mean the appliance is fitted to the correct standard as shown in Document `J` of the building regulations.

Are stoves controllable?

Yes. Good quality Stoves are very controllable on both heat output and on the length of the burn time. Different stoves operate at different levelsand generally the cheaper stoves have less control. Also fuel quantities can help i.e less fuel less heat.

Can I install my own stove?

Yes you can, but its is essential that everything conforms with Document “J” of the building regulations for safety reasons. If the installation does not conform you will experience difficulty when selling the property as the installation will be questioned and reported on the property search and relevant documents need including with your `homebuyer pack`. These should be legal requirements in 2007.

What is seasoned wood?

Seasoned wood  has been stored outside undercover with exposed sides for at least 2 years. During storage the wood expands and contracts pushing the sap out leaving `dry` wood as an ideal fuel. Good woods to burn are Ash, Beech, Oak and generally it`s better to use hardwoods rather than softwoods. 

Which is better, steel or cast?

Neither really. Cast iron tends to retain the heat longer but the difference is negligable. Cast is the preferred option for people wanting a more ornate or traditional design whilst the steel stoves suit the modern environment a bit better. 

Do I need my chimney lined?

No you don`t as long as the chimney passes a `pressure test` but we prefer lining due to the damage a stove can create.

The high level of control that you have with a stove creates very high flue temperatures and due to the enclosed nature of the appliance the hot flue gasses are in the chimney much longer. The result is much more `wear and tear ` on the chimney so we feel a metal flue liner is the best method as it can be removed or replaced in the future.

What is a Pressure Test?

A Pressure Test for solid fuel use is specified in Doc `J` of the building regs. It is to identify leaking chimneys and requires the chimney to be closed off at the top and bottom and inspection of the chimney for faults.

Can I fit a solid fuel stove anywhere?

With twin wall stainless steel chimney systems a stove can be fitted in many places lthough there are limitation due to termination heights, distances from combustible materials and limitations on the amount of bends that are allowed. We offer a flue design and installation service so please call for details.

Do I need an air vent?

Yes, for any outputs over 5kw. It doesn’t matter if it is a large or small room or whether the room has gaps around, doors, windows or trickle vents. We must fit a dedicated, permanently open air vent for stoves over 5kws.

Can I burn my stove overnight? (Slumbering)

Dependent upon fuel used and quality of appliance. Although smokeless fuels should allow overnight burning at low rates of combustion. Seasoned wood should give maximum 3-4 hours. Please note that some flue manufacturers do not allow slumbering  and the guarantees will be invalidated. This is due to the reduced burn rate creating more condensates and damage to the flue/chimney.