Find the Right Stove
Installed and operated correctly, there are very few other purchases you could make which will give you and your family so much pleasure and comfort over so many years as a good quality stove. We will help you to decide on the right stove for your particular situation and needs. Before you come to visit our showroom or call us, you might find it useful to download our Information Sheet which will help you to decide which kind of stove is right for you. On this page are some of the questions you need to think about before making your investment in all that future comfort and warmth:
What do you want your stove to do? What is the main purpose for the stove you want to buy?
• Is it to provide a tasteful touch in your home décor, a pleasant focal point in your room and some warm ambiance on wintry days?
• If so, how often do you plan to use your stove, every day or just now and then?
• Do you want your stove to provide the main source of heating in one room or the whole house?
• If it’s for the whole house, do you want to run radiators from your stove?
• Do you want your stove to provide hot water?
Knowing what you want your stove to do for you is the first step towards buying the perfect model for your home.
What kind of fuel do you want to burn?
In helping to make your choice of stove it is important to decide which type of fuel you want to burn. Different fuels require their own conditions in which to burn with maximum efficiency. Wood burns best on its own bed of ash with no draught from below. That way it burns more slowly and for much longer. The grate in a multi-fuel stove holds the fuel above the ash. This allows air to circulate from below to keep the fire going and helps prevent damage to the bars of the grate. Many models have built-in mechanisms that enable them to burn both wood and other fuels with a simple change of setting.
How much heat do you need?
One of the most important aspects in choosing a stove is not only in selecting one that you like the look of, but also in making sure it provides the right level of heat output for the room or house it will be working in. To produce a comfortable room temperature of around 21º to 22º Celsius (70º Fahrenheit) when the outside temperature is 0ºC, you need about 1kW of heat for every 14 cubic metres of space. Think of 1kW as being roughly the amount of heat you get from 1 bar of an electric fire.
So, to work out how much heat you are likely to require here is a simple formula to help. Calculate the capacity of the room in cubic metres by multiplying its length by its width by its height and allowing 1kW for every 14 cubic metres. For example, a room that is in the region of 6.5 metres long (21ft. 6 inches) x 4.5 metres wide (15ft.) x 2.4 metres high (8ft.) will require a stove of about 5kW output to adequately heat its 70.2 cubic metres.
Don’t forget that poor insulation and lack of double glazing may require a small increase in the heat output to compensate for the heat loss these will cause. The number of windows and doors into a room can also be important.
Don’t just buy the biggest, shiniest stove you can find!
Unless, of course, that’s what you really need! But buying large stoves for small heating needs causes potential fire hazards and stuffy rooms, imagine ten electric fire bars all giving out heat in a small room for hours and you’ll see what we mean. In addition, stoves that are too large for their location will cost you money. To control the heat, you’ll be forced to cut down the stove's air supply which will reduce efficiency and waste fuel. A properly sized stove will do its job efficiently even on the coldest days. One that’s too big and needs to be damped down will produce more creosote and soot which will be deposited in your chimney.
What About Installation?
The Woodburning Centre does provide an installation service and we’ll be happy to answer your questions about that without obligation. All of our stove installation staff are trained and experienceded. When we fit your stove you will receive a Certificate of Compliance and also a Carbon Monoxide alarm as now required by the Building Regulations. Some insurance companies are already asking for Compliance Certificates for stoves - be safe as well as warm and have your stove installed by The Woodburning Centre!
If you are thinking of installing your own stove you will find it helpful to read through the Building Regulations relating to heating appliances. The regulations are designed to ensure the safety of both people and property and the relevant document you need to ask for is:
Building Regulations 1997
Technical Guidance Document J
Heat Producing Appliances
Or you can download a copy here with our compliments:
Now for the fun part!
Talking over your needs and expectations with us will finally lead to getting to the fun part: - which colours and styles do you like?
For more, simply contact us.
