Wood Burning Stove for 2 bed townhouse

P

Prosper

Registered User
Messages
283
Any advice on what make (eg. Morso , Henley , Stovax...?) or type (insert or freestanding with back flue?) of wood burning stove to put in small fireplace of a two-bed terraced townhouse? Also, cast iron or steel?

The living room is 15' x 13' but the stairs is in a corner of the room, so heat goes up the stairs. I've just finished putting additional 200mm of insulation in attic and I think that the addition of a stove would mean that I'd no longer need to use the electric storage heater. Unfortunately our road is not connected for gas.
 
1st you'll have to bring a flue pipe up through the chimney and hopefully the chimney has a good pull. Have you ever used the fireplace? Does it have a good pull and not let smoke back into the room? There are a lot of things to take into account for a stove to work properly. If you know any good people who have had a success story with fitting one you should try and get their fitter to have a look at your situation and give you advice.
 
I very rarely use the fire. In fact for years after I bought the house I didn't light the fire except to burn old bank statements etc. However, l in the last few years I light it when the weather turns very cold. There's been no problems with smoke, absolutely no blowback and the suction effect up the flue after I light the fire is very very good. Given how little I use the fire I find this impressive.
The issues I'll have to look in to are:
  1. Do I need a stove? Since I added additional insulation in the attic the house is definitely retaining heat better. However, the front north facing side is still chilly. I'm thinking, that because the stairs comes up from the living room that the heat from a stove will travel up and warm the north facing bedroom and now due to the insulated attic it won't escape up there.
  2. What type of stove? The insert type would be neater in a small house like this, however logic tells me that there is more surface area in a freestanding one and so a better and more efficient heat transfer. Also, a freestanding just in front of the fireplace would avoid any alterations to the existing fireplace hearth.
  3. What's the effect on airflow and is it important? An insert will fully block the fireplace opening and so prevent air escaping up the chimney. A freestanding one will not (or maybe it could) seal off the fireplace. Maybe sealing off the opening is not good idea?
  4. Cast iron or steel.? Cast iron will retain heat a lot better than steel. Which is better? A steel one will, if my logic is right, give out heat quicker after being lit but it will not retain heat for as long after it is extinguished.
  5. What Kw power should I go for bearing in mind that I'm not the sort to be constantly feeding wood into it, so I won't have on full blast too often. In fact I'll probably use it very little - only in the coldest weather.
 
My father put in a Mulberry Stove (Joyce - non boiler) into a room similar to yours and it's a lovely, toasty room - often too hot if stove is full to brim (your open stairs would offset over heating within the room). The heat wouldn't be lost up the stairs either as it will warm the upstairs also.

I think a stove would make your two bed townhouse nice and cosy especially with insulation done. Just make sure the job is done right - carbon monoxide at all that and fit a carbon monoxide detector.

Cost about €3k all in - stove and ancillaries purchase & cost of plumber.

Mulberry => http://www.mulberrystoves.com/free-standing-collection/

(no affiliation - just impressed with the heat!)
 
Last edited:
PaddyBloggit said:
The heat wouldn't be lost up the stairs either as it will warm the upstairs also.
Click to expand...
That's the main reason why I'm thinking of putting in a stove
PaddyBloggit said:
fit a carbon monoxide detector
Click to expand...
Great idea! I'll do that if I go ahead.
PaddyBloggit said:
cost of plumber
Click to expand...
Why do I need a plumber? I'm not heating a boiler.

I just looked up the Mulberry Joyce and it has a rear flue outlet which is good. Do you have any views on insert versus freestanding?
 
mulberry are a cheap brand , they are ok , i have one in the kitchen but its rarely lit

whatever you do avoid stanley , they are junk nowadays !
 
Prosper said:
...that doesn't seem cheap for a standalone stove
Click to expand...

Sorry Prosper ... a typo ... I should have typed €2k (was in a rush typing) ... and I know it came in less than that. Being more accurate I reckon he paid out about €1600.

Plumber is local, knows him, did a good job and charged a fair price.

Plumber fitted stove, fitted a flexible flue down the chimney to the stove and checked that all was fully sealed - important that no fumes escape. Plumber knew how to fit - that's why he fitted stove.

If you know what you're doing you could probably do it yourself but I wouldn't chance it myself (although I reckon I could do it) - too dangerous a risk to take.

Also, you make need to extend the plinth in front of your fireplace to accommodate the stove - cost approx. €200 for a slab of marble fitted.

I'd be going free standing - to throw out more heat.
 
Last edited:
I've just lit my inset stove for the first time this year. I got an inset one to take up less room, it went in where the fireplace used to be. There's some air pressure thing in it, so as to force hot air into the room, so that you get the same heat from it as a freestanding one. I got it some years ago from Lamartine, who did all the fitting, flue up chimney etc. It's a Marvic MF, burns coal as well as wood.

(I've no association with either company, but have to say I found Lamartine good. They even came out for free when I complained the stove wasn't working properly and showed me how to best use it - for no extra charge. Since I followed their instructions, it's been great.)
 
We have both a stanley stove (large kitchen/dining room and a clearview stove. The clearview is better by a mile! Much better heat, much nicer because its woodburning. Much more controllable heat.
At some stage im going to change my stanley to a Clearview. They are expensive. But so is the installation so you may as well get a good brand!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top