My new woodburner is saving me a packet

I recently purchased a new wood burning stove to supplement the one we already have. I bought our existing one second hand from www.leboncoin.fr, it was 400 euros and nearly new, the rated heat output is 11kw. It's done well, I installed 400mm of Rockwool in the loft last winter and it has kept us warm. It wasn't until I installed at the new one that I was able to make a comparison between them.


The new stove has a rated output of just 5 kw. It also about half the size, sounds about right, I hear you say. But it's not, the newer stove is much more efficient than the older unit. In fact I would say that once it has reached full capacity and is burning efficiently it gives out more heat than it's big brother in the next room, and that's not all. It uses much less timber to achieve this!


Given that the wood burners are our sole form of heating, upgrading to a more efficient unit is a no brainer. I estimate that throughout the course of one heating season using only the super efficient stove to heat the house I would use half the wood, resulting in a potential saving of 6 cubic meters or around €300. That's a good few tons less wood to lug about too!


My advice is spend a little more on an efficient wood buying stove, you'll recoup the extra expenditure in a couple of years.



James, it doesn't capture heat, it sucks in hot air and blows it out the other side through the tubes that carry the hot air into whichever rooms you have connected them to. And no, the tubes and the machine don't need sweeping as they're not connected to the flue, just to the hood above the insert where the air swiftly reaches a high temperature. To make it work properly the hood needs to be closed -- basically an integral part of the fireplace. I can send you photos tomorrow if you like.

A description of its fitting instructions would of course help. Is the flue liner cut and fitted at the top and bottom?

I was thinking the opposite Martin, the radiant heat from the pipe perhaps gives off enough heat. If it were filled with heavy steel fins, like in a car radiator, it could don't you think? I'm guessing as you might have noticed!

Surely the gases have to pass through!

It doesn’t capture or hold heat James. It will work much like a car radiator or in other words heat exchanger. Interesting dilemma re cleaning. Does it come off/out for the 6 monthly sweep and will it naturally be a creosote maker as its, presumably low down in the flue system?

So that little box captures lots of heat does it Terry?

Haven't installed this particular one but it looks identical to what I have.

Just back from Bricomarche where I saw this for €129, anyone installed one of these?

I see, good point in that case, thanks.

Vic I don't see any hazard in this setup. (IMO) We could in fact dispense with the chimney breast entirely and the heat would radiate from the flue pipe. If the gasses in the chimney breast are poisonous then there is an issue with the installation.

You can also avoid draughts by installing an airflow directly to the wood burner from outside. As the fire needs lots of oxygen to burn it will draw it from wherever is most convenient. A poorly fitting window or door for example, and that cold air will rush across the floor to reach the fire. (Still haven't finished my first coffee so sorry if that wasn't very clear!)

I should point out that I am not an expert and any modifications should be checked by a professional to ensure their safety.

James, at the risk of offending or teaching Granny to suck eggs, is it worth pointing out that if your method is used, the importance of a secure liner with all joints sealed is paramount? There is a danger of a leaking joint setting fire to a trusty beam and or floor!

I made a hole in the chimney breast just above the floor level upstairs and used Firerock insulation to trap the heat in the chimney just above that hole. So the heat travels up the chimney breast but can only escape via the hole at the first floor level. It's basic but makes a huge difference.

Thanks Terry. I'm going to investigate this a bit more as it is ridiculous to have a warm and toasty front room, sometimes too hot with all the heat contained in that one room, while the rest of the house seems freezing by comparison. The heat definitely needs distributing even partially to even out the temperature a little.

To add to what I said earlier, Valerie, the bedroom right above the fireplace is heated by a separate tube which feeds hot air directly into the room. The pump is only needed to feed the hot air into the bedrooms and the bathroom at the other end of the house.

Oooh, you're so helpful. As soon as I've finished in the Old Bailey and watched what I can catch of Corrie, I'll be sitting reading through. I might be inspired to things fantastic at a fraction of the price. Thank you James!

And this http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/wood-burning-stove-poele-a

Here is a much older post from when I first installed one in this spot, we have the Modena now which is much more efficient http://www.survivefrance.com/group/renovationgroup/forum/topics/how-to-install-a-wood-burner