Hello,
We are looking to buy and install a woodburner and are looking for advice. We have been recommended the Godin marque and we quite like some of the models (traditional look rather than modern). We are not looking to spend more than about 1500 Euros. Has anyone installed a Godin and can provide some advice? The woodburner is really for aesthetic reasons as the house will actually have reversible climatisation.
Thanks
Yogesh
I suggest you get the woodburner installed by a competent professional and also check the chimney is cleaned and safe to use.
We installed a Godin, it was OK (but not great) - after 2 years we replaced it with a Burley Brampton which is absolutely superb - quite expensive but so efficient we get through noticeably less wood.
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We inherited a Godin with our house - it was always difficult to light. The body was made of steel plate (rather than cast) and rusted through behind the nicely cast highly decorative Godin badge. It was only the increasingly high CO readings on our monitor that made us look for the problem.
We replaced it with a cast body Supra. It connected to the existing flue and has proven very easy to light and very efficient.
Exactly our position.
We installed a second hand 10kw Petit Godin 3721A wood burner in our new build bungalow in France for exactly the same reasons - aesthetically it is a lovely piece of furniture in a modern setting during the summer and a superb heater during the colder months capable of heating the whole house. Last time I checked on price from one of the sheds a couple of years ago, a new one was about 1500€. I believe parts can still be obtained from Godin if required. The only thing we have had to do with our second hand one, was to carry out a small repair to the concrete panels inside using a special fireproof paste which has lasted well. If we were ever in a need to replace it, we would go for the same thing again.
work in progress… make sure you get the flu tubes the right way round (in the same sense as a drainpipe) otherwise you could have issues.
The finished result including the tampon at the bottom which you must ensure is emptied regularly (when cold of course). It should just contain fine ash - anything different and you could be using wood which is not suitably dry for wood burning. (less than 20% moisture content - 12% is ideal).
and to light, is a dream… simply open the front door a small amount, place some kindling in the bottom on the heavy grate with various bits of paper building upwards (we use the publicity delivered each week), used paper hankies etc and toss a lighted zip firelighter (sachet individuel sans odeur) in the top and voila! Close the heavy metal lid (which can also be used a cooking hob) and leave the door cracked open for a while to ensure the flue gets hot. This will aid combustion and ensure the fire really gets going. You don’t need to load it with lots of wood… just the odd log (we use ⅓rd metre lengths as required.
When we go to bed (about 10pm) we leave it well alone and next morning, all that is left is a nice fine ash in the grate.
Even though it must be about c10 years old (or more) it still retains its lustre and there is no evidence of any rust.
Another vote for Supra, ours is the 13kw with the piped warm air heating into every room, we never need kindling, just a 3 log triangle with a firelighter in the middle and away we go, 10 days 24 hour use in winter before we have to empty the ash pan as it burns so effectively.
All, thanks very much for your replies. We had not considered a second hand burner - so we will definately look into that as well as look at the other brands mentioned.
Yogesh
My 2 cents worth, if it doesnt have secondary burn then avoid and thats most Godins as they are made from inneficient 100 year old castings snd techniques. Burley Brampton is the best for burning technology but is a modern look. The Scandanavian makes are good to. There are so many under the Supra badge its a bit of a lottery. They do feature what could be quite good but the inlaws with earlier ones (still being made) find them a bit less controlable than they like.
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vermont castings make really good stoves
If the stove is to be there purely for looks then just choose the best looking item you can afford. However if you plan to use it then you should definitely consider a more recent design, as suggested already.
We are about to remove a reasonably ornate small stove (coal burner that we won’t use) but we’re in 71550 quite a long way from you.