Moved into a new house with a log burner - stupid questions

[darrude]

Hi,

I have moved house and we have a very small log burner. I really don't know what I'm doing with it so have some stupid questions!

• Will the chimney need sweeping?
• Why Doesn't it kick out any heat (the chimney is direct above, I assume all the heat is dissipating out of the top).
• What can I burn in there, is it safe to put Coals in (would this put out more heat).
• Should glowing hot embers be seen coming out the chimney, there are some coming out, is this dangerous?
• Is it worth upgrading the stove, are they any rules I should be aware of. is it best to take some dimensions and ask at a stove shop.
  
  
  
  
  

 

[bernardgreen]

Why Doesn't it kick out any heat (the chimney is direct above, I assume all the heat is dissipating out of the top).

Most log burner heat comes from heating the air around the hot stove. With too little space around the stove the air movement is limited.

Having a TV above am active fire is not a good idea. Heat and dust ( fine soot particles ) from the fire can be harmful to the TV

Will the chimney need sweeping?

A very good idea,

Should glowing hot embers be seen coming out the chimney, there are some coming out, is this dangerous?

No they should not. Yes it possibly is dangerous

Is it worth upgrading the stove, are they any rules I should be aware of. is it best to take some dimensions and ask at a stove shop

Quite probable to be worth getting a modern stove. Contact HETAS to find a qualified person / firm to advise you on the best stove for your fire place and chimney

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Should glowing hot embers be seen coming out the chimney, there are some coming out, is this dangerous?

What have you been putting in it?

 

[Burnerman]

If there are embers coming out of the chimney - and the baffle plate is in place - I'd say the chimney should be swept as soon as possible.
The chimney needs to be closed off with a register plate to prevent heat simply vanishing up the lum. I can't see if there is one there or not.
It seems like it is a multifuel stove, so you can burn logs and ovoids.....much better than high bitumen coal.
John

 

[darrude]

Thanks for the responses, I'll stop using until the chimney is swept them, I'm guessing they will know and be able to inspect to advise if it is safe or not. Don't really want to set the house on fire!

With regards the tv, we are planning on putting a deep mantle above it to divert the heat (although there isn't any!)

The guy we bought the house from said it is the type that you can run with the door open, but this makes the room shell burnt (only burnt kiln dried Logs so far), and hot embers fly out and burn the carpet, so I've avoided doing that.

Many thanks for the help.

When I first cleaned it out I removed a large metal plate that sits just in the exit to the flume, and a carrier bags worth of brown soot came out with it. I did wonder if chimney sweeping was still a thing!

 

[ajstoneservices]

That looks to be a villager stove so you should be able find the operating instructions online.

The flue should be swept annually.

 

[foxhole]

Since you don't know it's history get it serviced and any problems will be highlighted be the service report.

 

[StephenStephen]

I found that I reduced my log consumption by about half last winter, and kept warmer, after reading this book: http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/the-log-book.html
This winter I'm burning less again, and the room is even warmer, after having a good quality refurbished stove put in - I went for a Woodwarm, because they make them here in Devon, but Clearview are also very good. I've been quite surprised at the difference it's made getting a good quality stove professionally installed.
Looking at the third picture down, it looks like you've got a gap at the top of the bottom door? If so - you would generally expect to burn more fuel and send the heat up the chimney.
...and probably a silly question but I hope you did put the baffle plate back in after cleaning out the stove?

 

[motorbiking]

I'd seriously consider some sort of heat barrier between the telly and the stove. I have a fairly modern stove and it belts out heat. I have a 3" x 7" oak shelf and the TV is totally isolated from the rising heat.

 

[foxhole]

Never understood mounting a tv so high, pain in the neck, literally.[Terrible posture, similar to riding a racing motorcycle for hours]

 

[dreadnoughtheating]

I see a lot of these on my travels, powered by convention currents generated above the firebox.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/p/72454/0

 

[Burnerman]

I use these things too, and they are certainly beneficial.....power comes from a thermovoltaic cell sandwiched between the fins and the base, powering a small electric motor.
Another good buy is a thermometer that fixes to the base of the flue pipe - it's dead easy to run the stove too hot.
John

 

[StephenStephen]

I see a lot of these on my travels, powered by convention currents generated above the firebox.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/p/72454/0

We spent a lot of time umming and arring about whether to get a fan and what kind.
They're powered by electricity, generated by the temperature differential between the bottom and top half of the fan. There's a thermal insulator between the bottom and top half, and the top half acts as a heat sink to keep that temp differential as high as possible. We read some posts in various places about cheap versions breaking down and the 'original ecofan' being the one to go for, but have no direct experience of cheaper versions.
We did eventually go for the ecofan812 http://www.ecofan.co.uk/ which we bought from: http://www.fluesystems.com/ and I have to say - it is great at blowing the heat out to us, quicker and further. A lot of the effect is possibly psychological, but in terms of feeling warm and burning less wood - I have no problem with that! We've been using it for a couple of winters with no problems or issues. It's also a good gauge of the stove temperature - the hotter the stove, the faster it runs!
My record for the time from putting a match to the paper in the woodburner to having the fan start running is currently a little over 4 minutes!

 

[Burnerman]

I think I spent around £70 each on mine.....both from ebay if I recall. One lasted around 12 months because I was running the stove too hot, but now they are both churning around well enough - however I suspect one of them is running a bit slower than the other.
I'll certainly try a cheapo one if I come across it.
John

 

[JBR]

This is the one we got:
http://www.stirlingengine.co.uk/d.asp?product=VULCANSTOVEFAN
although ours was bought a few years ago (at more like £80!) and differs by having slightly different, more rounded, blades. All other components are exactly the same, though, and it works very efficiently. Mildly entertaining to watch too!
A video here: