Opening up a Chimney Breast

[Ivor Windybottom]

Where I live a lot of people have them. They can be expensive to run, unless you have access to a cheap supply of firewood. On the plus side, people generally find that radiated heat is more comfortable than convection heat.

We moved house as we lived in a valley within a suburban area where lots of neighbours joined the trend a few years ago. The air was absolutely thick with toxins, it wasn't fit for human habitation. The place would stink even with the windows closed, it would find its way through the building.

We now live in the countryside. We get the odd whiff, but it's 1% of what we got before.

Sadly the stove trend is a great example of reverse progress in the name of fashion. The human race has done it all before, everyone died in their 50s from air pollution, we got the clean air act and mains gas and health improved massively. But a couple of generations later, nobody remembers this. Then someone says it's all cosy and lovely and all lessons learned are forgotten.

 

[Craig-H]

A heat pump is 300-400% efficient. They're amazing machines.

This house isn't suitable for a heat pump IMO. It's a cold house in winter and the primary reason is the vaulted ceiling in the kitchen. Looks pretty, but it's certainly not warm. It takes a really long time to heat up, even with the radiators on full blast.

 

[Craig-H]

We moved house as we lived in a valley within a suburban area where lots of neighbours joined the trend a few years ago. The air was absolutely thick with toxins, it wasn't fit for human habitation. The place would stink even with the windows closed, it would find its way through the building.

We now live in the countryside. We get the odd whiff, but it's 1% of what we got before.

Sadly the stove trend is a great example of reverse progress in the name of fashion. The human race has done it all before, everyone died in their 50s from air pollution, we got the clean air act and mains gas and health improved massively. But a couple of generations later, nobody remembers this. Then someone says it's all cosy and lovely and all lessons learned are forgotten.

I feel lucky I'm on mains sewerage, let alone gas! We're going to need fires moving forwards, even coal is expected to be exhausted by 2060. Anthracite will be the first to go extinct...

 

[stuart45]

You could opt for an oil fired stove.

 

[Craig-H]

It would mean digging up the floor... I really don't want to chase any pipework through the house. For the moment at least I think the wood burner solution's the right solution... if I can make it work.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

This house isn't suitable for a heat pump IMO. It's a cold house in winter and the primary reason is the vaulted ceiling in the kitchen. Looks pretty, but it's certainly not warm. It takes a really long time to heat up, even with the radiators on full blast.

Myth. Heat pumps provide heat, just like any other heat source. That heat costs approximately the same as gas.

Whether you retain or waste that heat is a separate issue. Obviously you'll have higher heating bills with less insulation whatever the heat source.

We have a 10kW heat pump, in a not very well insulated sprawling 1950s bungalow. It's easily capable of heating the place faster than it loses heat. It's also very responsive, we only heat the rooms we want heating, it's all zoned so it follows us around the place through the day.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I feel lucky I'm on mains sewerage, let alone gas! We're going to need fires moving forwards, even coal is expected to be exhausted by 2060. Anthracite will be the first to go extinct...

It's very possible that stoves will be banned at some point, due to the growing health concerns about them.

Forget burning stuff like a caveman, you need heat not fire.