Spectacularly unhelpful but thanks for taking the time to reply.
Replace wood burner with open fire
- Thread starter reg091
- Start date
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So is my assumption correct that "this kind of chimney" is not suitable for an open fire?
I had one once, you could only feel a warm from it with the door to it open, all of the heat seemed to go up the chimney, and your back was freezing! I like a fire that you have to move your chair back from as the heat is melting your face
I've only found that with coal/log fires (admittedly against my one comparison with that log burner).
I had one once, you could only feel a warm from it with the door to it open, all of the heat seemed to go up the chimney, and your back was freezing! I like a fire that you have to move your chair back from as the heat is melting your face
I've only found that with coal/log fires (admittedly against my one comparison with that log burner).I had one once, you could only feel a warm from it with the door to it open, all of the heat seemed to go up the chimney, and your back was freezing! I like a fire that you have to move your chair back from as the heat is melting your face
That does not reflect my experience with a log burner.
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We are in a control area but in reality it's very rare for councils to check what you're burning. Myself and two neighbours burn seasoned timber but often chuck bits of pallets in there, the odd off-cut of treated timber, etc. House on the corner burns pure house coal too. Unless you have suspicious neighbours I'd be considerate yes, but I wouldn't worry too much about every bit of timber or coal going in there.
Probably because you were using it with the door open! All that does is suck air out of the room and sends it up the chimney. You are better of sticking with a log burner and getting it set up right (there's a fair bit to consider).
I realise this is an old thread, but it's relevant to me now. I completely agree with what you say here, reg091, about a woodburner vs an open fire 'a false pretence of a real fire'! (Even if we are in a minority judging by the replies in this thread!) I am currently thinking of moving house, and so many promising places have woodburners which, if I moved in, I would want to replace with a real open fire.
I was curious: did you manage to replace your woodburner with a real open fire in the end? How did it go? Do you have any advice?
We have both in our 1920's build house. One chimney has a 5kw woodburner fitted with no liner. The other chimney has an open fire.
The woodburner is way more effective at heating the room, but because it has no liner fitted and the chimney is quite large diameter, you have to get the chimney hot before you can start controlling the airflow to the fire and maximising the heat output. This takes about 2 hours of running the woodburner before it starts working correctly, but starts heating the room within 30 minutes of being lit.
The real fire puts out hardly any heat by comparison. Its a cast iron insert, and it takes 2-3 hours before the insert is hot and starts acting like a radiator. Prior to that it creates a draught in the room and doesn't really add any heat, but looks, sounds and smells nice.
We're about to replace the real fire as the fireback has warped and is leaking vermiculite into the fire. We're going to put another cast iron insert in, albeit one that looks a lot nicer with a real stone mantle. We appreciate that its not as efficient as a log burner, but its a very high chimney at the edge of a steeply pitched roof on the garden side of the house so it would be an expensive install with a long liner and lots of scaffolding required. My wife much prefers the look of a cast iron insert to a log burner so we're going to compromise on the efficiency for appearance and cost.
The woodburner is way more effective at heating the room, but because it has no liner fitted and the chimney is quite large diameter, you have to get the chimney hot before you can start controlling the airflow to the fire and maximising the heat output. This takes about 2 hours of running the woodburner before it starts working correctly, but starts heating the room within 30 minutes of being lit.
The real fire puts out hardly any heat by comparison. Its a cast iron insert, and it takes 2-3 hours before the insert is hot and starts acting like a radiator. Prior to that it creates a draught in the room and doesn't really add any heat, but looks, sounds and smells nice.
We're about to replace the real fire as the fireback has warped and is leaking vermiculite into the fire. We're going to put another cast iron insert in, albeit one that looks a lot nicer with a real stone mantle. We appreciate that its not as efficient as a log burner, but its a very high chimney at the edge of a steeply pitched roof on the garden side of the house so it would be an expensive install with a long liner and lots of scaffolding required. My wife much prefers the look of a cast iron insert to a log burner so we're going to compromise on the efficiency for appearance and cost.
That's very interesting. When you say:
'My wife much prefers the look of a cast iron insert to a log burner so we're going to compromise on the efficiency for appearance and cost.'
I must say, I agree with your wife! As the houses I am interested in buying have central heating anyway, I want the fire more for appearance and atmosphere rather than as an efficient way to heat the room. The trouble is that so many houses these days have woodburners that I am likely to have to replace a woodburner with an open fire insert.
I can find very little advice on how to do this, as most people seem to want to do it the other way around!
'My wife much prefers the look of a cast iron insert to a log burner so we're going to compromise on the efficiency for appearance and cost.'
I must say, I agree with your wife! As the houses I am interested in buying have central heating anyway, I want the fire more for appearance and atmosphere rather than as an efficient way to heat the room. The trouble is that so many houses these days have woodburners that I am likely to have to replace a woodburner with an open fire insert.
I can find very little advice on how to do this, as most people seem to want to do it the other way around!
You'll need at least a 7” flue for an open fire, I’ll stick to my wood burners.
I think whether you can convert a fireplace back to a real fire hinges on whether the house is old enough for the chimney to have been designed for a real fire. If it was, then it depends on the condition of the chimney.
What age of property are you looking at?
The properties I've been looking at are pretty old - nineteenth century or older, so it should be alright from that point of view.
But I've recently come across this on the website of a chimney sweep:
'Under current regulations, you cannot replace an appliance with one which is less efficient. So, for instance, if you bought a house with a modern, super-efficient woodburner but think it looks out of place, and want an open fire back in, then you can’t … because it is more inefficient than the appliance already installed. A little known fact but one worth bearing in mind.'
So it sounds as though you can reinstall a real open fire in an 'empty' fireplace, but if a woodburner has been installed, you're stuck with it!
But I've recently come across this on the website of a chimney sweep:
'Under current regulations, you cannot replace an appliance with one which is less efficient. So, for instance, if you bought a house with a modern, super-efficient woodburner but think it looks out of place, and want an open fire back in, then you can’t … because it is more inefficient than the appliance already installed. A little known fact but one worth bearing in mind.'
So it sounds as though you can reinstall a real open fire in an 'empty' fireplace, but if a woodburner has been installed, you're stuck with it!
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