Wood Burners

[Metahowell]

Please can someone tell me from experience if wood burners do keep the whole house warm? I have been told this but can't believe that a fire in the lounge will also mean warm bedrooms upstairs. If you have to keep radiators on upstairs, it must be better to heat downstairs by the same method? Please can someone enlighten me. We are about to make a decision on installing one to cut down costs.

[Sharingan]

Ours does. We have central heating which we never use instead we light the log burner in the winter at my Mum's house which is a three story loft converted cottage.

[AlwaysConfused]

Heat rises

[abstibus]

Have a look here before you take the plunge
http://www.harridgestoves.co.uk/4/faqs-woodburning-multifuel-stoves

[ladybirder]

My advice would be to get a multi fuel burner one rather than one that just burns wood - you can burn just wood if you want to but you've always got the option there with a multi fuel burner. Yes, mine was marvellous, we had to open the sitting room doors to let the heat out into the rest of the house because it got so hot. As we had no mains gas and had to use bottled gas for the ch, which is expensive, it saved us a lot of money.

[abstibus]

I agree with ladybirder. Multi-fuel is much more versatile. I have plenty of wood, but believe it can be expensive to buy.

[friedgreentomato]

We have a multifuel one and it is brill and keeps the house lovely and warm

[abstibus]

If you're not going for a cast iron one, make sure the steel is British Standard (BS).
Some cheaper stoves are made in China from melted/reformed steel (not sure of the correct terminology.)
That's what I was told anyway, but someone may want to correct me.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

If you have thermostatic valves on the rads then you wont waste any heat from the wet system.Can you get plenty of wood for free? if not it will cost as much as gas by the time you have it delivered,chop it and store it.Do you have plenty of dry storage space...they can consume large quantities..ours can devour 20 tons over a bad winter however it is a 16 kw..but we would'nt be without it.

[Gizmonster]

As far as I'm aware, the heat rises up the chimney, warming the chimney walls as it does ....... so the chimney breast in the room above where the fire is located, also warms up and the heat radiates out of the walls, resulting in that room being warmed up as well.

[ladybirder]

Gizm. I remember getting up in the morning and the Yorkshire stone and oak of the large fireplace would still be lovely and warm to the hand.