Multi-fuel fire

[abstibus]

Planning renovations and thinking of putting one of these in. I know the standard has to be British steel, but does anyone have any experience of them and would you recommend them?

[friedgreentomato]

I have a multi fuel stove in my back room and an open fire in my front room - get far more heat of the stove its brill and well worth it.

[abstibus]

Thanks, fgt.
We have two open fires at the moment and I hate one of them. It's not much more than a chimney radiator.
Also have loads of wood, but not the right kind for a wood burner, I think. Can I ask you what you burn in yours?
Does it stay in overnight?
Many thanks.
Any information is really welcome, as I have to overcome the opposition!!

[friedgreentomato]

tbh we burn peat, wood and coal in ours - we don't keep it in over night as its so easy to light.
also because the metal gets so hot it keeps the room warm for ages as it dies out.
we start the fire as normal with kindling and then use a little coal and then use mainly peat and wood to keep it in.
we get our wood for £45 for a ton from the local farmer.

[ladybirder]

Go for it, they are wonderful, much better than just a wood-burning one. Ours used to heat the Yorkshire stone surroundings and the heat the next morning from the stone was lovely even though we didn't keep it going all night.

[abstibus]

Thank you all. It looks as if this is a big 'YES '. The house is stone built, so your recommendations are very useful.
Another question: one of the fires - the one I am thinking of replacing - has a back boiler which is supposedly connected to the heating system (oil) but has never worked the way it should. There's a switch 'upstairs' (!), but blow me if I can understand this.
Is it worth getting a heating and ventilation engineer to consult on this?
TIA?

[friedgreentomato]

Oh yes - I would love to have a back boiler - if you have the fire on downstairs you may as well use it to hear the rest of the house - so efficient.

[The Builder]

Anne, is your boiler a combi or a rooftank system?

[abstibus]

Builder
Thank you for taking the time for this. Can I get back to you when I have checked with 'him who knows'? I can't get hold of him at the moment, but I am almost 100% sure it is not a combi.
I am hanging my head in shame.
Thanks a lot.

[The Builder]

That's OK anne. Assuming it's a system with a rooftank and an immersion cylinder.........
To connect a back boiler, you would have to get to the Primary circuit (the big pipes from the boiler to the cylinder.
If the back boiler is a long way from the Primary circuit (or maybe just a tortuous route), the gravity connection needed might be difficult. It's one of the main reasons people often don't bother to connect the back boiler in.

I guess the cylinder is upstairs. Perhaps it's right above the boiler or the stove/back boiler?

[abstibus]

Yes, Builder
It has an upstairs immersion tank which is almost directly above the fire. The boiler is in the utility room. Te heating was installed some years ago but the boiler and radiators have been updated.
When the fire is lit, the water in the immersion tank gets very hot and has to be run off, but the system does not affect the radiators.
Does that make sense?
Thanks again.

[The Builder]

So, you already have flow & return pipes from the fire to the cylinder upstairs. That's good, you're halfway there.

The simple answer is yes, you should certainly be able to connect the system in such a way that your "excess" heat from the fire would supplement the boiler output rather than being Drained off as it is now.

Well worth getting a boiler guy take a look.
You have both heat sources being taken to the cylinder at the moment (boiler plus fire.) I guess you have something like a Y-plan system with a motorised valve that directs hot water to either the cylinder or the radiators. If I'm right, that's fine, but it doesn't let the hot flow from the fire into the rads. Thus the fire does not contribute to the heating.
Should all be just a case of re-arranging the system in the airing cupboard. Well worth doing.

[abstibus]

Thanks so much, Builder. I had visions of major knocking into walls, etc., so what you have told ne is very reassuring.
You're a star!! The drinks are on me.

[The Builder]

Thanks Anne. Your welcome. I shall have the drink later on down the local.

ps Let me know how it goes if you remember :o)