Log burner query ...

[MacManiac]

Now that the damp and mould problems at our bungalow have finally disappeared, we are ready to proceed with the purchase of a log burner. There is a fireplace in the living area, and it was suggested that we put a convector log burner in there. We like the idea but the 10 Kw insert was too small (in as far as the fire box was very small) and a larger 14 Kw burner became an option. It would fit in the fireplace but we have been adviced that it would not heat our living space adequately, which has a sitting area, a kitchen and a dining area.

A radiant stove would heat our sitting area well but I gather the further away from the stove you sit, the cooler it becomes (which is obvious when you think about it).

So a decision has to be made ... and your opinions would be welcome. My wife needs dry heat, as she has developed a lung condition, and she has alway felt the cold. I calculate our room is about 45 feet long and about 20 feet wide at its widest point.

[MacManiac]

Double post Admin. Please remove.

[Lofos-5]

We have log burner which sits in a box in the fireplace and blows hot air out from the gap between the box and the insert where the fire sits inside (with the aid of a fan that automatically switches on). At a guess this is what you describe as a convection oven.

We used it every night the last 2 weeks or so and it is indeed very pleasant and dry heat that we get out of it. We burned one load a night (3 or 4 logs - self sourced from thick tree branches we cut a few springs ago in the garden) and they lasted easily 3 hours.

In the mornings we use oil-burning central heating which takes off the edge of our poorly insulated house. The size of the room you describe is massive. If it is also with high ceilings it probably would require a lot of logs if you were to rely on it as primary heating source.

We got good service by the company starting with T at the top of Mesogi road in Tremithousa.

Hope this helps. A.

[emgee]

Have you thought about a wood chip burner as an alternative? We have one, very neat and tidy. There is a shop opposite Honda on the Polis road.

[Uncle D]

Get a de-humidifier they take the moisture out of the air, leave it on all the time you do need to empty its water tank once or twice per day, use it with other heating devices, reverse aircon also dries the air so the air can be heated quickly.

[Paul]

If you get a log burner make sure you install stainless steel flue pipes.
We made the mistake of using galvanised pipes and we are going to have to replace them next year.
Ours is a 10 kW stove and dose all we need, it even produces plenty of heat that goes upstairs to the bedrooms.

[MacManiac]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. There is much food for thought here.

[JimX]

My fire is not a log burner we prefer a gas driven fire but it looks similar to Lloyds, at this moment it is being serviced by Thermodynamics as it was not working as it should as the fan assistance was not running, what stopped the blades turning was a well dead mouse that has jammed the blades, just thought I would mention it.

[cyprusmax47]

This how a so called "inserto" looks, installed at my house in Italy. It does a great job with integrated fan which makes a large difference to the air, distributed to the surrounding area as it blows hot air when it reaches temperature above 45 c . Beside that it is also heating up the large area above the chimney breast which stays warm overnight when the fire is already off. It is heating an area of 100 m2 without problems in winter temperatures of well below zero. OK, I needed 5 car loads hard wood every season which was of course well-seasoned firewood, beside the fact that the house is more than 300 years old with wall sickness of 70 cm (not like the bad insulated houses in Cyprus) and triple glazed windows.



Max

[Asteri]

Hi I’m also thinking of a log burner but I can’t decide if a pellet oven would be better. Does anyone have any experience of them?

[Asteri]

Hi I’m also thinking of a log burner but I can’t decide if a pellet oven would be better. Does anyone have any experience of them?

[Asteri]

I am also thinking of buying a log burner but I’m also thinking a pellet oven might be better, does anyone have experience of them?

[Asteri]

[Asteri]

I’ve seen the pellet ovens and was wondering if they were more efficient as the wood is quite expensive here!

[Mark]

I have had a pellet stove for 4 years now, simple to operate, set the temperature, and the flame height electronically and the fire starts within 5 minutes, the heat is amazing at circa 10 kW. Very little ash which is easy to clean.

The only downside is the glass window soots up, but is easy to clean with kitchen roll.

At circa 2000 euros it is not cheap, but the initial outlay is well worth it.

The chimney vents at the level you decide, is narrow gauge, and does not need to go above the roof.

The fire ignites itself, once the room reaches 70 degrees, I reduce the flame hight.

I Recommend the pellet store on the Polis road as mentioned in previous posts.

[Asteri]

Some of the log burners are also expensive but the emissions are high. Also they are a lot messier. Are the pellets easily available? How much do they cost and how many do you use on average please?

[Mark]

They are easy to buy, Paphos home market stocks them, but I buy locally produced pellets from the Pellet Shop on the Polis Road.(just up from Paps on the right side)

They cost 6 euros for a 15kg bag, I use circa 4 bags per week, but on a really cold day when the fire Is on all day, almost 1 bag per day.
A 5 minute clean daily is all that is required.

The very large open plan room heats to 21 degrees within 30 minutes of ignition

The Pellet house also services the fire annually

[MacManiac]

Well all bets are off at the moment. We had a local supplier up to measure the fireplace for the insert, and he concluded that it would fit with some alterations and this would mean the stove would be almost at ground level. I went to pick up the written quote this morning and took it down to show my landlord and his wife. She went up like a rocket as she realised that the discount she had negotiated for the stove had disappeared in the quotation, and that the stove had had VAT added - and then VAT had been added to the total again. Whoosh!

In any event we had a site conference at our house this morning. As the fireplace was in the corner of the room (not ideal) she came up with the idea of completely removing the fireplace, and removing the (never used) sliding doors next to it and building a wall to the corner. Then the stove (free standing now) would be placed on a plinth in the middle of the wall, and a flue pipe would be fitted to go through the new wall and up to the required height. And then, once the stove was working, their builder would come and build a “fireplace” around the new stove.

I could see Euro signs floating left right and centre. But they said they would pay for all the building works, and we would (as we had agreed) pay for half of the cost of the stove. The final decision was to go down to Paphos together to a well-regarded store on the Mesogi Road.

[Asteri]

I think I will probably opt for the pellet oven! Just the fact that they don’t generate so much mess is a huge plus!

[mike strand2]

Hi Granville, welcome back; hope your trip to the UK went well. I don't particularly suffer now, but as a child my asthmatic condition was so bad that my parents moved house on medical advice to a part of the country with cleaner air. My point was that the particular type of log burner we have is totally self-contained and any and all particulates disappear up the chimney. Of course, not all manufacturers or designs may be so sealed, or clean.

Mine too Lloyd. Same model as you, but I have to disagree with you about particulates as they do become a bit of an irritant every now and again when re-loading the wood into the burner chamber.