We are in the middle of renovating our apartment in Mull. Following the advice here we will install a wood burner into the old fireplace. The fireplace wall has had all the stone exposed and is looking good....still to be pointed.
To my question...does anyone have recommendation on a suitable wood burner. More for decoration than heating but....guest will appreciate it....I'm told.
You see wood burners at the local DIY stores now and 'no brand' stoves are much cheaper. Just wondering if a cheaper stove would be good enough 'metal box that sits in a fireplace' or better to go with the known brands?
I should add, its not a big room so 5Kw is more than enough
Which Wood Burning Stove
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cysgod y coed
- Posts: 463
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:29 am
- Location: Tenby,Wales
We have just installed a Clearview. Really excellent.
The old Hunter stove was not that good.
Get it installed by a qualified HETAS engineer. Not cheap but they will give you a certificate.
Make sure , too, that your chimney is up to the task.
The old Hunter stove was not that good.
Get it installed by a qualified HETAS engineer. Not cheap but they will give you a certificate.
Make sure , too, that your chimney is up to the task.
If you can keep your head when all around you are panicking.......you have probably not seen the whole picture.
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charles cawley
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- Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:53 pm
- Location: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Borders
I would vote for a Clearview but, they tell me, Morso is worth a look.
Cast iron can crack. Steel needs to be heavy duty. It is worth spending a bit more to get a decent wood burner. Economizing could well cost you more.
There is a dated but still useful article about this sort of thing here: http://www.holidayletsforsale.com/advic ... d-burners/
Getting the logistics of the wood... supply, quality, storage etc: is important. Coal can be very dirty and there is a real danger of guests mixing coal with wood to create very high temperatures.
Cast iron can crack. Steel needs to be heavy duty. It is worth spending a bit more to get a decent wood burner. Economizing could well cost you more.
There is a dated but still useful article about this sort of thing here: http://www.holidayletsforsale.com/advic ... d-burners/
Getting the logistics of the wood... supply, quality, storage etc: is important. Coal can be very dirty and there is a real danger of guests mixing coal with wood to create very high temperatures.
No web-site for now.
Advice about holiday letting
Advice about holiday letting
Thanks for the replies guys and Charles that was a great link that has really got me thinking. I was convinced we should install a wood burner but then reading that article and considering all the practicalities I'm wondering if it's worth it. Just the cleaning alone would become a major hassle I can imagine. We have a wood burner at home and realise that cleaning the glass is a bit of a chore. If burning all wood then not much ash is generated so the stove could go a few weeks between a complete clear out! Then to consider all the tools required.....ash pan, brushes etc....I really don't know! I had considered providing net bags of logs on a honesty system, where guests drop money in a box for each net bag they take, not looking to make money, just 'suggest' the going rate! Am I being a bit naive in thinking guests would honor this kind of system?
At the end of the day would a wood burner in a flat overlooking a harbour in Scotland really generate more bookings in the winter.....mmmmm?
At the end of the day would a wood burner in a flat overlooking a harbour in Scotland really generate more bookings in the winter.....mmmmm?
Friends have Clearview's they are very good. looking at a budget version still excellent for efficiency and an efficient burn means less ash and less wood used. Saltfire ST1 caught my attention recently
http://www.stovefittersmanual.co.uk/art ... s-st1-st2/
http://www.stovefittersmanual.co.uk/art ... s-st1-st2/
Passivpool Energy "A" rated Swimming Pools, the most efficient, lowest running cost pools in the world
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PW in Polemi
- Posts: 1781
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:23 am
- Location: A village in Paphos, Cyprus
We had a bottled gas fuelled "log" fire in our own house in UK - and it was pretty realistic, in fact so much so that a friend had to be forcibly prevented from throwing used wrapping paper on it at Christmas!
We deliberately chose gas fired rather than a genuine log burner because of
a) the hassle of getting the right sort of wood;
b) the hassle of getting the temperature right - towards the end of the evening, room cooling down. Throw another log on the fire - and find it's still burning merrily when you want to go to bed or sit and get progressively colder? Or arrive home to a cold room and have to wait while the logs burn enough to generate heat;
c) the hassle of cleaning it and disposing of the ash.
And that was in our own home, not our holiday let that somebody else would be cleaning for us. And that's just assuming you can source and supply sufficient logs of the right quality for your guests - who will not read your Idiots' Guide to Using a Log Burner and will just try to use it as an open, burn anything fire, then complain that there's too much smoke in the room, there's no heat being generated, etc etc etc.
When we had our house built here in Cyprus, we deliberately bought a good quality gas fuelled "log" burner to cover those times when a bit of warmth is required, but it's not cold enough for full (underfloor) central heating.
When we bought the cottage to turn into a holiday let, it already had a gas fuelled "log" fire which is very useful for those of our guests who stay in the shoulder months. Easy for them to use and quick to heat up.
We deliberately chose gas fired rather than a genuine log burner because of
a) the hassle of getting the right sort of wood;
b) the hassle of getting the temperature right - towards the end of the evening, room cooling down. Throw another log on the fire - and find it's still burning merrily when you want to go to bed or sit and get progressively colder? Or arrive home to a cold room and have to wait while the logs burn enough to generate heat;
c) the hassle of cleaning it and disposing of the ash.
And that was in our own home, not our holiday let that somebody else would be cleaning for us. And that's just assuming you can source and supply sufficient logs of the right quality for your guests - who will not read your Idiots' Guide to Using a Log Burner and will just try to use it as an open, burn anything fire, then complain that there's too much smoke in the room, there's no heat being generated, etc etc etc.
When we had our house built here in Cyprus, we deliberately bought a good quality gas fuelled "log" burner to cover those times when a bit of warmth is required, but it's not cold enough for full (underfloor) central heating.
When we bought the cottage to turn into a holiday let, it already had a gas fuelled "log" fire which is very useful for those of our guests who stay in the shoulder months. Easy for them to use and quick to heat up.
Dogs have masters. Cats have slaves!
We opted for a http://www.contura.eu/English/Stoves/Wo ... 510-style/. Not the cheapest but a well regarded brand.
We offer unlimited free logs on the basis they're cheaper than equivalent electricity and we're trying to do the all inclusive thing as much as possible.
We ask guests to empty ash pan to an outside safe store and clean glass before leaving.
Only had it for last few sets of guests so far so a bit too early to give a view with war wounds etc but did just get a 1 month booking in january which i'm telling myself is squarely down to the addition of the log burner
We offer unlimited free logs on the basis they're cheaper than equivalent electricity and we're trying to do the all inclusive thing as much as possible.
We ask guests to empty ash pan to an outside safe store and clean glass before leaving.
Only had it for last few sets of guests so far so a bit too early to give a view with war wounds etc but did just get a 1 month booking in january which i'm telling myself is squarely down to the addition of the log burner
FWIW, since I removed the multi fuel grate and put a bed of sand on the floor of the stoves just for log burning, the ash build-up has been negligible and we simply remove a little when absolutely necessary - logs burn best on a thick bed of ash with air from the top only.
We specifically ask guests NOT to empty any ash - it'll go everywhere and create more work, and if they remove too much we have to top up to protect the floor of the stove - and cleaning the glass is definitely not their job; apart from anything else the H&S issues involved with leaving the appropriate stove glass cleaning chemicals are a no-no, but why on earth should guests be expected to clean it anyway? Incoming guests deserve and should expect the glass to be crystal clear, outgoing guests aren't going to achieve that, and shouldn't be expected to do so.
We specifically ask guests NOT to empty any ash - it'll go everywhere and create more work, and if they remove too much we have to top up to protect the floor of the stove - and cleaning the glass is definitely not their job; apart from anything else the H&S issues involved with leaving the appropriate stove glass cleaning chemicals are a no-no, but why on earth should guests be expected to clean it anyway? Incoming guests deserve and should expect the glass to be crystal clear, outgoing guests aren't going to achieve that, and shouldn't be expected to do so.
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jenboyle1959
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i'd still go with a log burner. I know they're a bit of a hassle to clean- whoever does it!- but it seems to be a much requested asset ,and knowing a Scottish winter like I do, a great way to keep the cottage cosy. On the Dog Friendly accomodation site on Facebook, it's the most requested thing after the blasted hot tub that all and sundry seem to want.
You make some good points.Wood does not generate much ash so if I provide firewood with clear instructions not to be burning anything else we can be sure we can leave clearing out the ash pan for a few months! Just let the cleaner do the glass! We managed to pick up a refurbished Morso Squirrel on Ebay at a good price so should be good to go...... just need to get it installed!greenbarn wrote:FWIW, since I removed the multi fuel grate and put a bed of sand on the floor of the stoves just for log burning, the ash build-up has been negligible and we simply remove a little when absolutely necessary - logs burn best on a thick bed of ash with air from the top only.
We specifically ask guests NOT to empty any ash - it'll go everywhere and create more work, and if they remove too much we have to top up to protect the floor of the stove - and cleaning the glass is definitely not their job; apart from anything else the H&S issues involved with leaving the appropriate stove glass cleaning chemicals are a no-no, but why on earth should guests be expected to clean it anyway? Incoming guests deserve and should expect the glass to be crystal clear, outgoing guests aren't going to achieve that, and shouldn't be expected to do so.
The stone on the fireplace wall in the lounge has been exposed and there is a nice opening under a big stone lintel and hearth for the stove. Just need to drop a liner down the chimney so should not be too expensive!