Choosing a Stove
Choosing a stove sounds so simple yet can become an expensive mistake if you overlook some key questions. We recommend Kelvin fireplaces and Stove Centre, their in-depth knowledge and love of stoves will make choosing your stove an easy and enjoyable experience.
Together we will take you through:
your exact heating requirements the type of fuel you wish to burn your space requirements and proportions
Whatever your requirements, there is a stove that is the perfect solution - offering superior design and fuel burning efficiency.
What’s the difference between a wood-burning stove and a multi-fuel stove?
A wood-burning stove is generally designed to burn only wood. Wood burns best on a bed of ash with the air for combustion circulating over the fuel rather than from below it, which is the case with other solid fuels such as coal, anthracite, peat and briquettes. These burn best on a grate which allows air for combustion to circulate from beneath the fuel, and hence why multi-fuel stoves have a grate fitted (usually with a riddling function which moves the grate back and forth in order to sieve the ash into an ash pan below the grate). Some manufacturers make multi-fuel only stoves in which you can burn the full range of solid fuels including wood, others make wood-burning only models (i.e. without a grate) and supply a ‘drop-in’ grate as an option if you decide that you want to burn other multi-fuels later on. Generally, wood-burning only models are usually cheaper than multi-fuel variants for this reason.
Buy the stove that has the highest efficiency rating within your price range. The more efficient the wood stove the less fuel it will require. That means that while a high efficiency wood stove may cost more upfront it can save you a lot of money for fuel over time. The manufacturer's literature or pamphlet should provide you with an efficiency rating so you can compare between different models of wood stoves.
Also, consider getting optional features that can make having a wood stove more enjoyable. Today's stoves come with a number of features including self-cleaning glass, heat shields for walls, cook tops and other features that can help you to get more use out of your stove and spend less time maintaining it.
Multi-Fuel Stoves
Traditionally, wood-stoves have been long airtight boxes that burned wood on a bed of ash, using air from above the fire. Coal stoves had tall, cylindrical fireboxes with air travelling up through a grate and the fire. Two very different configurations. The majority of stoves on the UK market have started life as either a wood-stove, to which a grate has later been added in order to call it a multi-fuel stove, or a coal stove that is large enough to burn wood reasonably well. Very much a compromise, especially when they may not have been particularly efficient originally.
Wood-burning stoves today offer a great variety of looks and designs to suit any home style, from a retro Victorian house to minimalist loft-style apartment. Painted black, brushed steel or even red, with stovepipe to match, wood-burning stoves with generous glass doors allow you to admire the dancing flames during the winter.
Wood-burning stoves can be installed in any room of your house, but most often they are placed in living or dining rooms. While traditional fireplaces generally work as a piece of décor, free-standing wood-burning stoves are generally used for more practical purposes, namely, for heating. Thanks to new designs, your wood-burning stove will look attractive and still remain perfectly functional. Because it isn’t attached to the wall, a wood-burning stove will radiate more heat throughout a small or large room.
Wood stoves are a charming, heart warming addition to any home. Not only that but they can save you a lot of money on energy costs which makes them a terrific economical choice.
Benefits of modern wood burners
It's cheaper to burn firewood in an efficient wood burner than to get the equivalent amount of heat from electric or gas heating The average energy efficiency of modern low emission wood burners is between 65 - 70% Wood is carbon neutral. While trees are growing, they capture carbon dioxide from the air. This carbon dioxide is released either when the wood is burnt, or when the tree dies and rots Wood is renewable and sustainable. New Zealand has extensive areas of forestry. Generation after generation of trees can be successfully harvested to produce firewood.
There are a number of things to consider when choosing a wood burner:
The size of the area you want to heat:
Most wood burners perform best near to their maximum output. If you often run your burner at low settings (damped down) it may be too big for your needs. Modern wood burners usually meet the required emissions and efficiency standards by not being able to be damped down much. You need to take this into account if you are replacing an old wood burner.
The heating needs of your house:
How well insulated is your home? Does it have thermal mass? Brick or concrete construction has a lot of thermal mass and can hold heat. Houses made of timber have low thermal mass and don't store heat well. The more thermal mass you have, the longer your house will take to warm up, but it will also stay warm for longer after you stop heating it.
The layout of your home:
Unless your house is very open-plan, you need to consider how to get the heat to all the rooms. Most wood burners generate much more heat than is needed for one room, and you may want to install a fan and ducting system (heat transfer) to get the heat into another room.
Together we will take you through:
your exact heating requirements the type of fuel you wish to burn your space requirements and proportions
Whatever your requirements, there is a stove that is the perfect solution - offering superior design and fuel burning efficiency.
What’s the difference between a wood-burning stove and a multi-fuel stove?
A wood-burning stove is generally designed to burn only wood. Wood burns best on a bed of ash with the air for combustion circulating over the fuel rather than from below it, which is the case with other solid fuels such as coal, anthracite, peat and briquettes. These burn best on a grate which allows air for combustion to circulate from beneath the fuel, and hence why multi-fuel stoves have a grate fitted (usually with a riddling function which moves the grate back and forth in order to sieve the ash into an ash pan below the grate). Some manufacturers make multi-fuel only stoves in which you can burn the full range of solid fuels including wood, others make wood-burning only models (i.e. without a grate) and supply a ‘drop-in’ grate as an option if you decide that you want to burn other multi-fuels later on. Generally, wood-burning only models are usually cheaper than multi-fuel variants for this reason.
Buy the stove that has the highest efficiency rating within your price range. The more efficient the wood stove the less fuel it will require. That means that while a high efficiency wood stove may cost more upfront it can save you a lot of money for fuel over time. The manufacturer's literature or pamphlet should provide you with an efficiency rating so you can compare between different models of wood stoves.
Also, consider getting optional features that can make having a wood stove more enjoyable. Today's stoves come with a number of features including self-cleaning glass, heat shields for walls, cook tops and other features that can help you to get more use out of your stove and spend less time maintaining it.
Multi-Fuel Stoves
Traditionally, wood-stoves have been long airtight boxes that burned wood on a bed of ash, using air from above the fire. Coal stoves had tall, cylindrical fireboxes with air travelling up through a grate and the fire. Two very different configurations. The majority of stoves on the UK market have started life as either a wood-stove, to which a grate has later been added in order to call it a multi-fuel stove, or a coal stove that is large enough to burn wood reasonably well. Very much a compromise, especially when they may not have been particularly efficient originally.
Wood-burning stoves today offer a great variety of looks and designs to suit any home style, from a retro Victorian house to minimalist loft-style apartment. Painted black, brushed steel or even red, with stovepipe to match, wood-burning stoves with generous glass doors allow you to admire the dancing flames during the winter.
Wood-burning stoves can be installed in any room of your house, but most often they are placed in living or dining rooms. While traditional fireplaces generally work as a piece of décor, free-standing wood-burning stoves are generally used for more practical purposes, namely, for heating. Thanks to new designs, your wood-burning stove will look attractive and still remain perfectly functional. Because it isn’t attached to the wall, a wood-burning stove will radiate more heat throughout a small or large room.
Wood stoves are a charming, heart warming addition to any home. Not only that but they can save you a lot of money on energy costs which makes them a terrific economical choice.
Benefits of modern wood burners
It's cheaper to burn firewood in an efficient wood burner than to get the equivalent amount of heat from electric or gas heating The average energy efficiency of modern low emission wood burners is between 65 - 70% Wood is carbon neutral. While trees are growing, they capture carbon dioxide from the air. This carbon dioxide is released either when the wood is burnt, or when the tree dies and rots Wood is renewable and sustainable. New Zealand has extensive areas of forestry. Generation after generation of trees can be successfully harvested to produce firewood.
There are a number of things to consider when choosing a wood burner:
The size of the area you want to heat:
Most wood burners perform best near to their maximum output. If you often run your burner at low settings (damped down) it may be too big for your needs. Modern wood burners usually meet the required emissions and efficiency standards by not being able to be damped down much. You need to take this into account if you are replacing an old wood burner.
The heating needs of your house:
How well insulated is your home? Does it have thermal mass? Brick or concrete construction has a lot of thermal mass and can hold heat. Houses made of timber have low thermal mass and don't store heat well. The more thermal mass you have, the longer your house will take to warm up, but it will also stay warm for longer after you stop heating it.
The layout of your home:
Unless your house is very open-plan, you need to consider how to get the heat to all the rooms. Most wood burners generate much more heat than is needed for one room, and you may want to install a fan and ducting system (heat transfer) to get the heat into another room.
