Why Have a Solid Fuel Stove

Some reasons why so many people are changing to a solid fuel stove.

More and more people today are choosing to have a solid fuel stove fitted in their home. Is it a case of nostalgia gone mad, or a more solid reason?

It is highly likely that the main attraction to the solid fuel stove, are the massive cash savings that can be made. By switching from a gas, oil or electricity provider for your heating to a solid fuel stove, you will save an absolute packet of cash. Another reason for the switch is that wood is a sustainable fuel source as opposed to the fossil fuels of coal and gas.

Heating and hot water with a solid fuel stove

A wood or solid fuel burning stove can replace all, or part, of your central heating, it may even be able to heat all the hot water you need too. According to retailers who sell solid fuel burning stoves,consumers who are shocked by how high their latest gas or oil bill, are looking for other ways of heating their houses.

Even the Solid Fuel Association has stated that solid fuel stove sales are up to 30% higher than usual and some stove manufacturers are finding it difficult to cope with the demand.

Solid fuel stoves are a more environmentally friendly way of heating

As mentioned above, solid fuel burning stoves are more environmentally friendly than the fossil fuel options when burning wood, but do they make financial sense?

Quite a few solid fuel stoves now employ a clean burn technology. This effectively means that they can be installed in a property within a clean air area that bans the use of open fires. A good quality solid fuel stove is also a far more efficient way to heat a room than just an open fire, where most of the heat just goes straight up the chimney.

Furthermore, if you choose to have a back boiler on the back of the stove, a good sized solid fuel stove can also provide all the central heating and all of your hot water requirements. In short, a solid fuel stove gives the user a substantial saving in running costs, compared to oil fired boilers.

Banish that expensive oil tanker delivery with a solid fuel stove from Ansell Chimneys

It is quite surprising at how many people live in areas that have no gas mains to their property and this doesn't just apply to someone who lives half way up a mountain in the depths of Scotland! Often a short farm track from an established town or village is enough to deprive the occupants of gas or even a direct telephone line. It all comes down to the cost of installing telegraph poles and gas mains to just a couple of properties. So quite a lot of people live in these more isolated locations, making them dependant on a tanker full of oil delivering throughout the year.

The cost of oil is very high indeed and the last thing you need on a cold winters morning is to get up and realise that you have no oil to heat your property or water. Ansell Chimneys always seem to get a flurry of enquiries about solid fuel stoves when people get their end of the winter fuel bills.

It's also a relatively simple task for us to replace a gas boiler with a solid fuel stove, and we can even use a lot of the existing pipework and radiators, as long as they don't have a pressurised heating system. We can also install a solid fuel stove to operate alongside a conventional gas or oil boiler should you wish.

Call in the professionals to install your new solid fuel stove

A lot of the big DIY stores stock a small range of solid fuel stoves for the DIY market. Very few of these would be suitable to supply an entire home with heating or hot water. As for the installation process, fitting a solid fuel stove is not the sort of job that should be attempted by the average do it your selfer.

The safety issues alone should be enough to prevent all but the most proficient DIY enthusiast from attempting the installation on their own.

Solid fuel is more than just wood!

A solid fuel stove does not just rely on a constant supply of wood. Some people choose to have the odd delivery of coal. This is because coal often burns longer and hotter than wood. Many solid fuel devotees will burn wood during the day and use coal at night.

There are numerous manufactured smokeless fuels available to use in your solid fuel stove and these are usually sold under their brand name.

Some examples are:

• Coalite Blazebrite
• Coalite Nuts
• Coalite Firebrite
• Fireglo
• Sunbrite Doubles
• Econotherm
• Homefire Ovals
• Maxibrite
• Phurnacite
• Ancit

What about the storage of fuels and the maintenance of a solid fuel stove?

Solid fuel burning stoves do require a bit of attention, but less than you might expect. Burning solid fuel will mean that there will be a residual powder or ash to clear away, but this is suitable for the compost heap anyway. Also, you will need to have the chimney swept a couple of times a year, but fortunately Ansell Chimneys are expert in that field too.

You will need somewhere dry to store wood for burning and a bunker for any coal you should use. Don't stack wood against the side of the house, as it could be a fire hazard, encourage rodents or damp. Keep it a short distance away from an exterior wall, but close enough for ease of access.

Even if you don't want to link a stove to your central heating and hot water system, a stove can still keep a couple of linked rooms warm during the day without the need to run the central heating, and a small stove is relatively inexpensive.

Ask Ansell Chimneys about a new solid fuel stove as we are fully aware of all the necessary building regulations that govern their installation, and you can look forward to a cosy and cheaper winter this year.

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Why not call Ansell Chimneys now for a free quote

If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01923 661 614, email us at info@ansellchimneys.co.uk or fill in our enquiry form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.