Woodburner fan?
Benzine - 27/8/22 at 06:01 AM
Does anyone use of of these? I see there are peltier or sterling engine types. Are they good or just a novelty? I've heard of the peltier types
failing if they get too hot.
I've got enough wood to build an ark and want to use the burner as much as possible due to the current cost of living crisis. Long term I'd
like to run radiators etc (I made a thread a while back) but can't afford to go that route yet.
cliftyhanger - 27/8/22 at 07:29 AM
yes, we have one.
our 5kw burner is sitting in a fireplace recess, and this certainly helps the airflow and to get heat into the room.
We paid about £20 a few years ago, it just works. Not amazing, but definitely an improvement.
The thing I really need to look at again is getting a cold air feed from outside. Our Stovax has 2 open air inlets at the rear. All the air burnt by
the stove comes from the room. If I can get a steel pipe (exhaust pipe may well be ideal!) to outside to feed these vents it will reduce the amount of
fresh/cold air pulled into the house
chillis - 27/8/22 at 08:12 AM
Slightly off topic, how do you guys get on with dust, I was put off having a log burner as I kept hearing about dust in the room where the log burner
was.
dmac - 27/8/22 at 12:18 PM
I find using one of these http://www.tippyash.co.uk/ helps with the dust but there is still some.
Benzine - 27/8/22 at 07:11 PM
I notice a marginal increase in dust on the flue (runs at 45 degree inside the room) but nothing to write home about tbh
David Jenkins - 27/8/22 at 07:48 PM
quote:
Originally posted by dmac
I find using one of these http://www.tippyash.co.uk/ helps with the dust but there is still some.
We have one of those - very useful (if you use it properly!).
Otherwise, we rarely get any dust worth talking about.
MikeR - 28/8/22 at 08:42 AM
Ours has a dust collecting thing, wiggle the grate and the dust drops below. Every 3 to 5 fires empty below. (I normally leave done dust as a bed to
start the next fire on)
Benzine - 28/8/22 at 08:55 AM
To the woodburning folk: why are you emptying all the ash? I leave a bed of ash and then just scoop off the excess, which isn't very often at all
David Jenkins - 28/8/22 at 10:02 AM
Depends on the type of stove! My son has one that's just a box with air inlets here and there. The ash is scooped out when it gets too deep.
Ours is a multi-fuel type, and has a separate ashpan underneath - every so often we just riddle the grate with a push-pull knob (ooer!) and the
surplus ash drops through. The ashpan gets emptied now and again, but we do try to keep a few cms of ash on top of the grate.
chillis - 28/8/22 at 11:42 AM
Do you guys have any issues with dust during operation though? That's what I've been told is the problem with modern log burners.
David Jenkins - 28/8/22 at 12:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by chillis
Do you guys have any issues with dust during operation though? That's what I've been told is the problem with modern log burners.
As above - if you use one of those Tippy boxes then the dust is mostly kept under control. I lay my box down on its handle, open the lid, carefully
take out the ashpan, put it into the box and close the lid. Lift the box onto its back and wait a minute, then open the lid and take out the empty
ashpan. Simples.
With the ones where you have to dig out the ash with a shovel, there's no problem if you do it slowly (the ash is very powdery and blows around
easily). Take your time, and don't do it if there's a strong draft around.
The real problem I had for a while is when starting with a very cold chimney - initially the cold down-draft caused a lot of smoke to come down into
the room, which is extremely unpleasant and leaves the room smelling of smoke. Found a solution on YouTube - we now have a bit of cardboard that
covers the open firebox doorway - this has a hole in the front where my hot-air paint stripper fits nicely. If we open the door and immediately feed
a cold draft we fetch these, and a minute or two of hot air ensures that the fire will start properly.
falcor75 - 29/8/22 at 08:56 AM
Its hard to say anything generic about dust etc as there are so many variants of fireplaces, everything from the outdated open fireplace to more
modern cast iron ones. We have a Jotul F370 quite modern cast iron piece thats soon 10 years old and dust isnt really an issue. There is more residue
from the wood bark etc than there is ash/dust. Standard vacuuming once a week or so and thats it. We use it almost everyday during the winter and the
ash pan gets emtied maybe once every ten days or so.
https://www.jotul.se/produkter/braskaminer/jotul-f-373v2-advance
Benzine - 29/8/22 at 07:39 PM
Bit confused, are we talking about dust i.e. dust present in the room that circulates around and lands on the stove/flue due to increased
circulation/currents or are we talking about fine ash from inside the wood stove? Not heard ash referred to as dust before
[Edited on 29-8-2022 by Benzine]
David Jenkins - 29/8/22 at 08:15 PM
Recirculation of household dust? Doesn't happen. The stove is just a source of heat and, if the door is shut, is no different from a radiator
or 2-bar electric fire in that respect.
Wood ash? If the fire burns properly, the ash is incredibly fine, like talcum powder. It's not a problem as long as care is taken when emptying
- nothing drastic needed, just remembering how easily the ash can blow around if you're careless.
chillis - 30/8/22 at 12:05 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Benzine
Bit confused, are we talking about dust i.e. dust present in the room that circulates around and lands on the stove/flue due to increased
circulation/currents or are we talking about fine ash from inside the wood stove? Not heard ash referred to as dust before
[Edited on 29-8-2022 by Benzine]
Dust is what I was told, I suspect fine ash is what was meant. The concern is for fine ash getting into the room from the log burner when it is in
operation, not dust/Ash from outside. As a family member has a respiratry condition didn't want to get one only to find I can't use it
joneh - 30/8/22 at 01:40 PM
quote:
Originally posted by chillis
quote:
Originally posted by Benzine
Bit confused, are we talking about dust i.e. dust present in the room that circulates around and lands on the stove/flue due to increased
circulation/currents or are we talking about fine ash from inside the wood stove? Not heard ash referred to as dust before
[Edited on 29-8-2022 by Benzine]
Dust is what I was told, I suspect fine ash is what was meant. The concern is for fine ash getting into the room from the log burner when it is in
operation, not dust/Ash from outside. As a family member has a respiratry condition didn't want to get one only to find I can't use it
I don't notice any dust or ash entering the room from my burner. The only thing I'd be wary of is that sometimes it can be difficult to get
a good draw with a cold chimney, so smoke can get into the room. Just make sure you use good firelighters and dry kindle to get things started
(rather than paper) and you should be fine.
I use the shavings type firelighters from Home Bargains / Amazon and a Jenga style stack of kindle to get things going.
David Jenkins - 30/8/22 at 03:07 PM
Our normal routine (when there isn't a fierce cold draft coming down the flue!) is to crumple up 2 or 3 sheets of newspaper and burn them in the
hearth before loading up with wood. This is to warm the flue so that the smoke rises when the real fire is laid in the hearth and lit.
It does have to be said though - ff you get the start wrong, and do get smoke, then it will be tough for anyone with breathing difficulties.
roadrunner - 31/8/22 at 02:13 PM
I fitted a wood burner about seven years ago.
One of the best house mods I've done.
For last winter I got myself a stove fan. It works quite well. It's not like an electric fan, but just has enough shove to push more hot air to
were I want it.
As for ash, we do get a little bit on the mantle and surrounding furniture from opening the door to put more logs in, but it's not too bad.
Soot is the only thing I don't like. Re decorated before xmas and you don't see it at first until you touch your white ceiling. took a
couple of coats to cover.
Still wouldn't be without though
roadrunner - 31/8/22 at 02:16 PM
As for the cold chimney, we have a small hairdryer to hand. If I can feel cold air coming down when setting up, then the hairdryer works brilliantly
and quickly.
David Jenkins - 31/8/22 at 03:14 PM
quote:
Originally posted by roadrunner
As for the cold chimney, we have a small hairdryer to hand. If I can feel cold air coming down when setting up, then the hairdryer works brilliantly
and quickly.
As I said earlier - a sheet of cardboard with a hole in it, and a hot-air heat gun blowing through the hole, will always get our chimney nicely warmed
up!
No sign of soot in the room with our stove. In fact, when the sweep comes (once a year) he gets about a cupful or so from the chimney. This is
mostly because we have a stainless steel double-wall chimney on the outside of our house, so soot and tar simply don't settle on the inner wall.
Our sweep loves this kind of chimney - easy to sweep, and usually very clean inside.
GaryM - 1/9/22 at 09:36 AM
Just out of interest....what is the reason to retain a layer of ash on the grate?
David Jenkins - 1/9/22 at 09:41 AM
quote:
Originally posted by GaryM
Just out of interest....what is the reason to retain a layer of ash on the grate?
I believe that it provides a layer of insulation for the burning wood, and it also protects whatever's underneath to a certain extent.
[Edited on 1/9/22 by David Jenkins]
roadrunner - 1/9/22 at 12:59 PM
quote:
Originally posted by GaryM
Just out of interest....what is the reason to retain a layer of ash on the grate?
It makes getting the fire started easier.