Heat Output Capacities for Wood Burning Stoves

When choosing to install a wood burning stove, you need not be constrained by where your chimney is sited, as you can have a flue installed on to an outside wall. This flexibility makes a firewood fuelled stove a match for any other form of heating. Also, the cost of installation should not deter anyone as this will be more than recouped with the saving on conventional heating bills.

Heat Output Capacities

Stoves are available in a number of heat output capacities, so it is advisable to check the dimensions of the room in which it is to be sited. Firewood burning appliances are available in a range from outputs of around five Kw up to 20 Kw, so it is essential to have a stove that has enough potential to heat the room, but also doesn’t give out too much heat.

Another factor to consider is what type of property you live in. You have to consider whether the walls are insulated, with a double skin of bricks, uninsulated cavity walls, double glazing and roof insulation, as these will affect the amount of energy you need.

It is essential to decide what job you want your firewood stove to do – warming the kitchen or living room, cooking or both. Another thing to consider are the doors. Do you want solid cast iron doors, or glass doors that allow you to see the flames dancing inside?

If you are new to wood burners, it is unlikely that you will have a supply of properly seasoned wood, but it is available from garden centres as well as specialist suppliers who can deliver larger amounts. Once you have a good supply, it is time to start looking for more wood so it has time to season before your first load has finished. One of the great advantages of a wood burning stove is that fuel is often free, or at worst cheap, so to start and continue saving you should add to the woodpile regularly.

It may sound like the simplest thing in the world to light a fire, but starting a wood burning stove takes a little getting used to. Although hardwood is the best fuel to use for maximum heat output, it is difficult to ignite at first. You should have a supply of hardwood for the longer burn, but also seasoned softwood that will ignite more quickly and act as kindling for the main fuel. Using paper as kindling can often be quite messy, as the ashes can escape from the firebox.

The easiest and cleanest way to get the stove going is to use paraffin firelighters. These can be lit easily, igniting your softwood which in turn will ignite the hardwood. Leaving the stove door open slightly for a short while as the fire begins to burn will also prevent condensation, and anyone who has a firewood fuelled stove will tell you that any form of moisture should be avoided. The lighting procedure will take a little time to get used to, but it will be worth it in the end.