Service | Charlestown Wood Burners | Suppliers and Installers of Woodburners and Mulit Fuel Fires

CHARLESTOWN

WOODBURNERS & FIRES

FIRE SAFETY CHECKLIST

Always use the right fuel for the appliance

Keep all combustibles, including logs, at a safe distance from the hot stove

Make sure any external air ventilation grills are not blocked

Do not slow / slumber burn. Do not ‘turn the stove down for the night

Never leave an open fire unattended without a spark guard

Always use a securely fitted fireguard when children are in the house

Get your stove serviced annually

Contact your insurer about your new stove as it may affect your insurance policy

OPERATING & MAINTAINING

YOUR WOODBURNERS & STOVES

Many solid fuel-fired appliances are expected to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, keeping us warm and supplied with constant hot water. However, like any other machine, they work better and last longer when correctly installed, burn the right fuel and are properly maintained. This leaflet will guide you through the basics of owning and running a stove, from a general overview, through lighting your stove, burn efficiency, the fuel to use, to maintenance and safety.

Primary Air

Primary air enters the appliance below the grate and the control is often in the ash pit door. This controls the burning rate of the fire. Please see your appliance’s instruction manual for correct operation.

Throat Plate

Soot can fall down the flue and collect on the throat plate. This needs clearing to reduce the risk of these deposits igniting and to ensure there is a clear flue way for smoke to leave the appliance.

Secondary Air

Secondary air enters from above the grate and provides oxygen for the secondary combustion of gases and vapours given off during the primary combustion. This helps combustion efficiency so that smoke emission is minimised.

Fire Brick

Many solid fuel appliances have fire bricks lining the floor and walls. Their purpose is to help insulate the fire bed, improving the stove’s efficiency by retaining heat. Broken fire bricks should be replaced immediately.

Flue Outlet

The flue outlet is generally situated on either the top or the rear of the stove. Combustion gases leave the stove through this outlet to be carried to the chimney through a connecting pipe. The gasses eventually safely leave the dwelling at the top of the chimney. Building Regulations require that all products of combustion are discharged safely to the outside atmosphere.

Ash Pan

Most stoves incorporate a pan to collect ashes as they are produced from burning fuel and fall through the grate, allowing regular easy removal.

Fire Door / Windows

Doors should be tight fitting and may have mechanisms to allow adjustment to achieve a good fit. Many doors will have heat-proof rope seals to aid a gas tight seal. This seal is subject to wear and tear and will need to be replaced when its effectiveness is reduced. Using a stove with its doors open will reduce efficiency, and with some designs may result in overfiring and damage to the appliance. Excess air intake will cool the fire and draw cold air into the house.

Appliance Controls

The main controls on a stove are for regulating the flow of air reaching the fuel, which in turn will affect the heat output and the efficiency of burning. Instruction manuals usually show how to operate the controls to achieve the best combustion and efficiency. You may find a flue pipe temperature gauge helpful to set the controls for your appliance.

Chimney Sweeping

Chimneys should be swept at least twice a year when burning wood or bituminous house coal and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels. The best times to have your chimney swept are just before the start of the heating season and after any prolonged period of shut-down. If sweeping twice a year, the second time should be after the peak of the main heating season.

RTHINGS TO KNOW WHEN BUYING LOGS

FOR YOUR WOODBURNERS & STOVES

What are the benefits of having a solid-fuel stove over a traditional fireplace?

Solid fuels are 40-50% more efficient than an open fire with the ability to control the rate of burn and heat output to the room. Approximately 70% of the heat from an open fire will escape up the chimney compared to three-quarters of the heat entering the room with a stove, therefore, being more economical and money-saving.
Can I install a stove myself?

We don't recommend that customers attempt to install their stove by themselves mainly due to the health and safety aspects behind this; death by carbon monoxide poisoning or by smoke inhalation are just an example. However, if you do decide to do this yourself, then we advise you to purchase your flue components from a retailer who can provide expert advice, thus ensuring products are safely installed.
Can I install a stove without a chimney?

Yes, the majority of new homes now are built without chimneys. There is a simple solution to this called a twin wall flue. A twin wall flue system is made up of numerous components that slot together. These two options depend on how the system will be routed, through the wall thus meaning the majority of the pipe is outside of the building. The second option is to run the flue system internally through the ceilings of each floor. Generally, twin wall flue comes in a stainless steel finish as standard; however, some customers prefer a coloured finish; black or ivory being the most requested colours. This is achieved by powder coating the flue to provide a finish that is durable and resistant to heat and corrosion.
Who is HETAS and why do I need a certificate?

Heating Equipment Testing & Approval Scheme' is a governing body of solid fuel domestic heating appliances, fuels and service and are solely responsible for the registration of installers and businesses. A HETAS certificate demonstrates that your installer has been carried out by a fully trained and competent installer as well a complying with building regulations.
What output should my stove be?

We generally use the calculations in KiloWatts. The method we use for this is Height x Width × Depth of your room divided by 0.1 if working in metres, or divided by 500 if working in feet. These measurements are only an estimate, and other factors need to be taken into consideration.
Why line my chimney?

The chimney is the key apparatus of the stove. If it is not correct, your stove will not work correctly. The majority of the time the chimney needs lining for a number of reasons, not just one. Firstly, many chimneys have clay liners. Clay is not the best material for retaining heat. It is essential that the chimney stays nice and warm when the stove is running. Secondly, the size of the liners or chimney is often a lot bigger than the opening on the top of the chosen stove. If the flue is too big the likelihood is that the output of the stove to the room will be decreased and your glass will become blackened. Thirdly, your chimney pots or stack could be old and/or leaking and therefore may require a liner. Every property is different, and we recommend that the property be surveyed to check suitability. For a free survey call us on 01726 66412 or pop in and arrange a time.
What maintenance does a stove require?

It is well worth looking after your stove as it will then last you for many years and give relatively trouble-free service. If high-quality fuel is burnt and the stove is used efficiently, then there should be very little maintenance required by the homeowner other than the occasional replacement of "sacrificial" parts. Keep the glass clean, do this little and often to stop the build-up of soot and tar deposits. You will need to remove the ash as and when necessary. It is worth retaining a decent bed of ash (say at least 1") when burning wood to trap the embers. This helps to retain the fire's heart meaning you are burning wood much more efficiently. If you are burning solid fuel, then the ash pan must be emptied at least once a day. If the glowing clinkers in the ash pan rise high enough to make contact with the grate bars, you will find they turn banana-shaped before too long!
Why use Kiln Dried Logs?

For wood burning stoves, the drier the wood the better. Using fresh logs with high moisture content will reduce your stove's heat output as you'll waste energy burning off the water, so you'll need to use more to warm the room. Kiln dried logs are perfect for our stoves and will save you money and energy.
Moisture Content

Dry wood (well seasoned) burns better than wet wood (green logs). Wet wood is much less efficient, and if you can get them to light at all, logs that are not dry provide a fire that smoulders and creates lots of tars and smoke. These tars can be corrosive, potentially damaging the lining of the flue and increasing the danger of a chimney fire. Wet logs will tend to blacken glass in stoves even if the stove is designed to keep the glass clean. When trying to burn wet wood, the fire has to boil off the water before any heat is provided to the room. Well seasoned logs can have twice the heating value of green logs. Only burn dry wood, either by buying it dry or by seasoning green logs. Dry in a sunny, well-aired space for one or two summers, keeping the rain off in the winter. Radial cracks and bark that comes off easily suggest well-seasoned wood; better still, check with a moisture meter. First, calibrate the meter and then measure a freshly split surface to get the best reading.
Wood Density

When buying logs, the seller should advise whether they are from hardwood or softwood tree species (or mixed) and if they meet the European standard EN ISO 17225-5 for graded firewood. The general difference is that hardwoods tend to be denser than softwoods. This means that a tonne of hardwood logs would occupy a smaller space than a tonne of softwood logs. Denser wood tends to burn for a longer period of time meaning fewer ‘top ups’ are required to keep a log stove burning for a given length of time. Since the heating value is approximately proportional to the weight of the wood (for the same moisture content), hardwood logs are typically priced as more expensive than softwoods when bought by volume.
Contamination

Ensure that your firewood is not contaminated, e.g. with paint or preservatives. Treated wood should never be used in a stove because it can produce harmful gas emissions which may affect your health. Burning contaminated wood is also more likely to corrode flue linings and damage the chimney as well.