Wakeford Fireplaces are a professional supplier of modern and traditional wood burning stoves in Surrey and across the South East. We have a wide range of options for you to choose from, with many models available to view in our showroom. Why not come and see us for a relaxed conversation with our skilled and knowledgeable team to discuss the best wood burner option for your home?
Call Us Today 01483 223900
Are Wood Burning Stoves Expensive?
With an increase in popularity comes a natural decrease in cost. This, coupled with improvements in manufacturing means that wood burners are certainly cheaper than they once were. Makers also appreciate customers have a wide range of budgets so create a suitably wide range of products to meet these. Of course, a wood burner is never something to consider as cheap but with savings on heating bills and the added value, it brings to the house value they are certainly not as expensive as you may think.
Cut Energy Bills With a Wood Burner
For a typical household in the UK, gas and electric prices are set to rise by a staggering 54% in 2022 and the energy market beyond that is uncertain. Facing an energy crisis, many households will be looking to reduce their heating bills. Whilst wood burners cannot be used all the time, they can drastically cut down on how often you need to turn the heating on. A wood burning stove is ideal for cosy evenings in front of the TV with the family or for reading by the fire. Apart from the warmth a wood burning stove generates in your home, there’s also the firewood scent and the calming crackle that generate that Hygge contentment. And that relaxed feeling maybe a little easier to find too, as wood burners can cut your energy bills by around 25%.
Are Wood Burners Easy to Keep Clean?
This is a very common question and for good reason. Most people have visited a house at some stage and seen a dirty old stove sitting in the fireplace and it causes people to assume they are hard to clean.
A wood burning stove will be one more thing in your household to clean but the good news is it’s not as difficult (or messy) as you might imagine.
Thankfully, modern installations are very easy to clean. Many of them have self-cleaning glass which works wonders and removes the need to sit for hours scrubbing soot off the front. However, even those without this technology are easy to keep clean if it is done regularly. We recommend cleaning your log burner every 4-6 weeks.
As with many jobs, cleaning your wood burner will soon become part of the household routine and what will make it far quicker is having the right tools. To clean your wood burner you will need:
A soft brush – Essential for cleaning around your fireplace, especially after you’ve cleaned out the inside. A suitable soft brush is often found to be one of those mysterious vacuum cleaner attachments.
Glass cleaner – The glass on your stove will be the first part to show signs of dirt, so use a good glass cleaner to wipe this clean regularly. This is a good opportunity to keep an eye on the health of your wood burner. Excess soot can be a sign that there is a draft or the fire is not being lit properly. Whereas tarred glass indicates too much moisture in the wood.
Ash pan and metal bucket – These are not just great-looking items around a fireplace, they have a real purpose. Having an ash pan and metal bucket near your wood burner helps to remind you to brush out the inside of your burner regularly. Please make sure ashes are completely cool, contain no embers and don’t be in a rush to sweep or you’ll risk creating more mess.
A modern stove is as easy to keep clean as any other household appliance…in fact, it is a lot easier to clean than an oven!
How Safe are Wood Burning Stoves?
Wood burning stoves, and stoves in general, are probably the safest way to have a real fire. Because they are closed there is little or no risk of any embers leaving the stove. This means they can be left running when you have gone to bed safe in the knowledge it will keep some heat going and slowly die off overnight with no concerns of fire. Of course, having anything hot around the home presents its challenges to small children etc but there are some great fire guards on the market to make sure little ones are kept well away.
Wakefords have been a specialist fireplace, fire and stove centre since 1984 and is the place for fires in Surrey. Customers include homeowners, interior designers and property experts looking to refurbish, upgrade and add value to all types of residential property.
The Wakefords team are true experts in the field. We have amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge of the wood burner industry and are happy to advise on any issue. From wood burning technology and stove manufacturers, to supply, installation and maintenance, there’s not much we don’t know about wood burning stoves!
Wood Burner Brands Available from our Surrey Showroom
Wakeford’s can offer a range of leading brand stoves including, Aarrow, Faber, Dru, Valor, Stovax, Capital and more! Whether you are looking at a sleek modern take on a traditional stove or something classic for a period home our ever growing range of brands will be sure to offer something suitable. If you find a stove you like online but are not sure we can supply it then send us a photo or drop in for a chat. With over 30 years experience we are highly likely to either know the brand, stock the brand or be able to source you something similar.
Installation of Wood Burning Stoves
As well as selling burners and stoves we also install them. This is where the big difference between online sales and visiting a showroom comes in. There may be cheaper options online that can be delivered to you home but when it comes to installation it is critical to get the professionals in. By helping each customer chose the right wood burner for them we take into account where it will be fitted, room size, room shape, wall materials and more. This means each and every customer gets a stove that is warm, reliable and safe. Wakeford’s have fitted literally hundreds of wood burners across Surrey and even further afield into Hampshire and Sussex. From Esher and Weybridge to Chobham, Farnham and into Croydon we are able to organise a fast, efficient and reliable fitting service with any stove bought from us.
Types of Fireplaces and Stoves
Offering the perfect balance between practicality and style, between cosy warmth and visual appeal, a fireplace installation can be a fantastic addition to any home. Just imagine curling up in front of a real fire – nothing can match the simple pleasure of seeing hot embers and real flames through a traditional or contemporary glass-fronted stove. It’s an attractive and efficient way of providing warmth and comfort while providing a stunning focal point for any room.
There are many styles and sizes to choose from, so there’s bound to be one that matches your requirements perfectly. Space, room size, and application are all important factors for consideration when you choose the right stove for your home.
Ecodesign Wood Burning Stoves
Whilst there has been a steady rise in the popularity of wood burner stoves over the past decade, there have also been concerns over air pollution and environmental factors. The truth is that wood burners have been both good and bad for the environment. Whilst burning wood affects air quality, it is also far better than burning alternative fossil fuels. In fact, if you’re sourcing wood from a sustainable supplier, then wood burning can be carbon neutral. In recent years, there are far more choices for consumers to opt for sustainable log suppliers. Now, households also have the option of selecting an Ecodesign wood burning stove.
The Government’s Clean Air Strategy will be clamping down on sales of stoves that are not compliant with new guidelines known as Ecodesign. Whilst terms like ‘clamping down’ and ‘adhere’ sound a little off-putting, this is actually a really good thing for wood burning stoves. It means that those considering whether to invest in a log burner for their home can rest assured that stoves sold in 2022 and beyond should carry an SIA (Stove Industry Alliance) quality assurance. This lets you know that the wood burner has been approved as an Ecodesign Ready Stove. Furthermore, the difference in air quality is significant, with the Ecodesign Stove producing 90% fewer emissions than open fires. For those who have a wood burning stove that is more than 8 years old, a newer energy-efficient model could reduce emissions by a meaningful 80%.
We all want to know that we are doing our bit to help the environment and reduce our household carbon footprint. Ecodesign stoves allow customers the knowledge that their stove is burning wood cleanly and efficiently.
Talk to our team about Ecodesign wood burning stoves today.
Large Log Burners or Stoves
Remember that having a stove in your home is about more than just providing a beautiful feature piece – it needs to be functional as well. Spacious rooms and properties require large fireplaces for them to be effective sources of heat. If you’re choosing a stove for a larger home you need to ensure that it is the requisite size to provide warmth efficiently.
We have many years of experience in providing fireplace installations to expansive houses, so we have the expertise to help you choose a stove that’s perfect for you. Speak to a member of our team about the kind of stove that might be appropriate for you and we can help you find a variety of options to suit your needs.
Small Log Burners or Stoves
Smaller properties can look both elegant and inviting with a small wood burning stove as a key feature of a room. Smaller stoves can still kick out plenty of heat to easily warm a room to leave you feeling cosy and warm.
It’s a common problem that people will end up overestimating their warming needs and buying a stove that’s actually far too big for their property. This not only creates the problem where the room is overpowered by the size of the stove but also that it’s not especially practical as it simply pumps out too much heat. We have years of experience in providing stoves that are ideal for the property they are placed in.
With a range of sizes available, we can find one to slot perfectly into your home to add to the aesthetic value. Whatever your requirements we can help you find a small wood burning stove that’s exactly what you are looking for.
Fuel
It’s important to have a basic knowledge of the right type of wooden logs to burn. Logs need to be ‘seasoned’ so that they are dry enough to produce optimum heat. Unseasoned or ‘green’ wood contains too much moisture and should be avoided; burning this type of wood is likely to cause damage to both your stove and chimney. Soft woods such as pine burn fast and with a vigorous flame, while the long hot burn of a hardwood such as oak or ash will give you many hours of prolonged heat output.
At Wakefords, our expert team can advise on different types of wood to help you understand which logs are for your stove; we can even help you find a reputable supplier of logs for your stove and even point you towards more sustainable log suppliers. .
Get In Touch
If you would like to learn more, obtaining expert information and advice is key. Wakefords offer a professional service for the supply, installation and maintenance of wood burning stoves in Surrey or anywhere in the South East, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
To find out more about how we can help, please contact us by phoning 01483 223900 or visit our showroom. The right fireplace installation should bring pleasure and warmth to your Surrey home for many years to come, and we look forward to helping you find it!