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4 Reasons Buying A Stove Online Might Not Be Right

Riva Plus Midi Wood burning stove

You may be tempted to buy a wood burning stove online.  After all, you’ve done all your research online and found out about all the different models and heat output. You’ve decided which manufacturers you like and researched the prices. You think you’re ready to buy.

But there are some good reasons why you shouldn’t make the final purchase online. We’ve outlined the four key reasons why buying a stove online might not be right.

1. Safety

The primary reason you shouldn’t purchase a stove online is safety. There is a good reason why stoves must be installed by a HETAS approved engineer and that’s because there are many things you need to understand to be able to install one (and use one!) correctly. Stoves and all the connecting parts are complicated bits of kit! Stoves and fires should always be certified by an accredited agency such as HETAS and only by buying through an approved retailer can you ensure the one you buy is safe.

We can’t stress enough how important safety is when you have a fire in your home. You need to ensure that the fire burns well and there are no noxious gasses or smoke being released into your home. Only by purchasing a stove from an experienced retailer can you be sure that your stove will be installed safely but also function safely. We can also give you advice on how to use your stove such as the best way to light it, best type of fuel to use (you’d be amazed at the difference between the different types of wood!), and how to keep it clean.

2. Suitability for your home

If you buy a stove online without talking to an expert, you won’t know for sure if it will fit in your desired space.  There are several things to consider when deciding what size stove to buy and it isn’t just the size of the stove itself. There is also the flue to consider.

What you think are the right dimensions doesn’t mean the stove will fit well into your fireplace. Only a trained engineer can say for sure.  A trained engineer can also advise on the best heat output for your space.  It’s very common for people to choose a stove with the wrong heat output for the room they have the stove in, resulting in stoves that are far too hot for the room or ones that just don’t have enough heat output.

3. Availability of spare parts

You never know when you may need spare parts for your stove or advice if things are going as expected. If you buy it online, there’s no guarantee that the website you bought it from will have spares – and you definitely won’t be able to get in touch with them for advice! You may have trouble tracking them down, especially if your brand of stove is not commonly stocked.  If you buy from a reputable retailer, you can check that they also stock common spare parts.

4. No after sales care

Stoves are a bit like cars. You don’t just buy one and that’s that. Stoves and flues need regular maintenance You may also encounter issues with your stove, especially in the early days.  If you buy your stove online, you won’t get any after sales care. We pride ourselves on the advice we offer our clients all the way through the buying process, not least after installation.

For advice on buying a stove, we’re here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact us to chat through your requirements.

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Fires Choices for Homes Without Chimneys

chimneyless fire

One question we get asked a lot is “what type of fire can I have when my house doesn’t have a chimney?”. The answer is often surprising and very positive, there are actually a few options for homes that do not have a chimney and there is no reason why you cannot enjoy the benefits of a stunning fireplace just like any other home.

Electric Fires

The first, and fairly obvious choice of fire for chimney-less homes is an electric fire. These fires do not need any kind of flue as they do not produce any kind of smoke or gas. The range of very realistic electric fires these days is huge and for a lot of people this is a very viable option. 

Twin Walled Flue Fires

If you do not have a chimney you can have a flue installed that goes up an external wall or up through the roof and out. The twin walled aspect is simply the construction of the flue itself. If you want a real wood burning stove then this kind of option allows you to have that. The flue can even be built into a fake chimney stack outside the house if the idea of exposed metal work isn’t suitable. This type of system does depend on having access to an external wall.

Flueless Gas Fires

Yes, you can have a gas fire without a flue. These rather clever fires can either use an in built catalytic converter to filter any gases. Flueless gas fires are a very interesting option for people with no access to an external wall. Of course, this type of fire needs a gas supply in the room in question. 

Balanced Flue Gas Fires

These very clever fires simply use two small pipes to exchange the gases and pull in air from outside. Once again, access to an outside wall is needed as is a gas supply. However, given those tow things these can be a very good option for having a real gas fire in a home with no chimney. 

If you are looking at your options in regards to getting a fire installed in your Surrey home and you do not have a chimney please get in touch and our friendly team can help work through the choices with you. 

 

 

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The Pros and Cons of Electric Fires

electric fire

 

There is no doubt modern electric fires are a million miles away from those many people will remember from the 80s and 90s. Gone are the cheesy plastic fake coals and the all to obvious fluttering strips of material behind a screen. While they may have been OK in days gone by they would not cut the mustard now and that’s a very good thing. Electric fires are now a very serious option for a number of reasons but one of the really big ones is that they look amazing.

Flexible Installation and Low Running Costs

One of the really big advantages of choosing an electric fire is that you do not need a chimney, which is handy when it comes to flats and new build homes. This means they can be installed in different places without being constrained by a flue. They are also normally simpler to install in general so can be a cheaper option depending on where you want it and what may need to be done to fit the fireplace. 

The actual cost of heating will be looked at later but the running costs of electric fires are low. By running costs we mean maintenance and upkeep. They do not need to be cleaned and swept like a real fire, they do not need the same level of servicing as gas fires and with modern LED lighting the bulbs don;t need to be changed for a very long time either. Keeping an electric fire looking good is as simple as dusting and cleaning anything other item in your home. 

Cost Of Heating 

As we continue to move towards a greener and greener energy culture an electric fire can be a great choice. They can be run with no heat so you can enjoy the visual effect for a tiny amount of money. But they can also be used to give warmth very efficiently. If you were to choose a renewable energy supplier you could in fact, heat your lounge in an almost totally sustainable way. 

Cons of Electric Fires

There really aren’t any real negative aspects to an electric fire but there is, perhaps, some personal taste involved. At the end of the day an electric fire does not use a real flame. This, for some people, means they may look at Gas or a real fire. But we often find that when people come into our Surrey showroom they are blown away by the realism of the electric fires we stock and quite often the pros soon outweigh this small negative. 

As with most types of fire there are a lot of different design choices so why not get in touch and speak to our friendly team or pop into the showroom and find out more.  

 

 

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Burning Solid Fuel and the Environment

With ever more focus on the health of our environment and clean air, many of our customers ask about the different types of fuel you can burn in stoves and which ones we should be using.

The government is focusing increasingly on air pollution and their Clean Air Strategy states that air pollution is the top environmental risk to health in the UK.  While a lot of the air pollution in the UK is caused by diesel and petrol engines and industry, heating our homes is also a factor. The burning of solid fuels has come under scrutiny in recent years so here’s the low down on what you should know.

What are solid fuels?

Put simply, solid fuels are any solid material that can be burnt to release heat.  Solid fuels commonly used in our homes (stoves and fires) include:

  • Traditional coal – this is what most people think of when we say the term ‘solid fuel’
  • Smokeless coal or anthracite
  • Manufactured solid fuels made from coal products that have low smoke emissions
  • Wet wood – this is newly felled wood that has a high moisture content and creates a lot of smoke when burned
  • Seasoned wood – wood that has been left for at least 2 years to dry naturally
  • Kiln dried wood – wood that has been dried in a kiln to below 20% moisture
  • Wood pellets

What impact do solid fuels have on the environment?

The burning of solid fuels releases tiny particles of ash and soot into the air. These tiny particles are known as PM2.5.  PM stands for ‘particulate matter’ and the 2.5 means these particles have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres. Certain types of solid fuel release more of these particles into the air and it’s this that the government is starting to legislate against.

High concentrations of PM2.5 can be harmful to health as well as causing haze or smog.

How to use solid fuels safely

Now we’ve got the negative part out of the way, using certain types of solid fuel can be a great way of heating your home. Not only can it be cost effective compared to gas central heating, renewable fuels such as wood are a great alternative to burning fossil fuels. Wood is considered to be a carbon neutral fuel because carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere as the tree grows and is then released when the wood is burnt.

The simplest way to burn solid fuel is in an open fireplace. However, this is not an efficient way to heat your home as most of the heat is lost up the chimney!  The good news is that stoves burn fuel far more efficiently and kick out a lot more heat. Stoves also provide heat for a single room rather than the whole house (heating rooms that aren’t being used).

Stoves are the best way to burn solid fuel

Wood burning stoves are by far the best way to burn solid fuel. New regulations which come into effect in February 2021 mean that coal and wet wood will no longer be allowed. However dry wood – whether air dried or kiln dried – will still be permitted.  More good news is that dry wood is cheaper than coal and coal alternatives.

Aside from the romance of having a wood burning stove in your home and the wonderful warmth they exude, the reasons listed above mean they can be a great alternative to gas central heating.

If you’d like advice on stoves, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us for more information.

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Focus Fireplaces Workshop and Showroom Tour

It’s always a pleasure to be invited to see a manufacturers showroom as it can be hard to visualise the products in a catalogue but seeing them in the flesh can make a product stand out.

The Focus Fireplaces showroom was filled with great examples of surrounds and beams that had been put with some outstanding fires which made the products from Focus Fireplaces really shine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a tour of the workshop allowed us to fully appreciate the in house production of their wooden beams and surrounds, along with their quick and efficient delivery system which all happens in the same building. It’s easy to see why the products from Focus Fireplaces are of such a high quality when the production process is the efficient and streamlined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amount of work done by hand did come as a surprise, considering the intricacy of the designs and the amount of automation most companies use these days, which makes Focus Fireplaces a special company when it comes a high standard of hand crafted products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the office and workshop purposely situated in the same building, manufacturing is smooth and efficient with every surround and beam made to order.

For more information on Focus Fireplaces you can visit their website here or alternately you can call or visit our showroom.