A Wood Burning Stove By Any Other Name?

So you’ve seen a few wood burning stoves here and there and decided that’s something you would really rather like in your own home. Fair enough – a great many folk seem to have had the same idea and judging by some of the email I get, quite a few of them also seem to think that the only major issue is choosing between a traditional or contemporary wood burner to suit the style of their decor.

So off they go to look at some catalogs and browse some online stores and before too long they’re up to their necks trying to sort out whether they should be looking at a log burner, a pellet stove (with or without hopper feed), solid fuel, multifuel, an inset fire (or stove), wood pellet boilers, range cookers, double sided stoves, back boilers, DEFRA approved appliances.And that’s long before they even get as far as figuring out whether to go for a Westfire, Firebelly, Saey, Aga, Rayburn, Aga/Rayburn, ESSE or any of the many, many other makes.

So let’s calm it all down and apply a little order and sanity to the proceedings. First up, a brief overview of how we got here and the various diversions along the way, but if you would rather cut to the chase then click here for a rundown of some of the best makes of wood stoves currently out there.

Some History… The Origins of the Wood Burning Stove

Wood burning stoves are essentially a solution to the main problems of open fireplaces, which are principally thermal inefficiency and smoke. By fully enclosing the fire in a metal box (the stove) it is possible to control the air flow and hence improve the combustion rate and overall efficiency plus reduce the amount of smoke produced and redirect that which is produced directly to the outside.

An easy way to convert an existing fireplace to a wood burning stove is by fitting a “fireplace insert”. Fireplace inserts (also known as fireplace heaters) are generally little more than a specially constructed metal box that is fitted inside an existing fireplace and chimney. Though still not up to the standards of a modern wood burning stove, a fireplace insert nevertheless produces much less smoke and requires less fuel than traditional fireplaces since it is a lot more efficient.

Fireplace inserts come in all shapes and sizes, and like much else in this field, can also be called different things, for example “cassette fire” or “fire box”. A popular manufacturer of such fireboxes is Jetmaster Fireplaces who offer a large range of fabulous looking fire boxes that deliver both the radiant heat one normally expects from a fireplace plus an additional boost of convected heat from a cleverly integrated convection system.

An even simpler alternative that appeals to some is a fireplace heat exchanger. And if you want the look of a solid fuel fireplace but would prefer the cleanliness and simplicity of switching on the gas, then a gas fireplace insert might tick a few boxes. As an aside, the famous Rayburn range cooker/boiler combination (we’ll cover this in more detail later) is also available in gas-fired form; again, for those who like the way it looks but would rather not have to constantly shift logs.

Moving on from standard fireplaces, both open and closed, the modern wood burning stove is universally considered to derive from the Franklin stove (named after the famous inventor and Founding Father of the USA Benjamin Franklin) which was an enclosed cast iron box with baffles to control the air flow and a metal pipe to conduct smoke and hot exhaust from the firebox through the house (thereby further dissipating heat within the home) and venting it to the outside.

Contemporaries credited the Franklin stove as being capable of outputting twice the amount of heat from one third the wood consumed as compared to a standard fireplace. This gives some idea of the superior capabilities of the wood burning stove over other forms of heating even though the traditional Franklin stove can claim only 20-30% total efficiency; these days modern wood burners are able to attain ratings of 80% overall efficiency.

The Main Types of Wood Burning Stove

Modern wood burners take various common forms (putting aside the fireplace insert or firebox design mentioned above). The differences are primarily centred around the design of the venting system and the type of fuel used.

The simplest and cheapest box wood burning stoves hold the fire within a metal box, but the door is not airtight. These frequently just vent smoke directly up a chimney and draw air in from the room in which they are situated.

Airtight wood burners utilise a fully sealed box with an airtight door. An airtight wood burning stove offers the ability to control the rate of combustion, and accordingly heat output, by either manual or automated means, increasing or decreasing airflow to the fire. Clearly controlling airflow is not an option if the burner is not airtight.

With an airtight burner the airflow is invariably controlled through what is termed a “balanced flue” that uses natural convection to draw air in from the outside through an inner pipe, and expels smoke and exhaust gases through an outer pipe that encloses the inlet pipe. There is thus no exposure whatsoever to the air in the room. A flue such as this can easily be installed through an outside wall or through the roof (using appropriate heat resistant protection) and they are often also fitted inside existing chimneys, in which case they are commonly referred to as either a flue liner or chimney liner (depending on who you ask).

Now for the vexed question of fuel. A multi fuel stove can, as the name implies, burn a variety of combustible materials such as logs, wood pellets, peat and coal. A stove that is described as wood or log burning is designed to only burn wood. In terms of layout, multi fuel burners are distinguished by having a metal grate and removable ash pan. With wood burners, the fuel sits on a bed of existing ash (which you should periodically reduce but not actually clear out).

Whether or not any particular wood or multi fuel stove will meet with official approval and thus be allowed under smoke control restrictions and also be in with a chance of a government subsidy or other incentive depends on it’s being listed as an exempt appliance that furthermore is only ever used to burn specific authorised fuels (for example smokeless coal).

While your regular wood burning stove basically runs on logs, wood pellet stoves, as the name suggests, accept specially manufactured wood pellets (or sometimes suitably sized and graded wood chips) very often also incorporate electronic regulator mechanisms. Wood pellets are created from pulped and pressed wood, often recycled from waste wood pulp and sawdust, and have the advantage that they burn at a regular temperature and predictable speed.

Pellet stoves may also be fitted with accessories to make life easier, such as fuel hoppers that automatically supply fuel as determined by an electronic timer and sensor. Wood pellet burners are gaining popularity due to their ease of use and automation, but also because they are highly efficient and ecologically sound, recycling otherwise waste products from an already renewable fuel source – wood. They also attract grants for installation and other incentives and like all other types of wood biomass, wood pellet are specifically exempt from the Climate Change Levy (a tax on energy use aimed at limiting carbon dioxide pollution).

Each of these basic designs may be further considered in the context of their intended application: room heaters (or space heating stoves) and cookers. And each of these further two subcategories further subdivides into those that incorporate a boiler and those that don’t. There are of course some wood burners that are in fact just wood burning boilers and provide no space heating or cooking capability at all, but this is getting complicated enough already.

So how to select which woodburner is right for you? Well a lot depends on your expectations as regards the process of actually installing your wood stove and on the specific applications you have in mind for your wood burner, which we shall now skim through.

How to Use Domestic Wood Burners

If you’re looking for space heating then a room heater is what you should look for. These are typically highly controllable and provide direct warmth through radiant heat as well as convecting heat throughout the room and into the rest of the house. The range of sizes, designs, heat capacities and is huge so you’re bound to find something just right for you. Many also have integral back boilers which can heat up to ten radiators and supply ample hot water, so these can provide a full scale domestic heating system as well as being an attractive focal point in any household.

If, as is true for many people, the kitchen is the hub of your household then consider installing a wood burner in the form of a solid fuel cooker which introduces both classic good looks and the ultimate cooking environment. Wood burning kitchen ranges cook food to perfection and keep the kitchen nice and cozy; like room heaters, some models also offer full central heating plus continuous domestic hot water. A solid fuel cooker is simplicity itself; a controllable continuous fire inside a thick cast iron case which retains the heat. Unlike a gas or electric cooker, food is gently and evenly cooked and doesn’t dry out thereby keeping all the full natural flavour.

One thing that many people want to do is both enjoy the experience of a real fire and/or traditional kitchen range and to use this extra heat to fully or partially take the load of providing the main domestic heating and hot water. So when you are not using your wood burner, the central heating system operates as normal using the existing gas boiler for example, but when the fire is lit then the solid fuel system automatically takes over and provides heat and hot water at no extra cost. This is accomplished as follows.

A solid fuel cooker or roomheater fitted with a back boiler is linked to an existing boiler in such a way that either or both may contribute to the heating and hot water. The existing central heating boiler is left in situ and continues to service the system as necessary – either to top up the output from the wood burning stove or if that is turned off to provide all heat and hot water. You can also configure this system so that the wood burner heats either the hot water cylinder or the radiators or both.

This type of system is sometimes called “Link-Up” and is best used with open vented system. It is more problematic to integrate solid fuel boilers with combi or condensing boilers which operate using pressurised systems, but this can be done using a device for combining feeds from mains pressure combi boilers with open vented systems (the Grant CombiSOL for example).

Standalone wood boilers provide domestic hot water and central heating and can be sized to suit a small cottage through to a very large house. There are two main types of wood burning boiler: gravity feed and batch feed.

Gravity fed wood burning boilers typically incorporate an automatic biomass fuel hopper positioned above the firebox which can supply fuel for several days (depending on demand of course). The biomass fuel (usually wood pellets) is dropped into to the fire as required and an integral thermostatically controlled fan assists combustion in order to give a rapid response to demand.

Batch feed wood boilers are ‘hand fired’ meaning you have to load the fuel yourself, by hand, and consequently they tend to need more frequent refuelling than gravity feed wood boilers. Batch fed wood boilers are on the whole though less expensive and not dependent on an electrical supply, so are not susceptible to a power failure, which may be a consideration for you.

Well Known Makes of Wood Burning Stove

Now we’ve covered the main reasons why you might want to install a wood burning stove, let’s take a quick look at specific makes and brands.

Selecting a wood burning stove can often seem daunting, not due to lack of choice but simply because the list of manufacturers and retailers of wood burners is seemingly endless, but here are some better known suppliers to start with.

Westfire are a Danish company best known for their Uniq range of wood burning stoves. Many resellers stock their products as they have an excellent reputation and design some of the most stylish looking wood stoves currently available (including some that can be hung on a wall).

Mørso are another Danish manufacturer who offer all manner of different standalone and inset (built-in) wood stoves, plus a category conveniently labelled “DEFRA Approved”, meaning those stoves that are already on the list of approved appliances and are thus exempt from normal UK smoke control restrictions.

Staying in Scandinavia but crossing the water to Norway, Jøtul have a reputation for making some of the classiest stoves around and have been doing so since 1853. Their range covers classic designs to some of the most eye-catching contemporary stoves and also spans standalone and built-in versions (also called inset stoves or wood cassettes) as well as gas for those who want to get the look without going the whole hog.

Dovre are another Norwegian wood stove manufacturer (must be something to do with those long cold Scandinavian winters) who cover all the bases: contemporary/traditional, wood/multifuel/gas/electric, cassette/insert fireplaces. The name incidentally is taken from a mountain range in Norway.

Crossing the North Sea to the (not very much warmer) North of England, Firebelly make a limited range of wood stoves (basically the FB1 and FB2) but frankly when your product is that good then you can see why they would want to stick with a winning formula. Unusually among manufacturers, they also offer a complete purchase and installation service via their website, so you don’t necessarily have to hunt down a dealer who stocks their products.

Firebelly stoves are available in an impressive range of colors (their site has a dynamic color swatch to help you choose) and in addition to the basic two models, they also offer the ultra stylish Firepod, a gas version of the FB1 (imaginatively named the FB1G) and, in the last few years, a range cooker range called the Razen Cookstove.

At the other end of the country in Dorset, Wilson Bailey also offer a range of contemporary wood burning stoves with somewhat contrived names (Keralafish, Gecko and Blazer) but striking looks. They also offer a range of colors (six) plus a polished silver “Special Edition” version.

Also in Dorset are Aarrow Stoves who make wood, multifuel and gas (for those who just want the look and feel) stoves plus a beast called the Stratford Ecoboiler HE wood boiler stove.

What marks out Aarrow is their sustained commitment to quality and design innovation. These are among the best wood stoves available (each one is individually hand crafted) but without an eye-watering price tag to match.

Heading off across the English Channel to Europe again, Invicta are a French manufacturer of some truly lovely looking wood stoves. Their website though is entirely in French and designed by maniacs, but you should be easily able to Google for UK based distributors.

The Invicta Oracle and Gaya are both great examples of Gallic flair, and the Pow-Wow and Tipi (think Native American tepee and you get the idea) have to be seen to be believed (see picture above and left). Boring they are most definitely not!

Crossing into Belgium we find the well known Saey Stoves which offer a wide range or standalone and inset (set into a wall) stoves that accept a variety of types of fuel (wood, obviously, but also wood/coal burners, pellet stoves and even gas). They also bridge the gap between stylish contemporary designs and the classic look with some, such as the Saey Cucina (there are two flavors – the Cucina 92 and 94) also sporting a hot plate beneath the lift up lid.

Meanwhile back in Blighty, Woodwarm Stoves have been around for three decades and offer a good selection of wood burning space heaters including larger models that include wood burning back boilers.

Parkray specialise in insert fires that incorporate a back boiler. Their target market is people looking for a complete replacement for an existing heating system (or installing heating into a new build). Their own introduction puts it perfectly: “An elegant fire replaces your chunky old boiler, running up to 10 radiators. You get instant heat, lower emissions, and a gorgeous new centrepiece for your living room.”

Charnwood Stoves (also known as A J Wells & Sons Ltd) have been building a complete range of room heater stoves for some 25 years and also have a neat 3D stove selector tool on their website.

When it comes to solid fuel cookers then the names Aga, Rayburn and Esse all spring readily to mind. These three in fact manufacturer the whole range of solid fuel appliances, not just cookers, but are best known for their stylish, distinctive range cookers. As a side note, Rayburn has been owned by Aga for some time now and is often called Aga-Rayburn (you will find these cookers on both the Aga and Rayburn sites).

Needless to say, many of these manufacturers of cooker provide variants with a wood boiler to supply central heating and hot water (Rayburn in particular are often sought out for this very specific capability).

Anyway, there’s just a tiny selection of types and makes of wood stoves (and one that was focused primarily on the quality end of the market) but it’s probably more than enough to shake a stick at already, so I’ll leave it there. For more wood stove related information follow the links to any of the other topics/articles listed below.