FAQs - Your Questions Answered

There are many factors to consider when choosing a stove, the main ones being what size area you want to heat; what fuel you want to burn; whether you have an existing chimney; and whether your stove will be the primary heat source. It’s not all about aesthetics and style, although that plays a part too. You need to consult someone who is knowledgeable about heat output and other heating technicalities before making a choice.

If you have a modern home without a chimney you can still enjoy a woodburning or multi-fuel stove. You’ll need to have a stove with a twin-wall flue pipe system, which can be built to access any safe termination point outside the structure of the building. This enables you to have a freestanding stove installed anywhere in the room.

A multi fuel stove is different to a log burner because it will have a vented grate at the bottom, enabling the fire to take in air from below to burn coal. You can still burn wood efficiently in the stove if it has a removable grate. It’s important to use clean-burning smokeless coal in your multi-fuel stove to prevent pollution. Anthracite – hard coal with a high carbon content and few impurities – is favoured for multi-fuel stoves instead of regular household coal, but you could also opt for commercially produced smokeless briquettes. HETAS or DEFRA approved smokeless fuel is recommended for maximum flame and minimum emissions.

A multi fuel stove is different to a log burner because it will have a vented grate at the bottom, enabling the fire to take in air from below to burn coal. You can still burn wood efficiently in the stove if it has a removable grate. It’s important to use clean-burning smokeless coal in your multi-fuel stove to prevent pollution. Anthracite – hard coal with a high carbon content and few impurities – is favoured for multi-fuel stoves instead of regular household coal, but you could also opt for commercially produced smokeless briquettes. HETAS or DEFRA approved smokeless fuel is recommended for maximum flame and minimum emissions.

There are two types of logburners or stoves – inset or freestanding. Inset stoves are designed appropriately to be housed into a recessed or purpose-built fireplace surround, as long as it is made of non-combustible material like stone, and the stove’s dimensions fit into the opening. Freestanding stoves need to have air circulating around them and around half a metre of clear space above them, so they can be installed anywhere in a room as long as there is a gap between the stove and the wall.

HETAS (Heating Equipment Testing and Approvals Scheme) recommends having chimneys or flues swept at least twice a year when burning wood or house coal, and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels, to avoid the risk of chimney fires.