[smud6ie]

I wonder what happens if you have an ordinary fieplace and chimney, and the house catches fire You don't have HETAS certification for pre existing fireplaces.

I really can't see that wood burners are any more dangerous than a roaring coal fire, I think it's just a way of making money from the new fashion for stoves 

"
A wood burner can be more dangerous than an open fire by the very fact that they can be shut right down and not roaring away all the time.It is  during the closed down period a WB,especially if the wood is damp or unseasoned that tar/creasote is produced in the chimney.
Insurance companies set their conditions by statistics!
smud6ie

[John]

Sort of change of subject - yes there's a risk with a woodburner but I wonder if we're not becoming a very risk-averse, health and safety culture. Perhaps a couple of people die due to CO poisoning, so we bring out regulations which means loadsa money to comply to protect against a very rare event.

Since around 8 people a day die in road traffic accidents we should limit the speed of cars to 10mph, insist all cars are surrounded with 2 feet or soft foam padding and everyone should wear crash helmets at all times.

Then again, I thought the campaign to wear seat belts was a bit OTT until I crashed

[Thrift]

Sort of change of subject - yes there's a risk with a woodburner but I wonder if we're not becoming a very risk-averse, health and safety culture. Perhaps a couple of people die due to CO poisoning, so we bring out regulations which means loadsa money to comply to protect against a very rare event.

I do agree John and I also think insurance rules the world.

[compostqueen]

If you want a log burner though you have to put the vent in the same as you have to follow the regs for the chimney etc.  Still, if you have gales blowing through the windows it's a bit daft 

I had to abide by the smoke exemption rules and get an SE model (Esse 100SE I got) but once I'd done the installation according to the regs at least I'm happy that it's safe. The SE model was no more expensive. We put in a beefier liner though which cost a bit more

If you're getting free logs for the next couple of years that mitigates the cost of the installation somewhat 

[John]

I await the log certification scheme to be brought out whereby all logs will be judged fit for burning by a competent person in the meaning of the act who shall issue a certificate in five parts one part to be sent to the local council, one to the producer of the wood, one to the owner, one to the burner and a file copy.

 

[8doubles]

And bio-hazard suit with oxygen supply for emptying the ash !

[John]

And bio-hazard suit with oxygen supply for emptying the ash !

Said ash to be glassified and buried for 300,000 years - not used to grow tomatoes

Joking aside - from the fire service web site: "Wood-burning stoves and boilers should only use the right quality of wood"

[GrannieAnnie]

Do you mean we shouldn't have been burning old window frames for the past 5 years??   Ooooops!   

[joyfull]

tut tut norty Grannie 

[compostqueen]

You pay a ton of money for a log burner now though and they aren't meant to be incinerators

I think though that some folks buy them to look at and never actually light them. Just stack wood neatly underneath for show 

[John]

When your main heating is LPG, a woodburner makes a lot of sense and even more so when you have wood about. Eventually I'd like to have enough trees growing to be self-sufficient in wood. May take a few years though

[Gwiz]

I couldn't agree more, John.
We have LPG central heating running off of bottles.
£50 a bottle, running two at a time, lasts about a fortnight if the heating is on 24Hrs.
LPG is reasonably economical for cooking and heating water in a combi boiler, but will bankrupt you for heating a home.

[John]

I want to look at ground source heat pump heating with solar water pre-heating but right now the piggy bank is getting empty

It's beginning to feel like the middle bit of Grand Designs, where they run out of money. Except on a much smaller scale. Can hardly see our cow shed renovation making the TV 

[mumofstig]

I want to look at ground source heat pump heating with solar water pre-heating but right now the piggy bank is getting empty

It's beginning to feel like the middle bit of Grand Designs, where they run out of money. Except on a much smaller scale. Can hardly see our cow shed renovation making the TV 

Ahhh but they may be interested in the eco heating part of it.........I'd seriously put a few feelers out....You never know, and it may help a little towards the cost?

[compostqueen]

You can understand why years ago people and animals lived together. I bet ruminating cattle give off some heat