[Closed] Sorry, another woodburning stove question - how does yours 'burn'?

We've got a Stockton inset multi fuel stove and it burns in the swirly type way or the normal burny type way depending on how you set the top and bottom vents, you can get non inset ones as well.
So getting one with top and bottom vents seems a good idea.. 🙂

Wow, considering the aesthetics of the actual flames - that's a new level of wood burner geekery.

Ahhh, thanks Khani. Mine won't be inset, but that's really interesting regarding the 2 vents.

EDIT: Grum, If I read this thread, I'd agree! However, it really is quite impressive.

I've never thought of mine as a 'feature'- it is generally there to keep my house warm.
Mine sometimes swirls, but it depends how the logs are arranged, the type/moisture content of the wood and how the vents are set.

I suppose it depends on the layout of your room?

As soon as you walk in to the living room here, the very first thing your eyes would be drawn to is a mahoosive fireplace opening and whatever is sat in it, around it, and what it's sat on, so I do need to get those things right 😀

The vents are supposedly for what type of fuel you're using, allegedly coal likes the air to be drawn from underneath the bed and wood prefers the air drawn from above, so if your using coal you'd semi close the top vent and leave the bottom open a bit more and vise versa for wood.
Allegedly.. I just like to fiddle with em depending what mood I'm in tbh..

I've recommended Burley stoves to many people and a strong attraction is the amazing flame pattern. They are not much to look at, true, but once burning all you look at is the glass and the lovely burn.

Yes, I'm a stove geek 😳

It WILL distract you from the telly. I was discussing the merits of a stove flame vs an open fire with a potential customer who didn't want to lose the effect of the fire a while back. I recorded my stove (Esse 100) to show him what I was on about with secondary burning and stuck it on youtube

bearnecessities, I chose the Esse 100 originally for it's wide, shallow dimensions. Others worth looking at for this reason are Dunsley slimline [url= http://www.dunsleyheat.co.uk/highlander5ENVIROsoloslim.html ]Dunsley[/url] and [url= http://www.bfm-europe.com/products/----9-fires--stoves/contemporary-stoves/portway-2---contemporary-multi-fuel-stove.html ]Portway 2[/url]

my morso squirrell does that depending on how hot it is burning and the vents and wood.

Bear I suspect the salesman was talking crap (although I could be wrong).
On our stoves (Clearview) when you get good dry wood really hot the flames are not connected to the wood at all as it's the gas coming out of the wood that's burning - therefore the flames appear and disappear anywhere within the firebox and float around in a completely mesmerizing way.
Given that to get this burn you'll have very little air coming into the stove at all (which is why it's very efficient) I'd say the location of the vents is fairly imaterial.
You'll be looking at the stove for a long time (even when it's not running) so get one you like the look of - any decent stove will have a great looking 'burn'.

That's ^^^ what ours does, it's hypnotic...

I love this place 😀

Thanks BM (&SB), I'd not seen the Esse burn and that's pretty nice, I might even watch that vid again!

I'd ruled out the Dunsley, becuase I don't like the 'pacman ghost' teeth at the bottom. The Esse 100 is definitely the one I wanted look-wise (if not price-wise) but having seen that vid, can't see any reason not to get that one.

Brilliant, thank you.

EDIT (I did watch the vid again!)

I've heard very very good things about Contura stoves. I'd like one for our other place as Clearview's don't look quite modern enough for that location.

The Esse doesn't do the secondary burn thing nearly as well as a Clearview or Burley though.
It will usually only burn like that up there for a short time before settling down, a Clearview will go like that for ages.
One thing worth noting, the Esse comes with a crappy thin baffle plate which warps immediately. I replaced mine with 5mm plate with a bit of vermiculite board on top for further insulation. This improved it significantly.

The right wood is important for a nice burn too. I've been burning bone dry elm all winter - lovely. Takes about three years to fully dry out though, which is probably why it has a poor rep as firewood.

Jotul, burns like a furnace but as I bought the model with the cast door you can only see the glow through the air vents.

I've got a Jotul F100 in the barn ready for a refurb - only issue is that it's woodburning only and in the next location I def need multifuel 🙁
Will have to sell it and get something else.

2nd a morso squirrell. Fantastic quality bit of kit. I have the 5K, throws out huge heat.

They all burn wood nice. Never seen one burning away merrily that didn't look great. Buy one that looks nice when it's not burning because that will be it's most common state.

[i]my morso squirrell does that depending on how hot it is burning and the vents and wood. [/i]

Finbarr? Is that you?

dean forge croft [url= http://www.deanforge.co.uk/products/woodburning-multi-fuel-stoves/traditional-woodburning-and-multifuel-stoves/dean-stoves/ ]clicky[/url]

does the requested swirly whirly burning all the time on wood. double glazed door is kept spotless by secondary air feeds.

runs lovely on smokeless, build quality is top notch

disclaimer - not even a customer - it came with our house

inlaws have several jotuls - they're very good too, although I'd say the glass appears to smoke up a bit

Yeah, my sister moving into a house with two Jotuls which were woodburning only and she wanted the ability to use smokeless as well so one was swapped for a Clearview and and she gave me the other.
Both Jotuls were found with very dirty glass although we don't know the quality of the wood or if they were run hot enough.

2nd a morso squirrell. Fantastic quality bit of kit. I have the 5K, throws out huge heat.

Cheers - [url= http://www.yorkshirestovesdirect.co.uk/dartmoor-w5 ]Dean Forge W5[/url] is high on the list, just again though I didn't find it much of a looker.

Maybe I should reconsider...people do seem to rave about them.

If you've not made your mind up then In true STW tradition I recommend the one I've got, [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stovax-Stockton-5-Multi-Fuel-5kW-DEFRA-Approved-Stove-DEFRA-Kit-Included-/310637124694?_trksid=p2054897.l4275 ]This one, [/url] had it three years now with no bother, does the airwash thing and puts out loads of heat..
Fire is good.. 🙂

Cheers - Dean Forge W5 is high on the list

might be worth mentioning;
1 you can fit the croft with an external air input saving on having a permanent vent to the outside in your room
2 they do a wide & shallow one around 6kw

Don't forget that an external air supply will be feeding the fire with air at a much lower temperature than air from the house - this outside air has to be heated by the stove so it actually could reduce output slightly.
If you're running a stove properly there won't be a lot of air being fed into the stove [from the room] anyway.

an external air supply will be feeding the fire with air at a much lower temperature than air from the house

external air, maybe 10 to 20 degrees lower than internal air temp; temp of combustion, far side of 250 degrees

I reckon that particular detail ain't not much too relevant

Just to confuse you more, (and in STW tradition) we've got one of these, had it about 6 weeks, love it.

Burns with nice flames, really efficient ( ie some tinder and 2-3 logs warms(roasts) the front room, and gently warms the rest of the house from 6pm-10pm.

ALL stoves will burn in this way, why would any stove be different?

You've got to start with a good bed of glowing embers and then dump a very well-seasoned log or two on top of it. Open the bottom draft a little and before you know it you will be enjoying lazy swirling iridescent flames as the wood gradually burns away.

Thats fine sharkbait but if you install to the regs for a 6kw stove you need a big hole in your wall thats un blockable.

Anyway , i approve of this thread as i do like that dean forge dartmoor 5 - ill even line my chimeny if i go for that 🙂

Spent yesterday doign the annual service on mine , stripped the stove out and stuck a 12 inch brush up the flue , i swear the sweep i paid last year just used an 8 inch brush on the super flexy rod set through the stove , would explain the amount of soot i removed compared to how little he removed last year before giving me a clean bill of health.

Its an 5 inch flue through into an 8inch solid liner. So his brush was just tickling the sides if it was lucky.

Thats fine sharkbait but if you install to the regs for a 6kw stove you need a big hole in your wall thats un blockable.

Only time it should be needed would be in a new build hermetically sealed box into which most stoves require suplimentry ventaltion.

Having seen bearnecessities roofphotos .i doubt that will be an issue

Imo that stove in the vid is not burning very well, gearfreak. The burn rate is too slow because there's not enough air/draw and there is no sign of any air entry for secondary combustion.

How dare you t-r; the front room/squat is coming along nicely...

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