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Wood Fired Stove


Mike1951

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I assume a lot of people have one, so what would be the upsides and down sides of having a wood buring stove on a narrowboat? What would be a fair price for installing one (excluding the cost of the stove and flue)?

Thanks

 

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4 minutes ago, Mike1951 said:

I assume a lot of people have one, so what would be the upsides and down sides of having a wood buring stove on a narrowboat? What would be a fair price for installing one (excluding the cost of the stove and flue)?

Thanks

 

There is a difference between a wood stove and the multifuel stove most have on their boats, wood stoves will not burn coal, mutlfuel stoves will burn wood, just quite so efficiently, as a dedicated wood stove.

 

Coal and wood require different approaches when burning, mainly wood requires a deep ash bed and top air, coal requires a grate and bottom air.

 

Anyway advantages of a multifuel.

Cheap

Easy to use

Easy to keep going basically from Nov to April 

Lovely to look at when the wind and rain is beating down on the roof.

 

Disadvantages 

Dirty.

Requires some effort to keep going

You need the knack to keep it in (Easy once gained)

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5 minutes ago, Mike1951 said:

I assume a lot of people have one, so what would be the upsides and down sides of having a wood buring stove on a narrowboat? What would be a fair price for installing one (excluding the cost of the stove and flue)?

Thanks

 

 

The problem with a wood stove is that the energy stored in wood is very low (compared to smokeless fuel, diesel or gas) and you would need to stow 'tons' of it to last you thru a Winter - not a problem if you have a permanent mooring with somewhere to keep it dry, but if you are cruising then it is more of a problem.

Dry wood has ~ 0.017MJ/gram whilst such as diesel / kerosene has 0.042 MJ/gram and gas (propane) 0.05MJ/gram

Unless you have a continuous supply of seasoned wood (remember it is now illegal to buy / sell unseasoned wood) at a very low price (or free)  then you get far more 'bang for your buck' with solid fuels

 

You would be better advised to get a solid-fuel stove that burns smokeless fuels, and can be also used to burn wood.

 

It is also 'the norm' to have a back-boiler on the dtove to heat the water for the central heating radiators.

 

 

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Thanks, the one I am looking at is multi-fuel stove that is able to burn wood, coal or eco logs. Will be in a marina winter months, so easy to fetch fuel when needed. 

How much should I budget for the installation?

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17 minutes ago, Mike1951 said:

Thanks, the one I am looking at is multi-fuel stove that is able to burn wood, coal or eco logs. Will be in a marina winter months, so easy to fetch fuel when needed. 

How much should I budget for the installation?

 

It can be 'a few hundred' or a thousand.

Where in the country is the boat (London workers prices ?)

Are you doing the prep, building the hearth, lining the walls with heat protective stuff ?

Is it going where cupboards need moving ?

 

It really is a "piece of sting" it is not just a case of cutting a hole in the roof, the work required is quite considerable and depends on how much you expect the installer to do and how much you will do yourself.

 

Read this and then decide :

 

 

 

 

 

Boat Stoves Fitting Guidance.pdf

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Thanks Alan. That leaflet is useful. It will be in the Newbury area. I reckon I can do the hearth and insulation myself, but installing the flue and cutting holes through the roof sounds more like a professional job in view of the safety aspects.

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7 minutes ago, Mike1951 said:

Thanks Alan. That leaflet is useful. It will be in the Newbury area. I reckon I can do the hearth and insulation myself, but installing the flue and cutting holes through the roof sounds more like a professional job in view of the safety aspects.

 

Yes DIY is possible, BUT you do need to follow as closely as possible the guidelines - the safety aspect does also involve the spacing from the walls for the heat resistant boarding, etc etc.

It is very easy for the walls behind the boarding to get so hot they scorch, even building to the recommendations the 'toilet wall' along side the fire (on the right of the picture) was uncomfortable to touch - ON THE INSIDE - of the toilet. We ended up remaking the protection with a bigger gap.

We had to use Porcelain tiles, 'earthernware' ones would crack.

 

And that was with only a 2.5 / 3 KW Pipsqueak' stove

 

 

IMG_20130912_123236.jpg

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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30 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

A replacement Morso Squirrel multi-fuel stove with back boiler (like-for-like swap) cost me £1300 fully fitted last year. Morso is an expensive make, but many boaters would say it was worth it. Don't forget that the cost of anti-freeze for a heating system -- even just one radiator -- is not zero.

Next UK delivery of Morso stoves is next April, the 1410 is already out of stock at Midland Swindlers, if you want a solid fuel stove this Winter, pull your finger out and buy one now.

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1 minute ago, matty40s said:

Next UK delivery of Morso stoves is next April, the 1410 is already out of stock at Midland Swindlers, if you want a solid fuel stove this Winter, pull your finger out and buy one now.

Looks like the same situation with everyone. Looking to get the job done next spring anyway, but looks like tiome to placer the order for the stove is now!

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As suggested, the stove is half the story. There are 'consumables'. You need to get the fire going: fire lighters - mine live in an old biscuit/sweetie tin to preserve activity and disguise smell. Kindling - amount depends upon how proficient you become - about a cubit foot. Fuel - my 'coal' lives in a biggish box/seat on the foredeck. Two or three bags in stock - it's dirty! I also keep a days supply by the stove. Drying it out plus handy to load. Glove or tongs to put it in the stove (or mucky hand). Got space under the settee, so instant logs stored there in original plastic - otherwise they'll absorb damp and disintegrate. Ash - what you gonna do with it? OK in marina but what about out  cruising? Oh, and gas wand to light stove - much safer thanmatches. Second hand newspaper plus magic spray to clean your door glass periodically - it doesn't make the stove any warmer but boy does it look warmer. Flue thermometer - meaningless but tells you when to load fuel.  Stove top fan ??? Opinions vary 🤭.

Edited by Opener
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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

It is also 'the norm' to have a back-boiler on the dtove to heat the water for the central heating radiators.

 

Is it? It might be the norm for some boats but there are still plenty without backboilers. If the boat is less then 60ft long, reasonably open plan inside and you can position a stove amidships fore to aft, then I wouldn't bother with a backboiler or central heating system. Save yourself the expense and hassle of buying all the bits and installation.

 

I have a backboiler on my stove but actually most of the heat in the bathroom and bedroom where the radiators are, comes from air convection directly from the hot stove. 

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2 minutes ago, Opener said:

Ash - what you gonna do with it? OK in marina but what about out  cruising?

And be aware that hot ash can continue burning slowly and giving off carbon monoxide, so keep your ash bucket outside, somewhere where the fumes can't leak back into the cabin. 

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1 minute ago, David Mack said:

And be aware that hot ash can continue burning slowly and giving off carbon monoxide, so keep your ash bucket outside, somewhere where the fumes can't leak back into the cabin. 

....and not on a wooden pontoon(as seen on fire at Pillocks Lock marina)😁

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1 hour ago, Opener said:

Flue thermometer - meaningless but tells you when to load fuel.  Stove top fan ??? Opinions vary

I find the stove top fan, although of questionable utility in moving air around acts as a good guide to when to stoke up. Similar to a flue thermometer. When the spinning slows, then it is time for another shovel full.

Alternatively, if you think that stove top fans are wonderful, then when the blast of warm air they produce eases enough to let you approach the stove without being blown off your feet, then it is time for another shovel full. 😀

Jen

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1 minute ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I find the stove top fan, although of questionable utility in moving air around acts as a good guide to when to stoke up. Similar to a flue thermometer. When the spinning slows, then it is time for another shovel full.

Alternatively, if you think that stove top fans are wonderful, then when the blast of warm air they produce eases enough to let you approach the stove without being blown off your feet, then it is time for another shovel full. 😀

Jen

The real reason I got rid of my stove top fan was the mess it made of my carefully coffured hair, I spend hours getting just the right look and one careless moment and all that work ruined 

 

 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

The real reason I got rid of my stove top fan was the mess it made of my carefully coffured hair, I spend hours getting just the right look and one careless moment and all that work ruined 

 

 

 

 

The tousled windswept look is very "in" now. Hair styles must take a lot more time for a monkey.

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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I had a multi fuel stove already installed when I bought my boat. After a while I decided to re-tile behind and to the side of the stove. When I went to crack the old tiles off I discovered that it had never had heat proof panels behind the tiles, just standard plywood. The problem was the plywood had charred away to nothing and the tiles were staying up by some sort of dark wizardry. I rectified the problem by buying and installing heat proof material all around the fire and then tiling onto it.

That was difficult as there was only about an inch of space behind the fire.

I did have a fire top fan and found it worked remarkably well. It was the cheapest one I could find on fleabay, I wanted to see if it worked before buying an expensive one. I never did replace it as it worked really well.

The moral of the story is a bit like carpentry, measure twice and cut once, or in this case check your preparations twice and fit the stove once.

Good luck.

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My first night on board with fire resulted in over heating, dangerously. 

I had heard that all you do is put plenty of coals ie ovals and close the door. 

Well, I don't do that now, especially if there is a strong wind creating strong draughts. 

The stove was installed badly, I have learned how to control it, in fact it has not gone out for six weeks, which is a record. No firelighters, just ovals, logs, and minimal kindling. 

I have my ovals warming and drying by the stove. 

I add about 8 around bedtime, close vents, pop in to bed, and two hours later, re fuel the stove, might be 6 ovals, might adjust vents. 

6.00 am, put some kindling or a cut log on red embers, close door, open vents. 

Boil kettle, make tea, check fire, it should have a few flames, it may need some kindling, never let it get cold, it needs to be ready to fire up when you demand. 

Lying in bed, I can tell if fire is out, or dying and needs reviving, this may be atavistic, going back to the Stone Age. 

Edited by LadyG
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