Godin stove

[kremmen]

Not boat related but I am on extended holiday and I have just lit up the Godin stove.

Looks nice and it's tall so takes longer branches which are available here ( from 10 euro per wheelbarrow load).

Very odd ( to me used to squirrel ) arrangement where the wood is loaded in the top . It's a nightmare if the air control is closed down as it bursts into flame every time top is opened.

Does anyone have any experience of this type of wood burner and advise of any tricks of the trade or should I just continue to be bl**dy careful?

 

Paul

 

Ps. I seem to have failed to attach the photo

Sorted I hope

Edited November 23, 2015 by kremmen

[Athy]

^{We have one on Trojan, a Radiolette model. You lay and light the fire at the lower front of the stove but then feed it from the top - because otherwise bits of fire, and even the front grate insert (probably not the correct term) might fall out . If we try to feed it before it's got properly established it does puff smoke out through the top hole when it's opened, but once the fire is established and the flue is drawing well there's no problem because any smoke (and flames) is drawn back into the flue.}

^{So when you lay the fire put plenty of wood on, so that it has the chance to get well established before you mend it.}

[kremmen]

Thanks for the advice. I will try loading it next time. That can be interesting with the kindling I picked up today. I did notice that the flame didn't shoot up once it reached operating temperature.

Paul

[X Alan W]

Not boat related but I am on extended holiday and I have just lit up the Godin stove.

Looks nice and it's tall so takes longer branches which are available here ( from 10 euro per wheelbarrow load).

Very odd ( to me used to squirrel ) arrangement where the wood is loaded in the top . It's a nightmare if the air control is closed down as it bursts into flame every time top is opened.

Does anyone have any experience of this type of wood burner and advise of any tricks of the trade or should I just continue to be bl**dy careful?

 

Paul

 

Ps. I seem to have failed to attach the photo20151123_180631.jpg

Sorted I hope

I have 2 Godin stoves in our house but both are front loaders, but are sensitive to the by pass air flow settings, are you in France? the reason I ask, is if you are you are paying over the odds for wood, in my area the going rate for cut ( 1 metre length ) & splt is 40 euro's for a cubic metre, shorter cut/split lengths are 45/50 euros depending if the lengths are cut into 2 or 3 pieces.

[Athy]

I have 2 Godin stoves in our house

Wow! (Cue envy emoticon). Are they modern or old ones?

I would guess that in the pre-central heating era a great proportion of Godin's sales was to remote farms and other rural dwellings, especially in areas where there was not yet any mains electricity.

[kremmen]

Hi Alan,

 

I am in southern Spain. The wheelbarrow load of wood fills my boot. It is cut into lengths of about 12 inches. I may be able to buy in bulk locally but I am not sure how much I will need. I used it for the first time last night and 5 or 6 pieces lasted 6 hours. Luckily the apartment is well insulated and it also has aircon / heating as well as underfloor heating but I much prefer the fire.

No need for fire during the day.

 

Paul

Edited November 24, 2015 by kremmen

[X Alan W]

Wow! (Cue envy emoticon). Are they modern or old ones?

I would guess that in the pre-central heating era a great proportion of Godin's sales was to remote farms and other rural dwellings, especially in areas where there was not yet any mains electricity.

We live in a hamlet consisting of 4 houses,12 km"s from nearest shops/*village 2 of which are holiday homes only occupied for at most 2 months of the year the other + mine are year round occupation, we have "Leccy", land line & mobile phone, & phone line "Wifi" ,the single story house has no central heating but we have a Madras 9kw & a Cerval 13 kw still in production stoves the flue of the 13kw one contains a cast iron radiator type " thingie" in it which heats 2 rooms + a fan in a duct which draws the heated air into a 3rd room both stove flues are exposed so the heat from them also add heat into the rooms the house is well insulated with triple glazing +shutters with approx 12 inch thick pads of sheep wool 'isolating' what the French call insulation the roof space so retains heat well. Since retirement I have serviced equipment for a pro logging company & part of my "wages"is a greater than needed supply of cut/split 1 metre lengths of oak for my heating needs all I have to do is to cut to my required length, this winter I'm using 3 year stored/seasoned wood& am OK for next 2 winters last winter the lowest temp was minus 23c but indoors it never dropped below +18/20Cso I'm very content with the heating set up.

[X Alan W]

Hi Alan,

 

I am in southern Spain. The wheelbarrow load of wood fills my boot. It is cut into lengths of about 12 inches. I may be able to buy in bulk locally but I am not sure how much I will need. I used it for the first time last night and 5 or 6 pieces lasted 6 hours. Luckily the apartment is well insulated and it also has aircon / heating as well as underfloor heating but I much prefer the fire.

No need for fire during the day.

 

Paul

Ha,I have no knowledge of the going rate for wood in Spain but your burn rate/cost seems OK i don't know how they sell wood in your area but you could always ask around at your leisure, on the old vertical cylinder stove I had I found closing the flue damper before lifting the lid stopped the smoke & flames flairing out of the stove top if your stove is fitted with one you could give it a try.

[Athy]

13 kilowatts! Wow, that doesn't t mess about.

Mine's a 1934-ish Radiolette, pleasantly art deco to look at, don't actually use it much as we are rarely on the boat during the winter. We found it under the stairs when bought our current house, and had it built into our new boat the following year.

 

we have a Madras 9kw & a Cerval 13 kw still in production stoves the flue of the 13kw one contains a cast iron radiator type " thingie" in it which heats 2 rooms + a fan in a duct which draws the heated air into a 3rd room both stove flues are exposed so the heat from them also add heat into the rooms the house is well insulated with triple glazing +shutters with approx 12 inch thick pads of sheep wool 'isolating' what the French call insulation the roof space so retains heat well.

 

Edited November 24, 2015 by Athy

[kremmen]

Thanks for the advice. I am having trouble getting the fire going at the moment. I certainly can't load the fire as it goes out. I wonder if there is a problem with the chimney.

Smoke does tend to pour out until the fire is roaring although it stops even as the fire is closed down at the end of the night.

 

I wondered if the other problem I am having is also a problem with the flue. I have had the fire on for 3 nights whilst here and on the 2nd and 3rd I found water coming out of the bottom of the flue ( there is a sort of U bend in the chimney to allow for cr*p to be cleaned out) I would say this morning there was probably 1/2 pint or so. Condensation doesn't seem likely.

 

Any ideas ?

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

[X Alan W]

Sound as though the flue has a quantity of water in it somewhere (not good) does the outlet of your flue /chimney have a cap on it (coolie hat or iif a chimney a flat tile on short legs where I am you can buy a proper made terracotta cap looks like a tiny table that fits on top of the chimney. A thought if it's a flue pipe has it been swept recently? to get max draw I find sweeping ours 2/3 times during the winter burn season depends on the wood i'm burning it seems as when it gets about 1/8"layer of soot/ carbon the draw decreases a goodly amount my flues are 150mm/ 6 inch dia again in our area you can buy chimney sweeping brushes that attach to normal rods in both plastic & flat wire strips. Also here you canbuy a block like a heatlog that yo place on the stove when its burning well & it clears the soot Be careful though as in some places A chimney fire is a criminal offense & the local fire brigade will put their hose in the top of your flue & not bother about flooding your house.

Edited November 26, 2015 by X Alan W

[kremmen]

Hi Alan,

 

The stove is in a rental property I am staying in in Spain. The place has been rebuilt but it has a traditional tile top. It has only rained once since I came here .

The landlord has said that it has been swept but I will check.

I have attached a picture of the U bend.

 

Paul

[ChimneyChain]

Yep same as mine. I find that over time the bottom fills to well over the T piece with crap. Knock the cap off and sweep right through also check there's no crap between the top and bottom flue exits on the cast iron channel at the back of the fire. Accessed by two 6mm bolts.

 

Darren

[kremmen]

Thanks,

I have emptied the t piece. Next job yo check the cast iron channel

 

Paul

[ChimneyChain]

Ps...., watch you don't break the bolts as they can weaken. When you do get them out chuck em and replace them with a hexagonal bolt head but only if it hasn't been done already.

 

Darren