Do you want a Multi Fuel Or Wood burning Stove?
Multifuel or Woodburning stoves which would be best for you?
Often stoves are referred to generically as woodburners but in the UK market multifuel stoves are a more popular choice. So what is the difference between woodburning and multifuel stoves?
A woodburning stove can only burn wood. Often there is no grate or ashpan in a woodburning stove but a bed of firebricks or a flat bottom and a log retaining fence. This is because wood burns well on a bed of ash at the bottom of the stove with the air regulator positioned above the fuel.
Often woodburners have a higher rated efficiency (fuel to heat) than a multifuel stove, they may also have a larger firebox so you won’t need to cut your logs very small and burning timber is carbon neutral, so they are kinder to the environment.
On the down side you are limited to burning only wood. Which can mean that when burning a hot stove you will need to load the stove with fuel more often than you would with a mineral fuel.
If you want to burn wood only you may also need a way to store your timber so you can season it at home. Timber can be purchased as seasoned from your wood supplier and buying in bulk is the cheapest option but if you want guarantees about the moisture content you can purchase kiln dried logs or wood fuel logs which have their moisture content recorded on the packaging so you know exactly what you are getting.
Timber should be burnt when it is seasoned and less than 25% moisture content to help avoid creating a tar build up in your flue way and to produce heat from the fire itself. If you burn wet timber the fire focuses its energy on boiling the water off the timber rather than giving off heat.
A Multifuel stove allows for more choice in fuel. A multifuel stove has the ability to burn wood but also other solid fuels such as coal and smokeless fuels.
Tip: Always read the manufacturers recommendations for the correct fuels to use with your stove before purchasing the unit as some list specific fuels as unsuitable and using these can void your warranty.
A multifuel stove has a grate and an ash pan and many have a riddling mechanism on the grate which can be positioned internally under the grate or externally outside the stove.
Some multifuel stoves have removable or adjustable grates which allow for more efficient burning of timber on a multifuel stove. Solid fuel burns well on a grate with air coming underneath so the stoves air intake regulators will usually be positioned under the multifuel grate to help with this.
Solid mineral fuels will generally burn for longer periods than timber so you will need to load the fire less with solid fuel and also because you are not limited to one kind of fuel you can shop around on price and find one that works best for your situation and the storage you have available.
If you are looking for a stove and need advice on what kind would suit you best why not call North Wales Stoves Ltd on 01745 822344 or email us northwalesstovesltd@gmail.com
