Frequently asked questions
Here is a selection of the most asked questions about wood-burning stoves. please take some time to look through the questions and answers. If you have a question that is not here then please do contact us and we will be pleased to help you.
Most of our Clearview stoves can be fitted with boilers, however, it will result in poor combustion efficiency, increased fuel consumption, dirty glass doors and heavier deposits in the chimney. A stove heating a space by convection alone is always preferential to adding a boiler. Expert advice should always be sought from a heating engineer before considering a boiler system.
Typically, once a week if burning wood and you can add it to your compost heap! Burning coal produces more ash and may need to be emptied twice a week.
A multifuel stove will burn wood as well as solid fuels, such as smokeless coal, anthracite and house coal.
Hardwoods are best; Oak, Beech, Ash, Silver Birch and Sycamore. Certain softwoods are also okay but will give out half the relative heat to that of hardwood by volume, ie. one hardwood log = two softwood logs.
No, you can’t burn water! Wood must be seasoned for at least a year, longer for denser woods such as Oak, whereas Ash or Sycamore requires less seasoning. Burning wet wood is inefficient as potential heat energy is lost boiling the moisture out of the wood, sending low temperature wood smoke up the flue, leaving heavy deposits in your flue which will result in more serious problems in the future. Burning kiln dried logs means you don’t have to season your wood for years in advance, saving space and time; they will be ready to burn as soon as you take delivery!
A small stove will burn 3 to 4 tons, larger stoves 5 to 6 tons and central heating boilers (45,000 BTU) can burn 8 to 10 tons per season in average use. Contact info@walkerslogs.co.uk to discuss your requirements further.
In the 1970s the majority of good quality imported stoves were made from cast iron, however, their combustion technology was poor in comparison to modern standards. The best quality stoves these days are made from steel, laser cut from 5mm plate, and then robotically welded to form and incredibly strong, airtight stove. Cast iron stoves these days do not perform nearly as well as precision made steel stoves.
Yes! Under most circumstances we can use a twin wall insulated flue system which can pass through combustible floors, exiting the roof through a purpose made lead flashing. The other alternative is to construct a Danish Isokern chimney system made from Icelandic pumice; the very best chimney system available.
Yes. Chimneys should be swept annually, twice a year if you are burning coal. Using a woodburning or multifuel stove, chimney deposits should be much lower than those from an open fire and sweeping a flue liner with the correct sized flue brush will result in thorough cleaning.
In the majority of cases the answer is yes. Chimneys built prior to 1970 should certainly be lined with a class one flexible stainless steel liner. Connecting to a clay lined flue can be, and usually is, problematic. We always prefer to line chimneys in order that the stove runs at the best efficiency, resulting in trouble free woodburning for many years to come.
It is important not to have a stove too big for the room. If the stove is too large it will overheat the room and will be run too slowly and inefficiently. As a matter of course, we take the room size in to account to make sure you will get the best results from your stove.
A Clearview stove should last for up to thirty years if run correctly and properly maintained. Our flue systems all carry at least a ten year warranty. We are proud of the fact that in twenty years we have only had two warranty claims on our Clearview stoves.
