Log Burners Help

I am moving into my place in the Arboleas region next year, and I am going to take the old firplace out and replace it with a free standing log burner. My question is, which are the best fires, and where is the best place to buy who will aslo install. I have a three bed villa 115 Sq mtrs, four years old.

I could but one in England and transported over, if I knew of a qualified fitter

I would be grateful for your help

We installed a Hergom wood burner-Spanish make and see their web site

Supplied and fitted by Chimeneneas Acar SL

PI Terdiguera Parcela 76 APDO 246 Albox

Tel Sue Egner -0034 9501120077 for directions-they have a large display

Our Hergom is very good and the service and installation very good

Wood Burners come in all sizes and prices and in general you get what you pay for-cast iron are meant to be best but have a look at the web site

This is the model we purchased

Thank you i willcheck the web page, your fire looks great. I keep on having doubts about the right system to use, do I go for an insert log burner, a free standing log burner or aircon hot & cold, to help with warmth in winter and cool in summer. Does anyone know the difference in annual running cost of these systems, please 

 Having lived in Spain for the last eight years and both being fit,healthy and in our early 60`s, we had two years of reliving our youth

by freezing our Butts off walking from a heated lounge into a freezing loo!!.We also have a friend who stated that he had a very warm villa, which was heated with log burners,oil central heating and gas heaters!! ( no expense spared).

Solved the problem of spending a fortune on logs and electricity. Bought a place in UK and leave Spain in November returning in the Spring after having suffered full gas central heating and carpets!!!!whilst there......SORRY...........

Thanks 647that was a great help. I do know what your saying, but it's Spain for me rough with the smooth, I just want to make the rough a bit easier by warming my place up in the winter. I was told a log burner with all the doors open, and 2 mobile oil heaters for the bathrooms is the most cost efficient

Well,

if you cannot change Spain and you cannot afford insulation or the energy costs, you could try what we have to do here which is to insulate ourselves - put your thermals on.

Any log burner is bound to be more efficient than the open fire and if you incorporate a water jacket you can have hot water and a few radiators to save having all the doors open.

However you still have to buy the logs and store them plus the kindling, go back in time and have fun, never mind the nuisance.

Brrrr don't fall asleep and let it go out.

Norman

Thanks Norman, it's been awhile.As you say, when in Spain, I've decide to go with the shutters down during July / Aug daylight hours to keep the heat out. Log burner with internal doors open for the winter

Well again,

if you have the courage and the fortitude there is nothing like a good closed stove heating - the heat somehow seems so much better than central heating and may even be healthy.

Enjoy

Norman

 hi all,

just an idea but I thought that wood pellet stoves were a better option. I understand the stoves are expensive but there was supposed to be a tax break of some sort from the government. Also they are reported to be cleaner and cheaper to run. Just an idea!

Regards.

Tech

 Just picked up on this somewhat aged thread but felt I had to comment. talking of efficiency of wood stoves, most wood or multifuel stoves use an airwash system to keep the heat in the stove for longer. This makes the wood burn at a higher temperature. Wood burns in three stages, and the most efficient use of the fuel doesn't occur until until the fuel (wood) reaches a target temperature. At this point, the fuel will burn clean and produce fewer emissions and less smoke, and ultimately, more heat per log. Burning with the doors open may give a nice 'open fire' feel around the stove, but output less heat per kg fuel burned and produce more tar and creosote up the chimney. As a chimney sweep in Spain and the UK, I am finding that more flues are in a poor state, cloged with tar etc in Spain than I would expect in the UK. This is largely down to the poor quality of the fuel, but also the effect of 'slumbering' the stove, trying to keep it going all night. 

A word of warning for anyone considering pellet stoves - It has been found in the UK that pellet storage produces carbon monoxide. The longer the pellets are kept, the greater the problem. Pellet storage must be kept away from living areas and should be well ventilated.

Anyone know what the name is of the Spanish ducting system for pushing hot air from a log fire around the house? Here in the UK no-one knows what I'm talking about! I would imagine this is a very early type of central heating and must have a proper name.  It's not 'hypocaust' or 'gloria' but it's similar. I can only find ducting systems in the UK to assist in circulating warm air around a house but the system in Spain takes the hot air directly from the fire...

In my house the fire is situated between the lounge and dining area.  There are vents in the wall of the chimney breast that duct hot air into the other half of the room and it's very hot air that comes out and works very well at distributing the heat.  In my friends' house there is a fireplace in the lounge and there are wall vents that duct the hot air from the chimney breast into the 2 bedrooms behinds the lounge.  In another friend's house they have a log fire in the centre of the house.  They have a proper ducting system that goes to all the other rooms in the house pushing the hot air from the fire.  Does anyone know what this system is called?

Anyone know what the name is of the Spanish ducting system for pushing hot air from a log fire around the house? Here in the UK no-one knows what I'm talking about! I would imagine this is a very early type of central heating and must have a proper name.  It's not 'hypocaust' or 'gloria' but it's similar. I can only find ducting systems in the UK to assist in circulating warm air around a house but the system in Spain takes the hot air directly from the fire...

In my house the fire is situated between the lounge and dining area.  There are vents in the wall of the chimney breast that duct hot air into the other half of the room and it's very hot air that comes out and works very well at distributing the heat.  In my friends' house there is a fireplace in the lounge and there are wall vents that duct the hot air from the chimney breast into the 2 bedrooms behinds the lounge.  In another friend's house they have a log fire in the centre of the house.  They have a proper ducting system that goes to all the other rooms in the house pushing the hot air from the fire.  Does anyone know what this system is called?

When I moved into my house 6 years ago there was a Hergom log fire installed.  It works really well as long as you use the right logs - no pine or other resin-producing wood.  Hergom are lovely people, when my ham-fisted brother-in-law wrenched the handle off the door I contacted Hergom, they responded in about 15 minutes and directed me to their local agent.  He was abysmal so I contacted Hergom and told them about my terrible misadventure with their agent.  They sent me a free handle, all the screws etc, by return express courier service all totally free of charge and fired the agent. 

It's the one thing here that Winter is good for - a roaring log fire - looks great at Christmas.

I have burned olive wood for the past 6 years with no problems.  I have had one problem with kindling - usually wood from discarded pallets - don't use it.  I find that the pastillas de encendido will work well in setting fire to smallish sized logs. My burner is even as we 'speak' roaring away and warming my home - yes, it is that cool here in Jaen. 

You should consider getting a log burner fan.  This sits on top of the log burner and is powered by the heat from the burner.  It circulates heat around the room.  They cost between £50 to £100 and you can get them on Amazon.

PaddyW

We've just finished installing a woodburner with back boiler plus a heat accumulator.  This provides domestic hot water and central heating.  We tried to find a supplier in Spain but without luck so bought it in the UK and took it out ourselves.  Next year we will add a solar panel to the system to provide domestic hot water all year round.