‘Stoves are no longer the preserve of the corduroy-wearing, country set …’

If the fireplace industry has experienced one major growth phenomenon over the last ten years it has been in the sales of heating stoves, the closed fire designs which, not so long ago, were all powered by wood and found in country cottages and farmhouses. Stoves are no longer the preserve of the corduroy-wearing, country set and are popular furnishing pieces in the houses of the chic and affluent in town and country alike.

True, many of today’s stoves are not the simple, black painted, traditional models of the Seventies. A wealth of imported models with scandinavian or contemporary styling has changed all that. So, we’ve taken the opportunity to analyse the different sectors and highlight the typical products available.

Traditional cast iron designs
Cast iron remains one of the most popular materials for stove construction. It is resiliant to heat, easy to enamel in different colours is typical of this type of designand has a cachet in the market. The only downsides are its weight and fragility if dropped.

Most cast iron designs are traditionally designed with a landscape profile. Single or double glazed doors give a good view of the burning fuel and typical features include air-washed window that stays clean, clean-burn technology for improved efficiency and the ability to burn smokeless coals or wood. A variation on the theme is the pot-bellied stove, like the Oregon shown. It has no ‘window’ and its design harks back to the Wild West cattle ranch house. However, the design is simnple with fewer parts needing renewal and designs are typically cost less than £400.

Steel-bodied stoves
UK manufacturers tend to make stove designs in steel with cast iron door frames. Steel is much easier to make, is typically very smoke-tight and can be mass produced on an assembly line. A number of UK manufacturers make these stoves – among the better known are Aarrow, Hunter and Yeoman – and the designs include many of the features found on cast iron models including air-washed doors and clean burn technology. If you want a to heat radiators or hot water with your stove, choose a steel-bodied model. Also prices are typically lower than cast iron for an equivalent steel stove.

Contemporary and scandinavian stoves
A vast new market has grown up for contemporary and Scandinavian designs. At least thirty brands have appeared in the last five years – many of them including contemporary models. These are typified by portrait styling, use of colours, ceramic cladding or soapstone and large glass windows. The designs fit well into avant-garde housing – warehouse conversion lofts and innovative ‘new build’. Many designs are highly efficient with low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – they are ‘environmentally friendly’!

Electric stoves
A very recent phenomenon – some argue whether many of these products are actually stoves. Powered by a 2 kW fanned electric heater, the electric stove is either housed in a typical multifuel stove (cast iron or steel-bodied) or in an MDF or resin-moulded case.

Both types are gaining in popularity, as there is no need for a flue or chimney. Purists may like the multifuel derived models but MDF designs have undoubtedly opened the market to a whole new purchasing public.

The fuels for stoves

Multifuel – coal, smokeless fuel and wood.
Wood was typically the fuel for stoves – and then the coal industry realised that, as regular usage of their fuel dwindled, occasional users could provide it with a cash and carry market. Stoves that burn both fuels are called ‘multifuel’ and need a grate on which to burn the fuel – normally smokeless fuel like Coalite – and riddling mechanism to shake the ash into the ash can. Solid fuel stoves burn hotter and have larger diameter flues than other types.

Wood pellets
A new fuel in the UK, pellets are processed sawdust that is extruded and cut into 5 – 8mm lengths. Specially designed pellet stoves feed the pellets from a hopper via a worm-drive into the heat chamber where they burn with a single intense flame. A large hopper can contain up to three days fuel and the way the fuel is fed means that, unlike multifuel stoves, the pellet stove can be controlled by electrics and, if required, a programmer / time clock. The pellets are currently competitively priced but the stoves can cost from £1100 due to their technical complexity. The jury is out on whether they will catch on in the UK – although they are a major sector of the US and Canadian markets. Pictured is the Wamsler Inge pellet stove.

Gas
The typical gas stove is a modified version of its solid fuel equivalent. A gas burner heats ceramic logs or coals to give a lifelike living flame effect. However, unlike solid fuel, there are a variety of flue options including models that use chimneys (conventional flue), balanced flue (straight to outside air from the back of the stove and fanned flue. Some manufacturers even produce vertical balanced flue (ideal for conservatories).

Bottled gas versions of many models are also available and some designs have the option of logs or coals.

Oil

Oil stoves used to burn with ineffectual blue flames but recent developments changed all that. Coals and logs, similar to those used in gas fires are available on nearly every brand. Oil stoves are a good choice if you already use oil for heating. The stoves themselves are more complex than multifuel stoves and may need servicing every six months. Oil has been cheap for may years but has climbed 30% or more in the last year. A typical oil stove is the dkuk ltd duck shown on page 5.

Electricity
We have already outlined the benefits of an electric stove. Most are for decorative purposes only and not major heat providers. Electricity is not a low cost fuel option and should only be considered as a major heat source when nothing else is available.

Points to remember

• For multifuel, gas and oil stoves, a new flue or flue liner may be major cost. Ask your local stove dealer to quote.
• Stoves are highly efficient as the whole appliance is heating area – don’t buy a model that’s too big for your room, as you’ll have to live with the windows open.
• You can open the doors on wood stoves but not on pellet, oil or gas models.
• Stoves still need some sort of hearth – again consultant your local installer.
• Much of urban Britain is a smoke control area – where it is legal to use only those wood stoves that have exemption under the Clean Air acts.