Selection of Wood-Burning Stoves and Fireplace Inserts
When choosing wood-burning stoves and fireplace inserts, it is important to clarify a few priorities in advance. The most important of these are choosing the preferred heating method, selecting the right output, and last but not least, design.
Other aspects naturally play a role in the selection as well, such as price, materials used, the possibility of connecting an external air supply, and so on. Before making your final choice, it is also important to ask yourself whether you have adequate flue connection, which is an essential part of the correct functioning of wood-burni
Choosing the Output
Does more always mean better when it comes to output? Stove retailers still encounter this assumption frequently, despite their efforts to change this perception through various information resources. However, this assumption is incorrect and can cause a great deal of trouble. A stove with more output than necessary will overheat the space, leading to the stove being "throttled" (the air supply is restricted). This "throttling" causes tar build-up in the stove and chimney, poor combustion of fuel, and last but not least, a non-functioning glass wash. If you choose too low an output, the stove will be unable to heat the space adequately, resulting in all air inlets being left fully open for extended periods. This causes prolonged thermal stress on the structure, shortening its service life and leading to excessive fuel consumption. The required output can be estimated using the simple formula below. This is purely an approximate calculation; for an accurate figure, we would need more specific information about the thermal insulation properties of the building being heated, the climate of the area where it is located, and the frequency of use of the heating appliance. As a simplified guide, the approximate required output can be calculated using the equation below:
Volume of heated space (m³) x heat loss = required output (W)
| The heat loss value can be substituted using the table below. | |
|---|---|
| poorly insulated house | 50 W/h/m³ |
| moderately insulated house | 35 W/h/m³ |
| well-insulated house (low-energy house) | 23 W/h/m³ |
| recreational properties | 80 W/h/m³ |
So if you need a wood-burning stove to heat three rooms with a total volume of 170 m³ and the building is poorly thermally insulated (walls and ceilings without insulation, wooden windows), we substitute 170 x 50 (from the indicative heat loss table) into the equation. The optimal nominal output of the heating appliance will therefore be around 9 kW. In this case, the ideal appliance would be, for example, the HS Flamingo Amos wood-burning stove with the required nominal output of 9 kW.
Have the Output Calculated by a Professional
It is always advisable to leave the selection of the correct output to a professional, who will calculate the required output precisely and recommend the ideal nominal output. Since this is the most important parameter when choosing a stove, it is worth taking seriously.
Heating engineers who can help you with this calculation can be found, among other places, among our partners here.
Once you have calculated the required output, you can start selecting a wood-burning stove based on your individual requirements. In our product portfolio you can choose between various heating options, whether hot-air or hydronic. We also offer distinctive designs, allowing you to choose a heating appliance that will serve as an elegant addition to your interior – or even its focal point.
Wood-Burning Stoves: Choose Output According to the Size of the Space
Flames dancing in a fireplace create a wonderfully cosy evening atmosphere, but they also represent a significant source of heat. Heating with wood is becoming increasingly popular. Its appeal lies in the low cost, good availability, and ease of handling. Modern appliances offer comfortable operation, high efficiency, and the ability to regulate a fireplace insert or wood-burning stove effectively. Heating can thus be simple and efficient without the need to constantly add fuel. When deciding what to purchase, however, the choice should not be driven solely by the design of the wood-burning stove or insert, but above all by their output and the way you want to heat your home or flat. Interesting options are offered, for example, by HS Flamingo fireplaces and fireplace inserts – you can choose between hot-air and hydronic wood-burning stoves.
Although actually heating with a wood-burning stove is straightforward, choosing the right one certainly is not. It is necessary to consider not only the desired appearance of the appliance, but also its output, the heating method, the available chimney draught, the flue diameter, and the actual size of the space that needs to be heated and how well the building retains heat. It is therefore worth consulting a specialist even at the initial decision-making stage, so that all the necessary factors can be weighed up and the optimal solution proposed.
Output Always According to the Size of the Space
The basic criterion for choosing the output of a wood-burning stove is the size of the space it will heat. However, the age of the building must also be taken into account – with older properties, it is generally necessary to allow for more heat escaping through the walls than with new builds, and the stove output should be adjusted accordingly. A stove with too low an output will be unable to heat the space; one with an oversized output will, conversely, overheat it. In the first case, attempting to increase the output and obtain more heat by leaving all air inlets fully open for extended periods will stress the stove's structure and reduce its service life, while also causing excessive fuel consumption. Excessively high stove output and the associated overheating of the space, on the other hand, leads to "throttling" of the air supply to the stove. While this does reduce the output, the incomplete combustion causes tar build-up in the stove and chimney, increasing cleaning costs.
Hydronic or Hot-Air?
Hot-air wood-burning stoves are designed primarily for local room heating; however, via a ducting system through which warm air circulates, they can also distribute warm air evenly not only throughout the room where the stove stands, but also into other rooms. A great choice for those interested in this type of heating is, for example, an HS Flamingo wood-burning stove with a combustion chamber made of 5 mm thick steel plate and a fireclay firebox, equipped with efficient secondary combustion, a glass wash with pre-heated air, and an output of 3–12 kW.
The key feature of hydronic wood-burning stoves is the ability to connect them to an existing or new hot-water distribution system, allowing them to serve as the primary heat source. For example, Aquaflam wood-burning stoves are available in four different outputs – 7, 12, 17, or 25 kW – so you can always choose precisely according to individual needs. The larger portion of the output is transferred to water heating, the smaller portion to air heating. These stoves also make use of efficient secondary combustion, which reduces wood consumption; for safety reasons they are equipped with a cooling loop. Three types of air supply regulation are available – manual, basic, and automatic.
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