Category: Advice | Published: 18 Feb, 2019
Can A Wood Burning Stove Heat Your Whole House?
Friends or relatives of yours may have memories of their whole home being heated by a single stove. Nowadays, in the time of radiators and underfloor heating, this might just sound like a romantic and rustic myth – so is it really possible?
Can a stove truly heat your house, and, if so, what is the best wood stove for the purpose?
It’s True
Yes, it’s absolutely possible for a wood burning stove to produce enough heat for a two storey property.
The heat output of stoves is measured in kilowatts. An easy way to work out what kind of stove you’ll need to heat a single room is to work out the cubic volume of the space by multiplying its height, length and width together. Usually, you can work out the wattage required to then heat that room by dividing the answer you’ve come up with by 14.
When it comes to heating an entire house, your stove needs to produce 2,000 kilowatts of heat at the very least. You can enhance the heat retention of each space by first ensuring that you have invested in the best possible insulation and that there are no leaks or cold spots.
Remember, hot air rises, so a stove placed upstairs won’t create a great deal of heat for any of the spaces on the floor below. You can increase the flow of heat by placing the stove in a room on the ground floor and then installing a fan and a vent to keep the air moving through the ceiling and circulating into the spaces above.
If your chimney pipe runs up an interior wall of your house, more heat will be distributed throughout your spaces than if it runs up the outside. However, if you have an exposed metal stovepipe or another system that gets very hot, you need to ensure that it’s not placed anywhere that could potentially injure anyone or cause a fire hazard.
How to Get Started
It’s very important to approach an expert if you’re interested in getting a new stove fitted – if only to make sure that your home is suited to its specifications. You shouldn’t attempt to fit the new feature yourself, and many firms specialising in stoves or fireplaces will be happy to do this themselves after checking out the available space and making sure it’s suitable, so you should never be in a position where you’d have to.
The first step is to think about the style of stove that would suit your home, and go online to browse available models of that type. Next, pay a visit to a showroom to take a look at what they have in person and check whether it will fit your space. While you’re there, be sure to have a discussion with the company’s specialists about how the stove works, whether it would be suitable for the purposes you have in mind, and whether it is right for your home. From there, you can select your stove and arrange a fitting date that is convenient for you.
For further information about the wood burning stoves we have in stock, browse ELB Fireplaces’ selection or get in touch with us today via our online contact form. Once you’ve found a stove you like, feel free to visit our showroom at 70 Twist Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 4DP to find out more about it.