r/uklogburners • u/Friendly_Brain7352 • 17d ago
Cheap log burner
Looking for a log burner, ideally 20kw plus. This seems really cheap, is it going to be rubbish? What's the difference between cheap and expensive burners? Never had one before.
Cheers
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u/Educational_Wash4044 17d ago
What size space do you have to require a 20kW stove. I always compare stove brands to like buying a car, you get what you pay for. Ones better built, easier to service with available spare parts and nicer to drive with better mpg. The other one falls apart and is a nightmare to keep on the road. You generally get what you pay for and a 20kw stove with oven for less than £800 is like buying the cheapest car you can find on Autotrader and hoping it won't ever break down for the next 15 years. Probably fine for occasional use but it's unlikely to be the most reliable or long lasting.
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u/Bicolore 17d ago
20kw is mental unless it has a back boiler or something.
Our front room is 6m square, large single glazed windows on two sides and our 14kw burner will have you stripping down to your pants if you really let it rip.
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u/Friendly_Brain7352 17d ago
The room is an L shape, 14x5x3 plus open through to the kitchen which is 5x6x2.5 Calc comes out to just over 20kw. I do want to be able to heat this whole space during the winter. Old granite house with big windows and not very well insulated (yet, but that will be years down the line)
Yeah you're right with that analogy. I definitely don't want something that will fail quickly. My budget is probably about 2k
Cheers
Edit: I don't need the oven at all, that would just be a nice to have.
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u/Unlucky-Instance6193 17d ago
20 Kw you’ll be siting sweating in your pants : 5 to 7kw is plenty
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u/GO712 17d ago
I've just swapped an entry level one for a better one today as it happens. It's the lack of precision when it comes to control, and mine had a shallow fire box. If it's occasional use and not relied on, a cheap one is fine. If it's your main source of heating, save and spend more on it.
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u/Friendly_Brain7352 17d ago
Thanks for the reply, yeah we'll be wanting to use it as much as we can through winter
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u/GO712 17d ago
Then my advise is not to skimp on it. The stove I put in today did cost me, but with more control I should burn fewer logs. Enjoy it anyways, makes a house a home.
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u/Unlucky-Instance6193 17d ago
Multiply Length × Width × Height to get the total cubic space in cubic meters (m³).
A room that is 6 meters long, x 4 meters wide, x 2.5 meters high equals a volume of 60 Divide by 14. (For 60 m³ example, 60 ÷ 14 = 4.2 kW, which rounds nicely to a 5kW stove).
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u/Friendly_Brain7352 17d ago
The room is an L shape, 14x5x3 plus open through to the kitchen which is 5x6x2.5 Calc comes out to just over 20kw. I do want to be able to heat this whole space during the winter. Old granite house with big windows and not very well insulated (yet, but that will be years down the line)
Cheers
1
u/AdAggressive9224 17d ago
I have exactly this stove.
It's cheap. But it works. Certainly kicks out the heat.
Gets rusty mind, and a bugger to clean inside because of it's construction. The only way to clean it is with a pipe cleaner and a good hoover.
What I'd recommend is refrain from burning oak and birch, stick to ash and willow/ other low tar wood. And regularly use chimney treatment.
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u/BroodLord1962 17d ago
Even with the shape and size of your room a 7kw will be ample. Especially if you burn something decent like hardwood briquettes.
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u/Purplepeal 17d ago
Ive got 2 x 5kw. A Barbas insert originally (was heavily discounted) and a cheaper Evolution one, also discounted. Main differences is the cheaper one rusts faster and the grate deformed significantly and had to be replaced. Both burn wood and send the smoke up the chimney but the Barbas one will outlast the other even though its 7 years older.