[Help] Ethanol vs Wood Burners

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Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,480
The arse end of Hangleton
Looking for the collective experience of NSC. We're about to embark on the journey of redevelopment of our home. One item is a 'wood' burning stove. Speaking to someone while we were on holiday that are doing something similar, they have gone for an ethanol burner instead of a wood burner - partly because of the need to clean it less.

So, to open the question, which type of burner would NSC'ers recommend ? And why ?
 




tedebear

Legal Alien
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
17,066
In my computer
On another forum I was on, I saw many people who had ethanol burners complaining of headaches...even though they are supposed to be fume free....thats sort of turned me off them for the moment. My understanding so far is it depends on the size of the space you want to heat. Ethanol gives off much less heat than a wood burner and doesn't need a chimney or flue. We have a 5kw wood burner, and yes its a bit of a faff to clean and you do get a little dust in the room and need to store your fuel but boy does it warm the room, and bake the dogs who love laying in front of it :ROFLMAO:
 


Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,480
The arse end of Hangleton
On another forum I was on, I saw many people who had ethanol burners complaining of headaches...even though they are supposed to be fume free....thats sort of turned me off them for the moment. My understanding so far is it depends on the size of the space you want to heat. Ethanol gives off much less heat than a wood burner and doesn't need a chimney or flue. We have a 5kw wood burner, and yes its a bit of a faff to clean and you do get a little dust in the room and need to store your fuel but boy does it warm the room, and bake the dogs who love laying in front of it :ROFLMAO:
The dog bit sells it to me !
 


Bodian

Well-known member
May 3, 2012
13,979
Cumbria
On another forum I was on, I saw many people who had ethanol burners complaining of headaches...even though they are supposed to be fume free....thats sort of turned me off them for the moment. My understanding so far is it depends on the size of the space you want to heat. Ethanol gives off much less heat than a wood burner and doesn't need a chimney or flue. We have a 5kw wood burner, and yes its a bit of a faff to clean and you do get a little dust in the room and need to store your fuel but boy does it warm the room, and bake the dogs who love laying in front of it :ROFLMAO:
Yes - but there's another thread on here that tells us we mustn't have wood burners https://www.northstandchat.com/threads/wood-burners-price-and-installation-advice.384931/. As does the Guardian which seems to have taken up the cause - which has always struck me as a bit odd, because I suspect many of their core readership have wood-burners!
 


Billy the Fish

Technocrat
Oct 18, 2005
17,594
Haywards Heath




LeicesterGull

Active member
Feb 2, 2009
225
We have an ethanol burner, replacing a multi-fuel burner, and had quite a few problems with its functioning at first (new tech). It’s fine now though and appreciating the convenience of turning it off/on instead of the hassle of cleaning etc. We have an air quality monitor in the room and seen a big improvement when burning compared to the multi-fuel burner. There is a smell that comes off it but after a few weeks I’ve either got use to it or it’s gone away….probably the former. I’d recommend but probably a bit more expensive to run, but then we only use it 3-4 hrs over a weekend. Nice heat though, which you can regulate so less intense than our previous burner.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,381
The Fatherland
Looking for the collective experience of NSC. We're about to embark on the journey of redevelopment of our home. One item is a 'wood' burning stove. Speaking to someone while we were on holiday that are doing something similar, they have gone for an ethanol burner instead of a wood burner - partly because of the need to clean it less.

So, to open the question, which type of burner would NSC'ers recommend ? And why ?
Seems a right pain to me. Is underfloor heating an option?
 


Brok

🦡
Dec 26, 2011
4,373
I was going to say that I would be worried about condensation, but after 5 minutes 'research', there doesn't seem to be much. Surprised.
 


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