Battling with the Stove

We’ve been keen for a long time to install a wood-burning stove to replace the old aga. The problem was always going to be the solid concrete chimney breast built in the 1930s. In the event it took two very persistent workmen from the Czech Republic most of a day the hammer through a big enough opening to the pull through the chimney lining.

It wasn’t until the second day that they managed to get it all installed.

Since then we’ve been only moderately pleased with this Clearview model. It’s heats this side of the house pretty well, but it uses more logs than we expected and it doesn’t seem to stay alight as it should when the vents are closed down. Maybe our chestnut, beech and oak logs are not ideal. Or maybe we have to learn more about the optimum settings. We’d been looking forward to coming down to a warm kitchen in the morning.

However, the ground source heat pump has performed heroically throughout this very cold winter and has kept the whole house really warm.