Fuelwood - Firewood
Water stoves - water boiler
Water Stoves. What to look out for before buying a water stove.
This article explores questions like, what is a water stove, are there different types of water stoves and what to look out for before buying a water stove.
What are the benefits of a water stove?
Slowly but surely water stoves are becoming more and more popular. The most apparent advantage is that a water stove heats the house in two different ways and therefore allows saving money twice. On the one hand, like any other conventional stove, it heats up the air but additionally it heats up water in an integrated basin which feeds the primary central heating system of the house. Depending on the size of this water boiler it can provide the majority of the heat required, irrespective of whether the stove is fuelled by oil or gas. It is possible to convert to wood burning central heating, using a water bearing wood burning stove. However, here it is recommended to use a wood pellet burner with automatic fuel feed instead of burning firewood logs. Water stoves are available with capacities ranging from 3KW to 30 KW. The overall performance is then divided into air and water capacity. This shows that for any intended use wood burning stoves can be the solution.
What types of water stoves are available?
Generally speaking there are two types of water stoves. There are water bearing wood burning stoves, designed from scratch to bear water. This kind of water bearing wood burning stove is completely built using double walled steel. The integrated water bearing wood burning stoves achieve higher heating capacities than wood burning stoves with an attached water boiler. Furthermore, they are much heavier and usually more expensive. Water stoves with an attached water boiler do not have a double-walled water bearing fire box and usually are lined with firebricks. This type of water stove has prevailed over the last years as a more compact and lighter design is possible. This type of build has the disadvantage of less heating capacity but on the other hand has the benefits of being a lighter and cheaper option.
What is needed to fit a water stove?
Water bearing stoves in addition to being fitted to the chimney, also require to be fitted to the heating circuit of the heating system. It is important to provide a discharge safety device. The biggest problem is the positioning of the water heater as it cannot be integrated anywhere in the system but next to the water supply. This is to prevent flow problems which can be caused by different pipe diameters. This requirement can lead to extensive alterations in order to fit the pipes to the relevant positions in the heating circuit. It is crucial to consult a specialist regarding the positioning of the water heater in order to prevent possible difficulties. Water stoves are invariably heavy which has an impact on the positioning of the water stove, too. Again, we recommend consulting a structural engineer.
Once all the questions are answered and the problems are solved, there is nothing to prevent you from enjoying a cosy evening in front of a water stove.
Source: kaminholz-wissen.de
