Fireplace recommondations

[Jouko]

I have lived quite a few years in houses heated by wood. I checked all of the links. Not one of those are real heaters. Proper wood fired heater was invented in Sweden 17 hundred something if I remember right. They are made out of brick. Smoke goes up, then down and then out. This system was invented on king's orders as Sweden was running out of wood. Efficient. Chimney has a closure plate or two.

Most probably too expensive.

What ever type is installed the following has to be there:

- Carbon monoxide detector or two
- Smoke detector
- Roof/ceiling penetrations are causing plenty of house fires. It must be done correctly
- Fire extinguisher/s

Detectors must be able to wake up sleeping persons. (Location issue)

Heat pump is a better option

[Emmie L]

But surely the closed ones too? If they smoulder? Smoke comes out the gaps?

No, the modern ones are very well designed and insulated. As long as you as the operator doesn't stuff up it's surprisingly 'clean'.

[AndreZA]

Open fire place makes a house stink

And messed up your ceiling..........I'm thinking of a wall mounted gas fire place although wood is nice .......

[Woody62]

Very happy with our combustion stove from Hydro Fire, more importantly the price of spares is not that exorbitant.

Annually you need to replace fire bricks

[Magnaman]

Attachment 724373

[AfriqueDS]

Probably not expensive enough & way below budget at just over R5k all-in with flue pipe; ceiling plate & rotating cowl:
https://lavafires.co.za/product/half...SAEEgKWovD_BwE

These kaggels are just awesome & you could probably buy +/-20 000 pieces of wood with the spare change to last a couple of winters..

Very uneconomical - Eat wood like you cant believe and most heat goes up the flue.
Closed combustion is the way to go..

[JanB]

Here is an article on an interesting scientific study of air quality in houses with fireplaces. I have not worked through the whole thing in detail, but essentially they find that fireplaces cause air pollution in homes that can be detrimental to health. Closed (internal combustion) fireplaces are better than conventional kaggels, but still not perfect. Their sampling size was small, but from following one of the authors' research in the past it often builds up to very interesting new research, valuable knowledge and technological developments.

[NvN]

Just a note, whichever fireplace you decide to go with, make sure your flue pipes are properly insulated where it goes through the roof. If a roof truss is to close, it may become a fire hazard.

My parents newly built home in Negester went up in flames due to this omission, luckily the house was not signed over to them, and the builder had to repair / rebuild the roof.

BTW, they installed the closed combustion fireplace they took from their old home. It is the dual fuel one, which can burn antracite and wood, had it for about 20 years, and works flawlessly. Cant remember the brand though.

The antracite /wood stoves seems to be disappearing to emission regulations.

I am also in the market for a closed combustion wood fired unit.

[NvN]

Very happy with our combustion stove from Hydro Fire, more importantly the price of spares is not that exorbitant.

Annually you need to replace fire bricks

Which model do you have? I haven't heard of replacing the bricks annually.

As mentioned in the post above, my parent has a closed combustion stove, only replaced the bricks once in 20 years, including the glass and sealing rope.

[Barend. L. Jacobs]

Hi All.

I have also been looking at fireplaces.
Came across this one:

https://www.vlakvarkkaggel.com/en/kaggels

What I like about it is that it has tubes on the outside sucking in air from the bottom and dispensing hot air out on top again (no smoke in this part).
The idea sounds good, just don't know enough about fireplaces to really say.

The finish off on the product, looks a bit rudimentary, but does the "heat exchanger" method really work on this?

[bvandyk]

Just a note, whichever fireplace you decide to go with, make sure your flue pipes are properly insulated where it goes through the roof. If a roof truss is to close, it may become a fire hazard.

Same happened at my previous house about a year after installation. Luckily a water pipe melted due to the flames and killed the fire. So I ended with more water damage than fire damage.

[mullerza]

Hi All.

I have also been looking at fireplaces.
Came across this one:

https://www.vlakvarkkaggel.com/en/kaggels

What I like about it is that it has tubes on the outside sucking in air from the bottom and dispensing hot air out on top again (no smoke in this part).
The idea sounds good, just don't know enough about fireplaces to really say.

The finish off on the product, looks a bit rudimentary, but does the "heat exchanger" method really work on this?

A friend of our has a similar design (german made, cant remember the name), it is very effective

[Mypro-D]

I had one of these put in.
https://fireplacewarehouse.co.za/pro...on-invincible/
Not from this company though, a local cape town company. Said hes been fitting them for years with no issues.
Anyways, Lasted 4 years, grid broke twice, baffel plate cracked. They said I was over firing it but the rest of the innards were fine.

I took it out and put in one of these
https://homefires.co.za/product/dovr...v=edb5dc74af1c
They changed the chimney to an insulated chimney whilst they were there. The Flue almost cost as much as the fireplace so just be aware of that.

This is the 3rd year now and no wear and tear and I can say it is much more efficient.

Dont be like me and pay twice, do it properly the first time round.

[bigboy529]

I'm no expert, but isn't it much safer, not necessarily better, to have the flue go directly through the wall and then run up outside the house, rather than going up through the ceiling and roof space?
Granted of course you have the fire place against a outer wall.

[PieterOos]

I'm no expert, but isn't it much safer, not necessarily better, to have the flue go directly through the wall and then run up outside the house, rather than going up through the ceiling and roof space?

I believe a (relative) large percentage of the generated heat is radiated from the flue?

[Kamakazi]

Very uneconomical - Eat wood like you cant believe and most heat goes up the flue.
Closed combustion is the way to go..

Yes, closed combustion is more economical on fuel & probably the preferred option for smaller spaces, flats, etc (less wood to carry upstairs, and-and..) Might also be better from safety perspective as you can close the door and leave it unattended unlike normal open kaggels that comes with some responsibility to close the screen before going to bed.
The capital outlay is just a bit eyewatering if we talk R30k-R70k and it will take multiple decades to justify the fuel economy, but can understand paying for the convenience in some use cases.

The Jetmaster will use more wood, but once it gets going you can chuck the largest stump that will fit in there to burn all day long.
Comments that it smells or most heat goes up the flue are not so true as it is a stand alone unit that radiates heat from the exposed flue and steal unit itself over and above the additional benefit of the open fire. In large open areas of say 50-70sqm it actually produces more heat than closed combustion stoves.

I'm probably a bit of a caveman that enjoy the ambience of starring into an open fire with the sound of crackling burning wood, so each to their own according to your preference & enjoy your choice of burners. We are privileged in this country to still be allowed to burn wood at our properties, whether it is for Kaggel or Braai.

PS: Double insulated flue pipe is a must, dont skimp on this!

[JacoE]

I have lived quite a few years in houses heated by wood. I checked all of the links. Not one of those are real heaters. Proper wood fired heater was invented in Sweden 17 hundred something if I remember right. They are made out of brick. Smoke goes up, then down and then out. This system was invented on king's orders as Sweden was running out of wood. Efficient. Chimney has a closure plate or two.

Similar?


https://on-fire.co.za/wp-content/upl...ser-Manual.pdf

[Stranger]

This thread prompted me to put mine on last night, using those pellets (I buy broken ones from the factory) my large living room was toasty within 30 mins and it was just a case of throwing a few more on every hour and a half to keep it going. I used around a coal scuttle full and these things don't smell at all. Mine definitely radiates the heat through the steel as you can feel this as you get close.

When I got married my first flat was coal fired with a back boiler and radiators. Messy but hugely efficient. You banked your coal up in the morning and in the evening and you cleaned the tray when the fire was still on. Granted tiny space but it heated the whole flat and provided scalding hot water. The fire would burn continuously for months before we let it go out for a deep clean. It never really had that flame effect, more like a deep red lava look which is probably why I have never been into the big fires that South Africans love so much.

This prompts me to say that you must ask yourself that question when you buy. Do you want bush tv in your lounge or do you want efficient at a reasonable price.

[Morne - Skip]

I believe a (relative) large percentage of the generated heat is radiated from the flue?

correct

[bigboy529]

I believe a (relative) large percentage of the generated heat is radiated from the flue?

Yes I know, that's why I said not necessarily better.
But surely it would be a lot safer not having to deal with ceilings, roof trusses, roof insulation, possible water pipes and electric cables?

Going even more off topic now, I cringe every time I see a fire place in a thatch roof house or built in braai in a lapa, it can probably be done "safely"to keep the insurance happy, but I can't really imagine myself sleeping soundly in such a house with a fire going through the night.