wrote in message
ups.com...
Stoves are vastly more efficient than open fires (several times so, I
think).

I don't know the stove brand the OP mentioned, but Morso (mentioned by
the previous poster) and Jotul are regarded as top notch.

2 hours seems a very long heat-up time, I'd say it takes 1/2 hour for
me to get a very large woodburner really going (though I use a hot air
gun to initially get it to roar).


I have a Jetmaster inset convector firebox. It has a woodburning grate but
can be supplied with a coal burning grate. It slots into the fire opening,
and is somewhat more efficient than an open fire as it has a convector duct.
However, it is less efficient than a stove. It also has a damper which can
be adjusted to throttle the airflow, but it is not a 'leading' controller,
that is, if the fire is roaring away, you cannot close the damper right back
and expect to see the fire die down, what will happen is that the smoke will
spill out into your room! You must let the fire die down first then close
the damper. I believe the purpose is to stop excess air escaping up the
chimney.

They are expensive for what they are IMO and I would look in the local paper
or on eBay to see if one comes up second hand.

I believe coal is hotter than wood and requires less feeding. Wood looks
good of course but needs splitting

For the ultimate in controllability and efficiency it would have to be a
stove, but they only work properly with closed doors, so you have to watch
the fire through glass.

The traditional basket grates plus are very inefficient, adding a cast iron
fireback as a reflector will help but it won't be as efficient as an inset
convector firebox. A lot of heat can escape up an open chimney, and you
might want a damper in addition to a fire.

My woodburning 18" jetmaster can just heat a 10'x12' room opening into a
10'x10' ) room if it is well fed and kept roaring, otherwise the radiators
need to take some of the load. It takes maybe half an hour to get really
hot.

Andy.