Ayres Rock

Carbon monoxide - a silent killer

2010-05-06T13:53:00.007+01:00

About 50 people die each year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning - and when we mention it you probably think about your gas appliances - oven/hob, central heating boiler, gas fire, etc ...

But 19 year old Declan Oliver died because the wood burning stove he and his father had installed was not correctly fitted. Read more about this sad case.

The BBC website has a wonderful Health guide relating to carbon monoxide poisoning - here.

Our advice ...

Have appliances professionally installed; or
Have DIY installations professionallly checked
Have your gas appliances serviced/checked annually
Fit a carbon monoxide alarm - our prices start from around £25.

Yes, it'll cost a few pounds ... but really I can't imagine how Mr Oliver senior feels now ...

Showroom revamp!

2010-04-09T09:53:00.004+01:00

We are in the process of re-vamping the downstairs showroom - therefore we have many ex-display fireplaces at 50% OFF - great bargain!

We also have ex-display fires (both gas fires and electric fires) and stoves, again with large discounts.

We even have a SOFA for sale!

Interested call in at our Showroom, alternatively give us a call on 01623 752 097 and we'll fill you in on what's available.

Watch this space for pictures of the finished article!!

Visit www.hwood.co.uk.

BBQ season beckons!

2010-03-26T09:13:00.004Z

... ... or at least we hope it does!!

We are now agents for these gorgeous Buschbeck Masonry BBQs.

Obviously we can be delivered to your property, but we can also arrange a full installation and fitting service - I guess we could event test it for you!! Kebab anybody ... ?!

Check out the range ... www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk

Drop in at our showroom for details or give us a call on 01623 752097.

A fire ... in a bag ... genius ...

2010-02-26T14:50:00.003Z

We now have in stock - NEW Instant Light Ecoal, and it's genius!

No Mess, No Fuss, just the warmth and glow of a real Smokeless Coal fire in an instant - Simply light the bag with a match. Ecoal - The new eco friendly smokeless coal that saves you time!

Place the Ecoal bag* upright in the grate, light at the marked corners and sit back and enjoy. Burns for up to 3 hours. Ideal for busy days, getting home from work late, cold rooms that need warming quickly and for when you just can't be bothered to make a fire and just wish to enjoy it instead.

ecoal is a green, clean & smokeless coal
made from 30% renewable materials
easy to light coal fire no additional kindling or firelighters required
saves you time!
eco-friendly smokeless coal fire with up to 25% less CO2 than house coal
Ecoal is suitable for use in smoke control areas
ideal for use in multi fuel stoves

Call in at the shop/showroom and pick up a bag ... www.hwood.co.uk

* A bag weighs 4.5kgs.

New firewood supplier

2010-01-28T08:46:00.004Z

We have a new firewood supplier - you can purchase stock of logs and kindling from our showroom - details.

We can assist you in making bulk purchases of logs - delivered direct to your door.

We also supply Green Dragon biofuel - fire briquettes.

www.hwood.co.uk
www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk

Discounted gas fire service

2010-01-25T16:50:00.004Z

Today's special offer is a discounted gas fire service - saving you £15.00!

Of course this one only really works in the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area. Sorry if that means you can't take advantage ... keep your eye on us for more offers!

As usual - call 01623 752097 for T&Cs!

Have a MEGA Monday!

Check out www.hwood.co.uk and www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk.

Today's special offer - FREE electric fire

2010-01-21T10:01:00.003Z

Today's special offer is a FREE electric fire with qualifying fireplaces and installations.

As usual - call 01623 752097 for T&Cs!

Have a fantastic Thursday. It is after all THIRSTY Thursday!

Missed this one? Check out our website for more offers http://www.hwood.co.uk/ or see our onlineshop http://www.fabulousfireplace.co.uk/.

Image for illustration only.

Beat the VAT increase!

2010-01-14T13:46:00.003Z

To help you offset the VAT increase from January 2010 we are offering you a 2.5% discount off all our products and services.

See our websites for more details:

http://www.hwood.co.uk/

http://www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk/

Christmas windows

2010-01-05T13:13:00.001Z

A little late I know, but look at this lovely photograph sent to us by Gerry Molumby of Selston showing the showroom Christmas windows!

Boiler scrappage scheme

2010-01-05T12:54:00.004Z

Get £400 off a new A-rated boiler or renewable heat technology, when you scrap your old, inefficient G-rated boiler.

There is lots more information about the scheme here on the Energy Saving Trust's website. However, if you'd prefer to run through this with a person - then give us a call on 01623 752097 - we can check out your old boiler and help you get to grips with claiming your £400 voucher.

Alternatively visit our website http://www.hwood.co.uk/ to arrange a visit.

Morsø’s lovely room design tool

2009-09-29T14:01:00.003+01:00

Morso UK now have a wonderful room designer web page – you can upload your own room and super-impose a picture of their stove onto it - Brilliant!

Check our their web page - http://www.morsoe.co.uk/The-stove-in-your-home-404.aspx

Then you can go to our website and get a free no oblibation quote for stove installation - http://www.hwood.co.uk/estimate.html

60 Minute Makeover

2009-08-03T13:12:00.002+01:00

You know what it's like if you hear your voice on the answer machine, or see yourself on a friends wedding video ... ... well!
A while ago now we were invited to fit a fireplace on ITV's 60 Minute Makeover programme and this morning they repeated it! And again ... ... well!
The fireplace still looks gorgeous, and the day was fun, but ... ... well!
The Burley Manton fire suite can be found on our online shop site - http://www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk/.
To experience our expert advisory and fitting services visit our website - http://www.hwood.co.uk/, or call in at our showroom - 26 Church Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 8LE.

Was there ever a better time ... ?

2009-07-22T10:21:00.003+01:00

With people having a little spare cash, interest rates being low etc, I don't think there's ever been a better time to get those home improvement jobs done.

Upgrade the bathroom
Install a new fireplace
Change the kitchen sink
Get your central heating boiler serviced
New central heating boiler - energy efficient and all that ...
Add a radiator, etc

With tradesmen in less demand I really don't think there's been a better time to get your jobs done and certainly not at a better rate.
To get a quote visit www.hwood.co.uk.

A stove for your narroboat

2009-07-07T12:54:00.003+01:00

Narrowboat stoves a special little things ... the confined space available and the relatively small space to heat mean, that you need to choose carefully.

We've looked at our range and selected three specially for you:

The Valor Willow

The Parkray Consort 4; and finally

The Morso Squirrel 1410.

For more details view our website hwood.co.uk or buy at fabulousfireplaces.co.uk.

Funky loo!

2009-06-26T13:44:00.004+01:00

Are you looking to modernise your bathroom? Want a funky loo?!

I've just been shown this really funky range. Really geometric and European looking - not the cheapest, but there are many similar styles are available are a lesser cost.

Check out the full range here - http://www.tc-bathrooms.com/suites/central/ - fabulous I'm sure you'll agree?

As well as our heating and fire services we also provide a full range of Plumbing services.

For more details please visit our website - www.hwood.co.uk or call 01623 752097.

NEW SERVICE - Estimate request - Stove installation

2009-05-18T17:47:00.003+01:00

We are trialling a brand new service.

Complete our online form - www.hwood.co.uk/estimate.html and we will give you an estimate of the cost involved in installing your solid fuel stove.

No obligation, no visit to your house, we just take some information and send you your estimate.

Give it a try ...

33% Discount - Solid Fuel Stove

2009-05-13T16:02:00.002+01:00

FANTASTIC OFFER!

For a limited time only we are offering this super little Winther Browne Solid Fuel Stove with an amazing discount of 33% - that's £124.10.

To take advantage of this offer visit Fabulous Fireplaces - http://www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk/winther-browne---solid-fuel-cast-iron-stove-2447-p.asp.

The BBC's Watchdog problem reports problems with Gas Safe card

2009-04-28T08:13:00.005+01:00

When the Gas Safe Register took over from CORGI there were inevitable concerns about the smooth running of that process. Last night the BBC's respected Watchdog programme reported on problems with engineers not receiving their Gas Safe Cards - http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog.

Thank heavens we were ahead of the game on this one ... ours were in before the switch was made in early April.

To check a heating engineer, or company, visit http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/.

You engineer should carry a gas safe card which looks like this:

If in doubt - contact the Gas Safe Register - they have a freephone number 0800 408 5500.

Gas Safe Register ...

2009-03-23T10:08:00.003Z

The envelope arrived! This is it - we're registered! We are officially on the Gas Safe Register - feels like that was cut a little tight, but we're on in time for the 1 April (2009) change from CORGI to Gas Safe Register ...

New look for Fabulous Fireplaces ...

2009-03-18T21:26:00.005Z

Our online retail outlet Fabulous Fireplaces has undergone a transformation!

It's gained a bright, smart new colour scheme and a couple of new tricks - take a look http://www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk/ - for top quality stove, fire and fireplace products delivered to your door.

Gas Safe Register

2009-03-17T08:09:00.005Z

Learn about the new body - Gas Safe Register: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7947509.stm
From 1 April 2009 the Gas Safe Register will take over the role that, to date, has been taken by CORGI.
Click here - https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/ - to visit their new website.

Stove reviews

2009-03-13T14:06:00.002Z

If you're thinking of buying/installing a wood burning stove take a look at this site http://www.whatstove.co.uk - there are tons of stoves reviewed by people actually using them ...
Then you can pop into our showroom and talk to us, possibly even see the real thing - see http://www.hwoods.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can buy online from http://www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk but be careful to get a HETAS installer to commission the stove, obviously for safety, but also because at some point you might need a HIP to see your house.

What d'you think?

2009-02-23T09:47:00.006Z

We love to hear from customers - especially at the moment when things are tough out there it's nice to know that we're still getting it right ... this was in my Inbox today ...

"Hello Phil ..... just a quick note following the installation of the Parkray Stove (Parkray Slimline 5).
Its early days yet to make an objective view of the stove, but first impressions are all positive, cosmetically it looks good, it certainly throws out some heat and importantly its easy to light and control, all of which are good.
However, that is not the point of this email. The reason I write is to praise both Paul and Zac for the manner in which the installation was carried out.
You are no doubt aware that the installation was not without snags, and whilst at times I was quite concerned, they were both completely unfazed, and always seemed to have a solution or a fallback plan. They grafted all day to get a result, and they were very easy to talk to [though Zac's singing/humming could do with working on]. They are a credit to your company, and I hope you will pass on my appreciation.
Thanks
Bryan Burgoyne"

Isn't that "nice" - sorry bad word!!
http://www.hwood.co.uk/

Our wood burning stoves ...

2009-01-28T14:32:00.002Z

Click to view ...

How “green” is your woodburning stove?

2009-01-21T12:50:00.005Z

Very, I here you cry, we’re using a renewable fuel comes another cry, did you order it from the internet?

Why yes, of course, is the response.

How many tens if not hundreds of miles did a HGV have to travel to deliver your stove?

How many shops did you trawl round, buring fossil fuels to look at stoves, before buying it online?

How far did your installer travel before getting to you? Next street? No? Next village? No? Next COUNTY? No?

So, I ask you again, how green is your woodburning stove?

Think green. Think local. Support local businesses and the environment.

HETAS Registered

2009-01-05T13:28:00.003Z

What does it mean when we say we are HETAS installers? This is what HETAS themselves say:

Registering with HETAS provides real benefits for installers and their customers.

Registering with HETAS demonstrates to your customers that you are competent and provides them with tangible benefits and peace of mind.

As a HETAS registered installer you provide your customers with a certificate at the end of each job indication that the work has been carried out to the relevant standards.

In England & Wales a HETAS certificate of compliance is given to your customer and a copy sent to HETAS, we then undertake the notification process to the relevant Local Authority.This provides evidence of the necessary certification, avoiding the need for your customer to seek expensive and time-consuming building notices from the Local Authority, saving up to £300 on each-and-every installation.

For this legal requirement, HETAS registered installers can charge a reasonable fee for certification to the consumer, in order to cover the administration charges; whilst saving your customers a considerable additional Local Authority building notice fee.

Installation work relating to heating appliances burning solid fuel, wood biomass and the associated systems for heating, controls, hot water etc are subject to the requirements of Building Regulations. In England & Wales the Approved Documents J, L, G, P are applicable and most work is notifiable by law to the Local Authority where you live. In other parts of UK there are variations in legislation and processes.

Please remember that details of installations carried out by installers may be required by conveyancing organisations and Solicitors as part of the house selling process and may in future be made available for the proposed Home Information Pack.

Non-registered installers cannot self-certificate so may be putting themselves and their customers at a commercial disadvantage.

The HETAS website and official guide to products and services actively promotes the use of HETAS registered installers and approved products. For a full list of current HETAS registered installers go to the find an installer pages. HETAS registered installers are encouraged to use HETAS approved appliances and products to ensure that they comply with Building Regulations and standards of safe installation.

A cautionary tale ... stove installation

2008-12-01T14:14:00.002Z

Here’s a little thought, raised by a customer of ours, I hope someone has a better answer than the Insurance Companies.

I’ve just been called out to investigate the cause of a fire, from a newly installed wood burning stove. The cause was very simple to deduce - the fire started in the chimney, burning though a timber support that was incorrectly placed (too close to the flue pipe contravening Building Regulations). This then set fire to plaster board placed incorrectly to the stove (again Building Regulations) and finally the register plate collapsed, bringing combustible soot onto the top of the hot stove.

The stove was installed by a builder (a friend of the family). Unregistered with HETAS (the regulator body governing solid fuel installations, just as CORGI governs gas), and obviously incapable of installing such an appliance to governing regulatory standards.

The client is unwilling to name the builder as he had been "doing them a favour".

Whilst I was there the client had a phone call, from their insurers to discuss the fire and the damages. As I was writing my notes, trying not to listen to the client becoming more and more irate ... ...

The the conversation went something like this:

Client - "You’re HETAS registered aren’t you?"
Me - "Of course"
Client - (Demanding) "good, when you’ve checked the installation and reinstalled the stove, do I get a certificate?"
Me - "Of course, every one of our installations, or in fact REINSTALLATIONS to put right incorrect works, will be certified"
Client - "Good, you’ll backdate the certificate for me then, to, say a week or so BEFORE the fire!"
Me - "Sorry, but no."

The next is exactly what happened, no word of a lie, the client walked up to me, nose to nose, and shouted …..”You f****** moron, without a certificate I don’t have any insurance, what are you going to do about it????”

And me, the moron? My company is registered with HETAS, we follow Building Regulations. I personally know how to correctly install a stove - this is, after all, why I'm in in business.

At this stage you can imagine what advice I gave the Client.

Likewise image - what would happen if you unfortunately had a fire in your house with no accreditation for the stove or fire that you, a friend or any untrained and uncertified person has installed.

Be careful - it seems that No HETAS certificate, could possibly mean No INSURANCE.

Please check with your insurers before commencing any work yourself or with untrained "installers"

Delivery dates on multi-fuel stoves ...

2008-11-11T08:02:00.008Z

At the end of October the various stove manufacturers were showing the following lead times from their factories:

Aga: 10 - 12 weeks
Aarrow: 20 weeks on boiler stoves and 18 weeks on dry stoves
Charnwood: 12 -14 weeks
Dovre: Usually 4 - 6 weeks
Dunsley: 16 weeks for their Highlander range, around 30 weeks on Yorkshire - very popular ranges ...
Esse: 10 weeks
Hunter: 19 weeks
Jotul: 4 - 6 weeks
Morso: 8 - 12 weeks
Stovax: 8 - 10 weeks
Tiger: 4 weeks
Villager: 14 - 16 weeks; and finally ...
Yeoman: 6 weeks

And now for the good news! We have - IN STOCK:

Morso Squirrel 1410

Morso
Squirrel 1412

For more information - visit http://www.hwood.co.uk/ or call 01623 752097.

How to DIY install your solid fuel stove ...

2008-11-04T08:47:00.005Z

How to install your solid fuel stove - simple answer – don’t do it yourself!!!!

Please let me explain why:

I have had two phone calls this week from customers seeking advice about why their newly installed stoves are causing concerns. In both cases they were installed by their partner, both were very similar, let me give you an indication of one:

First phone call:

Me ... "Morning, can I help?"
Client 1 ... "Yes, I hope you can. I’ve just had a stove fitted and I have smoke in my child’s bedroom above, is this normal?"
(Seriously!!! That was the exact conversation.)
Me ... "No ... how was the flue tested and who actually installed it?"
Client 1 ... "Erm ... my partner installed it last night and said since it burned OK, it was alright."
Me ... "OK, when did you notice the smoke?"
Client 1 ... "When my daughter came downstairs, probably a couple of hours after we lit it, she said her room was foggy - she was coughing quite a lot come to think about it."

Needless to say I informed the client that she was lucky her daughter was still alive!!!

Unfortunately, during my working life I have had three requests from the Police to investigate fume problems from solid fuel appliances that we later attributed to the deaths of the householders. In two cases I believe that these were self installed appliances.

As a side note a few hours later I had the very irate partner of the above client on the phone, he called me a few choice names for "causing concerns and upsetting his partner!!!"!

After he had finished his tirade I simply asked if he had ever seen a death attributed to asphyxiation? Unfortunately I have. I also informed him of the law regarding the installation of stoves and asked if he wanted ourselves to check the installation, as I had previously asked his partner.

I was told categorically that he did not, that I was just looking for work and that there was nothing wrong with how he had installed the stove.

Unfortunately his phone number was withheld. What can I do? No name, address or phone number.

Building regulations and hence the law are quite clear on the installation of ALL solid fuel (yes this includes multifuel and woodburning stoves). They MUST be installed by a certified professional person; usually HETAS registered.

Failing to do so requires planning permissions to be obtained and approved. When you come to sell your house, HIPS now requires all certificates for ALL appliances installed into the fabric of the house.

Who is going to provide a certificate for a self installation?
Worse still ... who brings back the family member who has died from a faulty installation?

Carbon monoxide poisoning

2008-10-22T13:06:00.003+01:00

We just had a call for a boiler service from a lady who'd just watched ITV This Morning's piece on carbon monoxide poisoning. The piece told tragic story of 10 year old Dominic Rodgers who died 5 years ago as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Sadly a set of circumstances, including wind direction and architectural design, lead to the poisonous gas seeping into Dominic’s bedroom.

Often known as the silent killer the symptoms of CO poisoning are often likened to flu or a hangover - that goes away when you leave the house.

These are the things you should look out for:

Sooting or staining on or around your appliance
Excessive condensation in the room where the appliance is installed
Lazy yellow or orange coloured flames

Carbon Monoxide can be present in smoke from gas, solid fuel or oil appliances.

PREVENTION

To reduce the risk posed by Carbon Monoxide and to keep yourself and your family are safe you must have all your fuel-burning appliances safety checked annually by a qualified/registered engineer for your fuel type - either a CORGI, HETAS or OFTEC registered installer.

Ensure that rooms and heaters are well ventilated.
Never block vents to stop draughts or to dry clothes.
Have your chimneys and flues checked regularly.
Get an audible Carbon Monoxide alarm for the house - the little dots that change colour are great, but they can't wake you at night. (Wilkinson sells one for about £20.)

To arrange for one of our engineers to check out your appliances call 01623 752097 or complete our Contact us form.

See the Carbon Monoxide Consumer Awareness Alliance website.

Check out our website Woods, Stoves & Fireplaces.

Multi fuel stoves ... in short supply

2008-10-13T09:39:00.004+01:00

It has come to our attention here at Woods, Stoves & Fireplaces that multi fuel stoves are in very short supply - hardly surprising given the recent dramatic rises in conventional fuel costs.

Also that some unscrupulous internet retailers are taking monies for stoves, promising prompt delivery then not being able to deliver until January or February 2009 - NICE!

However, our excellent relationships with our suppliers (including MORSO) means that we have been able to secure some special deals ... check out our Stove supplies pages for details ...

Hoorah! we are Parkray Stoves accredited installers!

2008-09-29T14:36:00.005+01:00

We are really chuffed to be taking in the Parkray range of stoves for display and we have been accredited as a Parkray Installer! Fab news this is a really terrific range of multi-fuel/wood burning stoves!

60 Minute Makeover

2008-09-23T09:43:00.006+01:00

Yesterday ITV showed an episide of their 60 Minute Makeover programme that we were in!!

We fitted a lovely Burley Manton 738R.

60 minutes well ... ... ?!

See http://www.hwood.co.uk/60MM.html or http://www.fabulousfireplaces.co.uk/burley---manton-738-r---fireplace-suite---stone-effect-132-p.asp.

Just for fun!

2008-09-03T12:03:00.002+01:00

Have a go our our Pairs game - it's a quick memory tester - all helps with the Brain training!

New website

2008-09-02T10:26:00.002+01:00

Today we have a gorgeous new website ... take a look ... visit www.hwood.co.uk.

Stoves burn green

2008-08-26T13:38:00.005+01:00

Like the rest of us ESSE stoves are looking to the future and developing stoves that will burn "green" and economically. A recent post on their website talks about their innovative, new Afterburn2 system (they have a patent pending on the system it's so new).

We will soon have a ESSE 505C woodburning stove on show in our showroom ... call 01623 752097 for more details.

say, say, SAEY ...

2008-06-27T11:23:00.004+01:00

Wow! These SAEY multifuel stoves are gorgeous!

The SAEY Scope pictured here is absolutely fabulous - it's a contempory cast iron multifuel stove which burns coal and wood. It comes in anthracite and grey paint.

And - it'll heat a massive space - up to 195 m³.

For more information (sizes, prices, etc) see fabulousfireplaces.co.uk.

However, if you're after an even sharper looking round stove! Contrary I know! Then consider the SAEY Signum 20.

Again, more information (sizes, prices, etc) see fabulousfireplaces.co.uk.

Alternatively, call in at the Woods Stoves and Fireplaces showroom - 26 Church Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 8LE - MAP.

DIY Fireplaces

2008-06-26T08:55:00.006+01:00

Many of our fire surrounds and fireplaces are suitable to DIY installation, as are some of our fires - HOWEVER - you need to know that a gas fire or a stove/open fire should be installed by the right person:

Here in the UK a gas fire should be installed by a CORGI registered engineer (http://www.trustcorgi.com/);
A solid fuel appliance should be installed by a HETAS registered installer (http://www.hetas.co.uk/).

Once the work has been done your installer will issue you with a certificate - this will form part of your Home Information Pack (HIP - http://www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk/)should you choose to sell your house.

To service or not to service?

2008-05-31T10:51:00.011+01:00

At a time when your wallet/purse strings are being tugged pretty hard should you have your central heating boiler serviced?

Well the answer is a resounding YES ... and of course we would say that, it's what we do - well I might add!

But what you should know is that a serviced boiler will run more efficiently than an unserviced one, that means you'll spend less money on burning gas that you don't need (Prices set to rise again - BBC).

At an annual boiler service we will carry out the following checks:

Flue ways and terminals

Ventilation

Gas pressure and heat input

All safety devices

We also check the following boiler components:

Heat exchanger

Burners

Combustion fan

Seals (gas and water)

Ignition systems

Performance test (on all boilers with a suitable test point or accessible flue terminal)

All visible pipework and controls

All radiators

Expansion tank (and vessel) and associated components

And finally, we will give, where appropraite, advice on the use of your present controls more efficiently.

We can also help you consider the best options for your future heating requirements.

If you'd like to book a service give us a call on 01623 752097 to get a quote, or to arrange for an engineer to service your boiler.

Charnwood Stoves - hot property!

2008-05-30T14:45:00.007+01:00

The new Charnwood Stoves on display in our new Stoves Showroom are proving to be very popular.

Used in conjunction with the Green Dragon biofuel fire briquettes they are proving to be an economical as well as beatiful installation for customers.

Stoves on Canal Boats (Narrowboats)

2008-04-16T15:05:00.003+01:00

I've been working for a HETAS (www.hetas.co.uk) registered heating company for over 21 years now. HETAS are the regulatory body who govern, monitor and promote the installation and servicing of solid fuel appliances.
As with CORGI for gas, ALL solid fuel appliances installed within residential or business addresses within the UK, must be notified to the relevant authority (usually your local council) or certified as safe via a qualified engineer (HETAS engineer).
In previous blogs you will have seen that I have been bestowing their virtues of Green Dragon Fuels; a biomass fuel made from the co-products of biodiesel product. Completely green, completely renewable energy. Green Dragon Fuel is currently undergoing HETAS testing for their approval. We have tested it on a multitude of appliances and today we have fired and tested on an installation that really shouldn't work (More of this later).
Now, my Dad owns a Narrowboat. He loves his Narrowboat and having talked to a lot of "boaters", they all do! And I can't say I blame them. The ardent boaters, like my Dad, are out on their boats, rain or shine, wind or hail. Some may think them mad! I personally think it's a completely different lifestyle. You see parts of the world that motorways and dual carriageways thankfully haven't destroyed and at a leisurely 3-4 miles an hour travelling speed you have plenty of time to see the world gracefully pass by.
Many of these boats have heating stoves on board, fired by solid fuel, be-it wood or smokeless fuel.Which got me thinking, since we supply Green Dragon Fuel here, would it be a good idea to see if I can introduce it through chandelries throughout the UK to the inland waterway users?
This I have done, having had several very productive meetings with chandelries around ourselves, we have also contacted chandelries throughout Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire. If you happen to be reading this, and are a proud owner of a Narrowboat or any inland waterway craft that has a solid fuel stove, ask your local chandelry for Green Dragon Fuels. It will save you the postage costs and you'll be helping the environment.
But I digress, the point of this blog was to be stoves and Narrowboats.
To install a stove to regulation requirements usually requires a flue (chimney) of at least 4 mtrs high from the top of the stove to the terminal. The flue, where at all possible, if made of metal, should also be insulated.
There is every chance that if these factors aren't met, then the flue will "downdraught" i.e. smoke will come into the area where the stove is fitted.
All narrowboats that I have seen have an effective flue height of only 1.7mtr! More to the point they are uninsulated metallic flues as well.
In theory these flues will be problematic to say the least.
Yet, every narrowboat with solid fuel seems to work quite adequately.
So, I wondered how a stove would perform with reduced flue height and burn Green Dragon Fuel.
The video below shows this simply, "Heath Robinson" installation. It by no way complies with any regulations and was set up and monitored by qualified professional people. In other words DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

You can see, not only is the flame picture wonderful with the Green Dragon Fuel, it is not smoking back through the door and more to the point, the flue terminal shows a lovely clean burn.

(I aplogise for the quality of the video, Mr. Spielberg I am not!)

So, although the installation does not comply with current HETAS residential regulations, it does work! More over, it works very well with Green Dragon Fuels.

Give it a try, I'm sure you will not be disappointed!!

Green Dragon fuel vs smokeless fuel vs hardwood logs

2008-04-11T16:19:00.005+01:00

For those who don't know, Green Dragon fuel is a "bio" solid fuel, formed from the byproducts of rapeseed (RS) oil production. (Why, oh why can't we have a better name for this plant?!?)

The stems, ie. the left over bits, have a calorific value (they burn). When crushed and compressed they are formed into "logs".

Since RS is grown throughout the UK and is, by all accounts, a rapidly growing plant, the byproduct fuel; bio log, is a truely renewable fuel. Unlike traditional timber, it does not take years to form. Trees require at least 10 years (hardwood) before they reach harvestable girth. Most readily available pre-bagged logs are either too wet to burn correctly due to little knowledge on the forecourt of how to store them or of so poor a quality that they do not burn efficiently.

The best true timber will always come from a good tree surgeon; one who knows how to season and store timber. Even so, the seasoning process takes 18 months minimum.

The next commonly available fuel is prepacked smokeless fuel. The process to form smokeless fuel is basically processing coal; burning it under pressure. This removes the deposits and dirt and a lot of heavy carbon, but where does this "dirt" go to? The hint is in burning. Sometimes a chemical process may be used. But chemicals will eventually need disposing.

Thus, is processed smokeless fuel "good" for the environment?

So, we now have the question regarding what's best to burn, smokeless fuel, hardwood or Green Dragon Fuel.

I know what I burn regularly. One thing is sure, humans want to stay warm. Use an earth resource such as smokeless fuel formed from coal, hardwood which takes a long time to grow or a fuel that has its source effectively replenished within months; not years?

You can find full details of Green Dragon Fuels here, or email me and I'll willingly take you through it.

Better still, BUY SOME here. Try it, believe it, help save our precious planet and money!

Green Dragon Fuel

2008-03-27T21:16:00.011Z

We are proud to announce that we will be stocking solid fuel manufactured from sustainable sources.

I'll let Green Dragon explain what and who they are. All copyright and source materials are used with permission from Green Dragon Fuels. All rights reserved.

What is Green Dragon Fuel?

Green Dragon Fuel is a totally new and unique solid ‘green’ fuel made from the by-product of Phoenix Fuel’s bio-diesel process. It can be used on boilers, stoves and open fires instead of wood or coal and burns three times longer than logs, giving off twice the heat!

The solid ingots of the bio fuel are actually GREEN in colour as well as truly green in credentials.
Formed from the remnants of Rapeseed which has been grown and harvested for it's oil, the stems and husks are processed to form a solid fuel block (ingot).
This block is dried and contains a significant calorific value (it burns well!).
Producing TWICE the heat of traditional wood, each 2.5Kg ingot can burn for up to 3 hours, drastically reducing the refuelling rate of your appliance.
Each block is hexagonal in shape, each ingot can easily be split into four quadrants if you require a smaller "log".
The shape of the ingot makes stacking of the product exceptionally easy, no more logs rolling off onto the floor!

There is the option of buying the ingots in 1.25kg (half ingot) form either individually or in box quantities. However, we suggest that you keep up your green credentials and buy the fuel loose; why have a box when you can simply carry the product in a re-usable bag?

Full details of Green dragon can be found here - http://www.greendragonfuel.co.uk/gdfuel.htm.

We are proud to announce that we are both a supplier and distributor of this wonderful new fuel. Our website http://www.hwood.co.uk/ will carry full details soon.

On a personal note I have tested this product fully at home, the video link here shows a 1/2 ingot burning ... in my humble opinion and I have burnt a full ingot ... 1/2 is more than enough for the average room!

My stove delivers 6kw at maximum burn. I do not have the tech to say what the stove is delivering when burning a 1/2 ingot, all I can tell you is that the heat is awesome ... way in excess of any wood burning or smokeless fuel burning that I have tried.

Living with a multifuel stove

2008-03-27T20:51:00.007Z

They say a picture can say a thousand words. I'll set the scene, raining, dark, cold, central heating turned off.

Sounds miserable? Indeed it does.

Unless you have a multifuel or woodburning stove!

I'm lucky enough to have the fantastic Firebelly FB1 multifuel stove installed from our range of stoves. I installed it with my engineers (check out http://www.hwood.co.uk/).

I light it every night when I come in from work (5 ish), once lit and working (after 1/2hr ish) the living room is lovely and warm.

Our heating does not need to be on after that point... so for the rest of the evening the warmth from the stove permeates around my ground floor (some 720 square feet), it trickles upstairs ... the flue (chimney) naturally passes through my eldest daugthers room, this naturally warms the room.

So ... for the past four week since installing this stove I have not used my gas heating (high efficiency band A boiler) at all during the evenings.

We burn seasoned timber from managed sources and now ... well now, we have just found a fantastic supplier of biofuel logs form from the remenants of rapeseed oil production.

More about the biofuel in the next post.

The enclosed picture is untouched, enjoy :-)

Using wood for heating - Climate Change bill highlights this!

2008-02-20T11:12:00.003Z

On the 14th November 2007, the House of Lords introduced the CLIMATE CHANGE BILL. This ensures that the Secretary of State has a duty to reduce the NET carbon emissions of the UK in 2050 to 60% of the "targeted" greenhouses gases measured in 1990.

PHEW!!!! Why, oh why, can't they use simple English?

Logically, it is now seen that wood based fuels (biomass, natural timbers) and hence wood burning appliances can be a major part of the reduction process.

Think of it this way, in an existing dwelling, usually pre 1950, you can normally find a traditional brick built chimney.

This chimney is sometimes utilised for an existing open flued, highly inefficient gas or smokeless fuel (solid fuel) appliance (PRIMARY HEATING). Upgrading this appliance to a NEW higher efficiency wood or wood pellet HEATING stove will both lower NETT carbon emissions, it is usually the EASIEST way to introduce RENEWABLE energy sources to the home and, with few exceptions, the picture from the firebox (flames) are a real heart warming sight!

If the chimney is utilised for a gas fire (SECONDARY HEATING), then testing and altering the installation to suit a wood or wood pellet NON HEATING stove can both aethestically improve the looks of the room in which it is situated and also, naturally lower the NETT carbon emission of the property.

Wood and timber is easily sourced for the majority of us. There are also a vast array of online suppliers of suitable fuels, should easy access to a local source not be available.. However, local sources are sometimes FREE, thus overall heating costs are also reduced.

Thus if wood or wood products are used, ALONGSIDE high efficiency gas (or oil) boilers and even possibly with other renewables such as AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS or SOLAR, the carbon footprint of the house can be dramatically reduced.

Our company specialises in SOLID FUEL, GAS and RENEWABLE installations. Just email me -

phil@ hwood.co.uk

I'll help wherever I can.

As a note I have an AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP (ASHP) fitted at home, in tandem with a BAND A high efficiency gas boiler. I am also fitting a FIREBELLY wood burning stove to suppliment my heating. A further blog will be coming regarding the ASHP; it's installation and full running details.

Exciting new products - Firebelly stoves

2008-02-12T13:17:00.002Z

We are currently in the process of upgrading our showroom and showhouse to accommodate two installations of fantastic designer stoves from the innovative GB company - FIREBELLY. These stoves are solid fuel fired, naturally suited for timber but multifuel options can be purchased.

We will be installing a FB stove in our showroom within a SHIRESTONE Large Wingfield Inglenook fireplace. This display will be a "standing display"; in other words it will not be working. None-the-less I think it will look fabulous!!

We will also be installing a FB1 (Hopefully, flue tests permitting) into our SHOWHOUSE. This will be installed in to a Fabulous Fireplaces custom built inglenook fireplace formed from Black Granite and pure white Agean marble. This will be a live display, demonstrating the heat output and operation of the FB1.

Photos of both installations will follow as soon as they are completed.

Watch this space.

A beautiful day & the Nottingham Eye

2008-02-10T21:25:00.000Z

It's Sunday 10th February, a very, very balmy 14 degrees celcius. the sun is shining, people are out in Nottingahm shopping - albeit not in droves, car parks are once again half empty.

And what a site Nottingham is. A 60 metre high ferris wheel, the "Nottingham Eye" has been constructed in the centre of the market square, it literally is enormous!

Standing over the buildings like some silent leviathon, it is truely a site to see!

Nottingham, at any time, is a beautiful city, but today, in the sunshine, in the warmth, seeing the Nottingham Eye, turning slowly, what a day, what a sight.

Enjoy!

Fantastic new fireplace deals - nationwide delivery

2008-02-08T10:28:00.002Z

We've just arranged a national delivery campaign for a fantastic range of hand crafted stone fireplaces.

A fireplace really is the focal point to a room; setting the nature and scene for the whole home in some cases.

Shirestone fireplaces exude quality; their very form is a credit to the artisans who produced them and what more, we can now deliver them anywhere in the mainland UK.

Take a look at our website -

http://www.hwood.co.uk/shirestone.html

This is the Bevoir, a superb example by any standard.

We are happy to deliver direct to your door, we will advise you on how to install this beautifully crafted fireplace, we will even install it for you! (At an agreed price of course!)

Wet rooms ...

2008-02-06T12:05:00.002Z

Today we started work converting a classic 1970's bathroom into a classy 2008 wet room ... watch this space!

In due course the room will be tiled from floor to ceiling, have a luxury shower and top of the range fixtures and fittings.