Installing a woodstove in Scotland?

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Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Yeah, but it's slow. It's like a shower, and 'filling' a bath with it takes nearly three quarters of an hour according to my neighbour.

M
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
As fast as the normal flow. It takes about 5 seconds to get the maximum ( as adjusted) heat.

Maybe slow because the pressure from your tank is low?

Remove the tank, trust me, you will wonder why you did not do it before!

The tanks still in use in UK were designed in old times when the pressure and supply was sketchy. You get an interruption in water supply what, once or twice a year?

I find the system so efficient and money saving, I am going to install it in my house in Norway.
Same as I have in my house here.
It is a German made Stiebel Eltron. It saves about 50% electricity from a traditional hot water tank system.

Having lived in several countries round the world, I have experienced various systems around a house, and discovered some regional stuff that is fantastic.
Like the garbage disposal thingy below the kitchen sink. Underfloor heating.

Ductless Heat Exchanger.
 
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richy3333

Full Member
Jan 23, 2017
273
101
Far north Scoootland
Per Scottish Building Standards In Scotland you wil need a warrant. Contact your local planning department and ask to speak to the duty planning officer for advise. I’m guessing you’ll need it signed off by a HETAS engineer to satisfy the warrant
 

Toddy

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Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Janne, we're not only happy with out system, it works efficiently, cheaply and reliably. At normal flow (and that's high enough pressure to need reducing for the sinks otherwise it soaks everything and everyone) it takes my neighbours so long to fill the bath for a good deep adult soak that they give up. Fine to bathe a child.
As for being 'olden', the new boiler set up is all of five years old.

M
 

Toddy

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Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Per Scottish Building Standards In Scotland you wil need a warrant. Contact your local planning department and ask to speak to the duty planning officer for advise. I’m guessing you’ll need it signed off by a HETAS engineer to satisfy the warrant

Thanks richy3333, I admit I did wonder; especially in light of the way things were regulated re emissions and CO.

M
 

Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
83
36
Scotland
Per Scottish Building Standards In Scotland you wil need a warrant. Contact your local planning department and ask to speak to the duty planning officer for advise. I’m guessing you’ll need it signed off by a HETAS engineer to satisfy the warrant

Thanks Richy I'll look into it. I suspected I'd need to get it signed off by HETAS regardless but that is worth knowing.

All the best
Andy
 

Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
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Scotland
Janne - I get the feeling Toddy is happy with her heating system. ;)
I'm hoping to get a good ten years from this boiler, but when it does go I'll investigate all options.

Cheers
Andy
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Yes, I think she is.
I hope she will see the Light one day though, and looks on something that saves money, (when the equipment fails and has to be replaced) !

It depends on what kind of water you have for the life of it I have been told. We have very aggressive water, and our Tank water heater started eating the Sacrificial , had to replace it suddenly within 12 months..
Plumber told me time to replace the water heater before it cracks and royally screws up the house.

It does not make economical sense to replace a working piece of equipment. The best time is when it has to be replaced, then replace it with something much better.

Never replace with the same. Tech moves on. Gets better and better.
Do not buy another horse, get a car.

Even wood burners get better. The basic tech is what, 200 years old? 250?
But today they are super efficient, low CO2 and soot emissions.
A fantastic addition to a house.
 
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Toddy

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Jan 21, 2005
38,937
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S. Lanarkshire
"saves money".....really ? We pay less to heat and provide water for our 4apt than the neighbours in their 3apts with the cheaper boilers. It's not costing us more to have the convenience. We chose not to have the simple combi boiler.
Each to their own though.
Our water is very soft, and though we complain about the rain, it's plentiful too.

Interested to hear how you get on with the stove though Andy. I'm grateful for central heating, but on occasion I do miss a fire and the stoves seem like an excellent compromise.
M
 

Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
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Scotland
Yes, I think she is.

Indeed - so perhaps letting it drop might be a good idea? :deadhorse::thankyou:


I'll update everyone in a couple of weeks as to how we're getting on. I might not get to sorting it out in my next time off as the focus will be the bathroom and sanding all the floors and painting the walls.
From a speed and convenience point of view the professionals definitely win that one.

All the best
Andy
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
You are 200% correct and right,
So:

I do not envy you the floor sanding. But usually beautiful result, as the wood they used in the old days was slower growing than today.

Do you plan to varnish, oil or do a traditional soap treatment?

In Sweden I had a friend that was tought that trade while in prison. He did all my floors. Fantastic.
 
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Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
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Scotland
An unenviable task among unenviable tasks unfortunately. Though the wood certainly has a lot of promise, we do have a few bits to sort out.

There's a few knot holes here and there which will be an easy enough fix I should think but the spots where they used a drill and lots of little holes to cut the floor boards in the past will be more of a faff to sort out. Luckily I have the power:


Andy
 
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Toddy

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Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
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S. Lanarkshire
Veering off topic again, but we've just had the house re-roofed, and in the clear out of the loft, we've refound boxes of new parquet flooring....real stuff, genuine pieces of hardwood timbers, not laminated, plastic varnished stuff, I mean.
Not masses though, but certainly enough to do a pantry, or a couple of cupboards or a loo or small hallway.
If they're likely to be of use I'll hang onto them instead of throwing them out. If nowt else they'd burn in the stove :)

M
 
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Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
83
36
Scotland
Veering off topic again, but we've just had the house re-roofed, and in the clear out of the loft, we've refound boxes of new parquet flooring....real stuff, genuine pieces of hardwood timbers, not laminated, plastic varnished stuff, I mean.
Not masses though, but certainly enough to do a pantry, or a couple of cupboards or a loo or small hallway.
If they're likely to be of use I'll hang onto them instead of throwing them out. If nowt else they'd burn in the stove :)

M

Another very Kind offer but I think we'll probably pass, purely because it sounds like it wouldn't do the hallway which is unfortunate. Probably a small fortune you're sitting on there I'd have thought.

All the best
Andy
 

Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
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Scotland
In the spirit of keeping my mind occupied and given that we've wandered slightly does anyone have experience with roof windows?

We've got quite a decent sized attic space which looks like it was used as a play room. At some point in the future I'd like to convert it to an office / man cave. It already has a radiator up there but is currently not insulated.

There is a very small, presumably original, single glazed, metal window in the roof. I thought it was leaking but I believe it's just getting condensation on it. Unfortunately it seems to be an odd size - 45x75cm. At some point down the line I'd like to replace it as there does seem to be some damage to the wood surrounding the window.

There seem to be a number of "Escape" windows that are just that size but they say they're for unheated, uninhabited loft spaces, which is obviously no good at all.

The smallest velux I can find is 55x75cm which would probably do.

So options - fit the right size escape window and be done with it. Or, bugger about fitting a larger window such as the 55x75 - or go the whole hog and fit a bigger window which would involve cutting roof beams.

This will likely be a job for either late this summer or next year. Again this is not something I find particularly daunting so would probably do most of it myself. - Cutting beams however does require a building warrant.

Andy
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Could you fit two ( or more) windows to fit between the rafters? More light, keeping roof structure strong.

Using the attic is a great idea. Cheaper to do than an extension, as long as you can find a goid place for the stairs without taking up too much space.
 

mousey

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Jun 15, 2010
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NE Scotland
I have some rooms on the top floor with some partial coombed ceilings and have often thought about windows fitted in between the beams, I'd love something like this...
Velux-combi-flashing.jpg
 

Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
83
36
Scotland
Looks good. I'll need to look into it a bit more. I don't think that the layout of the roof will allow something like that.

Andy
 

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