Woodburning Range Cookers

paddy · Post: # 51697Post **paddy** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:47 pm

Hi

I have just decided to give the boot to my oil boiler and want to buy a Range which will cook and do at least 10 rad's.

I know what to buy an Aga...Rayburn...or a Stanley range, but after spending over 2 hours on the Net i have only come across 3 sites which stock these things and give prices.

Obviously i want to pay as little as possible so my question is do any of you lot know of places which sell these ranges so i can compare prices???

Doesnt matter where there are as long as they are in the UK or Ireland as i have a wind/solar powered truck

Any help much appreciated

Thanks.

Jack · Post: # 51707Post **Jack** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:28 pm

Gidday

Hey Paddy please tell me more about this wind powered truck.

I could tell you where to buy these stoves but I think your truck would have a bit of trouble getting to them.

red · Post: # 51725Post **red** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:57 pm

don't forget .esse

Thomzo · Post: # 51744Post **Thomzo** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:16 pm

Hi Paddy

Are you thinking of replacing with oil or solid fuel?

I have twice bought second hand solid fuel Rayburns. Both worked really well saving a fortune. Unfortunately I can't remember where I got either of them but I'm sure if you ask your local aga/rayburn stockist then they might be able to tell you of any second hand dealers in your area.

You can also ask at a boat yard. Live-aboards often have solid fuel stoves on and a boat yard may occasionally have one they have taken out of a re-fit.

I installed the first one myself but it wasn't doing the heating. The second one was going to power the rads so I got the people I was buying it from to install it. That was definitely the way to go as they are then responsible for making sure it works.

I'm not so sure I'd buy a second hand oil one but I think they give guarantees on them so you should be OK.

Have fun - they are definitely worth it.

Zoe

paddy · Post: # 51751Post **paddy** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:38 pm

Thanks i have a wood stove but want a wood range to cook on and do the central heating as i want no more oil too expensive.

Thomzo · Post: # 51769Post **Thomzo** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:41 pm

Definitely worth it. I used to find it difficult to keep the Rayburn in all night on just wood though. I used to keep a small amount of coal in and just use 4 or 5 lumps then fill with wood and close everything down. Catchable in the morning and the house would be toasty too.

I also meant to say that if you do get a second hand one, you can repaint them so you can change the colour if you need to. Easiest if you go for black as you can use normal stove paint (and re-paint it whenever it's looking manky) but other colours are available.

I really miss my Rayburn but I'm in a smokeless (ish) zone now so can't really make the most of it.

I had an airer over mine (a rack mounted to the wall). It was amazing, you could dry a pair of jeans in an hour. Best not do that if you are cooking curry though.

Oh the differences between Aga's and Rayburns. I don't think Aga's do central heating. You have to get a separate bolt on boiler (but that may have changed).

I would also recommend getting the biggest they do. You'll see the benefit if you are using it for all your cooking. And definitely get one that has separate hob covers for the "hotplates". If you have to open the whole hotplate up just to boil a kettle it's pretty inefficient.

Cheers
Zoe

camillitech · Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:14 pm

hi paddy,
i have fond memories of my rayburn which i kept going with coppiced birch but it really was a full time job just keeping it going and mine was just a small one that did some cooking and hot water. my parents who took early retirement had a larger one that did radiators and my father spent his whole life feeding the thing!!! mind you he's now 73 and fit as a butchers dog

he has finally started taking it easy and converted it to oil though!

good luck paul

paddy · Post: # 51784Post **paddy** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:39 pm

Hi Paul i know they need feeding but i have a free supply of wood and i can get the odd bag of coal delivered.

There is only two of us and we have a wood stove as well so i dont think it will be too bad.

Are you really on Raasay?? I think i looked at a property for sale there about 6 years ago and was almost tempted.

camillitech · Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:55 pm

paddy wrote:Hi Paul i know they need feeding but i have a free supply of wood and i can get the odd bag of coal delivered.

There is only two of us and we have a wood stove as well so i dont think it will be too bad.

Are you really on Raasay?? I think i looked at a property for sale there about 6 years ago and was almost tempted.

certainly are paddy,

right at the end of the road surrounded by birch trees (though not as many as there was

)

Thomzo · Post: # 51828Post **Thomzo** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:45 am

camillitech wrote:hi paddy,
i have fond memories of my rayburn which i kept going with coppiced birch but it really was a full time job just keeping it going and mine was just a small one that did some cooking and hot water. my parents who took early retirement had a larger one that did radiators and my father spent his whole life feeding the thing!!! mind you he's now 73 and fit as a butchers dog
he has finally started taking it easy and converted it to oil though!

good luck paul

Hi
Well I didn't have to feed mine all the time as I was out at work all day. I do remember coming home after working late and having to get wood in for the fire (in my suit) out of the barn just so that I would be warm in the morning but that was just me being disorganised.

I think it depends what wood you burn and how much heat you draw off it. Mine was kept damped right down all day because I was out so it didn't use as much fuel. I guess if you are in all day and want more heat out of it you will use a lot more fuel. You can get hopper feed systems for some of them but I'm not sure if you can use them with wood or if they are just for coal.

Zoe

paddy · Post: # 51834Post **paddy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:28 pm

Quite agree Zoe, i also think you can be too warm in your house aswell and it turns you into a big softy

But i firmly believe that Oil will be tremendously expensive soon, heating oil is about 80cents per litre now and 6 years back it wasaround 30 cents so that says it all really, and if you can coppice trees without killing them then your wood should last together with a bit of coal.

One thing i do know about them is when you get up in the morning you have great hot showers

camillitech · Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:19 pm

Hi
Well I didn't have to feed mine all the time as I was out at work all day. I do remember coming home after working late and having to get wood in for the fire (in my suit) out of the barn just so that I would be warm in the morning but that was just me being disorganised.

I think it depends what wood you burn and how much heat you draw off it. Mine was kept damped right down all day because I was out so it didn't use as much fuel. I guess if you are in all day and want more heat out of it you will use a lot more fuel. You can get hopper feed systems for some of them but I'm not sure if you can use them with wood or if they are just for coal.

Zoe[/quote]

your dead right zoe if your at work all day and don't use it for cooking and don't mind having cold radiators and buy the wood then you won't spend most of your life feeding your fire. but if your coppicing a wood properly and not just clear felling it then you will spend at least a day a week just getting your wood. don't get me wrong i used to find it quite theraputic but as a self employed fisherman/diver i could only do it on sunday my day off or when it was to windy to go to sea. so after 10 years i converted to oil. did the conversion myself and used the fuel from my fishing boat (around 50lts a week) so i did not even notice the cost. however like paddy says its about double the price now (and going up every month) and i,ve sold my fishing boat and got a proper job

so i'm looking for a green alternative. perhaps wind/solar/GSHP still got a woodburner to keep my wood in trim but now an hour or two a week keeps that going nicely in the evenings. there's nothing quite like the smell of birch smoke from a chimney to greet you after a hard day at the office!

paddy · Post: # 51884Post **paddy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:27 pm

You sold your fishing boat!!!!!!!!!!!

Shame on sir that's sacrilege

camillitech · Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:12 pm

paddy wrote:You sold your fishing boat!!!!!!!!!!!

Shame on sir that's sacrilege

fraid so paddy, turned it into a new extention on the house. it was a tough decision as i salvaged it from 18mts of water and spent 2 years of my life rebuilding it then 5 or 6 working and at times living on it but then i was offered a proper job with holidays and a pension. fast approaching 50 a clam divers days are numbered so after 14 or so years of self employment i joined the treadmill (again) well not quite the treadmill as i work week on week off!

paddy · Post: # 51892Post **paddy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:21 pm

Still the longing for that freedom and wide open sea.......bliss

What do you do now on Raasay then ?? And pension? you must be having a laugh there...Didnt you know we are the last of the baby boomers, born a few years before the contraceptive pill.....nobody can or wants to give us lot a pension

we wont be allowed to retire they will keep raising the retirement age so that most of us die on our feet