Key features of a multi-fuel burning stove
When you’re looking to install a stove in your home, the various terms used to describe them can be confusing. That’s why we’ve created this handy guide to the main functions you’ll need to understand.
What fuels can be burned?
Most people think of wood when they imagine a stove, but you can burn a wide variety of other fuels, including peat or turf briquettes, anthracite and smokeless fuels. These all come under the category of solid fuels, as opposed to liquids such as oil or gas. This means you may see stoves advertised as solid fuel or wood-burning stoves, but they are all capable of burning most solid fuels, giving you flexibility and the option of trying different ones. It is important that you assess the dust and other particles that may be produced form your stove and a Dust Monitor may help with this. You can find a Dust Monitor from mattsmonitors
How are they similar to wood-burning stoves?
Multi-fuel stoves don’t look any different in style from those that only burn logs, and they also have similar efficiency and give out a similar amount of heat. Both types also have features that help the stove burn cleaner, such as Airwash or Cleanburn, which means the flames are vivid and you get good fuel efficiency.
How do they differ?
Unlike wood burners, Defra approved multi fuel wood burning stoves have a fuel bed that collects the ash and needs to be removed. They have a riddling grate that removes ash from the combustion chamber into an ashpan, which you can then safely remove once the stove has cooled down and is not in use.
How to choose
In its guide to buying a stove, the consumer guide Which? recommends visiting different showrooms to look at the sizes and styles of the stoves available and testing how loud they are before buying. There are many sizes and styles to choose from, depending on your home décor, with very traditional designs and more contemporary and unusual ones.
How eco-friendly are they?
When they are Defra approved, multi-fuel burning stoves have been tested for the amount of smoke they emit and provide the lowest level of combustion air, which means that the fuel burns efficiently without giving out unnecessary smoke. They therefore comply with the Clean Air Act, allowing you to use them in Smoke Control Areas, which include most towns and cities.