Which Fire is Good For me, Gas Fire or Wood Burning Fire

Capacity

When choosing a gas or wood burning fire or stove, you must take the capacity into account. The average sized UK living room only requires 3-4 kilowatts (kW) to heat adequately, and it can be problematic if the user chooses a gas or wood burning fire or stove with too high a capacity. This is because the room would rapidly become too hot, and if the fire is to be enjoyed then it would need to be kept on a low setting, which can lead to combustion and emissions issues in wood burning fire and stoves, and a low, unimpressive flame in gas burning fires and stoves.

There is a simple calculation that can be done to determine the appropriate capacity for your room. First, you need to calculate the area of the room, multiplying the length, width and height. You should then determine which of the three categories below your room fits into.

Category A is for rooms that are well insulated, with good floor and wall insulation, and have double-glazed windows. Category B is for rooms that are reasonably well insulated, but with minimal floor and wall insulation, and minimal double glazing. Finally Category C is for homes that are poorly insulated, with no floor and wall insulation, and no double-glazing. Obviously the better insulated your room, and the smaller its size, the lower the capacity of gas or wood burning fire or stove that is needed.

Graphs are available online that will enable you to plot your room and choose the perfect specification of gas or wood burning fire or stove. Alternatively, you can give Banyo.co.uk a call, and we can talk you through the process. We are experts in helping customers to select the best fire or stove for their needs. With one of the largest showrooms in the midlands, and almost two decades of experience in the field, we can help you to choose from the most well-established and popular brands of gas and wood burning stoves and fires.

Open and Closed Combustion                                                                                                

Once you know the ideal capacity of gas or wood burning fire or stove to choose, the next step is to decide whether an open or closed combustion unit is the most appropriate. Open combustion refers to a system by which air is extracted from the room that the fire is in, to aid combustion, and gases are expelled via the flue, and up and out through the chimney. They are called open because the vents in the front of the fire create an opening into to the room, and are only appropriate for homes with a) a chimney, and b) good ventilation.

Closed combustion units, on the other hand, are completely closed off from the room, and air is instead extracted from outside of the house, using the flue, and expelled using the same flue. The flue normally goes from the fire through an outside wall, and so there is much greater flexibility as to fire location, specifications and designs. These closed combustion or balanced flue Gas fires and stoves are suitable for a much wider range of homes than open combustion or conventional flue systems.

At Banyo.co.uk, we have a wide variety of open combustion / conventional flue, and closed combustion / balanced flue, gas fires stoves, from a range of leading brands, to suit all of your needs. Our experts are always available to advise you on this subject, and to help you to make the best decision.