"Old"-looking boiler stoves

[hgreaves]

Hi all

We have a C16-C17 cottage (around 100 square metres floor space) and want to install a boiler wood-burning stove to run central heating and hot water. We understand that stoves with an integral "wraparound boiler" are much more efficient than stoves that just clip a boiler onto the back of the stove. We have found a few stoves that look suitable in technical terms, but they all have horribly modern appearances which aesthetically would not fit with the character of our cottage... Being unreasonable types, we're looking for that impossible combination of modern hi-tech convenience and old-fashioned charm. Does anyone have any advice on where we might find more rustic-looking boiler stoves??

Thanks in advance for any tips!!
Hilary.

 

[Flyfisher]

I think it depends on what you mean as efficient. My understanding is that different designs provide a different split between the heat emitted into the room and that used to heat the water. This split is usually specified in the stove details. There's no right or wrong, of course, it just depends what sort of heating system you want.

 

[skier-hughes]

Hilary,
We went through exactly what you are doing in March.
We decided in the end a warm house was more important than the eventual look of the stove and in the end went for a modern stove. Happily we have been able to make it fit it's surroundings quite nicely.
We also came to the conclusion a wrap around boiler was more efficient.
5 years of trying to get an 8 radiator rayburn to heat a house with 19 rads with a fire in the lounge as the only other source of heating meant lots of warm clothes, now we have a warm house to wake up to We also have a 900 litre buffer tank to store yesterdays heat to give us heating today.

 

[Flyfisher]

No doubt about the effectiveness of that stove - it's got the brickwork up to a nice white heat. :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Graham, that sounds fab. I think a modern stove is perfectly nice too.

Hilary - I haven't done any web searching on your behalf but I think you might struggle to find such a thing in the UK. In the States, I think you'd find it fairly easily, as I discovered when I was shopping for an antique looking electric oven. I found masses and masses of 21st C gadgets that sported Period design, very silly, very fun. But none in this country!