# Forum Home Renovation Heating & Cooling  Freestanding Wood heaters. Fan or No Fan??? Firebricks/ Cast Iron or mild steel??

## Moondog55

So what is your general consensus/
For a free-standing wood fired heater which gives the best all-round performance and longevity.
So basically a question on which brand and model gives the best bang-for-buck when all things are considered.
I'm still trying hard to persuade the Minister of War and Finance that a wood heater is a viable option ( our prospective builder agrees with me on this issue BTW)
the unit which appeals to me just happens to be one of the more expensive heaters but it does have the option of a large wet-back.  Nectre Heaters - Baker&#39;s Oven 
the Mega from Nectre is also a good looking unit and I am familiar with its performance but needs huge clearances which would need to be addressed at the planning stages ( as discussed in previous threads )   http://www.renovateforum.com/f193/co...raming-104239/   Nectre Heaters - Nectre Mega

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## SilentButDeadly

Nectre is about the only wood heater I'd choose.  My preference is mild steel with firebricks.   
Cast iron parts rust like a bucket and typically aren't protected by bricks - they can also be damn hard to replace.  Our old cast iron Masport consumes its top and rear fittings (made of cast iron) and they are tricky to source. 
Fans add complexity but are a good idea if it is a built in fireplace.  Otherwise wouldn't bother. 
Avoid the temptation to go large - it can waste you wood and make you uncomfortable.   
The Bakers Oven and the Mega are two entirely different things - the former is tiny and good for smaller spaces while the Mega would heat a warehouse.  I like the idea of Bakers Oven...having seen one in use.

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## Moondog55

Proposed extension would be 6*8 metre with a raised ceiling so a large volume to heat.
We would also consider a ducting system to distribute heat, perhaps using a gas ducted heat system in conjunction on "fan only??" a good gas system would surely turn off the heating when the wood fire produced enough heat

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## johnc

> Proposed extension would be 6*8 metre with a raised ceiling so a large volume to heat.
> We would also consider a ducting system to distribute heat, perhaps using a gas ducted heat system in conjunction on "fan only??" a good gas system would surely turn off the heating when the wood fire produced enough heat

  I'd make sure the gas heater thermostat is in the same room as the woodheater. We have both, a Jindara inbuilt coupled with ancient ducted heating. Fan only doesn't work for us, and wont unless the air intake is in the same room as the woodheater in my opinion as you need to draw in the heated air and the best source is near the heater. Currently we keep the woodbox full, feeding it before heading off to bed at night and in the morning before heading to work. With the system choked right down the house is usually about 18 degrees in the morning and same at about 6pm. It is only fully open (unchoked) for about five hours a day at most heating the kitchen/family area up to a max of about 24 degrees at most heat loss is about 4 degrees overnight. We may use the central heating about once a week at most, or to warm the house up if we have been away. The house isn't large, about 22 squares not all rooms benefit but none are particularly cold.  
I'm not sure I'd want anything as domineering as the bakers oven, however I've often wondered if using the wet jacket to power a convection radiator would work. You could have one in the bedroom areas while the woodheater warms the living area.

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## Moondog55

I was interested in the water jacket for the domestic HWS more than radiators.
interestingly I just got an email from Nectre, it seems even manufacturers are unaware of the new BCA rule on heat shields as I was told to use the Australian Standard to allow placement of the Mega close to a wall andof course we can't. 
Would it make a great difference to heat transfer if the return register was in a different room? I was thinking the opposite to make sure the extra heat from the wood fire was sucked back into the rest of the house. 
Of course work here has slowed right down and we still have not done the ducting for the other room, even tho the sucker fan is in and wired up.

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## Smurf

All my experience with wood heaters tells me that "too much" heat is a more common problem than "too little". 
Don't get a huge heater unless that's the size you really do need. It's well worth looking at the manufacturer's recommendations in terms of the area a particular unit will heat and making a decision based on that. 
Getting an oversized heater and running it choked off all the time is a sure way to end up with heaps of soot in the flue, the glass turning black and neighbours upset due to the smoke. Getting the right size and burning it properly overcomes all those problems. 
So far as the overall desirability of wood heaters is concerned, I will simply state that they are not for everyone. If there's nobody home all day, and you get home in the dark, then the chore of getting the heater going becomes an irritation rather quickly. Hence I use the wood heater on weekends, and just use the electric heater of an evening Monday - Friday noting that the house is empty all day and it's already well and truly dark by the time I get home.

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