5 of the best round and cylindrical wood-burning stoves

Rounded and Cylindrical Woodburners

Developments in manufacturing processes and the quality of materials available within the heating trade mean we are no longer restricted to have a wood-burning stove that sits within a traditional fireplace.

These outstanding round and cylindrical stoves are an excellent example of how stove can now be a design feature and focal point within your room.

We’ve picked out 5 recommended cylinder-shaped stoves by way of introduction and to show you the potential when it comes to this type of woodburner.

1. Thorma Rodana Wood Burning Stove

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The Thorma Rodana Wood Burning Stove is a sleek, modern appliance. It boasts a large, curved glass display to provide spectacular views of the flames inside the stove.

2. Invicta Ove 10 kW Wood Burning Stove

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This egg-inspired classic by French manufacturer Invicta is a great example of modern wood-burning stove design. The Invicta Ove is a sizeable appliance and also generates an impressive 10kW, which makes it ideal to work hard in large and open plan spaces. Find out more.

3. Carron Dante 5 kW Black Enamel DEFRA Multi Fuel Wood Burning Stove

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The Carron Dante offers a neat halfway point between some of the feature stoves in this list and traditional woodburners. It is much closer in size to a regular stove than some of the tall stoves featured here, but it still incorporates a stylish rounded design. Find out more.

4. Thorma Andorra Exclusive 7.5kW Wood Burning Stove

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The Thorma Andorra Exclusive is an example of a pedestal stove that incorporates a cylindrical design. A heat output of 7.5kW will provide good warmth to fairly big rooms. Find out more.

Evergreen ST250SE Ashley 5 kW Wood Burning Stove

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The closest you will get to a traditional wood-burning stove with a rounded design, the Evergreen Ashley is a timeless cast iron stove with curved edges. It also incorporates two hot plates, so you can cook your dinner on top. Find out more.

Want to see more round wood-burning stoves? Take a look at this Pinterest board.

How to service your woodburner

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Servicing your stove is a vital aspect of ensuring the safety and longevity of any appliance.

As a minimum, it is important to service your woodburner on an annual basis, either at the end of the heating season or before the start of the new one. Either way, it is key to service your stove before you start using it regularly again at the beginning of winter.

Here’s a whistle-stop guide to servicing your stove.

1. Wait for the stove to cool down
If the stove has been in use, wait for it to cool fully before starting the service.

2. Remove the internal parts of your woodburner
Remove the grate, ashpan, baffle and firebricks from your appliance. The firebricks, in particular, might have become fragile, so take care with those.

We put together a gallery showing how to replace the internal parts of a Mazona Olympus stove. That will give you an approximate idea for most appliances, but consult your stove manual for more information.

3. Vacuum the inside of your stove
Remove any ash from those nooks and crannies inside your appliance with the assistance of a vacuum cleaner.

4. Clean the stove’s internal surfaces
Remove any deposits that have built up on the surfaces of the firebox and the internal parts your removed (excluding the firebricks). Use a wire brush and/or scraper to clear away the deposits but, again, consult your stove manual for guidance on the best materials to use on your stove.

5. Clean your firebricks
The firebricks need a bit more care than the other internal parts to avoid damage, so use a soft brush to remove any deposits.

6. Consider buying spares
Are any of the parts your removed worn, broken or warped? If so, your service is the ideal time to replace them. Failing to replace these parts will result in your stove performing inefficiently for the winter ahead and may lead to permanent damage to your appliance. Shop for spares now.

7. Refit all the internal parts
Replace all the parts that you had previously removed, including fitting any spares you might have bought.

8. Remove the glass
Remove the glass from the door or, if easier and advised by your stove manufacturer, remove the entire door before removing the glass. This guide tells you how to remove stove glass in the event that it is cracked, but the process remains the same.

9. Clean the glass
Get rid of any blackening or discolouration of your stove glass by cleaning it. Try using newspaper dipped in cold ashes or a specialist stove glass cleaning product. You can click here for more stove glass cleaning tips.

10. Remove old or worn stove rope
Worn or frayed stove rope can break the seal around your stove door, letting too much air into the firebox. As part of your stove service, remove any damaged rope and the glue that was holding it in place.

11. Fit replacement stove rope
Replace the worn stove rope with new rope to ensure your stove functions efficiently. Buy replacement stove rope here. Use stove glue to hold the rope in place, then refit the glass and, if it was been removed, refit the door.

12. Lightly oil the door hinges
If approved by your stove manufacturer, use oil to give lubrication to the door-catch and hinges.

13. Check the stove body
Complete your service by checking the stove body. If you spot any rust, it is important to tackle that straight way. Find out how to do so. You can also use stove paint to freshen up your stove’s appearance.

Star Wars Wood Burners

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Wood-burning stoves come in all sort of shapes and sizes these days, including in the form of Star Wars characters.

Yes, with the help of internet DIY guides, an army – or perhaps an empire – of Star Wars wood burners are now in existence. And don’t they look great?

It is worth pointing out that most of the Star Wars wood burners are made from reused gas cylinders, which are not things to be messing around with if you’re not sure what you’re doing, so these projects are for experienced DIY-ers only.

Of course, a homemade or DIY stove doesn’t include the technology of professionally manufactured appliances. So, while the Darth Vader wood burner probably doesn’t have the sort of heat output, efficiency or features of the stoves we sell, you can at least be sure that the force is strong with it.

As well as the Darth Vader stove, people have also built a range of other Star Wars appliances, including a Stormtrooper woodburner, an R2D2 stove and even a Death Star.

And it doesn’t just stop with Star Wars wood burners, either. As well as the host of Star Wars designs, there are Batman woodburners, Ironman, Alien, Predator and Terminator stoves, plus designs based on VW campers, lorries and even golf bags. We’ve collated some of the most unusual wood-burning stoves, including all of those mentioned in this article, into a Pinterest board. Click here to enjoy some more unusual wood-burning stove designs.

As fun as they are, you might decide you want a wood-burning stove that is a little bit more understated in the end. If that’s the case (or if you can’t convince your other-half is right woodburner for your home), you might want to consider one of the range of wood-burning stoves available on our website.

Click here to visit Gr8Fires.co.uk

Wrap-around boiler or fixed boiler for wood-burning stoves?

Boiler Stoves

In this blog post we will look at the differences between wrap-around and fixed boilers when fitting a boiler stove, as well the differences between a closed system and an open system.

Whether a wrap-around boiler or a fixed boiler is best for your wood-burning boiler stove installation will depend on how much hot water is needed.

What is a wrap-around boiler?

A wrap-around boiler is just another name for a high output boiler (up to 30kW). It gets its name simply because it has more surface area to transfer heat to the water within. Most high output boilers are intended for use with radiators. These are steel or iron, so there will need to be rust inhibitor in the pumped water.

For this reason, wrap-around boilers tend to be made of steel instead of the much more expensive stainless steel. This is called a closed system because the water serving the boiler radiators and coil in the hot water tank never mix with the hot water in the tank.

What is a fixed boiler?

The small output clip-in or add-in boilers, like those for the Arada stoves (typically 1-4kW) are made from stainless steel. This allows them to be directly plumbed into your hot water tank, with no need for a coil in the tank.

In this case, the hot water from the tap will have been in the boiler at some point. This is called an open system.

Pressure

In terms of pressure, you can opt for either sealed and vented. This means there is either a header tank for the boiler in the attic or there is a pressure vessel near the main boiler. The likes of the Arada boiler stoves are high output and designed for used in a closed system. These can be vented or pressurised but, because there will be corrosion inhibitor in the water in the system, the cast iron pump should be fine.

This is only the briefest of introductions and boiler stove installations can get very complicated. We’d recommend contacting a HETAS installer capable of wet installations to get your system working as efficiently as possible.

Building a hearth for a wood-burning stove

Tiles Woodburner Hearth

If you’re installing a wood-burning stove in your home you might also need to install a new hearth for it to sit upon. A hearth must be made from a non-combustible material and protect any combustible materials below. Instances in which you will need to build a new hearth for you stove are:

  • Your property doesn’t currently have a hearth
  • Your property has a hearth but the existing hearth doesn’t comply with building regulations

Building regulations in relation to hearths for wood-burning stoves

There are a few aspects of the building regulations that are relevant to your hearth. These mainly relate to the materials and dimensions of the hearth.

The regulations vary depending on the style of installation. Some can rely on the addition of any non-combustible material of suitable dimensions, while other installations will required a constructional hearth.

Constructional hearth

A constructional hearth is made from a non-combustible material (usually concrete) to protect a combustible floor from the stove. Often it will be sunk to achieve the required thickness (see more details below) at floor level, but it can also be fully or partly above floor level.

Finishing the constructional hearth level with the rest of the floor allows for the addition of a superimposed or decorative hearth on top. The thickness of this superimposed hearth can be included towards the total thickness required in a constructional hearth. The edge of the hearth must be at a different level from the rest of the floor to clearly define a safe perimeter that anyone in the property can see must be kept clear of flammable objects.

Here is a quick rundown of some of the main regulations relating to hearths.

A freestanding stove certified not to heat the hearth to more than 100ºC

  • No constructional hearth is needed
  • Minimum 12mm thick non-combustible hearth placed directly onto the floor.
  • Minimum hearth size of 840mm x 840mm.
  • Minimum gap of 150mm between the stove and the rear and side edges of the hearth.
  • Minimum gap of 225mm (ideally 300mm) between the stove and the front edge of the hearth.

A freestanding stove NOT certified not keep the hearth temperature below 100ºC

  • A constructional hearth is needed.
  • Follow instructions for hearths for fireplace recess installations below.

A stove installation into a fireplace place recess

  • A constructional hearth is needed (unless the stove is certified to not heat the hearth to more than 100ºC, in which case a 12mm hearth is sufficient).
  • Minimum projection into the room of 500mm.
  • Minimum of 150mm wider than the recess at the point it opens into the room.
  • Minimum 250mm thick (or a minimum of 125mm thick if there is then a further 50mm air gap before any combustible materials).

Click here to read the relevant building regulations in full.

MORE: Find out which hearths are suitable for woodburners.