Quick question for those of you in the know. Visiting the in-laws this weekend. They got stove fitted this year, clown who sold it/ installed got them to get massive double door job. Father in law spends half his life now feeding it.
Question is, can we put smaller firebox or place some fire bricks inside to reduce volume of grate he fills? I seem to think I’ve seen this done but wanted to check.
Cheers loads,
Niall

yes
We just put a big flatish rock we found in ours to achieve this but I have since been warned lots of stone splits crack etc so better to use the right stuff but yes to bricks and i assume yes to reduce fire if you used suitable sizes steel sheets which – I assume- would warp over time [years but not sure how many]due to the heat

Woodburners are usually bigger than multi-fuels because, er, people are expected to burn big bits of wood in them. Our multifuel has a grate about 14″ x 12″ but it doesn’t half knock out some heat. The best advice we were given when we bought ours was to err on the side of a smaller stove, which would mean that we’d be burning it a bit harder and hotter and the flue gases would be hotter and cleaner with less tarring of the flue and the inside of the stove. It’s all about combustion temperatures and oxygen.

On the other hand my cycling buddy has a woodburner and I have to admit that nothing looks more welcoming than the big window and a couple of logs glowing nicely on a bed of hot embers, fully seasoned wood gives off gorgeous irridescent flames that lick lazily around the grate. Wood gives off less heat than coal so you do need a bigger grate to achieve the same output.

My advice would be to find a good stove supplier (Milligans of Burnley if you’re in the NW) and ask then what to do. Maybe they can advise on fitting some bits of refractory lining to make the grate smaller, they will have all kinds of bits in stock for different stoves.

Alternatively flog the huge woodburner on Eblag (it will fly) and buy something compact and multi-fuel like our Dovre 500. Here:http://www.dovre.co.uk/html/woodburning-stove-500.html

If he gets it right and screws down the vents once it is lit, then it shouldn’t burn that much. Couple that with ‘big logs’ once it is lit and he should be fine. A fire brick or two not blocking the air flow should be fine, but getting that air flow is probably going to make a bigger difference.

Is he using it properly? Once the firebox is up to heat he needs to close the vents a bit to keep it ticking over. A smaller firebox won’t reduce the speed at which he needs to feed it if the burn is too high. It could in fact make it worse.

Edit: what tootall said

Cheers guys, as said by you guys not sure he’s got the knack of it yet – only put in in summer, but even so is way too big in my opinion. My folks use one half the size to heat same area, rads and water too. Will drop into local seller at some point – are in Norn Ireland, and ask their advice. Also like the idea of ebaying and getting more appropriate size.
All this being complicated by fitter being mate of bro-in- laws so apparently can do no wrong, much family rows ensued when wife pointed out cowboy nature of work and state left chimney breast in.