Which wood heater

Hi, I am building a new house which is roughly 25 squares internally. We are looking at the following free standing wood heaters – the norseman Silhouette GL, jindara flinders and clean air. Does anyone have any experiences with these wood heaters or brands? We did consider a Saxon mahogany but heard it's really smokey. thanks

I have installed 3 wood heaters but none of the ones you refer to.

One of the reasons for a smoky heater is the flue is too short. (one of the other reasons could be that the heater is not hot enough)

Typically the standard flue kit supplied with a heater requires additional flue segments to be purchased.

+1 to what Beetaloo said, the you can not have a short flue, it really needs to extend up and above your roof, and get there without having to turn corners. Heat rises, and as it does the smoke rises with it.

If the heater isn't hot enough, its not creating that upward movement. That's why you see any heater is a bit smoky until it really gets going (or if the flue is closed off).

We had our wood heater installed yesterday, we have never owned a wood heater but with it being so cold here and trying to heat the whole house we installed a wood heater to complement the heating.

We installed a Regency Alterra on a glass hearth. It has a wood box there but in this pic there I was yet to load it up.

I dont understand why length would be an issue? As long as its exiting straight? Or does the length create velocity?


Looks fantastic. The glass goes straight on the floor and walls? what does it cost for that option?

The critical dimension is the height above the roof. Ideally the top of the flue should be at least as high as the roof ridge. This is to avoid downdrafts created by areas of high pressure as wind passes over the roof.

I agree too Beetaloo. Of similar and connected reasons is where on your roof the flue exits and where your predominant wind comes from. I've seen them only 500mm high on the low end of a roof on the windward side and work very well but I have seen others 1.5m high on the leeward side of a house that have been quite smokey probably for the reason you state above.

Stewie

the glass can be purchased for up to $880 but I would shop around.

As for smoke, we have only been fire owners for a few days but very aware of smoke and have been checking outside quite a lot, we are finding that the wood quality we have selected and making sure when new wood goes on it has full air flow for about 20 mins is pretty much giving no smoke - well we can't see it anyway. In fact we have even got a torch out a night to check, we are enjoying the consistent warmth.

Hi there,
I'm looking for a fire also, can't comment on the ones you mentioned.
But we had a Ultimate Supreme 24 in the last place it was good but, like with all fires you had to run it hard to start. A nice big piece of redwood would keep the place warm over night. We did have to keep the fire box clear of ash for the best efficiency. Our place had no insulation and cathedral ceilings and was in Adelaide.
We are also building a new house and looking for a new fire.
We want to use a free standing, higher efficiency slow combustion heater with a fan and ash drawer. Secondary burn rather than catalytic to avoid maintenance, however the Regency Kingston and Richmond appear to have great reviews.

I have been looking at the following:

Pacific Energy, The Neo 2.5

Pyroclassic IV - although no ash pan

Osburn Matrix

What is under your heater? Is that a piece of special heat proof glass? What is the thickness of this glass? I would say this is a great idea.

My dad has a Norseman Nevada and we have been turned off this brand of wood heater. For us, it has been very smoky and we can't get it to burn through the night, no matter how much wood we put in it (we can't get it to shut down low enough to burn slowly). I personally wouldn't buy this brand.

Heading into winter, thought I'd rekindle this one.
Any one got any more input?

I'm still thinking of the following,

Regency, Kingston
Pacific Energy, The Neo 2.5
Osburn, Matrix

All high efficiency and long burn times.

I know you discounted the Saxon but We have the rosewood model and if you burn hardwood, once the burn is red hot I find there is no smoke at all. Good luck


Our Acreage Build
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=82619

Another item to consider is how noisy the fan is.

Anyone in the market for a wood heater we went into BBQ galore (Hobart store) and they have 20 % off, managed to save $675 off the price of a new Saxon Mahogany, they will even keep it in their warehouse for me until the I am ready for it