Simplex Optimist wood burning stove

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loveka
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Simplex Optimist wood burning stove

Post by loveka »

Does anyone have one of these?

We have run out of money to have the chimney lined and a stove put in, so I am considering getting one which would save us £1.5k!

Apparently they are very realistic.

Would some people not book because it's not a real stove though? We are in Cornwall, and the agent says we won't get any winter bookings without a stove/fire. But wondering whether realistic artificial would do?

We have had to spend money on electrics and sound proofing that we hadn't budgeted for, so a couple of things are going to have to wait now.
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Post by Essar »

Sorry, no knowledge of this type of stove.

Put yourself in a holidaymakers position - going to a romantic cottage with a wood burning stove; cosy with a nice bottle of wine, toasting marshmallows and your toes - whoaa, just a minute it's a 8l00dy fake! We've been done, I was so looking forward to throwing on the logs, I'm now suicidal, I want my money back.

Go for the real'un.
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Post by Orsonthecat »

Are you sure you need the chimney lined? It's worth getting a second opinion as will save you plenty if you don't need it lining and you can then afford the REAL woodburner &#128515;
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Post by Joanna »

Speaking as a holidaymaker we'd prefer a real log burner. If there's an electric one we treat that as similar to central heating so, for us, it wouldn't give your place any advantage over houses that didn't have one at all.

It might be better to give the fireplace a simple treatment for now and save up for the chimney lining and real log burner in a year or two. Just to put that in perspective we have a log burner at home, as well as in one cottage and the other cottage has an open fire so we are fans of the real thing!

Having said that, it may be that guests who aren't familiar with log burners may prefer the easy, clean nature of an electric fire.
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

Loveka, stop and reconsider!

Financially: think about the value of your property when you come to sell it. A working chimney adds value.

As others have said, guests love to have a real stove.

And really reconsider the cost of chimney lining! The main cost is for scaffolding. If you can access your chimney using a scaffold tower or a cherry picker, or if there is any other work to do up at roof level, then you're saving. Installing a flexible chimney lining is NOT a specialist job* (though there are plenty of specialists who will tell you that it is). I did one a couple of years ago with the help of a roofer, while re-roofing was in progress. Total cost of chimney lining was £250. Boom! Very well worth it.

* (edit) Although I said it's not a specialist job, it is something that needs research. For example the diameter of the liner should be matched to the stove's stove pipe diameter: you can't have a 7" stove pipe feeding into a 5" liner! Also, liners are usually insulated to prevent acidic condensation inside the liner. The nature of the chimney will dictate which kind of insulation to use.
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Post by kg1 »

Joanna wrote:Speaking as a holidaymaker we'd prefer a real log burner. If there's an electric one we treat that as similar to central heating so, for us, it wouldn't give your place any advantage over houses that didn't have one at all.

It might be better to give the fireplace a simple treatment for now and save up for the chimney lining and real log burner in a year or two. Just to put that in perspective we have a log burner at home, as well as in one cottage and the other cottage has an open fire so we are fans of the real thing!

Having said that, it may be that guests who aren't familiar with log burners may prefer the easy, clean nature of an electric fire.
Speaking personally I would prefer the effect of a log fire without the hassle. Have never used a log burner & wouldn't want the worry of doing something wrong.
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Post by GillianF »

We have a very efficient woodstove in our gite for Winter lets. We provide firelighters, kindling and logs but most people don't seem to realise it needs a bit of effort on their part to make it work, i.e. get out of the chair and put wood on from time to time!
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Post by Sam V »

We've had a wood burner installed in our house and cottage. Both chimneys 'lined' with a flue pipe that just runs up inside the chimney and cost as Ben said about £250. They are not difficult to light, I have found and laminated instructions for our cottage guests, they get the easy bit as we make sure they have all the logs and kindeling they need. Also, a wood burner is going to provide a lovely radiant heat, which is still going long after you've added the last log of the day. You won't get that with electric.
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Post by Ecosse »

I'm another one for not wasting your money on a pretend fire - memories of my nana's fake fire which looked realistic but was strangely unsatisfactory.

We've just installed a wood burner and I agree with Ben, it seems more complex than it actually is. We'd never done anything like this, and while we didn't have a chimney to line, we did have to drill through a flat metal roof, hence make the whole thing watertight around the hole. The actual installation of the stove and the pipe were a doddle - no more difficult than fitting lego together, and even complying to the French regulations was not difficult. There's lots of good advice on the internet, including the regs you need to comply to in the country you're installing the stove.

Cost wise, being in France, close to the Italian border (stoves are so much cheaper there) our costs won't be too relevant, but when we were looking for a stove we considered getting a UK one as the smaller ones (basically for ambience rather than necessary for heating) were very reasonably priced. Some with excellent reviews were as little as £250! Chimney flues and accessories needed for sealing them are ridiculously expensive in France, however, our whole installation cost was still less than 1000 euros.

The best thing is the satisfaction of our guests - before, many of our guests would eat downstairs and then retire to their rooms, basically not using the huge, comfy communal area downstairs. That's all changed now, with people sitting there until the small hours, and the positive comments we've received have been brilliant. I don't think a fake fire would have had the same effect.
loveka
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Post by loveka »

I do agree with the majority who say don't do it. I love a real fire on holiday and would reject a cottage without!

Our installation is complicated though. When we bought it we asked if there was any reason why we couldn't have a fire or stove. We were told there was no reason. It turns out the guy had cemented over the chimney... There have been a few other things that were unforeseen too, mainly the electrics and hot water tank which have eaten up our budget, and we have gone 5k over already.The scaffolding alone would be £600.

So we are out of cash! We can do it next year when we have had some money in. The question is what to do before that. We have just had the horrible old fireplace removed and found an inglenook behind it so it looks fantastic. But should we have nothing or a fake one?
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Post by PW in Polemi »

If your chimney is still capped off, i.e. no nasty draughts, then put a lovely arrangement of large candles in the grate as a temporary measure. Your guests can light these for ambience, and you can have a note in your house book/on your site that a genuine wood burning stove will be installed when you can fit the installation works between bookings (this then makes it sound like you are pretty fully booked for the duration ... :D ).
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Post by Tdaw »

The cottage I'm looking at doesn't have a chimney, nor realistically can one be added so I have looked at various fake fires. the opti-mist looks very good but I gathered that as it works using water vapour the reservoir needs to be topped up (preferably with distilled water). And that's a little job I wouldn't expect people to do and then there would be complaints it wasn't working. So that particular model was off my list.

Real fires are lovely but coming in from a wet walk and fiddling with kindling when all you want to do is get your feet warm and outside a B&T isn't for everyone.
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Post by Cymraes »

Tdaw wrote:
Real fires are lovely but coming in from a wet walk and fiddling with kindling when all you want to do is get your feet warm and outside a B&T isn't for everyone.
I heat by open fires at home but in the let the wood burner is pretty much cosmetic. Full central heating keeps the place warm but the wood burners look nice and provide the cosy holiday dream. Not as many people as you expect actually go to the bother of lighting them.

They look wonderful in the advertisements.
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Post by Tdaw »

Out of interest I asked about the opti-myst fires in the shop today - apparently they need to be refilled with water once a day and it must be filtered water - so not ideal for a holiday let.
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Post by waterwitch »

I think a woodburner pays for itself a hundred fold in the long run - even though many guests don't actually use it, it is very high on the wish list of most renters.

We fitted our woodburner and the flue lining ourselves - hubby on the roof pushing and me pulling! It was a bit of a struggle but straightforward enough.

Loveka as a cheaper option have you considered an open fire in a basket grate (provided the chimney isn't leaking). We have one at home in our inglenook and it's fantastic - apparently unlike a woodburner you generally don't need the chimney lining for an open fire, provided it is in good condition. Obviously you need to get it swept and smoke tested first, and every 12 months thereafter.
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