Insert Stoves V Stand Alone Stoves

doteen

Have open fireplace & so so sick of it as I still need radiator on the sitting room with the fire to keep the room cosy and its a small enough sitting room. I want to put in a solid fuel range, non boiler one, but unsure whether to go with insert or stand alone. I know the insert ones are more expensive and haven't been around for that long, I don't want to make a mistake and get the wrong one.

I've been to a couple of places to look and given a bit of advice. My 2 options are Stanley Oisin (standalone) or Stanley Cara Insert Stove as they match my room size. Really think the Oisin will come out too far and I'd love the insert as so so tidy.

But anyone give me advice/help on what exactly would the extra cost be to do either. Okay we purchase the stove standalone or insert then what is the cost after this.

Any advice I would really appreciate. There are sales in the next week on the ranges so not really much time to get all my tips together.

tomtucker81

We got a boru croi beag insert stove in sept 12. Its the smallest one they do, compared to others its a very small output.
And it's roasting when lit, the room really heats up massively. So much so that I've found it trips the central heating thermostat in the hallway!
Ive a friend who recently got a stanley insert stove and he's having similar toasty results to mine.
to compare, I visited my in laws over xmas and they have a big sitting room and big open fire, that was lit and full of coal. But I still had to stand over towards it to feel the heat. A stove is definitely the way forward. Also I'm going through far less wood and turf in the smaller stove with a far greater heat output.

shane0007

Inserts have been around for as long as free standing stoves if not longer.
The two types really operate differently in the type of heat they give off. The free standing stove is a radiant heater, in that the heat radiates from all sides of the stove & can be excessively hot if the room seating arrangement is close to the stove.
On the other hand, inserts work by convection, in that they omit warm air circulation through a bottom air intake & an upper air outlet, thus heating the room with warm air.

I have the Cara insert & when I first installed it, my wife taught it was crap. We played around with different fuels & now she thinks it's the best thing since a sliced pan.

tomtucker81

Yeah I meant to include that the free standing stoves are generally a bigger output and are probably more suited to a bigger room. Most decent retailers would well advise you anyway