open fire and radiators?

dm1979

hi all, we were looking into getting a stove put in to heat water and radiators, but the cost is out of our range at the moment, our home is roughly 1500 square foot and has 9 radiators in total, run off oil. Heating the house is becoming a costly pain and with 3 kids it has to be done! somebody has recommended that we heat the water and radiators from our open fire as this will cost a lot less to have done, is it possible to heat the house from an open fire? and if we get the work done, to run off an open fire can we have a stove put in at a later date (when we can afford one) or will we have to get all plumbing work etc. redone to work with a stove? many thanks!

dpofloinn

You would be as well off to wait till you can afford the stove

dm1979

not worth getting done then, even as a starting point, with stove to follow down the line?

jimf

imho a back boiler is the most inefficient source of heat you could have in your house at best 30% efficient yes they do work but you have to keep the grate filled and the output for the input doesn't add up by their very design the heat loss is huge

dpofloinn

No firstly you will have to buy a back boiler then rip everything up to install it and the associated pipework etc etc then maybe after one year rip it out to put in your stove and then rip everything out again for the sake of a about a grand its not worth it in my opinion

dm1979

so bear with me here, pretty clueless with these things, but if we got this done (open fire, back boiler+radiators etc) would putting a door front on the open fire make it more efficent? really havent got the money at the moment for a stove and it is costing a small fortune to keep the house warm for the kids, many thanks again for replies + advice

Wearb

dm1979 wrote: »

so bear with me here, pretty clueless with these things, but if we got this done (open fire, back boiler+radiators etc) would putting a door front on the open fire make it more efficent? really havent got the money at the moment for a stove and it is costing a small fortune to keep the house warm for the kids, many thanks again for replies + advice

Yes a lot more efficient. Be sure to talk to both suppliers before buying to ensure that they will work together. Also be sure you installer knows that you are putting on a fire front door if you are not doing both together. If not done correctly you will loose the benefits of the door.

dm1979

many thanks wearb, I think thats the way to go alright, open fire with a door+ back boiler hooked to rads, works out a good bit cheaper, then getting a stove, thanks for taking the time to reply