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Do Stovax & Gazco sell direct to the public? »
No, we have a network of dealerships throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. For details of your nearest Stovax dealer, contact: info@stovax.com or telephone: 0044 (0)1392 474000.
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I have an old Stovax/Gazco stove; can I get spares for it? »
Details of available spare parts are available from our Customer Services teams. Please contact Stovax on 0044 (0)1392 474000 for wood/multi-fuel products or Gazco on 0044 (0)1392 261999 for gas/electric products.
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Do I have to have a chimney/flue? »
If you are looking at a solid fuel or wood burning appliance then you do require a Class I flue. If you are proposing a gas appliance, then you will need a flue, depending on the appliance you require (alternatively you could look at balanced flue/powered flue gas appliances or electric fires). Consult your nearest dealer who will help establish which type of chimney your home has.
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Does my chimney need a liner? »
If you are installing a solid fuel appliance, then you would need to have your chimney inspected to check its condition. If the chimney is unlined, then it may be advisable to have the flue lined to increase its efficiency and that of your appliance, be it solid fuel or gas.
The chimney will determine how well your stove performs. A poor chimney system will directly affect the safety and efficiency of the stove. Any existing flue must be swept and inspected before installation of the appliance by a qualified installer.
Every installation is different; your local dealer/installer will be able to advise you on this once a site survey has been conducted. For details of your nearest Stovax dealer, contact info@stovax.com or telephone: 0044 (0)1392 474000, or use our online postcode system (if it is gas or electric products about which you require information, contact Gazco on info@gazco.com or telephone 0044 (0)1392 261999).
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What type of flue liner do I need? »
Flexible flue liners must conform to BS715; for gas fires they are generally 127mm in diameter and are made from aluminium. For decorative gas fires/wood/multi-fuel stoves they are generally 175mm in diameter and made from steel (this is because of the higher flue temperatures for these appliance types). Contact Stovax Customer Services on info@stovax.com or telephone: 0044 (0)1392 474000. If it is gas or electric products about which you require information, contact Gazco on info@gazco.com or telephone 0044 (0)1392 261999), we would always recommend you discuss technical details such as this with customer services or your local retailer.
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What fuel should I burn on my Stovax stove? »
The quality of fuel that is burnt will dictate the performance of your Stovax Stove.
• If your stove is woodburning:
Burn only dry, well seasoned logs (guidelines suggest a moisture content of less than 20%), which should have been cut, split and stacked for at least 12 months. Burning wet or unseasoned logs will create tar deposits in the stove and chimney and will not produce a satisfactory heat output. Do not burn manufactured board products, MDF, painted or treated wood, or kiln-dried wood such as pallets.
Wood burns best on a bed of ash and it is therefore only necessary to remove surplus ash from the stove occasionally.
• If your stove is for solid fuel:
Anthracite is an approved natural smokeless fuel and therefore can vary greatly in quality and performance. It generally requires excellent air supply to maintain maximum performance and with experience we would suggest that approved manufactured smokeless fuels as per the HETAS approved list are used.
The HETAS Ltd approved fuel list covers the use of the following manufactured fuels in a closed appliance:-
Coalite, Coalite Nuts, Blazebrite, Homefire, Homefire Ovals, Phurnacite, Mixed Nuts, Ancit, Taybrite, Sunbrite Doubles, Newflame, Supacite, Maxibrite, Fireglo Ovoids, Dragonbrite.
Only authorised smokeless fuels may be used in smoke control areas.
Warning! - Petroleum coke fuels or household waste must not be burnt on Stovax appliances.
Should any difficulties arise over fuel quality or suitability consult your approved coal merchant or the Solid Fuel Advisory Service – Telephone 0800 600 000.
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Can I burn wood on my multi-fuel grate? »
Yes, but because it is an open grate and air will pass underneath it, the logs may burn faster than multi-fuel ordinarily would until a deep bed of ash has built-up above the grate.
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I own a woodburning stove, can this be converted to burn multi-fuel? »
Most Stovax woodburners are available with the option of a multi-fuel conversion kit. For information, prices and ordering please contact Customer Services on 0044 (0)1392 474000.
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Can I convert my woodburner to gas/oil-fired? »
No. Each Stovax appliance is designed so that the best efficiency can be achieved from the relevant fuel type. Look at Gazco’s ranges of gas and oil-fired products to find one to suit your needs, all are shown on this website.
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The hole in my wall is too small for the fire I want, what can I do? »
In many cases the fire opening can be made bigger, but it will depend on a site survey to determine if this is the case. A small amount of building work can often help you achieve the style and look you want for your home.
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Do I need to have a hearth? »
This depends on the appliance and how it is to be installed. You would need to discuss specific requirements with a member of our Stovax (wood/multi-fuel only) Customer Services team (0)1392 474000, our Gazco (gas/electric only) Customer Services team (0)1392 261999 or your nearest dealer.
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Which materials can be used for a hearth? »
Non-combustible materials that can be used for hearths include slate, marble, granite, stone, certain ceramic tiles (check with tile manufacturer before using for a hearth). Stovax produce a range of tiles to create practical hearths which complement your chosen fire or stove.
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Why is there glass in front of some fires? »
Balanced flue fires need the glass to seal the appliance to allow the flue to work correctly. Solid fuel fires control and heat air up to improve efficiency. In general, fireboxes with glass fronts are greatly more efficient than traditional open fires.
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Won’t the glass prevent the heat escaping? »
Modern fires use a ceramic glass to aid heat transfer and to withstand the temperature. Some appliances also have the added benefit of convection systems. Covering the front of the appliance in glass allows us to closely control the flow of air through the appliance so that we can greatly increase the efficiency of the product. Fires without a glass fronts are typically 65% efficient at best, glass fronted fires can be as much as 80%+ efficient.
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What is the difference between convected and radiated heat? »
Radiated heat comes from the gas flame as it passes through the ‘fuel bed’ - coals, pebbles or logs. These absorb the heat from the gas flame and become hot, radiating infra red heat into the room. Convected heat is obtained from air from the room drawn behind the firebox, which is then warmed and passed back out (convected) into the room as hot air. In order to provide convected heat the fire must be a specific convector fire. The ratio between radiated and convected heat is variable, as a guide, outset fires may give 60% radiated and 40% convected, inset fires may give 40% radiated heat and 60% convected heat. These are only intended as a general guide, contact our Customer Services teams for further detail on specific models: Stovax 0044 (0)1392 474000, Gazco 0044 (0)1392 261999.
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How do I know what heat output I need to heat my room? »
Most modern homes do not rely on a fire or stove for their main heat source, as central heating is so common nowadays; however, in many traditional homes or rural areas a fire with a boiler that can heat domestic hot water or a system that can duct heat to other living spaces can be desirable.
It is best to choose a product that will heat your room sufficiently but avoid wasting excess heat and fuel. The size of the room generally dictates the heat output that you need from a fire, your nearest Stovax/Gazco dealer can advise you on this. In general terms, an average size living room will not need a great heat output, perhaps up to 5kw. A large living room, open plan barn conversions or large inglenooks can take fires and stoves with larger heat outputs, perhaps up to 11kw. Your local Stovax/Gazco dealer will be able to assist you choose which product is best for your home.
To produce a comfortable room temperature of approx 70° F (21/22° C) when the outside temperature is 0°, you will need about 1kw of heat for every 14 cubic metres of space. Measure the room in metres, then multiply the length by the width and the height. This will give you the space in cubic metres.
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I don’t have a chimney, can I still have a fire? »
Gazco produce a wide range of gas and electric fires suitable for no-chimney buildings so a stunning focal point can still be achieved even without a flue! Several gas Riva and E-box models are available with balanced flue systems, as are the Linea range of fires. Gazco also produces a number of Powered Flue fires, instead of a straight-through-the-wall flue, you can have much longer flue runs and even three or four bends in the flue. You could also consider the electric Riva range and our electric stoves which do not require chimneys.
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What if I don’t have mains gas? »
If you haven’t mains gas (Natural Gas) you can use the option of bottled gas (LPG). Virtually all Gazco models are available for use with LPG or Natural Gas. Natural Gas is provided through mains pipelines whereas LPG is usually supplied to homes in rural areas from a tank in the garden or gas bottles.
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Can I convert my stove/fire back to natural
gas? »
We would not recommend this – we would always recommend you consider a fire specifically manufactured for Natural Gas. View the full range of gas products available from Gazco on this website.
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What is a balanced flue? »
Balanced flues work in conjunction with glass fronted gas fires. the appliance is completely sealed from the room into which it is installed (so there are no draughts and heating efficiency is increased!) and a twin-wall pipe vents directly to an outside wall. Air for combustion is drawn through the outer pipe whilst the inner pipe removes the combustion gases to the exterior of the property. Depending on the fire selected, the twin-walled pipe may exit horizontally through an external wall or vertically through the roof. No electric supply is required; therefore there is no sound with this flue system.
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What is a powered flue? How does it work and where can it go? »
Instead of a short straight-through-the-wall flue, you can have much longer flue runs and even three or four bends in the flue. This means your fire does not have to be installed against an external wall so it can be located in more rooms around your home.
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Can I burn diesel in my oil-fired stove? »
No! Our oil-fired stoves burn Kerosene which is the same as oil-fired central heating systems. No other fuel should be burnt in your stove.
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I’m concerned about carbon monoxide poisoning, what should I be aware of? »
Carbon Monoxide is produced when gas has insufficient air mixed with it to give adequate combustion. It is vitally important that gas appliances are installed by a qualified CORGI registered installer, maintained correctly and serviced annually. A CORGI installer can carry out several tests to ensure your gas appliance is performing safely. In addition we would always recommend a Carbon Monoxide detector is installed in the home.
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Can I install a TV on the wall above a fire? »
We believe that (when installed correctly) our Open Studio fires do not create a particularly hot environment on the wall above where they are installed. We believe that they may be appropriate to be installed with Plasma or LCD TVs above them as long as they are fitted a minimum of 450mm above the top of the fire. But because there is such a wide variety of technology used in televisions we also strongly recommend that the TV manufacturer is contacted to ensure that this type of installation is compatible with the TV and would not invalidate the guarantee.
