Electric Fire Advice Please

mcflod

Registered User
Oct 17, 2012
44
0
Hi all. my mum currently has a log burning stove but we are getting anxious now as the colder months will be starting soon and we really want to take this away incase she throws something onthe fire thats dangerous. Growing up my mum has always had an open coal fire until 5 years ago then a stove. She has electric heating in the house also. We are looking at putting in an electric fire but not one with the bars, an enclosed one and am just wondering if anyone else has done this and what would they recommend for ease of use etc.

If we take the stove away ther will be a great big hole in the wall as the fireplace etc is all still there so we need to fill the gap?

Also does anyone know if you redecorate a room does that cause distress?

thank you in advance for any advice
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,072
0
Bury
Without the fire would the existing electric heating suffice?
If so the problem reduces to what to do with the 'hole' where the stove now is.
If you are convinced that the stove is a danger just remove it and board over the hole - new government regulation fires not allowed.
 

mcflod

Registered User
Oct 17, 2012
44
0
hi nitram

it probably wouldnt be enough tbh as its rubbish electric heating compared to oil and gas. ive been in twice lastyear and the stove door was left open and smoke everywhere in the house, almost thought she be safer withthe normal coal fire. i think she would be removing the board as it would look unsightly but you never know.

thank you for your advice
 

Grandma Joan

Registered User
Mar 29, 2013
276
0
Wiltshire
My Dad used to feel the cold because of the tablets he was on. We supplemented the central heating with a couple of cheap fan heaters. They were really good as they cut off if they were knocked over.
 

Sue J

Registered User
Dec 9, 2009
8,032
0
Hi all. my mum currently has a log burning stove but we are getting anxious now as the colder months will be starting soon and we really want to take this away incase she throws something onthe fire thats dangerous. Growing up my mum has always had an open coal fire until 5 years ago then a stove. She has electric heating in the house also. We are looking at putting in an electric fire but not one with the bars, an enclosed one and am just wondering if anyone else has done this and what would they recommend for ease of use etc.

If we take the stove away ther will be a great big hole in the wall as the fireplace etc is all still there so we need to fill the gap?

Also does anyone know if you redecorate a room does that cause distress?

thank you in advance for any advice

Hi Mcflod

Don't know anything about electric fires but would be cautious decorating a room. As always it depends on the individual sufferer. Have just had a disaster with friend trying to make kitchen safer and she went ballistic over the thought of anything being changed. I think I can talk her round but it will still take some doing to achieve it without upset but once done as long as she has some of her familiar objects around I think she will forget what it used to be like. Talking about it in advance a lot does help ease the 'blow' when the change comes but definately makes it easier.

I changed one of my own rooms very recently, with help, and wondered how I would find it. I have virtually no recollection of what it was like before already.

Hope you manage to sort the heating issue out as that is more important.
Best wishes
Sue
 

mcflod

Registered User
Oct 17, 2012
44
0
Thankyou all for your replies. We are now thinking if putting oil heating in for her but I'd need to go off for a few days whilst this happens to avoid stressful situs.

It's so very hard to know what to do for the better!!
 

Kevinl

Registered User
Aug 24, 2013
6,050
0
Salford
I have a coal fire stove on my narrowboat and although it's quite small it is rated as 9kW which is about 4 and a half times the usual electric fire which are typically about 2kW so would you be able to get enough heat with electricity without going bankrupt?
the options as I can see it are:
1. Go electric, cheap to install and accept the cost of the electricity, box in the current log burner in a way that can be reversed as it will add to the value of the house in the future if it can be working.
2. Use gas, currently about a quarter the price per kW hour compared to electric, if no mains gas is available use bottled gas. This will involve having big bottles of gas outside the house plumbed into a gas fire, the tanks are linked with gauges so when one empties it switches over to the next, you have to monitor it and put in a call when they need changing, The drawback is you'd need to swap the log burner for a gas burning stove.
3. Put in a diesel burning stove, if and as you mention diesel I take it is an option then there are a number of stoves available which are good too but would mean taking out the wood burner.
With my mother who lived with a coal fire then a gas fire all her life could never accept that a house with central heating even set to tropical was as warm as sitting next to a "real" fire in the end I got an electric flame effect stove type fire and just turned on the flame effect, seemed to work.
K
 

Just thinking

Registered User
May 7, 2008
151
0
North west
How about one of those electric fan heaters that look like a stove? Essentially just a black box with a fan inside and a coal effect frontage. There's two heat settings and they throw out quite a bit of heat. One of those could quite safely be stood in the void left from taking out the other fire.
 

jaymor

Registered User
Jul 14, 2006
15,604
0
South Staffordshire
Dimplex have a good range of cast iron style stoves that have a fan underneath and the coal/log effect insert. On the higher priced ones the fire effect is very realistic and one of them could be put into the wood burner void.

Jay
 
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mcflod

Registered User
Oct 17, 2012
44
0
Thank you everyone for your comments.

Ill go and look up the dimplex stove options for the void.

We dont have mains gas here and have just taken her gas away that she used on her cooker as she has been out tampering with it so thats a no no.

We have now decided to go with putting in oil for her as she will have heat in the house al over. her current electric heating is storage heaters downstair adn silly panel heaters upstairs which are never used.

Thank you all once again for your help
 

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