Many wood burning and multi-fuel stoves have the option of adding a 'clip in' boiler capable of providing hot water and in some case also running radiators. This can be done at the time of installation or at a later date. A small number of stoves have an integral or factory fitted boiler which can provide enough heat for a full central heating system.
Boiler
Heat your room only - If you are looking for a stove just to heat your room then all of our stoves will be suitable (depending on the size of the room you would like to heat). Heat your room and Domestic Hot Water (DHW) - To heat DHW you will also require a boiler. This is usually a clip-in boiler (fitted to the stove any time). You will need approximately 10,000 Btu's output to run DHW. Most boilers should reach around this output.
Heat your room, Domestic hot water and Central Heating (DHW+CH) - To use a stove to power you central heating in addition to heating your room and domestic hot water, you will again need a stove with a boiler, however you will need a lot greater output than that to just heat your room. The size of the boiler you need will depend on the number of radiators you need to heat. You will again need 10,000 Btu's to run DHW. You should then allow 3,400 Btu's to heat each average sized single radiator. If the radiator is a double, then double the output needed. If there are long runs of pipework then allow extra Btu's per radiator (maybe 4,000 Btu's). Total the outputs to find out what size boiler you require. However, you must remember that the stove will have to be fired up all year round to provide heat for the DHW+CH or for just DHW. Therefore the room containing the stove will always be warm.
Radiators
Radiator output is calculated based on a standard 600mm x 600mm single convector radiator. Double radiators should be counted as two radiators. Any boiler output below 9000 BTU's will be described as Domestic Hot Water only (DHW). Hot water demands can very greatly from one property/family to another. If your property has long pipe runs you should allow for extra heat loss. Actual boiler outputs do vary. The figure given is a maximum output based on continuous use with a suitable fuel.
The number of radiators figure should be used as a guide and does not replace the need for a qualified heating engineer to calculate the BTU output required for your property.
