@Wheelbarrow01

Also cannot help with your brands, but I absolutely love my Pyroclassic: https://www.pyroclassic.co.nz/wood-fires/pyroclassic-iv-wood-fire/

I realise how great it is when I use other peoples inferior fires. You can relight it with large kindling and only 1-2 tiny coals, and it'll run overnight for 7-8 hours with the right wood.

Woodburners are horrible, especially in towns and cities. They cause pollution, reduce air quality, and negatively affect human health. When our neighbours use their fires ventilation systems have to be turned off, windows closed, and washing bought in from clothes lines. They're really antisocial.

"Southern towns are among the worst for air quality, with wood burners being blamed for potential health problems." (from stuff article linked above).

If you're in the country away from other houses you're still affecting the environment but at least you're not going to damage or annoy as many other people.

In a new build you should plan to have modern heating, as at some point fires may be regulated away. Down south that might be heat pump powered slab heating along with an insulated slab, along with central heating so you can cool - it can get pretty hot down there in summer as well as cold in winter.

I didn't realise we could get Blaze King in NZ.  Had a Blaze King "Princess" back in the '80's in Canada.  With the catalytic converter you could crank the airflow right down, and it would burn slowly but cleanly; great for keeping the house warm overnight.

timmmay:

 

Woodburners are horrible, especially in towns and cities. They cause pollution, reduce air quality, and negatively affect human health. When our neighbours use their fires ventilation systems have to be turned off, windows closed, and washing bought in from clothes lines. They're really antisocial.

 

"Southern towns are among the worst for air quality, with wood burners being blamed for potential health problems." (from stuff article linked above).

 

If you're in the country away from other houses you're still affecting the environment but at least you're not going to damage or annoy as many other people.

 

In a new build you should plan to have modern heating, as at some point fires may be regulated away. Down south that might be heat pump powered slab heating along with an insulated slab, along with central heating so you can cool - it can get pretty hot down there in summer as well as cold in winter.

 

New ones are far more efficient, especially the new ultra low emission ones. There is also nothing like the ambiance of a wood fire. We already have gas as f very cheap form of heating, which also off-gases. In high population areas like Wellington, they can be a problem for neighbours, especially with the surrounding hills. I am not sure they are all that environmentally unfriendly, especially if you have a close source of fire wood. If everyone moved to electricity, I can see new generation being needed, especially as we move to EV's.

In terms of the OP, have a look at some of Masports ones. The have the Akoroa, and the Cromwell ULEB model, although I personally liked the look of the older version. But this newer ULEB version apparently doesn't need power. 

I recently bought a new place and during the conditional period, it was discovered that the log burner we were told was compliant, was actually installed in 1992 and therefore very, very, out of date! Anyway, the very kind vendors installed a Woodsman Serene ULEB, and I have to say that we are absolutely stoked with it. In our last place we had a Metro Eco insert fire, and the new Woodsman puts out significantly more heat, and seems to require less fuel too.

YMMV, but that's my $0.02c.

timmmay:

 

Woodburners are horrible, especially in towns and cities. They cause pollution, reduce air quality, and negatively affect human health. When our neighbours use their fires ventilation systems have to be turned off, windows closed, and washing bought in from clothes lines. They're really antisocial.

 

As other people have posted, a proper ULEB puts out very little emissions. When mine is running if I look at the chimney I cannot see anything coming out of it. Good dry wood is obviously essential.

The other advantage of an efficient wood burner is the fact I'm generating heat in the depths of winter by burning carbon that was recently absorbed from the atmosphere (eg the tree growing in the last ~20 years). It's not burning any fossil fuels. By planting trees for later firewood it results in a net 0 emissions heater.

Gussy1990:

 

I recently bought a new place and during the conditional period, it was discovered that the log burner we were told was compliant, was actually installed in 1992 and therefore very, very, out of date! Anyway, the very kind vendors installed a Woodsman Serene ULEB, and I have to say that we are absolutely stoked with it. In our last place we had a Metro Eco insert fire, and the new Woodsman puts out significantly more heat, and seems to require less fuel too.

 

 

 

YMMV, but that's my $0.02c.

 

How long is a wood burner supposed to last? Ours was installed in the 80's and still worked well.

I'm sure it still functions fine - I wasn't particularly clear in my post, but I was referring to the Clean Air Zone rules. In Canterbury a fireplace is compliant for 15 years from when it was installed, or 20 years if it is Low Emission or Ultra Low Emission rated. You can replace a "still legal" log burner with a Low Emission burner, but if it is out of date, or there was not previously a log burner installed in the house you can only install an Ultra Low Emissions burner.

Not sure where you are in the country, or what the relative laws are, but hopefully you can keep using that 80s log burner, as those bad boys go hard!

timmmay:

 

Woodburners are horrible, especially in towns and cities. They cause pollution, reduce air quality, and negatively affect human health. When our neighbours use their fires ventilation systems have to be turned off, windows closed, and washing bought in from clothes lines. They're really antisocial.

 

"Southern towns are among the worst for air quality, with wood burners being blamed for potential health problems." (from stuff article linked above).

 

If you're in the country away from other houses you're still affecting the environment but at least you're not going to damage or annoy as many other people.

 

In a new build you should plan to have modern heating, as at some point fires may be regulated away. Down south that might be heat pump powered slab heating along with an insulated slab, along with central heating so you can cool - it can get pretty hot down there in summer as well as cold in winter.

 

There's nothing quite like the heat and ambiance from a woodburner. And I love walking around our beach suburb in winter with the smell of wood fires in the air. So, in my view, the day you can't chop down a tree and burn it for warmth will be a sad day.

Hi!

Bit late to this convo, but I'm a chimney sweep and have serviced both.

The Blazeking is a big bastard and puts out the heat; this is both good and bad.  If you have a too small of a house and install this, you're going to cook and will be shutting it down more often.  This leads to more creosote (flammable build-up) in the chimney so you'll be getting it swept often.

Pros: can shut it down over night.
Cons: big beast, doesn't work in small houses.

Woodsman: nice wee burners that go well.

Cons: Woodsman are the 'budget' fires.  While they burn well, their internal consumable parts (airtubes, bricks, baffle) will wear our quickly.  70% of repairs (bricks, baffles, airtubes) we do are done on Woodsman.  They're a $1000 cheaper than Masport, Metros etc. for a reason.

Finally, people have mentioned Pyroclassics: they are well built, but are a 'form over function' fire for me. 1) they cannot be installed if an offset (kink/bend in the flue) is required.  2) they can only be swept from the roof (we do 95% of our sweeps from the bottom) meaning you're stuffed if you have an A-framed house or a 2 story house.  3), they have a stupid door mechanism.

Gussy1990:

 

I'm sure it still functions fine - I wasn't particularly clear in my post, but I was referring to the Clean Air Zone rules. In Canterbury a fireplace is compliant for 15 years from when it was installed, or 20 years if it is Low Emission or Ultra Low Emission rated. You can replace a "still legal" log burner with a Low Emission burner, but if it is out of date, or there was not previously a log burner installed in the house you can only install an Ultra Low Emissions burner.

 

 

 

Not sure where you are in the country, or what the relative laws are, but hopefully you can keep using that 80s log burner, as those bad boys go hard!

 

Logfires built from 2000's onwards have a build lifetime of 15-20 years.  They can last beyond this, but the welds and steel sheets tend to start warping.

Kents and Firenzos from the 80's will keep going and going; built like a brick-poo-house.  However, as soon as welds fail, cracks in the castings, or warping occurs you should replace it.

Swept:

 

Hi!

 

Bit late to this convo, but I'm a chimney sweep and have serviced both.

 

Where are you located? I'm in the market for a chimney sweep. Not sure how to tell real ones from cowboys.

Swept:

 

 

 

 

 

Logfires built from 2000's onwards have a build lifetime of 15-20 years.  They can last beyond this, but the welds and steel sheets tend to start warping.

 

Are there any that are still built really well these days, where they are built to last? We had a Stack woodburner fire from the 80's which is still going well today, so it is at least 30 years old.