Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Buying Coal Stoves - Things To Consider

By Jim Carpenter

Coal stoves are a truly effective way of heating a home, however before you run out and buy one for your own home there are certain factors that need to be taken into consideration first. It is crucial that you know what these factors are as this will help you to determine just which is the right one for your home.

The first thing that you need to do before you make your purchase is check whether you can have a chimney installed at your home if it does not have one at the present time. As a general rule coal stoves have metal pipes which help to vent the smoke and fumes out of your and often these can be located by being attached to an outside wall of the home. But it is crucial that you check with the local building authority whether you need to get permits before you do actually have the chimney installed.

If you already have a chimney in your home and wish to have a coal stove rather than the open fire you currently have then it needs to be inspected by a professional before works are carried out. This company should be able to quickly identify any problems and offer a solution to the problem so that you can soon have your coal stove up and running.

The chimney needs to be well maintained as it is this which helps to vent your coal stove once lit and also helps to prevent toxic fumes from getting into your home. Once you have your coal stove installed and are using it then regular checks of the chimney should be carried out. Ideally they should be carried between 1 and 2 times a year, certainly the more you use the coal stove then the more regularly your chimney should be checked.

After the chimney issues the next thing you have to take into consideration when buying coal stoves is what size you want. The size you select will depend upon what size of home you have and just how many rooms you intend to heat using it.

So you taken into consideration all the factors we have mentioned above and now you need to get the coal stove you have purchased installed. It is best that you select a company who deal in all aspects of this heating equipments installation. Some general building contractors can do the work but they often do not have a complete understanding of how the various parts go together. Rather if you can ask the store where you purchased your coal stove from if they can recommend a company to do the work.

Once installed it is important that when being used regularly your coal stove should be regularly checked. Just doing a visual inspection of yours will quickly help you to identify if there are any problems. Also if you only use yours through the winter months then prior to lighting it for the first time check all the seals, glass and grates and replace if any have become worn or damaged.

Coal stoves are proving to be very effective and can save you money for heating a home today. To ensure that yours remains effective when in use you need to regularly maintain it and replace parts which are worn or broken. Also it is advisable that you use only the kind of fuel as recommended by the manufacturer of the stove.

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