Well as we enter yet another month and the weather is what winter weather should be and even i was a little cold when i arrived at our warehosue and showroom this morning.
As we there all day the showroom fires were quickly put on along with the kettle and the Firefox 12 soon lit and roaring away, so i was chatting away to one of our staff members outside in the factory it really was pretty cold and our vans said it was minus 1.
So within 30 minutes the showroom was warm and we sat down having a cup of tea in front of the roaring fire sorting out all the delivery van runs and loading checklist sheets we use.
I can honsetly say i didnt want to move from in front of the fire but work has to be done and we had John from our suppliers arriving at 10.30 with a van full of stock for our warehouse.
So we worked away loading the first van and ended up having dinner again back in the showroom in front of the fire by now the showroom was really warm and i was sat there in just a tea shirt eating my lunch.
More time in the cold went quickly but i did have chance to make it back into the showroom 3 times showing customers around and taking orders.
So back in the office later this afternoon and our Tiger Plus Stove at home has been running all day to and the whole house is lovley and warm too.
So winter weather you can be as cold as you like as when you have a multi fuel stove to warm your house or workplace there is no better place to be than in front of a real fire

A real fireplace is an incredibly appealing feature in a home and in some ways, that’s the long and short of it – anything that makes a home more appealing, adds to its value. It may be hard to quantify exactly how much value a fireplace will add, but at the same time, it might make the difference between selling a house or not. To some extent, it will always depend on the buyers.

To get some idea of the popularity of real fires, consider that people have published lists of pubs with real fires online. It is something people seek out in cold weather. There’s just something about being warmed by a real fire and you can’t get the same effect simply through being in an equally comfortable centrally heated environment.

However, don’t think that a real fire is automatically a strength. If your fireplace is rundown and poorly maintained, it may detract from the value of the house. Prospective buyers may not see a potential focal point to a room so much as a necessary investment that is being inflicted upon them. A beautiful fireplace is appealing. A decrepit fireplace is something of a headache, even if it does have promise.

A question we have been asked a lot recently as the weather starts to curn colder and our heating systems are all up and running daily.
A gas fireplace can be an expensive way to heat a room and with the recent energy price increases its now getting very expensive for customers to use this as a form of everday haeting.
So much so we get asked every couple of days by customers if they can just remove the gas fire and replace it with a solid fuel kit
Sometimes this is all that a fireplace requires to become a fully working solid fuel fireplace capable of having a real fire.
Most of the time it depends on what type of hearth you have a tiled hearth is fine as they are suitable for solid fuel but if you have a granite or slate hearth it will be a single slab.
All our hearths for solid fuel or what are called Cut and Slabbed, this means they are cut into sections for solid fuel use and rejoined so they have expansion and contractions joints, they are also filled underneath with a cement base so the heat is spread over the full hearth.
Im afraid you can not use a single hearth for solid fuel use as it will simply crack down the centre the first time its used so bear this in mind if switching to a solid fuel fireplace you may have to alter the hearth too

It is vital that wood is dry before it is burnt. If it is not, energy is wasted evaporating water. This means two things: less heat and also water condensing in the chimney, which you don’t want.

People tend to think of wood as being dry if it has been under cover for a day or so and hasn’t been rained on, but this is to miss the point. As much as 50 per cent of the weight of a piece of wood fresh from a tree might be as a result of its water content. This percentage needs to be reduced to around 20-25 per cent before the wood is suitable for burning.

In reality, rain has little effect. If the wood is stacked up, the water won’t really penetrate beyond the surface. If you also cut and split the wood into smaller pieces, this will aid the drying process. Wood can be dried over the spring and summer, but it will benefit from a longer period. A couple of years is advisable if the wood hasn’t been chopped smaller.

Trees should be topped or cut down during the winter as the tree is dormant and the sap hasn’t risen at this time. This means there is less moisture in the wood, so it should season quicker. Look for cracks in the end grain to know when the wood is ready for burning.

A timely reminder here from Castfireplaces about the rules and regualtions of solid fuel appliances, i know the majority of our customers employ regsitered GAS SAFE REGISTERED fitters when installing an new gas fireplace but when it comes to a solid fuel fireplace or stove this number seems to drop.
As everyone is aware gas is dangerous and is well documented about deaths from wrongly installed gas fires and boliers etc.
What people are not aware of is the fact Solid Fuel (a real fire) can also produce the same deadly carbon monoxide fumes and in an incorrectly fitted fireplace you are at risk as much as a gas fire.
Im sure people just think oh its only a bit of smoke it wont hurt me but you can not see smell or tast carbon monoxide.
I know this post sounds like im a scaremonger its my job as a profesional fireplace retailer to make you aware of the dangers of DIY fitting, this is one of the main reasons we do not supply fitting instructions to avoid Dan the DIY man have a go and making a bodge of it as all DIY Dans do.
So please make sure you use a correct fireplace installer or builder wo will have it signed of by building controls, please make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector in the room with the solid fuel appliance or it will not be signed of, also do not forget a carbon monoxide detector is not a substitute for a diy fireplace ift its there to warn of any dangers.

Looking over Junes figures today revealed yet another record June for us and also we see the continiung trend of sales on solid fuel fireplaces.
Solid fuel means wood, coal, coke etc basically fossil fuels designed to be used on a fireplace.
The reason i believe for the continued rise in sales of solid fuel fireplaces and stoves is the price of gas and electricity the main ways of heating our homes.
With British Gas last week announcing price rises of 16-18% its only going to get worse this is going to add an extra £196 to the average household bill.
Now it really is time to take control of your heating costs and as its summer its the perfect time to change your fireplace or stove before the cold weather returns.
Here at Castfireplaces we do monitor what we sell so we can order the correct items into stock to make sure we do not run out of anything.
Now im pleased to tell you our sales were up in June again and also we sold 22% more solid fuel appliances than June 2010 which is a good increase.
Solid fuel sales have been rising for the last 19 months now and show no sign of stopping, im not at all suprised as householders look to save money on their heating bills.
So with all our Fireplace Packages having solid fuel as an option take a look through there and for other customers wanting a Stove here at Castfireplaces we have a good range

With the announcement by Scottish Power that gas prices and electric prices are again scheduled to rise by a staggering 19% we at Castfireplaces are amazed at the rate they are due to rise.
This of course follows record profits from November when it was very cold, i honestly do think they are ripping of the UK householders and there is very little we can do.
Apart from an investigation by the office of Fair Trading what else can we do, Hold that thought a sceond there is an alternative to our spiralling gas bills.
We have seen a huge return over the last two years to burning solid fuel on our fireplaces and stoves, in real terms this means a real fire ie burning wood or coal as a primary heat source.
For the extreme of us we can also supply stoves that will run radiators and even do the hot water, im not saying we should alll switch to those but if you do not have a solid fuel fireplace or stove you really are missing out.
Not only are they cheaper to run then gas or electric they also offer a heat output and warmth that is fantastic it really warms you through.
You are more than welcome to come and view our showroom ad see our Firefox 12 stove running away (cold days only) we can also explain to you the real benefits of returnng to solid fuel.
So my advice is make a change now whilst the weather is warmer so the likes of Scottish Power, Eon and all the other energy companies remove even more of our hard earned cash with nothing extra in return.

Many people take undue pride in their ability to build a real fire, but the reality is that it isn’t such a difficult art. There is no need to be intimidated. As long as you have a decent grasp of the basic principles, you can have a beautiful roaring log fire in your home – provided you’ve got a fireplace for it.

One of the most crucial aspects of building a fire is making sure you use the right fuel. While most types of wood are suitable, it does need to be in the right condition. It needs to have been dried over a period of time and protected from rain.

The next thing to consider is the construction of your fire. Large logs do not catch light just like that. They need to be warmed by smaller twigs and sticks first. You need to build your fire so that there is some material that will catch light easily first. It is also necessary to construct your fire so that there is good airflow in the early stages as otherwise it will be hard to keep the flame alive. Stack the wood carefully with the smaller pieces underneath.

Always stay with a fire and pay it close attention in the early stages when it may spit more. Bits of burning paper could drift out and you need to be vigilant. Once it is burning, it is more a matter of enjoying the warmth, but all the same, never neglect a fire.

Reading through the papers i came across an article about the probabiltity of wholesale gas and electric price rises due to the the events in the Middle East and even Japan.
As the uk is dependant on foreign fuel, gas and coal for all our heating lighting and cooking needs it appears we can be held to ransom whenever they feel like it.
This leaves our fuel prices at the mercy of others and disaters and changes in governments make the markets very twitchy forcing wholesale prices upjust look at oil prices.
Most homes built before 1960 have a brick built chimney which can be used for solid fuel use which has seen a huge amount of people turn to over the last few years as an alternative source to heating there home.
With modern stoves it is no longer the dirt fuel it was in days gone past, and with smokless fuels and defra approved stoves for burning wood on it is also more eco freindly too.
So with consumers fed up of being ripped off by our energy companies where dual fuel bill averages are over £1200 a year we have seen a huge shift back to wood burning fireplaces and stoves.
There seems to be no let up in the sales of solid fuel and now accounts for 65% of all our sales which is a huge proportion.
So if you wish to change your current fireplace into a solid fuel appliance its not hard to do just contact a HETAS registered installer or contact us for some free accurate advice and make the change and save some more of your hard earned cash.

Good evening

So a strange thing to ask me what steps to take next we never recommend customers fitting there own solid fuel appliance whether it is a fireplace or stove from our range.
I do understand customers try to keep costs to abare minimum but with bulilding controls charging around £150 there are quite a few diy fitters who do not even approach them.
It is a legal requirement to either have your solid fuel fireplace either fitted by a competent person such as a HEATAS registered fitter or to have it inspected and tested by your local council building controls department.
Luckily for our customer the reasons for refusal are pretty simple
One is the fact he has no carbon monoxide dectector or room vent in the room but the second is the fact the register plate is spilling fumes into the room as its not correctly sealed.
Now if he had it fitted by HETAS fitter this would have been done correctly as a matter of course and appropiate vents installed in to the room of the stove and a carbon monoxide detector fitted at the same time.
I am not sure if building controls will charge a reinspection fee if so hes going to be beyond the fee of what a normal stove install costs.
So please bear this in mind when thinking abaout install costs if you has fitted it yourself or got your builder to do it if it is wrong you may well end up paying someone else to rectify the problems.