Woodburners

Burning decisions

Finalising a choice of woodburners and finding an installer before the end of the year, in addition to all the prep building work was a challenge!   It sounded so simple but believe me, IT WAS NOT SIMPLE!!! I had  surfed the net to research woodburner companies in France, woodburner companies in our region of France and woodburner companies in UK and those with websites of particular brands of woodburner stoves as opposed to multifuel stoves, gathering useful information so as to at least have a little knowledge!   There is a huge difference in woodburners and I don’t just mean wood pellets or oak logs! 

I am not a technically-minded-creature so I cannot possibly re-iterate all that I have learned and what I HAVE learned is just the tip of the iceberg. I would like to learn more, but, just as I cannot afford the chateau when I can only afford a garden shed, I cannot afford the type of woodburner my heart desires, therefore as with some things in life, one just has to compromise. 

Eventually, I decided to buy two woodburners from a very new company, who had been in business for one month.  Their shop still not consumer ready but having visited two other woodburner businesses in one day, we were pleased to have stumbled upon this particular one.

BUYING AND INSTALLING a woodburner in France, or anywhere, was difficult for me because I like to try and understand as much as I can! Hence, nothing is simple in my life! Now to the practicalities, procedures and facts!

1. In France, one has to invite the company to one’s house to study the chimney/ fireplace to measure dimensions and to verify that it will accept the woodburner and to establish how the company will install it.  That appointment has to be made months ahead of when one wants to install the woodburner, because
      a) it will take several weeks before they can do ‘l’etude’,
      b) it will take at least two weeks after that for the estimate to arrive!
      c) it may take several weeks for the woodburner to be ordered and installed!
   

2.     IF as a law-abiding English person living in France on a full-time basis and registered to pay French taxes one wishes to apply for the 40% or 25% tax rebate, one needs to buy the woodburner from the installer!  This precludes buying a woodburner online!  As a result of this knowledge we did sums to compare the costs of buying a cheaper and/or more expensive woodburner online and not gaining the tax rebate with buying a cheaper and/or more expensive woodburner from a buyer/installer and applying for the tax rebate.  The difference was surprising! Please note that France may well reduce this tax option at the end of December 2010, hence the fact that all woodburner companies are fully-booked!

3.     Other complications set in!   One cannot discover the price of a woodburner from a French company because they want to come to the house to do the ‘l’etude’ so one has to enter the game!  I was unable to find out the price of a DOVRE from one establishment without this farce. I liked the installation company and if I had not found SEGUIN I would despite the cost have gone with this other company.

4.    When we came across the new company, I was amazed. The proprietor was prepared to give an estimate according to my friend’s plan, diagram and measurements AND within a few minutes of enquiry we had a devis / estimate as opposed to a 4 week wait!  More importantly, whereas from one company we had been quoted 650 euros to install each of the two woodburners we were now being quoted 150 euros to install the two woodburners.  Subsequently, from a different entreprise, I was quoted 200 euros to install one woodburner if they came and installed the two!  We realise the profits have been added to the cost of the woodburner but I have also gained a 15% reduction on the cost of each woodburner. It’s all to do with tax.  I realise that certain companies purchase e.g. the Dovre model and market it under a Franchise brand name.
  5. Another shop would not tell me the price of a Jotul or Dovre woodburner because they also have to come and do the study which will be in 2 weeks time!  NO, I cannot wait further at this time of year.

6.     An Englishman and his company working in France for over 10 years sounds to be a reputable company and eventually after some mystery and hesitation he agreed to work from the plan with measurements. However, I discovered that their website does not suggest that they can get me a certain  brand of woodburner that is not advertised on their site!  A telephone call does suggest this! Of course I have chosen the upper end of the market with the Jotul range and because I wanted two woodburners with side doors and in enamelled Ivory colour, one with 12kw or more and one with about 9kw he can order these.  If I had known this back in June I might have been more tempted!  Too late now.

7.    There is a requirement that the installer is responsible for the chimney, and in the case of any unwanted "fire in the chimney", the insurance company makes a claim against the installer. The installer has to guarantee his installation to the house insurance company. So obviously he must be registered. I was lucky. My friend has a technical and practical mind and had installed woodburners in a previous life but even he had to admit he was out of date with modern regulations.

8.   My research ended. The company which we stumbled upon had my confidence and within two days of correspondence  I’d paid 30% for the installation of two Seguin (Dovre) woodburners to be installed at the end of November. However, it was December 2010 for one and April 2011 for the other. My friend’s Nestor Martin beat out the heat in the winter and kept us as warm as toast.

9. I lit the larger woodburner in June 2011 and gradually built up a layer of ash but it was difficult to keep the fire in at night. Now that is much better because I have explore a technique!  In September I lit the small one and was rather horrified  to find smoke leaking out and filling the room. This happened several times and eventually after cleaning the brand new flue the company explained how I must light it. Following their instructions and  creating flames to eat the smoke I now have developed the right technique.  These designated wood burners have flat waffle-patterned beds and are not for multifuel.  

So in December 2011 logs and luxurious comfort have shunned the cold.