Does anyone use a woodburning Rayburn ?

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Does anyone use a woodburning Rayburn ?
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Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 10:59 am Post subject: Does anyone use a woodburning Rayburn ?

We've got an oil fired one that we are looking to turn into a woodburner.

At the moment we only use it for background heat and a little bit of cooking. If anyone has a wood burning Reyburn, can I ask whether it is feasible to use it with the door open and how much heat does the then open fire actually throw out? With ours, we don't use it to heat any water and the water jacket has been removed.
We are undecided whether or not to sling our Rayburn Royale out and to simply replace it with a cast iron woodburner but if we do decide to take the latter option, then we'll have to revamp part of the kitchen in the form of retiling etc.
I suppose I'm asking it to do something that it wasn't really designed for.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 1:16 pm Post subject:

We used on at the house.

I would not recommend using it with the door open as the large air flow will suck the heat out of the room plus to much post burn air is a factor in flue fires.

Also as the fire bed will be much lower if you convert it to wood compared to coal fuels the actual fire is lower than the door.

Ours did the domestic hot water and all the cooking. The room had rads in off the heating system but they were turned off as it was never needed.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 1:36 pm Post subject:
Using our Rayburn as a room heater is not very cost effective. Because the Rayburn takes so long to warm up each time its lit we have to think hours ahead. Richard does a Rayburn fired by wood heat up anymore quickly or am I flogging a dead horse ?

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 5:26 pm Post subject:
Flogging a dead horse for speed of heat. Better of with a stove.

Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 5:53 pm Post subject:

We love our woodburning Rayburn. It's a Royale with an oversized boiler. It's best attributes are water heating and cooking on the hob... both effective 20 minutes from lighting. The oven is not much good - too slow to heat and rarely hot enough. Room heating is also not a strong point - we're thinking of fitting a radiator for faster response (maybe the big boiler has taken the edge off room and oven performance?). But the hot water and hob win out every time... If you're not heating water there are lots of cooking/heating woodburners with glass doors which would give that open fire feeling...

Dee

TheGrange

Joined: 12 Apr 2009
Posts: 874

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 8:22 pm Post subject:

we have a wood burning rayburn but we also burn coal in it too and briquettes we make ourselves (from waste paper/card) .. its terrific for keeping the large kitchen we have warm in winter and for cooking, we have a combi for hot water and due to the size and shape of the house and the ongoing renovations plus its only an ickle one it will just about run 3 large rads or 4 smaller ones which will heat the dining room sitting room, my study and the drawing room

eta: the oven works well on ours it cooks a roast wonderfully, cakes, bread, scones, yorkshires etc you have to remember to turn as the side nearest the fire heats fastest - the only drawback, rice puddings and anything along those lines are fine.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 9:08 pm Post subject:
I,m not saying that they are pants (we had one for 5 years) just that they dont fit Bodgers needs. Richard

TheGrange

Joined: 12 Apr 2009
Posts: 874

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 09 9:46 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

I,m not saying that they are pants (we had one for 5 years) just that they dont fit Bodgers needs.

Richard

no indeed, for pants are those garments adorning ones bottom!

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 09 11:27 am Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

Flogging a dead horse for speed of heat. Better of with a stove.

Agreed. Rayburn or any range with a high thermal mass won't respond quickly enough to that type of use. Great as a home heater if left on for most of the heating season otherwise a low thermal mass burner is the better option, for room heating.

crofter

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 2252

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 09 1:06 pm Post subject:

We converted a solid fuel rayburn to oil. It burned MUCH hotter with solid fuel (dangerously hot - if you wanted, the hotplate could be made to glow a dull red) Leaving the doors open was not really an option, the room would slowly fill with smoke (and dust ended up everywhere) The price of converting the rayburn will be a reasonable discount on a woodburning stove - could you keep the oil rayburn and install a woodburner as well?

penn

Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 3

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 09 7:28 pm Post subject:
Hi we have a rayburn nouvelle and use it for all cooking, hot water and central heating in the september to may heating season. We burn coke asour area is smokeless but can burn wood very efficiently, we keep it alight continually and it works really well for us

JohnB

Joined: 09 Jul 2005
Posts: 685
Location: Beautiful sunny West Wales!

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 09 7:46 pm Post subject:
Can you convert an oil burning Rayburn to wood, and if so, what's it likely to cost. I might be buying a house with an oil burner.

gom

Joined: 16 Jul 2009
Posts: 13

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 09 10:05 pm Post subject:

JohnB wrote:

Can you convert an oil burning Rayburn to wood, and if so, what's it likely to cost. I might be buying a house with an oil burner.

Hello. First post.

Yes, you can, and this fellow does it for a living. I bought a recon one off him a while ago.

https://www.agarayburncookers.co.uk/

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 09 10:15 pm Post subject:
Any top tips for converting a coal Rayburn to wood? I'm not convinced that the one we've got does very well.

gom

Joined: 16 Jul 2009
Posts: 13

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 09 11:33 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

Any top tips for converting a coal Rayburn to wood?
I'm not convinced that the one we've got does very well.

I don't believe there is a conversion. Just put wood in it and set fire to it

Seriously, they burn wood or coal. You will find they get up to temp v. quick if you chuck in a bit of birch, then move on to oak to maintain (Birch burns fast & hot).

Bake temp is easy, roast takes a bit more effort.

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