How Does a Log Burner With a Boiler Work?

As energy prices continue to soar, many people are seeking out alternative ways to heat their home. An increasingly popular option is ‘boiler stoves’ - log burners that, in addition to heat, can also provide hot water for your home. If you’d like to find out how a log burner with a boiler works, keep reading!

What is a boiler stove?

If you’re new to the world of stoves, then you may be wondering what exactly we mean by the term ‘boiler stove’.

Well, as the name implies, a boiler stove is effectively a log burner with an incorporated boiler.

This means a boiler stove can simultaneously provide heat to the room in which it is located, as well as heat up water for use in your home.

As we’ll see later, this hot water can be used in a number of different ways depending on how the back boiler is installed and, of course, your personal preferences.

How do boiler stoves work?

Boiler stoves work on a common principle - the transfer of heat from the firebox of the stove to the water in the boiler tank. Many stoves enable this transfer of heat using heat exchange tubes, which is a highly-efficient way of transferring heat.

Once the water has been heated, it is then piped into your home’s hot water system and can be used in both your radiators and hot water taps.

There are two main types of boiler stove that you’ll find in use in UK homes:

Wraparound boiler stoves.
Clip-in boiler stoves.

Wraparound boiler stoves

As their name suggests, wraparound boiler stoves are stoves which have been designed and manufactured with a water tank that runs along both the back and sides of the stove’s firebox.

Hence, the boiler part of the stove ‘wraps around’ the fire. Think of it as being like a jacket of water that ‘hugs’ the stove’s firebox.

In other words, wraparound stoves are stoves where the boiler and stove are tightly integrated into a single appliance.

Wraparound boiler stoves are the most common type of boiler stove as they come ‘ready-made’ from the stove manufacturer, as the boiler is an integral part of the stove’s construction.

Wraparound boiler stoves are usually capable of producing large volumes of hot water because the boiler tank has a large surface area around the firebox.

This differs from clip-in boiler stoves…

Clip-in boiler stoves

Clip-in boiler stoves are stoves where a boiler tank has been retrofitted to the stove. The boiler tank will replace the firebricks at the rear of the stove’s firebox and ‘clips’ into place.

Clip-in boiler stoves are not generally capable of producing large volumes of water. This is because clip-in boiler tanks only sit at the rear of the stove’s firebox and thus have less surface area to attract heat.

Here at Direct Stoves, we recommend wraparound boiler stoves as the boiler tank comes as part of an integral part of the stove and provides optimal water heating performance.

Boiler stove installation

Regardless of which type of boiler stove you buy, you should always have it installed by a qualified heating engineer.

This is because installing a boiler stove and connecting it to your home’s central heating system is a complicated business and not something you want to try on your own.

To give you an idea of the complexity involved, here are just a few of the potential installation scenarios that you may have to use:

Plumbed boiler stove within a vented system.
Plumbed boiler stove with a hot water tank and heat loss radiator.
Plumbed boiler stove with a multi coil hot water tank.
Plumbed boiler stove with a heat accumulator.

Each of these installation scenarios has various nuances, technical details and requirements that are going to be known by a qualified heating engineer who is experienced in the installation of boiler stoves.

Find an installer - to find a suitably qualified and experienced installer for your boiler stove, use HETAS’ find an installer database.

Popular boiler stoves

If you’re keen to add a boiler stove to your home, then explore some of our most popular models below. We stock boiler stoves from a range of leading brands, across multiple price points.

Henley Sherwood 12 Multifuel Boiler Stove

Shop Now

Offering fantastic value for money, the Henley Sherwood 12 is a powerful boiler stove that’s capable of delivering 5.1kW of heat to the room it is located in, as well as a further 7kW to your central heating system.

Manufactured from high-grade stainless steel with a solid cast iron door, the Sherwood 12 has a beautiful large viewing window, providing you with an uninterrupted view of the fire within. The stove’s air wash system ensures this window stays crystal clean, too.

With an A energy rating and an efficiency of 77%, the Sherwood 12 is a boiler stove that’ll make your firewood go that much further.

Woodfire Passiv Eco Boiler Stove

Shop Now

If you want a boiler stove that has a sleek, contemporary look, then the Woodfire Passiv Eco Boiler Stove is for you.

With clean, functional lines and an angular, Nordic silhouette, the Passiv is a boiler stove that’ll suit both traditional and modern home decors alike.

Aside from its fantastic good looks, the Passiv is a versatile boiler stove being able to be installed in open-vented or pressurised systems, use direct air, and can be linked with existing boilers.

The Passiv also boasts an impressive efficiency of 85% and is EcoDesign compliant, meaning it is incredibly clean burning and environmentally friendly.

With a total heat output of 10kW (3kW being outputted to the room, and 7kW used to heat water), this is a powerful stove too.

Woodfire EX 12 Panorama Double Sided Inset Eco Boiler Stove

Shop Now

Create a truly stunning focal point in your home with the Woodfire EX12 Panorama Double Sided Inset Eco Boiler Stove.

With its stunning double-sided design, the EX 12 creates a home feature that’ll irresistibly draw the eye and provide a stunning view of burning wood. It's both a practical and beautiful log burner with a boiler.

It’s also powerful too, with a nominal heat output of 12.4kW - of which 5.9kW is directed into the room, and 6.5kW is directed towards heating water. All of that heat is achieved at an impressive 85% efficiency rate, meaning your firewood costs won’t break the bank.

Parkray Aspect 14 Wood Burning EcoDesign Boiler Stove

Shop Now

Thanks to its expansive glass viewing window, the Parkray Aspect 14 provides a truly ‘widescreen’ experience.

With powerful Tripleburn® technology and a nominal heat output of 10.3kW, the Parkray Aspect 14 is able to provide copious amounts of heat and hot water for your home. This is a truly powerful log burner with a boiler.

The Aspect 14’s combustion technology also makes it one of the cleanest-burning stoves you can buy, with extremely low CO emissions (of only 0.06%).

Buying a boiler stove? Buy one from Direct Stoves

If you want to buy the very best log burner with a boiler for your home, then buy one from Direct Stoves.

We’re the UK’s leading supplier of stoves online, and offer FREE mainland UK delivery, 14-day no hassle returns, and a range of payment options to help you buy the stove of your dreams.

Plus, if you have any questions about a boiler stove, then our friendly experts are here to help. You can reach us on 0161 516 2955 or at: [email protected].