Five Good Reasons to Install a Woodburner during the Summer

It’s one of those ideas that seem counter-intuitive: why install a wood-burning stove at a time of year when it’s usually too warm to use it? Actually, there are a few good reasons: here are five.

1.    Lead times for installation: Despite the popularity of woodburners, there are only a limited number of competent fitters and they tend to get booked up quickly. In peak season in autumn-winter, it’s not unusual for lead times to stretch to 3-5 months, depending on a company’s popularity and capacity. In the summer, there’s typically a far shorter wait, and you’re more likely to get an installation date that’s really convenient for you.

2.    Stove availability: Most wood-burning stove companies use the summer months to build up inventory and even those who build to order tend to have a shorter queue, so there is generally much better availability of popular models. Demand has thoroughly outstripped supply the last couple of winters because of a perfect storm of unprecedented demand and complex and problematic supply chain issues. We’ve been able to service demand through recent winters partly due to our deep stock levels & pre-ordered capacity, but it has helped when customers have been willing to choose from what’s available. In summer, there’s a far higher likelihood that your perfect choice of stove will be available within a reasonable time frame.

3.    Mess, dust and smell: depending on the kind of installation you have, it might involve a lot of open doors and windows. Knocking out a fireplace is a messy business and generates plenty of dust that can only be cleared by airflow. Even with a relatively simple and tidy stove installation, you’ll want windows open for the stove’s maiden ignition because the curing paint smells quite strongly for the first couple of hours. As much as we try to minimise inconveniences, some of them are unavoidable but definitely more tolerable when it’s warm and sunny outside.

4.    Summer is not always summery! Although most of us visualise using our stoves in bleak midwinter, sometimes they’re particularly useful on those liminal days when you’d have a hard time guessing what season you’re in by looking out the window. In England, that can easily happen in June: too warm to put the heating on, but too damp and chilly to be comfortable even in a jumper. Sometimes lighting up the stove can brighten up the most miserable of summer days. There’s a reason you find wood-burning stove shops even in the Algarve, Cote d’Azur and Beirut: woodburners are the perfect mi-saison heating appliance.

5.  Although it might be difficult to summon up the enthusiasm for a woodburner in the summer, there’s an argument, like not shopping for groceries when you’re hungry, for shopping for a stove while the sun shines. Sometimes there’s a tendency to over-estimate the size of stove you might need when the needle is dipping towards freezing; looking at the options when it’s warmer frees you up from impulsive sensory incentives to enjoy a more balanced perspective. It might also allow you to give more thought to how your stove is going to look in its dormant months. For sure, the most important aesthetic consideration is how your stove looks when it’s lit – its silhouette, the size of the window, the quality of the airwash that keeps the glass clean - but by the same token, you want to choose a stove, or just a stove colour, that’s also going to be kind on the eye during the summer months. That can be easier to visualise in the brightness of a summer day. 

About New Forest Fires

New Forest Fires is the leading installer of wood burning and multi fuel stoves in the New Forest and the surrounding areas. We supply a wide range of stoves for many different types of properties. From terraces and semi-detached houses to stately manors, from garden offices and shepherd’s huts to country cottages, and even pubs and restaurants, we’ve done it before and we've got the perfect stove to suit your requirements.

We have a showroom in Hordle that stocks a wide range of wood burners along with electric and gas fires, with more than a dozen live appliances showcasing the best in British and European heating solutions. Come and pay us a visit.