Anyone used a Raburn?

[Feasty]

Currently live in a 3 bed semi with a recently fitted combi boiler, water pressure is ace and showers are lovely and last forever. House heats quickly via a Hive and temperature scheduling helps with the bills.

We've seen a detached house and really like it, more room, countryside views but there's no mention of central heating and it has a solid fuel Raburn in the kitchen. So I'm assuming this is what heats the house and hot water - it does have radiators and showers upstairs and downstairs.

We'll be viewing it over the weekend, but for now - has anyone got a Raburn or used one previously? Are they a pain to use, slow to heat etc?
I'm open to try and get used to it, but need to factor in if they are so bad we'd be better converting to a gas boiler straight away (that's if the house has a gas supply...).
____________________
Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[A100man]

Rayburn - same sort of thing as Aga (only more for heating and less for cooking).

Expensive to run unlikely to be efficient I'd think - best to ask some direct Qs about what fuel is used (coke? anthracite?) how much it costs especially over winter etc..

Some solid fuels are no longer available too (old house coal I think is now banned). Factor in an oil-fired boiler if no mains gas available. Or a heat pump if you're name is Greta.
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Freddyfruitba...]

I believe they are very 'uncontrollable' - think electric storage heaters on steroids. A friend had one ages ago and I remember their kitchen in summer was like a furnace - they ended up installing a standard gas cooker alongside it and powering the Raeburn down for the summer. They would have pulled it out altogether but it was massively integrated into the structure of the house, and it would have been prohibitively expensive/impossible IIRC. Tread carefully!
____________________
KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[Ste]

[stinkwheel]

They are very nice and very effective but you land up being a slave to it. Constant fucking about feeding, adjusting and emptying it (and re-lighting it if it goes out). The oil fired ones are less of a PITA.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Robby]

1850s tech. It will be a pain in the arse and cost loads to run.

I'm assuming the house is quite old, so getting it insulated well enough to make a heat pump practical would be difficult.

I grew up in a house built around 1910, with an aga from around 1920 that was originally coal fire, but had been converted to oil at some point in the 50s or 60s. It didn't do house heating, just a big cast iron cooker. Burned through massive amounts of oil, and it was turned off in summer. Changing the temperature meant twiddling a little valve and waiting 24 hours for the change to take effect.

[Feasty]

[doggone]

There's quite a learning curve to getting them to do what you want.
The coal it will burn is about £550/ton though usually more like £350 - and it will probably use about 2 ton through winter you can burn wood in there too in fact a few thin bits of wood on hand are a good plan especially if you want to cook with it as it gives you a quick boost to hotplate and oven.
It will burn many hours on half a bucket of coal so you might not find it that much trouble.
You will probably want some alternative heat such as electric or portable gas fire to back it up when it is being sulky or not on e.g. chilly mornings autumn and spring.

[Tracey Suntan-King]

We had a solid fuel & wood Rayburn in a house in Buxton where it’s perpetually cold The house also had gas CH. We rarely needed the gas CH when the Rayburn was lit as it heated the whole 3 storey house.

However, we were at home all day so Sid could tend to it and the house was toasty all day. We had the added bonus of being able to slow-cook in it, casseroles, baked spuds and the like. It was great. In summer it wasn’t lit and the gas boiler was used for hot water.

It strikes me that a Rayburn is unsuitable if you’re out at work all day because you’re burning fuel to heat an empty house. If you light it once you’re home from work it will take ages to get up to temperature.

So I’d highly recommend a Rayburn for people retired or WFH. Otherwise a more responsive, controllable heating system would’ve more suitable. HTH
____________________
Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[stinkwheel]

I'd probably keep it if I had one in a house. However, I'd fit a modern central heating system in parallel to it. Probably a big multi-source heat store so you can feed in the raeburn boiler output into the heat store when it's lit but use your alternative heat sources such as your air source pump to feed into it when it's not.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Islander]

[MCN]

[MCN]

[stinkwheel]

[MCN]

A major issue in heating systems is cost of installation.

I just parted with £2000+ small change just to install a new gas boiler to heat a 3 bed semi. (It's a wee house too)

The solid fuel thing has the refueling thing too.
Finding reliable suppliers that cost less than energy from pipes or wires.

This energy conservation crisis has not been addressed sufficiently by government.

My house was built 2004. But it could down almost instantly when the heating goes off.
That's what my boiler is heating. Everything but just my house.

Inshalla, the future with herald in proper insulation at affordable prices.
____________________
Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[A100man]

I've just remembered that the house my ex-wife now lives in (her boyfriend's) has a a Rayburn - so it will be brilliant, you can be sure of that...
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Feasty]

Well I've found a little more out, they pay about £3k a year for fuel for the Rayburn. But then their electric bill is only something like £600 a year and of course they don't have a gas bill.
The house has open fires in the living room and dining room which will help keep the place warm.

Unrealistic to stick with this though as we'll be working away from home at least 3 days a week, and I don't fancy coming home to get a fire going then wait 2 hours before the house starts feeling warm!
The good news is there is a gas supply to the house, it just needs connecting up to a meter - then of course the work to fit and connect it up to a boiler. I'm guessing around £5k for all that.
____________________
Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[Robby]

If you're considering going from no connected gas supply to central heating - so you would be installing from new a mains connection, meter, boiler, rads and pipework - it would be worth considering a heat pump. You may even be eligible for a grant to cover some of the cost.

Whilst a heat pump may not be enough on its own without a lot of insulation, it would likely work quite well with solid fuel fires as supplemental heat for cold days.

To take it a step further, if you can do warm air from a heat pump rather than radiators, it means you also have central air conditioning in summer. Add solar panels and you have air conditioning that doesn't cost anything to run. After this last summer, I would want to consider the possibility of air conditioning on a new house purchase.

[mentalboy]

[MCN]