My speakers are currently either side of an open fire, but they don’t get particularly warm when the fire is lit. I’m thinking about replacing the fire with a wood burner, they are way more efficient and will provide much more heat in the area - should I tread carefully. Could excessive heat have a deleterious effect on my speakers. Any experience? Many thanks.
Interesting question !
Will the log burner be recessed or free standing? What kind of distance either side of the current fire are they and could they be moved further apart if needed?
An installer might specify regulation distances away from potentially flammable structures but I guess speakers aren’t fixed so that may not apply.
In all honesty I doubt any serious sonic effects but could increased heat affect the finish/coating of the speakers if too close?
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I reckon they will be about a metre away each side and I can’t move them. I think it might be possible that the heat dries out the wood of the speakers too much and damages them that way. May be a non starter.
Mine are probably this sort of distance and haven’t experienced an issue. The sides get warm, nothing else.
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If the speakers get clearly warmer on one side than the other, I think you will have increased ageing of the cabinets due to the temperature (and UV?). How much depends on how big the difference in temperature is I guess.
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Stoves vary considerably in how much heat comes off the side panels. With a 1 metre gap I don’t think you have too much to worry about, but I would avoid stoves like this Jotul, for example:
This type of stove has no firebricks lining it, so the ribbed ‘heatsink’ sides get really quite hot compared to some designs.
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Thanks all - will need to consider carefully.
No problems here but that may be because (1) the wood burner is recessed (2) it’s quite small (3) we use it a handful of days a year - the larger wood burner in the other room gets more use
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Interesting Tim - maybe a small one like that would work. Would probably kick out as much heat as the open fire I currently have.
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The one thing that strikes me with my wood burner is the difference between lit and door shut or open.
Starting it up there is considerably more open fire like radiant heat with the door open which is palpable a few meters away but not with the door closed as intended when heat is more dependent on convection.
Wood burners may be more efficient on paper but if the open fire does the job does it need replacing?
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Once you’ve worked out what stove to get it should say the safe distance between it and potentially flammable items.
If you can only fit a small burner and it’s recessed it may be fine.
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I think more than heat, the swings in humidity are likely to be a larger issue. If you’ve measured and it’s not too bad you should be okay. I lived in a very changeable climate that went from >90% for nearly 6 months and then in the winter <20% humidity. One pair of speakers had the veneer blister very badly after 2 years of this.
As stoves heat and dry the air in a damp UK climate, they might produce large swings in humidity depending on the size of the stove in relation to the room. I’ve not actually heard of the same problem in the UK… but if you have a barometer you can probably get a good feel for the swings you are likely to expect.
A friend who is also a violinist once told me that if you are serious about the veneer, don’t expose it to any extremes that you wouldn’t expose a string instrument and you should be fine.
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I have a log burner in another room same model as Tim’s one above but slightly smaller. It’s a lot more efficient in the amount of wood it burns for the heat given off. The open fire is nice but uses a lot of wood and most of the heat goes up the chimney. Also takes an age to get going. So, not essential, but in the current environment with the cost of fuel it could be a good option if I can make it work. I can’t move the speakers unfortunately.
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There’s a thought. Actually RH here this summer before the weather broke was as low as 20% now up to 70%
Before we got the small wood burner we had an open fire that was designed to be more efficient than “normal” open fires, but it’s efficiency was still much lower than the wood burner. The wood burner also makes it easier to keep drafts from coming down the chimney
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Without starting a new thread I have wondered whether underfloor heating is good for speakers and kit just above floor level
I think underfloor heating is a much lower temp over a large area compared to a higher heat point scourge like a wood burner so likely little effect.
I have underfloor heating and the floor gets no warmer than 27C, about the same as when we have had a hot summer spell,
Excuse the silly photo. We’ve had our speakers in these positions for nearly six years, with the wood burner used fairly regularly in winter. I’ve not seen any issues yet, the sides of the speakers are approximately 0.8m from the sides of the burner.
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