Which solid fuel stove do people recommend?

varney

Hello All,

Only discovered Boards recently and find it brilliant as a source of valuable advice, especially as it is specific to Ireland.....Keep it up!!

My question(s):
We have an old cottage which over the years has been restored and extended onto. In the old sitting room there's a largeish fireplace which we hope to put a solid fuel stove into. We really need it to heat the water and link into our existing oil fired rads.

I believe there was a new flue put into this fireplace about ten years back, but am not certain. Should it be obvious from shining a torch up the chimney?

Which stove would people recommend for the job? I tried a local fire centre here in Sligo and they dismissed all cast iron stoves as short-lived. The guy informed me that all the Stanley stuff is Chinese and you'd be lucky to get five years out of one. He recommends getting a steel model by and English company called Charnwood.

I've asked around and people seem to agree. Does anyone out there have one, and how do they rate them?

Thanks in advance to all replies.
Michael,.

Eurorunner

varney wrote: »

Which stove would people recommend for the job? I tried a local fire centre here in Sligo and they dismissed all cast iron stoves as short-lived. The guy informed me that all the Stanley stuff is Chinese and you'd be lucky to get five years out of one. He recommends getting a steel model by and English company called Charnwood.

When did waterford stanley start to get their stuff manufactured in China? Just trying to establish whether people are assuming that because its chinese made, its inferior ...OR ...that its clear that the stuff is inferior?
I have only made comparisons on one model (the smallest), but its hard to justify going with another make given that the alternatives are at least 100% more expensive. I suppose it depends to what degree the stanley stove is inferior to the rest.
What part of a stove is likely to break over time? Can bits and pieces be replaced or is it more likely a case of chucking it out and starting again?

Avns1s

I have a feeling your fire centre could be trying to sell you something that they have a greater margin on. Ask the Stanley centre in Archers Ballina for their opinion (if there isn't one in Sligo). They'll tell you whether they're made in China and whether there are quality issues, which might be more important than the location of the manufacturing plant.

I know loads of people who have stanley stoves for more than 10 years and I know plenty that have newer ones too and they don't seem to have had any problems except for one, where they used to put on blazing coal fires and it warped the grate inside.

If you want loads of heat for the room and hot water for the rads best going with someting like the Erin. My in-laws put in one last year and it has transformed the house.

Like any stove, the heat you get out is directly proportional to the amount of fuel you put in. They have an ample supply of turf and it really works well.

Hope this helps.

Calluna

I could have the complete wrong end of the stick but I think my father told me last year (after researching and buying a stove) that there was a breakaway group (of engineers, or designers, or whatever) from Stanley who started making their own stoves, but manufactured in China. So basically, it was the same as Stanley, but not Stanley, but cheaper....
Just my tuppence worth and it could be completely wrong. I'd check with a stanley supplier as recommended by Avns1s, but wouldn't write off something just cos it's made in China. I think Dad went with the Chinese one - it's still going (1 year later?! ) and no probs so far. hth and apologies if I'm wrong.

varney

Thanks for your replies,
I wasn't sucked in by the showroom assistant's sales pitch, but I have asked a few people who do agree that the steel stoves are better. I'm told they can withstand greater heat and are pretty indestructible. I still don't know if that means they're worth the huge cost ( the Charnwood I was shown was around €2000). The Stanley model my neighbour got was close enough on this ( around €1500).

We would pay the extra if we knew that the stove will heat the water and run at least ten radiators reasonably well. Has anyone had experience of linking a new solid fuel stove into an existing central heating system? I'd be interested to hear their experiences.

A chap who does jobs for us ( and is earmarked to fit this stove, ) tells me you need to insert a plate into the chimney and run the flue from the stove through it. Also needs to have a trapdoor opening to clean out the soot, which I hadn't thought about.

Anyway, we have no idea which is the best type of stove to go for and are in the hands of the showroom salesmen..........help!!!

Michael.

charliecon

I'm in the same position as you and have narrowed it down to a Harmony 3 or a Hunter Herald 14. They are both cast iron which is better than steel ,the harmony is around 2000 and the Hunter is 1590. There is a huge showroom near Navan called Hickeys Fireplace and Stove Centre and there are loads of different models on display ( no Stanley - they said they wern't reliable) .I have no connection to them but they could be worth a look if you were ever round that way - they really know their stuff and they're not a bit pushy.

demanufactured

Charlie I can whole-heartedly recommend the hunter herald 14, we have one and its the bees knees.

It throws out some serious heat to both the boiler and the room, and we have no oil or gas just the stove to heat rads and water , if you light a good fire your rads will be to hot to touch within an hour.

charliecon

Yea the girl in Hickeys recommended it also .How many rads do you run of it ?The room I want it for is about 26' x 16' - its a kitchen livingroom combined and the reason I was thinking about the harmony is it has a model with a hotplate so you can cook on it also. Do you think it would be possible to cook on the hunter ,nothing major now just like boil a kettle or a pot of stew without ruining the top of it?
Thanks again
Charlie

varney

Thanks for that information guys,

I must admit I was a bit surprised to hear people say Stanley are dodgy. I always associate their name with ranges and stoves etc since childhood. Still,....I'm here to learn!!

So is it true that cast iron is a better option than steel? This is the opposite to the showroom guy I spoke with, and he had a fair old number of cast iron units there.

Haven't heard of Hunter Herald but having looked at it online it seems that with the large hood it'll be too big for our existing fireplace.

I'd also be interested to hear how many rads 'Demanufactured' has running off it.

Michael.

charliecon

Varney you can get it without the hood - just a flat top and its 100 euro cheaper.
Everyone I have asked about stoves has told me that cast iron is better than steel but it is more expensive.

John mac

varney wrote: »

Thanks for your replies,
I wasn't sucked in by the showroom assistant's sales pitch, but I have asked a few people who do agree that the steel stoves are better. I'm told they can withstand greater heat and are pretty indestructible. I still don't know if that means they're worth the huge cost ( the Charnwood I was shown was around €2000). The Stanley model my neighbour got was close enough on this ( around €1500).

We would pay the extra if we knew that the stove will heat the water and run at least ten radiators reasonably well. Has anyone had experience of linking a new solid fuel stove into an existing central heating system? I'd be interested to hear their experiences.

A chap who does jobs for us ( and is earmarked to fit this stove, ) tells me you need to insert a plate into the chimney and run the flue from the stove through it. Also needs to have a trapdoor opening to clean out the soot, which I hadn't thought about.

Anyway, we have no idea which is the best type of stove to go for and are in the hands of the showroom salesmen..........help!!!

Michael.

I put in a Stanley last year.
the heat from it is fantastic!
there was a smell from the paint for the first 5 or 6 fires but after that its been fine.

drilled a 125mm hole through back of chimney and put a soot door on the outside.

cleaned the chimney last Saturday very simple and clean. no soot inside.

are you using the stove to heat rads?
have you had a look at this site?

demanufactured

At present were only running 6 rads off it , but will be adding 4 more next year, ,and i know itll be well up to the job.

Another good stove i have seen in action is the stanley erin.

bakerbhoy

Just a note on the stanleys to clear up the here say.They no longer do their castings on site in waterford.They are done abroad and brought to waterford where the stoves are assembled and finished etc.I work adjacent to their facility.

Varney you will need to get your flue lined and back filled with vermiculite because of the extra heat the stove will generate. A stove of 11kw upwards to do about 10 - 12 rads. 3 kw to room 8kw to rads as an example.
stanley erin / nestor martin / jotul ,the latter two being more modern versions.
Try fenton fires in greystones ,they will give you top advice ,ask for paul

Tremone

You should check out Mulberry stoves who are a breakaway crowd from Stanley. We got their smallest one for the front room and the heat is fantastic. We also had an old stanley range cooker that was on it's last legs and are installing a Mulberry solid fuel range that will heat 12 rads. So hopefully turf from now on with no ever increasing oil bills.

Also if you are anyway handy fit the stove yourself, if you are flu lined then all you need to is put the adapter which fits in to clay flue pipe bringing it down from 8" to 5", then depending on the height of your chimney attach the bend or the bevelled straight piece and attach to the stove. I had a bit of chiselling to do but it can be done and it would save on getting a plumber to do the heavy work who'll charge a heavy price, just get him to connect it to your back boiler and rads.

You'll not regret it especially in an old cottage like ourselves it seems to suit that type of building.

fmcc

Just coming in abit late to this thread lads but to clear up a few points if I may. I sell both cast iron and steel stoves so am not biased towards one or the other.
Mulberry and stanley are both cast in China but are pretty good stoves by and large. there are other similar stoves being brought in here that will look very similar but will not be CE approved and may or may not have the back up that the brands have. Imho Mulberry have a better back up than Stanley but this is only anecdotal as i sell Mulberry and not Stanley. Stanleys are through a local Builders merchanst and they are not highly regarded for their back up on anything really.
Efel and nestor martin are cast in europe as are Dovre but these seem to one of the few companies still doing it in Europe.
Hunter stoves and most English made stove are steel bodies with some cast parts and are manufactured in England nearly all in the same area of devon. Arrow, esse, stovax, hunter, charnwood imho not a huge pile to set them apart but Arrow. Hunter and Charnwood are ones i would rate a little higher as their efficiency is a bit higher than most cast stoves. cast stoves usualy have either cast panels or firebrick inside.
Steel stoves have a skamolex heat board inside that allows them achieve higher efficiency. Cast takes longer to heat up but retains heat for longer. Steel heats up quicker but loses its heat quicker also.
not much to set them apart really i have never heard of anyone being disappointed with any of the brands mentioned above and everyone seems to be more than happy with the heat outputs. sorry for the long post but Hope it clears things up a bit.

dlambirl

charliecon wrote: »

I'm in the same position as you and have narrowed it down to a Harmony 3 or a Hunter Herald 14. They are both cast iron which is better than steel ,the harmony is around 2000 and the Hunter is 1590. There is a huge showroom near Navan called Hickeys Fireplace and Stove Centre and there are loads of different models on display ( no Stanley - they said they wern't reliable) .I have no connection to them but they could be worth a look if you were ever round that way - they really know their stuff and they're not a bit pushy.

This is where we got our stove, there is plenty on show and the sales team know their stuff.

demanufactured wrote: »

Charlie I can whole-heartedly recommend the hunter herald 14, we have one and its the bees knees.

It throws out some serious heat to both the boiler and the room, and we have no oil or gas just the stove to heat rads and water , if you light a good fire your rads will be to hot to touch within an hour.

We got our stove in Hickeys, just outside navan, co. meath- a Hunter Herald 14. We are due to get it very soon so i cant speak personally on its efficiency but friends of mine who moved into their new house last year also have the Hunter Herald 14 and they think its wonderful - throws out plenty of heat in the room and also heats no prob. Our stove will be heating 10 rads approx i think.

charliecon wrote: »

Yea the girl in Hickeys recommended it also .How many rads do you run of it ?The room I want it for is about 26' x 16' - its a kitchen livingroom combined and the reason I was thinking about the harmony is it has a model with a hotplate so you can cook on it also. Do you think it would be possible to cook on the hunter ,nothing major now just like boil a kettle or a pot of stew without ruining the top of it?
Thanks again
Charlie

Our kitchen sounds possibly the same. Ours is about 37' x 18' and we have the stove at the dining room end and the kitchen at the other. I dont think that it will be possible to cook on the hunter.

fanore

When our 2nd hand Wamsler range gave up after 13 years we took our time to research a replacement, got some expert advice which confirmed our own instints to install an oil boiler and solid fuel stove, we settled on a AARROW Stratford TF90b and are really happy with it, we have recommended it to so many people, even our plumber put one in his own house, serious heat to the room its in, all radiators hot...even the north facing one, loads of hot water, simple to clean, simple to start up and clean....all positive into our 3rd winter now, bought from Country Stoves Co Tipperary...easy to deal with, great delivery service. Friends of ours have a Hercules 30b Boiler Stove which they are very happy with but stress the room has to be big enough to accept the heat output otherwise you can never put in a big fire which defeats its purpose.

moceri

I took delivery of a Charnwood Country Stove last Month. I was Very Disappointed considering that it is Twice the Price of a comperable stove but bought it on the strength that none of the parts were made in China.
The stove paint finish was rough with lots of weld spatter inside the Firebox.
It took ages to order the Multifuel Grate (as an additional) option from their factory in the Isle of Wight.
The Stove is designed essentially for wood burning and the steel plates on the back and rear are not sufficiently robust for coal fires especially that the bolt heads on the plates sit proud, exposed to high temperature.
I had to wait three months from order for the stove.

CJhaughey

Hard to beat the scandinavian stoves for quality.
Jotul and Morso are two that spring to mind but there are others that are equally as good.
Or Esse do a good range that might suit?

del1

fanore I have been looking at the stratford TF90 stove also and it has alot higher output than most others. Can you tell me what price you paid for your stove.

donallouth

please could somebody help find a solution to my problem im looking for a stove with boiler to heat water and up to 6 small double rads also my hot water tank is located down stairs the room im putting it into is 12 ft x 11 ft my house is a two bed have been recommended a stanley tara multifuel boiler stove dont no if it will do the job any comments are welcomed

Carlow52

Just finished the second week of using this appliance, its a 6 kw free standing stove in a 30 by 13.5 by 8,25 (all feet) north facing room with 2 big DG windows.

Bearing in mind both my patriotic duty and my carbon footprint, when I got a 5 month delivery date in Dublin, I collected it the same day at 33% less from.... and I am very happy with it.

My note on thermal mass is as follows:

because it heats the sides and back and top of the enlarged fireplace, the temperature in the room is much more even than when we had the rads on.
At night the temp when we retire might be 21, it drops tp 19 over night, much less than when we used the rads

SectionF

bakerbhoy wrote: »

Varney you will need to get your flue lined and back filled with vermiculite because of the extra heat the stove will generate. A stove of 11kw upwards to do about 10 - 12 rads. 3 kw to room 8kw to rads as an example.
stanley erin / nestor martin / jotul ,the latter two being more modern versions.
Try fenton fires in greystones ,they will give you top advice ,ask for paul

I'm looking for a basic standalone stove to put in an old fireplace in the kitchen. I'd have some hope that it will also help warm a very draughty old house.
Do I need to line the whole chimney flue, which extends three floors up? If so, what is the likely cost? Any info/insights very much appreciated!

bakerbhoy

I am not an expert on this but have done a fair bit of research. Older flues definitely need to be lined (preferably with a twin walled flue ,coiled outside,smooth inside) all the way to top.You probably don't have enough room in your existing flue to use insulated twin wall, so back filling with vermiculite or similar would be advised to counteract condensation and finished at the top with waterproofed mortar.
Flues are not cheap look up mi flues there is a price list on their site it will give you an idea of material costs.If you are handy this is a job you could do yourself once you get the correct setup for your particular chimney.
Phone mi flues ask for john o'mara he is expert in this area and will set you on the right path.

rehab1000

hi i have been looking at these two insert stoves. i am looking for some feed back on either. we have an avg size room so i think the 7kw esse might be to big, i might have answered my question.
thanks

SectionF

bakerbhoy wrote: »

I am not an expert on this but have done a fair bit of research. Older flues definitely need to be lined (preferably with a twin walled flue ,coiled outside,smooth inside) all the way to top.You probably don't have enough room in your existing flue to use insulated twin wall, so back filling with vermiculite or similar would be advised to counteract condensation and finished at the top with waterproofed mortar.
Flues are not cheap look up mi flues there is a price list on their site it will give you an idea of material costs.If you are handy this is a job you could do yourself once you get the correct setup for your particular chimney.
Phone mi flues ask for john o'mara he is expert in this area and will set you on the right path.

Great -- thanks for the steer.

Carlow52

bakerbhoy wrote: »

I am not an expert on this but have done a fair bit of research. Older flues definitely need to be lined (preferably with a twin walled flue ,coiled outside,smooth inside) all the way to top.You probably don't have enough room in your existing flue to use insulated twin wall, so back filling with vermiculite or similar would be advised to counteract condensation and finished at the top with waterproofed mortar.
Flues are not cheap look up mi flues there is a price list on their site it will give you an idea of material costs.If you are handy this is a job you could do yourself once you get the correct setup for your particular chimney.
Phone mi flues ask for john o'mara he is expert in this area and will set you on the right path.

Do you have any non-vendor links to support these

I am not an expert on this but

opinions, particularly if u are recommending a double skinned insulated flue to line an existing flue, which may not be straight and will prolly be 200mm internal diameter. Most solid fuel stove take a 150mm flue outlet and the 150mm ID double skinned flue is c 215mmOD?

bakerbhoy

Carlow 52

Twin walled flexi flues are available which is my recomendation.read my post again .

My opinions are based on my dealings with many vendors, installers ,maintainence who all are of the opinion that all older flues should be lined when changing over to solid fuel stoves.

janiemary

i have got different advice from different showrooms and really don't know where to turn. one said the stanley Aisling was too powerful for my house the other thought it would be fine and the last reckoned it would be too small.I calculated from a site that does just that and figured we would need 39244 BTUs to heat the house but I didn't allow for the hot water tank in that calculation. Its about 3 ft high and 18 inches wide. so if any one can give me advice I would be very glad.The other stove I was interested in which is about 1000 euro cheaper was the olymberyl Aiden. however I was drawn by the hot plate on the top of the Aisling.I know someone who cooks on hers.

janiemary

SectionF wrote: »

I'm looking for a basic standalone stove to put in an old fireplace in the kitchen. I'd have some hope that it will also help warm a very draughty old house.
Do I need to line the whole chimney flue, which extends three floors up? If so, what is the likely cost? Any info/insights very much appreciated!

If your house is very draughty you may be well advised to do something about that before you put in a stove.The pay back time on good insulation and draught proofing is far shorter than an improved heating system.If you can combine the two better still.go into the sei web site and see if they can offer any grants to help. we put in 300ml insulation in the roof only a few weeks ago and we can't get over the difference in the house.It's still warm in the morning even in this cold snap.we are no longer huddled over the fire.

Carlow52

bakerbhoy wrote: »

Carlow 52

Twin walled flexi flues are available which is my recomendation.read my post again .

My opinions are based on my dealings with many vendors, installers ,maintainence who all are of the opinion that all older flues should be lined when changing over to solid fuel stoves.

IMO the word flexi does not appear in your original post.

For others to refer to, here is a link from the uk as to how u might fit a flexible flue liner
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/lining_a_chimney.html

the next link shows the main UK regs for this
http://www.fluesystems.com/liners/info/chimney_liner_regulations.htm

as well as other useful guidance information.

jamesbuild

Hi, I have one, I got it at thestoveshop.ie, I'm very happy with it..

PLANTMAN

HAS ANYONE GOT A HEARLD 80B STOVE IN THEIR HOUSE AND HOW DO YOU RATE THEM? AND WHAT MADE YOU PICK IT?

hiorta

Google jotul stoves for more info.
The Scandinavian stoves are tops - Morso already mentioned - though I dont know about suppliers.
As to the stove itself, cast iron is the original and very good. Be careful of enamelled stoves which look great when new, but become pitted due to chipping from the great heat generated. They generally come as wood burners and multi fuel.

chefwes

hey gang my good lady and myself are currently building our house were stuck deciding on our solid fuel burner our plumber has said a 16kw burner isnt strong enough but he told us before it would be perfect , we invested alot of extra money in insulation and were wondering would a 16kw burner be enough our house is a 2200sqft dormer bungalow we hope sumbody can shed some light on the subject thanks guys

new boy

chefwes wrote: »

hey gang my good lady and myself are currently building our house were stuck deciding on our solid fuel burner our plumber has said a 16kw burner isnt strong enough but he told us before it would be perfect , we invested alot of extra money in insulation and were wondering would a 16kw burner be enough our house is a 2200sqft dormer bungalow we hope sumbody can shed some light on the subject thanks guys

how many rads u got? heating zoned?

dutchie1

Just looking for information on a solid fuel stove,amazed to find such a varied responce from shops as to which make is best and what size stove i should get.
The stove i want is a solid fuel one which burns coal and timber mainly,it is for a sunroom 20' x 9' with three small windows facing long wall and one long and french doors on short walls.
A bit of solid advise would be great.

Carlow52

Sizing the heat requirement is easy:
http://www.charnwood.com/stove-calculator.asp

Whats the plan for the chimney or is it only for smokless fuel:D

dutchie1

It seems all i need is a stove roughly 3.11 kw,we might be having difficulty with the chimney as it wont be able to connect to existing chimning and it will have to go through roof.

Carlow52

dutchie1 wrote: »

It seems all i need is a stove roughly 3.11 kw,we might be having difficulty with the chimney as it wont be able to connect to existing chimning and it will have to go through roof.

Rem the quoted output from the stove assumes a certain refill rate of fuel with a specific heat capacity so u need to go say for a 4 kw one.

On the chimney u need to research that a bit more as the stainless steel twin flue cost a lot, don't last forever and IMHO look v ugly in a domestic situation.

Dont dismiss building a new chimney using some of the more modern solutions: they cost a little more that the s/s TFlue but have a life of c 60 years: u can pm me if u wish

Gussie Finknott

The Hunter 14 Herald is a steel stove not cast
The Hunter 80b needs a wheelbarrow to fill it
Both are good stove along with the Mulberry which is cast
But the best stove the i have come across is the SAEY Blenheim.And the worst are Stanley.

broganire

I'm afraid I have to dissagree with Gusssie. My experience of the hunter 80B and the blenheim were the complete opposite. Maybe my circunstances are different to yours.

We had a saey blenheim stove in our house when we bought it and it was completely undersized for the amount of radiators and the size of the front room it was in. (despite guidelines from the shop it was bought in). In an effort to get good enough heat out of it to heat the space & radiators we used a huge amount of fuel with very little gain. Leaving us very frustrated and cold.

Last winter before the frost we replaced it with a hunter 80B and we have never looked back. It heats up to 15 radiators plus a north facing room (a living room with a double high ceiling and large north facing windows) without a problem and our fuel useage has dropped because the stove is now sized correctly for the house and therefore much more efficient. Plus we no longer need to use the gas central heating which was on full time with the blenheim.

If anything we needed a wheelbarrow to try and keep the blenheim going!

kateof

Is anyone familiar with the electric range from 'everhot'?

Mr Tim Buktoo

So is there any particular websites or stores that would be good value for stoves?

travellingkitty

I've been looking into a multi fuel stove for a large open plan living room. I don't need the boiler option. I believe I need something around 5-7KW output but I'm really confused at the price differentials out there. For example I can get a Dimplex WST5 Westcott 5 for €449 or I can get a Nestor Martin H23 for €1400 and I can't really see what I'm getting different for the money. Both are cast iron - both have airwash control. The Nestor Martin has Woodbox technology which sounds great from the brochure and salesman but is it really worth a grand more? I know that you get what you pay for but I'd like to be surer that the extra expense is actually giving me something I need. Can someone spell it out for me what the difference is?

I also like the idea of a hot plate on the stove as the area I live in (North Clare) suffers from poor ESB supply and it would be nice to have a means of boiling the kettle if the power goes again this winter. Has anyone any recommendations for a stove with this feature? I've seen the Nestor Martin Harmony II but again it's pretty pricey.

vicar1

is anyone using a wood pellet stove? if so, what would the pellet consumption be like for a 2400 sq ft house and a room 29x 18 that the stove is in? Any recommendations or would we be as well off with a high capacity multi fuel stove? Thanks!

vicar1

Forgot to ask, has anyone used a Chieftain stove ?- Irish made

randombar

Lads resurrecting an old thread but looking to buy a charnwood, can I get some PM'ed recommendations please?

billy kelly

I am looking to find which stove to use to heat using wood , logs , turf. Have been told i will need 7 - 8 kw. What do you do with the waste after use.
Cheers

paddy147

billy kelly wrote: »

I am looking to find which stove to use to heat using wood , logs , turf. Have been told i will need 7 - 8 kw. What do you do with the waste after use.
Cheers

ashpan under the stove,then put the ash into your wheelie bin and it goes out with the household waste.

Moderm stoves dont give as much ash as a normal open fire,they burn the wood,turf very very well,so alot less ash is left in the grate and ash pan.

claw14

Hi Guys,
Just wondering f anyone has any experience of a King Star stove. Seen a 7KW one in a showroom and it looked good. Can't find a lot of information on the net about them.
Thanks