STOVES questions and answers here(see mod note in post 1)

Taddles78

I'm looking to buy a inset stove, and have narrowed it down to the Di lusso r4, stovax Riva 40 and clearview vision? Veering towards the clearview due to the rep, and haven't really seen a bad review. But has anyone any first hand experience of either of these or any recommendations? Thanks

Thammer

Hi there

Oisin stove with what seems to be a hairline crack in the back brick

Should it be changed immediately,the brick doesn't look to be broken?

Also is there a technique for getting it out I couldn't seem to remove the 2 side bricks at the back of the stove,thanks

galah81

Hi,

Have a Kingstar insert - not sure of model but looks like an Elm. Has an integrated back boiler that is linked into central heating system.

Doesn't give out great heat, reckon it loses alot to heating the water. Thinking of disconnecting the back boiler - anyone done this and seen a big difference?

Presume disconnecting means just draining down the system and disconnecting the pipework?

rpmcs

Thammer wrote:

Should it be changed immediately,the brick doesn't look to be broken?

If it just a crack I would not be overly worried. It's when the brick gets pitted/worn that I'd be changing or if cracked bit falls out or leave big gap .

rpmcs

galah81 wrote:

Presume disconnecting means just draining down the system and disconnecting the pipework?

Not at all recommended to use stove with back boiler and no water in it. It will just warp and over Heat boiler as no water to keep cool. In my opinion it would have to be complete change of stove.

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

Hi looking for a bit of advice here. Is there any freestanding stove (not an insert) that will fit into a standard fireplace opening. Thanks.

Forge83

Elian Savory Sorcerer wrote: »

Hi looking for a bit of advice here. Is there any freestanding stove (not an insert) that will fit into a standard fireplace opening. Thanks.

Henley Thames 4.5kw
Arrow Acorn view

cocoman

Elian Savory Sorcerer wrote: »

Hi looking for a bit of advice here. Is there any freestanding stove (not an insert) that will fit into a standard fireplace opening. Thanks.

I wouldn't say freestanding stoves are designed/meant to be be fitted into a fireplace. They need air to circulate around them.

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

cocoman wrote: »

I wouldn't say freestanding stoves are designed/meant to be be fitted into a fireplace. They need air to circulate around them.

That's what I meant when I asked if there are any that would fit allowing the required space around it.

banie01

Would anyone know where I can lay my hands on some vermiculite or Mica panels in the Limerick City area?
Need to reline my stove and finding it hard to source.

Muahahaha

Just in the market for a upgrading an open fire. Im wondering is it possible to install one of the inset/cassette style stoves in a standard chimney breast? Im just asking are these tyes of retrofit installations tricky and they might encounter problems and what to be aware of before proceeding.

seamus

Standard chimney breast should be no issue. Must suppliers will do an all-in service that includes lining the chimney. Main thing is tidying up the opening - if it's relatively wide or the plasterwork is damaged, you should get the opening patching/cleaned up to the appropriate size before the stove is installed.

Muahahaha

The breast is 1800mm wide and Im hoping to install a stove of 1100mm width. Was reading about flue installations and was wondering if there is a cowl on the market that can be remotely controlled to regulate air venting? Reason I ask is the stove Im interested in is flush to the wall and I cant see any external vents on it and am wondering how would airflow be regulated?
https://www.modernstoves.co.uk/inset-stoves/panadero-101s-inset-multi-fuel-wood-burning-stove.html#

marklazarcovic

Why is it so hard to get a plumber to be straight up?

Rang 3 plumbers in Galway about removing a range and installing a stove,ready to go ,stove here etc.. none of them stuck to their word of I'll call tomorrow to quote .. none answer txts or phone since..
<MOD SNIP> riddiculas..must be coining it in.. but it's not very professional to just back out without a reason or explanation.

MOD NOTE: I understand your frustration, but keep the profanities out of your posts.

Shefwedfan

marklazarcovic wrote: »

Why is it so hard to get a plumber to be straight up?

Rang 3 plumbers in Galway about removing a range and installing a stove,ready to go ,stove here etc.. none of them stuck to their word of I'll call tomorrow to quote .. none answer txts or phone since..
<MOD SNIP> riddiculas..must be coining it in.. but it's not very professional to just back out without a reason or explanation.

MOD NOTE: I understand your frustration, but keep the profanities out of your posts.

This is the problem with Ireland


Good times now so expect plumbers/electrician/trademens all to forget who their customers are and looking after them


Once the bad times hit again expect to hear them crying about no customers been loyal and complain that everyone prices around....Standard practise in Ireland :P unfortuneatly

AdamB

I'm currently doing up my sitting room and plan on getting an insert non-boiler stove fitted where the open fire is now. I have narrowed it down to two stoves, a Waterford Stanley Solis 80cm SS insert and a Stovax Studio 2 both of which have warm air channels which will duct warm air to two rooms upstairs. As they are both new to the market there is little or nothing in the way of reviews on either, which is a little unnerving for such a large spend. I'm wondering is there a general preference between the two brands? I prefer the look of the Stovax but the cost of the Stanley is very appealing!
I've been told that there is a support bar in the chimney breast that may need to be raised, is there anyway to find out where this support bar is and if it requires moving?
Also as the floor will be tiled is a hearth still necessary?
Any advice greatly appreciated..

Shefwedfan

Just wondering, have a hamco 30b. It has worked perfect but in last few months bits starting to go. Glass broke in front, grate has bit out of it, the bit that runs along the front to stop stuff coming out has broke,

Now today as I look into it, at the top of the stove was a circle part which came down into the stove, it was below the flue....it looks to be broken so the flames can go into the flue. No idea how to explain.

I bought the house and from the look of it the previous owner was burning plastics and all sorts of sh*t in it. I have another stove and the same problem. I am just wondering should I fix all the part or look to replace the stove?

geo88

Hi everyone,

After reading a couple of threads, playing with a number of heating calculators as well as some browsing on WhatStove I've decided to ask for help here.

I have an open fireplace which I'd like to replace with a stove, but have little idea of what options would be cost effective as well as how much more expensive some of the others would be.

I'm looking at an open area of about 30 sqm with a regular height of 2.5m. According to online calculators, given low to average insulation (but hopefully to be improved in the future), I should be looking at 5-6 kW stoves.

When it comes to style, I really like the aspect of the Hunter Parkray Aspect stoves (very small bezels, e.g. for the Aspect 5), though a Jetmaster 18i also wouldn't look too bad to me.

Currently the open fireplace is a very big source of draught when it's windy outside.
My main source of heating is oil heating (though will change to gas at some point in the future).
Also, I really like the look/effect of wood burning (not into burning coal/peat).
Location: Dublin.

What I'm wondering about:

1. What size is my opening considered to be? Do I take those 2'' metal edges into account or not? E.g.: 20'' x 24'' or 16'' x 22'' ?
2. Previously, many years ago, a back boiler used to be connected, however, that seems to have been disconnected for a long time now. Regular heating pipes would still run at the very left side of the chimney buildout and accessible through a small trapdoor on the left wall. Would this limit my options in any way?
3. Given the dimensions, am I limited to inset/insert stoves or would standalones also be an option?
4. What type of stove would be the most cost effective option to install and what can I expect price wise?
5. How much extra would it be if I wanted some sort of standalone, given that it would need some clearance on the sides and on top? What if I'd also want some space to store logs at the bottom?

Cheers!

Ian OB

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Just wondering, have a hamco 30b. It has worked perfect but in last few months bits starting to go. Glass broke in front, grate has bit out of it, the bit that runs along the front to stop stuff coming out has broke,

Now today as I look into it, at the top of the stove was a circle part which came down into the stove, it was below the flue....it looks to be broken so the flames can go into the flue. No idea how to explain.

I bought the house and from the look of it the previous owner was burning plastics and all sorts of sh*t in it. I have another stove and the same problem. I am just wondering should I fix all the part or look to replace the stove?

Have one of these stoves too. They're not recommended for coal which is probably what did for the parts you describe. Given that Hamco are only over the way in Tullamore it'd br no harm to give them a ring to price the parts first.

redsky1

Replace the stove and be careful what you burn in it.

The Bishop Basher

Very glad i've only found this thread now..

I've been running a firewarm 8kw on coal for 10 years now..

The only thing i've ever had to replace is the glass which developed stress cracks.

Everything else inside looks as it did the day we installed it..

Shefwedfan

Ian OB wrote: »

Have one of these stoves too. They're not recommended for coal which is probably what did for the parts you describe. Given that Hamco are only over the way in Tullamore it'd br no harm to give them a ring to price the parts first.

I find I am talking to them regularly at the moment


Replacement parts add up to €130 this time. That's after 60 last year.



The problem is installation.



I wasn't aware they are not recommended for coal, they say multi fuel on any of the websites I see

BlueSunshine7

Hi everyone,

We had a Kingstar Inset Stove with a stainless steal flexible flue installed 5 years ago. A strange chemically smell had been coming from it which we thought was installation smell but it hasn’t burned off and in fact seems to be getting worse every year. We lit it yesterday for the first time this winter and it’s the worst it’s ever been. Same today. The smell seems to worsen the hotter the fire is burning. It is a toxic-like smell that catches you in the throat and causes a flu-like pressure/headache feeling in the nasal, eye and crown areas. I would describe it as a burnt nails or burnt hair smell, my family can’t quite put words on what it is but know how it makes them feel; “headachey”, “burns nostrils and lungs”. Would anyone have any idea what this might be?

Many thanks!!

Wearb

BlueSunshine7 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

We had a Kingstar Inset Stove with a stainless steal flexible flue installed 5 years ago. A strange chemically smell had been coming from it which we thought was installation smell but it hasn’t burned off and in fact seems to be getting worse every year. We lit it yesterday for the first time this winter and it’s the worst it’s ever been. Same today. The smell seems to worsen the hotter the fire is burning. It is a toxic-like smell that catches you in the throat and causes a flu-like pressure/headache feeling in the nasal, eye and crown areas. I would describe it as a burnt nails or burnt hair smell, my family can’t quite put words on what it is but know how it makes them feel; “headachey”, “burns nostrils and lungs”. Would anyone have any idea what this might be?

Many thanks!!

Don’t know what the problem is, but make sure you have a WORKING carbon monoxide alarm.
Headaches can be one of the symptoms of low oxygen which in turn can produce CO.
This is mostly caused by poor combustion ventilation.

Forge83

BlueSunshine7 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

We had a Kingstar Inset Stove with a stainless steal flexible flue installed 5 years ago. A strange chemically smell had been coming from it which we thought was installation smell but it hasn’t burned off and in fact seems to be getting worse every year. We lit it yesterday for the first time this winter and it’s the worst it’s ever been. Same today. The smell seems to worsen the hotter the fire is burning. It is a toxic-like smell that catches you in the throat and causes a flu-like pressure/headache feeling in the nasal, eye and crown areas. I would describe it as a burnt nails or burnt hair smell, my family can’t quite put words on what it is but know how it makes them feel; “headachey”, “burns nostrils and lungs”. Would anyone have any idea what this might be?

Many thanks!!

Plus one for the carbon monoxide alarms!

Sounds like smouldering rock wool. A lot of installers still using this when they shouldn’t be.
Another possibility is if the chimney wasn’t cleaned before installation, it could be the old creosote in the pots.

JohnBoy

Not sure if I should post here or start my own thread..... mods please split out if more appropriate.

We have done some rennovation recently and fitted a new boiler stove, a stratford ecoboiler 12. https://www.aradastoves.com/stoves/ecoboiler-12-cassette

I'm not happy with the performance and looking for some advice.

We've had a stove for years and I've been burning wood all my life so I'm reasonably happy with the wood I'm burning, it's ash that was cut and split in the spring and stored in IBC cages in a drafty shed since in the hottest summer in many years. I have a moisture meter on order to be sure but when burnt in the fireplace this stuff is like coal with no hissing or spitting.

The stove has been lit half a dozen nights now and now that the nighs have gotten cold it's really noticeable that it's not putting out that much heat. it's rapidly developing a coating of tar, it is also smoking when the door is opened.

The flue was lined with twin wall flexi liner and vermiculite poured around it, the steel pipe from the stove to the liner was wrapped with ceramic wool as was the top and sides of the stove. it is an externally air fed stove and my gut feeling is that it's not getting enough air, it just doesnt seem to be possible to get a roaring fire in it, would that cause tar as much as damp timber?

where do I start to diagnose?

Mickeroo

What kind of reading are you getting on the moisture meter?

How often do you need to clean the glass to keep it clear? Is the wood smouldering or is it burning with a good flame?

We have the inset non cassette version of that stove and only burn kiln dried wood. Even going full blast there's still a layer of tar/creosote on the inside of the firebox, I'm not sure if that aspect is fully avoidable and I was wondering myself how normal it is to have a coating inside the firebox..

The living room is never so warm we need to open the door or anything with it even when using Ecobrite coal at full blast but it does heat it well enough to be comfortable but I expected more too tbh. I think it's common enough for boiler insets to be like that though.

THis probably won't solve your problems but I found it helpful for how to use the air controls depending on the fuel: https://www.aradastoves.com/pdf/manuals/bk560-rev08.pdf

JohnBoy

I have only just ordered the moisture meter so it wont arrive for a week, but I'm not convinced moisture is my problem, I more suspect airflow.

This is my first experience of a boiler stove but we never had a pick of tar in our old non boiler stove, there's a good few stoves in the family and I've never seen anything like this before, but they'd all be non boilers.


I must play with the air controls some more and see what happens. It's only been lit a few times so far and the glass is dirty, but not heavily sooting except the top left corner.

Muahahaha

Just coming to installation stage and looking for an installer. Could anyone give me a ballpark price on what Id expect to pay for an installation to include chimney flue lined & insulated, cowl supplied & fitted and a hearth for the fireplace. The installation is into an existing fireplace. Based in Wicklow. Ive gotten one quote so far which came to 2,000, does this seem high?

ednwireland

Paid about that to get my chimney relined and stove refitted up in Donegal over the summer.