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

MaxCharlie

hi. my elderly mother got his blacksmith stove put in just before Christmas 2012. see attached images to what has happened since. this stove is only used about once a week- reason ....its in the good sitting room. when installed originally their was not a mark it and the attached pictures appear recently. I showed these pictures to blacksmith and they are telling me its because the stove fire put on is too hot. I don't believe this to be true. can anyone give me guidance to respond to this.

Robbie.G

MaxCharlie wrote: »

hi. my elderly mother got his blacksmith stove put in just before Christmas 2012. see attached images to what has happened since. this stove is only used about once a week- reason ....its in the good sitting room. when installed originally their was not a mark it and the attached pictures appear recently. I showed these pictures to blacksmith and they are telling me its because the stove fire put on is too hot. I don't believe this to be true. can anyone give me guidance to respond to this.

Looks like heat damage.What were you burning in the stove?Were you doing overnight slumbering of fire?

MaxCharlie

hi Robbie g. kindling to start with turf and once settled some coal to bed down. not bedded down over night because room would not be used next day so no benefit to keep heat. she has a big Stanley enamel boiler stove in the kitchen for about 10 years and used about 350 days a year from mid morning to late night and not a mark on it.

Robbie.G

MaxCharlie wrote: »

hi Robbie g. kindling to start with turf and once settled some coal to bed down. not bedded down over night because room would not be used next day so no benefit to keep heat. she has a big Stanley enamel boiler stove in the kitchen for about 10 years and used about 350 days a year from mid morning to late night and not a mark on it.

What type of coal because certain coals aren't suitable and can cause heat damage I've seen it a few times.

MaxCharlie

I would assume polish coal 12 euro a bag. The same coal that's used by all the family houses and this stove is the only problem.

Robbie.G

MaxCharlie wrote: »

I would assume polish coal 12 euro a bag. The same coal that's used by all the family houses and this stove is the only problem.

Most polish coal is suitable as its very wet/sooty and has a high burning temp its perfect for open fires.
Another possibility is the flue what way is it done?connect to existing flue or flexi liner or twin wall stainless flue if the flue is under sized or has restrictions It can cause the flue gases to leave slowly crests ting higher temps in the stove.
The best thing would be light the stove as norm and measure the temp of it by either a thermometer that attaches to the flue or a infrared probe that will tell if the fuels the prob.

k123456

Firebelly f2

Hi does anyone have one of these, and would you recommend or not



Or can anyone recommned a good back boiler wood burning stove , not essential but would prefer a contempory look

Thanks

Richard tea

Finally getting around to getting a stove this summer. Last time I asked stove fan suggested the woodwarm brand. At the moment the woodwarm 4kw inset stove is my top choice but can anyone recommend any other brands for the same price range?? Im looking for a inset stove. Room dimensions are 20x12x8 foot.

Giving that we are coming into the summer, do stove outlets have any sales coming up? ie. would I be better off waiting for a sale during the summer or does this not necessarily happen?

Also, haven't seen any posts from stove fan for a while. Is he gone???

holmum

Tinder wrote: »

Hi folks,

I'm back again. Had picked out the Hanley Achill Boiler insert stove and am about to make the purchase but am having second thoughts! the reason being is the whole China steel issue.

So the second option is the Firebird Troy multifuel inset stove.

Question is does anyone have experience of this stove or offer another Irish made/ manufactured stove that meets the european standard of cast Iron.

Cheers
T

We are in same boat as you, had it picked out and now gone off it, getting too many mixed reviews. (read Chainsawpaddys post under firebird stove, separate thread)
Now thinking of Esse but again the reviews on the whichstove english website arnt great, but love the look of the stove.
Taking a trip later to look at some more, decisions, decisions.

Edited to say, firebird insert back boiler stove is only out since nov/dec so very hard to get reviews. I have heard that the firebox is very small in it.

bhamsteve

Richard tea wrote: »

Finally getting around to getting a stove this summer. Last time I asked stove fan suggested the woodwarm brand. At the moment the woodwarm 4kw inset stove is my top choice but can anyone recommend any other brands for the same price range?? Im looking for a inset stove. Room dimensions are 20x12x8 foot.

Giving that we are coming into the summer, do stove outlets have any sales coming up? ie. would I be better off waiting for a sale during the summer or does this not necessarily happen?

Also, haven't seen any posts from stove fan for a while. Is he gone???

We have a Stanley Cara insert, non boiler, rated at 4.9 kw, had it for a couple of years, it is plenty big enough to heat our main living area (sitting room, dining room, kitchen), don't have dimensions handy but would be a similar size to your room, if not bigger. We didn't use the radiators in that room at all. We paid €900 for it but will be taking it out this year and replacing it with a boiler stove. We found the best prices for a range of stoves to be in building providers, rather than stove shops.

southkilkenny

Hi all

I want to follow up regarding the correct type of coal to burn in a stove. We have an Olymberyl Aidan boiler stove and burn probably 95% timber but would use the occasional half bucket of coal if we want to speed up how quick we are getting heat from the stove say on a winters evening.

Given that we will only ever be using small quantities of coal, is polish coal ok to use as we would never be filling the firebox up with coal (we have a large supply of timber available hence timber is our main fuel). I know you can get stove coal but I think that tends to be more expensive and gives less heat output so works out as poorer value rather than buying say premium polish coal and only using small quantities to give much the same heat output as a larger quantity of stove coal.

What is your opinion on the above.
Thanks

Robbie.G

southkilkenny wrote: »

Hi all

I want to follow up regarding the correct type of coal to burn in a stove. We have an Olymberyl Aidan boiler stove and burn probably 95% timber but would use the occasional half bucket of coal if we want to speed up how quick we are getting heat from the stove say on a winters evening.

Given that we will only ever be using small quantities of coal, is polish coal ok to use as we would never be filling the firebox up with coal (we have a large supply of timber available hence timber is our main fuel). I know you can get stove coal but I think that tends to be more expensive and gives less heat output so works out as poorer value rather than buying say premium polish coal and only using small quantities to give much the same heat output as a larger quantity of stove coal.

What is your opinion on the above.
Thanks

The reason stove coal is lower burning is the higher temp coal polish/pet coke/bituminous can damage the stove.
Generally coal that is smokeless usually is ok for stoves but check first if your stove is damaged due to overheating it can cost a fare few quid to repair

southkilkenny

Robbie G, thanks for the reply. I really doubt that the stove is damaged as there would never have been any more than 1 fire shovel of coal put in along with timber upon start up....but in any case would there be visible effects from the stove being damaged due to the incorrect type of coal being used? Again I doubt it, I know for a fact that I have often got much more heat from the stove burning seasoned timber compared to what I got from the few times I used coal (would have burned less than a bag of coal over the 10 months or so which the stove has been installed.

So you are saying any smokeless coal tends to be ok for stoves then?

Thanks

Robbie.G

southkilkenny wrote: »

Robbie G, thanks for the reply. I really doubt that the stove is damaged as there would never have been any more than 1 fire shovel of coal put in along with timber upon start up....but in any case would there be visible effects from the stove being damaged due to the incorrect type of coal being used? Again I doubt it, I know for a fact that I have often got much more heat from the stove burning seasoned timber compared to what I got from the few times I used coal (would have burned less than a bag of coal over the 10 months or so which the stove has been installed.

So you are saying any smokeless coal tends to be ok for stoves then?

Thanks

The first sign of heat damage will be bent and twisted baffles and side plates. In most cases smokeless is ok but check with your manual

Richard tea

Just a little confused still lads

Im looking at the woodwarm fireview 4kw & 6.5 kw inset stove. According to one of the online room heat calculators I would need a 3.9 kw stove to heat my living room. I keyed in medium insulation ( not sure if this is correct ) but I would imaging so. I just dont want to get the 4kw option to be underwhelmed by its performance. My other option is the 6.5 kw option. But the 6.5kw option could be overkill for my room size, 12x20x8. What do you guys think? There is £180 in the difference between them.

bhamsteve

Richard tea wrote: »

Just a little confused still lads

Im looking at the woodwarm fireview 4kw & 6.5 kw inset stove. According to one of the online room heat calculators I would need a 3.9 kw stove to heat my living room. I keyed in medium insulation ( not sure if this is correct ) but I would imaging so. I just dont want to get the 4kw option to be underwhelmed by its performance. My other option is the 6.5 kw option. But the 6.5kw option could be overkill for my room size, 12x20x8. What do you guys think? There is £180 in the difference between them.

I'd go for the bigger of the two myself. You'll be able to build a bigger fire and heat the room up quicker when you get up/ get home. Some of the stoves rated 4kw have a very small fire-box, it would need filling often and wouldn't burn through the night.

Richard tea

bhamsteve wrote: »

I'd go for the bigger of the two myself. You'll be able to build a bigger fire and heat the room up quicker when you get up/ get home. Some of the stoves rated 4kw have a very small fire-box, it would need filling often and wouldn't burn through the night.

Ill look into it. I think the 6.5kw version would need a bit more work regarding fitting the thing. Im nearly sure ill need a flue fitted also which will be more expense.

nedsgarden

Just installed a Morso 1430 in the kitchen/sun room 24 feet x 12 feet roughly, really impressed. I wanted a small stove, thought it would be too small for area but no issues what so ever, in fact too warm at some times and that's burning bits of sticks and logs.

bhamsteve

Richard tea wrote: »

Ill look into it. I think the 6.5kw version would need a bit more work regarding fitting the thing. Im nearly sure ill need a flue fitted also which will be more expense.

You'll have to price them up, including fitting. IIRC, stoves 5KW and above require added ventilation to the room as well, so another expense. It's a tough decision to make, we were researching stoves for a long time before we bought one. Any stove is going to be a huge improvement on open fires and central heating though. It's so nice to be able to have the living area like a sauna in the dead of winter without worrying about the oil/gas bills.

Richard tea

bhamsteve wrote: »

You'll have to price them up, including fitting. IIRC, stoves 5KW and above require added ventilation to the room as well, so another expense. It's a tough decision to make, we were researching stoves for a long time before we bought one. Any stove is going to be a huge improvement on open fires and central heating though. It's so nice to be able to have the living area like a sauna in the dead of winter without worrying about the oil/gas bills.

Added ventilation:eek: I think ill stick with the 4kw stove so. Hoping I dont need a flue installed as the house/chimney is 13 years old and should be in good shape.

Anybody recommend a quality stove for around the 1000 mark?? Like I mentioned earlier the woodwarm fireview is my top choice so far but if there was another brand with just as good quality and performance for the a few bob cheaper I would consider it.

bhamsteve - Does the heat from your stove radiate to the surrounding rooms also. Thats an added bonus.

Robbie.G

, stoves 5KW and above require added ventilation to the room as well
[/quote]
Sorry that's not correct all stoves need air for combustion.That 5kw or above for vent is part of English building regs Irish regs state that the room should currently have a min of 6500mm2 vent and additional ventilation for 5kw and above.
So in all cases a vent should be fitted and always fit a carbon monoxide alarm

kilkern5

Well, the Blacksmith stove we put in last week needs a new door as one is warped.
So far very impressed with after sales service. Engineer came out the next day after we lodged the fault and confirmed that it would be replaced. New door in transit. Will post again when it's all over. Stove must be made in Donegal. So good for parts. Speedy service and very nice to deal with.

bhamsteve

Richard tea wrote: »

bhamsteve - Does the heat from your stove radiate to the surrounding rooms also. Thats an added bonus.

The inset stove heats an L shaped area which is our living room, dining room and kitchen. It heats this space perfectly well and we didn't need to use any other form of heating in there that winter, although it was a mild winter. The heat of the stove is negligible beyond that room.

micks_address

Hi guys, bought a secondhand cara insert over the weekend. Very happy with the overall condition but when cleaning the side plates last night noticed they are cracked down the middle right through and slightly warped outwards. The cracks run about 2/3rds the length of both plates. I guessing this might be natural with the heat but question is would the plates need replacing and if so how much would replacement ones cost?

Robbie.G

micks_address wrote: »

Hi guys, bought a secondhand cara insert over the weekend. Very happy with the overall condition but when cleaning the side plates last night noticed they are cracked down the middle right through and slightly warped outwards. The cracks run about 2/3rds the length of both plates. I guessing this might be natural with the heat but question is would the plates need replacing and if so how much would replacement ones cost?

The side plates cost around €55-€70 each.I bought a set recently and they were €43 +vat each but that's with trade discount

micks_address

But do you think I could work away with the ones I have till they break completely?

Robbie.G wrote: »

The side plates cost around €55-€70 each.I bought a set recently and they were €43 +vat each but that's with trade discount

micks_address

My father was suggesting to clean the cracks with a wire brush and filing them with fire cement:'?

micks_address wrote: »

But do you think I could work away with the ones I have till they break completely?

Robbie.G

micks_address wrote: »

My father was suggesting to clean the cracks with a wire brush and filing them with fire cement:'?

Keep going as long as possible they will either fall to pieces or they will belly out and you won't be able to remove baffles for cleaning

Sanchez83

kilkern5 wrote: »

Well, the Blacksmith stove we put in last week needs a new door as one is warped.
So far very impressed with after sales service. Engineer came out the next day after we lodged the fault and confirmed that it would be replaced. New door in transit. Will post again when it's all over. Stove must be made in Donegal. So good for parts. Speedy service and very nice to deal with.

are based in Waterford as far as i know.I think their unit there is a distribution centre for a German company.But as far as i am aware their stoves are made in China.Most companies stoves are these days even though some use loopholes to say they are not.
That was great service though getting looked after so fast!

micks_address

hi guys,

I've taken out our fireback in prep for fitting the stove in the next few weeks, it looks like our existing marble opening will be to big -

we have a black marble hearth, black stripes then above, and to the left/right of the opening. The opening is also to high, but we are going to raise the floor under the stove by 3" so the stove will cover the marble at the top, and it will cover the marble on the right, but we will have a gap of about 2" by 27" high to the left of the stove as you look at the fireplace. Can you buy strips of marble that size? Anyone have an idea what it might cost?

Cheers,
Mick