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

Twiggynomore

Hi everyone, I have tried for the last two hours reading through as many of the stove questions and answers and didn't see any that answered all of the questions I have. So I apologise if they have been asked before. We had a chimney fire last January and got the top part of the chimney from the roof up replaced (chimney man said it was too small and against code) he then relined and insulated the chimney. We didn't like the two stoves he wanted us to buy(long story but didn't trust the man) so we got our own in a place I used to work in. The new stove was installed (vented through the back) and the pink fire board installed a few inches behind the stove. Originally we wanted the stove moved further back into the fireplace opening but he had some reason for not wanting to do it. Anyway, he lit the fire in the stove using wood and lighting it with a blow torch so we'd have a nice looking fire before he left the house. All was going well and we were amazed the heat coming from it. Then noticed that the backing was starting to blacken, long story short, our carbon monoxide alarm went off, buckets of water used, 2 fire extinguishers and the fire brigade later the fire in the recess/back of the fireplace was out. It was noted that there was wood and insulation back there that was not fire resistant. We were asked if the contractor had given us a fire certificate and were told he should have. Sooooooooooooo My questions are:

Should he have given us a fire certificate when he completed the job?
He used normal cement made by Irish Cement, nothing on site or bag that it was fire resistant. Is this normal to use or is fire resistant cement supposed to be used?
He also used Evo-Stik mortar Plasticiser? Is this fire resistant?
I would like to be able to tell you the name of the insulation he used in the first place, but can't as he brought it in an animal Feed bag. It was thick dirty wooly looking stuff. He told us the following day that the fire resistant insulation was out of stock the day he did it so he used the next best thing!
He also used Skimcoat. Don't know if this has anything to do with it.

The day he first installed the stove the bottom part where the air intake is, had the part you slide over to close when you want to after the fire is going was missing but we got the part the following day as it was missing when it was delivered. He is trying to claim that it was this that caused the fire and not his installation. He said the stove had no dual draft control system on it. What does this look like or is that what I just described above?
He also is claiming that because I had taped over the seals at the window last winter as the breeze was coming in also added to the problem.

I noticed in an earlier post that if a stove is being vented from the rear of the stove that the horizontal pipe should not be longer than 6". From a picture I took after the fire brigade took out the stove it looks like it is longer than 6".
It also caught my eye in one of the other posts about having an accessible opening for the chimney to be cleaned and there is none on the room side of the stove, so how do we get the chimney cleaned where the chimney sweep can get the soot?
Many thanks to anyone that can help me as my stomach has been full of acid from hearing what this person has said when I have pictures showing what products were used. He said he used Fireboard (the pink board?) Veremilate and superwool and all are certified products.
Sorry for the long post and hoping I can get some answers.

Twiggynomore

For Floyd333, Make sure you buy a carbon monoxide alarm if you don't already have one. I don't think I or my family would be still here without one.

Twiggynomore

StoveFan or anyone else can you advise me please?

Robbie.G

Twiggynomore wrote: »

Hi everyone, I have tried for the last two hours reading through as many of the stove questions and answers and didn't see any that answered all of the questions I have. So I apologise if they have been asked before. We had a chimney fire last January and got the top part of the chimney from the roof up replaced (chimney man said it was too small and against code) he then relined and insulated the chimney. We didn't like the two stoves he wanted us to buy(long story but didn't trust the man) so we got our own in a place I used to work in. The new stove was installed (vented through the back) and the pink fire board installed a few inches behind the stove. Originally we wanted the stove moved further back into the fireplace opening but he had some reason for not wanting to do it. Anyway, he lit the fire in the stove using wood and lighting it with a blow torch so we'd have a nice looking fire before he left the house. All was going well and we were amazed the heat coming from it. Then noticed that the backing was starting to blacken, long story short, our carbon monoxide alarm went off, buckets of water used, 2 fire extinguishers and the fire brigade later the fire in the recess/back of the fireplace was out. It was noted that there was wood and insulation back there that was not fire resistant. We were asked if the contractor had given us a fire certificate and were told he should have. Sooooooooooooo My questions are:

Should he have given us a fire certificate when he completed the job?
He used normal cement made by Irish Cement, nothing on site or bag that it was fire resistant. Is this normal to use or is fire resistant cement supposed to be used?
He also used Evo-Stik mortar Plasticiser? Is this fire resistant?
I would like to be able to tell you the name of the insulation he used in the first place, but can't as he brought it in an animal Feed bag. It was thick dirty wooly looking stuff. He told us the following day that the fire resistant insulation was out of stock the day he did it so he used the next best thing!
He also used Skimcoat. Don't know if this has anything to do with it.

The day he first installed the stove the bottom part where the air intake is, had the part you slide over to close when you want to after the fire is going was missing but we got the part the following day as it was missing when it was delivered. He is trying to claim that it was this that caused the fire and not his installation. He said the stove had no dual draft control system on it. What does this look like or is that what I just described above?
He also is claiming that because I had taped over the seals at the window last winter as the breeze was coming in also added to the problem.

I noticed in an earlier post that if a stove is being vented from the rear of the stove that the horizontal pipe should not be longer than 6". From a picture I took after the fire brigade took out the stove it looks like it is longer than 6".
It also caught my eye in one of the other posts about having an accessible opening for the chimney to be cleaned and there is none on the room side of the stove, so how do we get the chimney cleaned where the chimney sweep can get the soot?
Many thanks to anyone that can help me as my stomach has been full of acid from hearing what this person has said when I have pictures showing what products were used. He said he used Fireboard (the pink board?) Veremilate and superwool and all are certified products.
Sorry for the long post and hoping I can get some answers.

It's very hard to comment exactly without been able to see the stove but fire slab is not fire proof it has a one hour fire rating and should be treated as combustible.

The installer wouldn't issue a fire cert as he can't there is no cert for this purpose.

The stove has to be fitted to building regs.
The max horizontal flue run is 150mm
Distances from combustibles are stated by manufacturer.
A debree collection point should be provided on the flue.
It's very hard to say what exactly started the fire but it's sounds as if it wasn't fitted to building regs.
What fuel was used when it was lit.
How exactly was the flue connected to the chimney.
There are questions that need answers

Hope some of this was of some help

nono2012

Ok guys I have narrowed it down to 2 stoves that I think will suit our house. The Stanley Reginald or the Charnwood 16b. Have any of you purchased one of these boiler stoves and how do ye find it? I heard Stanley parts come from China so I am not too pushed on the Stanley although the water output is a little bit more than the Charnwood. The worst thing I have heard about the Charnwood is that the doors might jam a little when the fire is on making it harder to refuel the fire??? can anyone advise please?

gud

I have a Charnwood country 16 b in 3 years now, and have never had any issues with doors jamming, no matter how hot it gets. I would say it actually easy to refill as the 2 doors open to allow large logs of timber.

nono2012

That's great to hear, I was pulling towards the Charnwood so I'm glad to hear you don't have an issue with the doors... Thanks for getting back to me

snodles

Hunter Herald 14 Boiler Stove..... Wood Burner or Multi Fuel??

We are getting this stove installed on the 10th June and were in the process of ordering the multi fuel option however on speaking to the company we were buying from he has advised us against the multi fuel for the following reasons and wondered if anyone could shed any light on if these are true....

The multi fuel stove is hungry and goes through wood very fast the reason for this is because the wood is sitting on a grate rather than a bed of ash like it would be in the wood burner.

The wood burner would allow for an over night burn... for the above reason's

The man from the company said that he has a Hunter 14 its on 24/7 from march to October and he only loads it 3 times a day with wood.... how true is this?

Our installer has told us not to let anyone talk us out of getting a multi fuel but I don't know what to believe a man who's been selling burners in the family for 40 years or an installer who just installs them???

Coal was never an option or burning because after all said and done we want free heating from wood and paper briquette... we didn't want to start buying coal....

any advice gratefully received. thank you.

Robbie.G

snodles wrote: »

Hunter Herald 14 Boiler Stove..... Wood Burner or Multi Fuel??

We are getting this stove installed on the 10th June and were in the process of ordering the multi fuel option however on speaking to the company we were buying from he has advised us against the multi fuel for the following reasons and wondered if anyone could shed any light on if these are true....

The multi fuel stove is hungry and goes through wood very fast the reason for this is because the wood is sitting on a grate rather than a bed of ash like it would be in the wood burner.

The wood burner would allow for an over night burn... for the above reason's

The man from the company said that he has a Hunter 14 its on 24/7 from march to October and he only loads it 3 times a day with wood.... how true is this?

Our installer has told us not to let anyone talk us out of getting a multi fuel but I don't know what to believe a man who's been selling burners in the family for 40 years or an installer who just installs them???

Coal was never an option or burning because after all said and done we want free heating from wood and paper briquette... we didn't want to start buying coal....

any advice gratefully received. thank you.

If you have no intention of ever burning coal go with the wood burner.
The only thing with the multifuel you have the option.

MissionImposs1

Hello, We are remodelling and extending our house. The back of the house is SW facing, and we have a TV room (23msq) , and a family room at the back (52 msq) at the back of the house. These 2 rooms will be used throughout the day. The total downstairs area is 138 msq. The upstairs is 62 msq.
We would like to get underfloor heating for downstairs, and probably radiators for upstairs. Ideally we would like a wood burning stove in the family room.
Our architect is unsure if UFLH and solid flue stove would work together.
Can anyone advise/recommend? We would much appreciate it, we are in the early stages of the project.

Mountainsandh

Robbie.G wrote: »

If you have no intention of ever burning coal go with the wood burner.
The only thing with the multifuel you have the option.

We have a multifuel Hunter, we prefer to have the option. It's true that if you go just wood, it's very hungry, but you pretty much learn how to run it well. I'm fond enough of coal though, I don't go overboard with it, but I do use it. Mr Mountains is better at handling the all wood situations, I'm good at running it with just a tad of coal to last it the night, or in extreme situations like the very cold winter we had a few years ago. We do a bit of both.

You can close up the multifuel grate so it doesn't let too much air up with just wood. Only thing is, we find we have bent/distorted the grate with the bit of coal, and even when we close it up, we still have that bit of air going through from the bottom, so not as efficient as originally designed.
This is our fault though, we have forgotten it open a few times with coal there, and it does turn into the most powerful furnace if you let it

If you don't do like us, and treat the grate with a bit more care (don't let it blaze too much if you use coal), I think the multifuel is a good option, it is handy to be able to throw the few lumps of anthracite or coal for long minus something nights of winter. (again I like my heat, my house would be overheated in the minds of many, so maybe it's just me)


On another topic, could I please have feedback from anyone with an Irish Isles boiler stove ?
I see some people were considering them in 2011, so hoping someone out there can give us feedback from the past 3 years of use.

We need to choose a stove for a smallish bungalow soon, 6/7 rads, we don't intend to heat water with it, but heat to room output would need to be good since room will have a high-ish ceiling and loft area (not many windows).
We are looking at the Inis Oirr model. It won't be in constant use, more like a holiday home situation, but when in use, we'd like it to be efficient of course.

Thanks for any feedback on them.

therealmccoy

Mountainsandh wrote: »

On another topic, could I please have feedback from anyone with an Irish Isles boiler stove ?
I see some people were considering them in 2011, so hoping someone out there can give us feedback from the past 3 years of use.

We need to choose a stove for a smallish bungalow soon, 6/7 rads, we don't intend to heat water with it, but heat to room output would need to be good since room will have a high-ish ceiling and loft area (not many windows).
We are looking at the Inis Oirr model. It won't be in constant use, more like a holiday home situation, but when in use, we'd like it to be efficient of course.

Thanks for any feedback on them.

I would suggest going with Inis Stoves instead of Irish Isle Stoves. Francis, the designer and owner of Inis Stoves used to be part of Irish Isle Stoves but went out on his own and has redeveloped his original deisgns now to be even better so I would suggest looking at the Inis Oirr MK2 Boiler Stove. Absolute beaut of a stove. We have fitted a good few of them (and even the larger Inis Meain MK2 and Inis Mór) and they are without doubt one of the best on the market, tied closely with Stratford in my opinion in boiler stoves.

Sunny Dayz

Making a decision on a stove seems to be one of the hardest things to do going by this thread!

We are torn between the Stanley Cara+ and the Kingstar Falcon - both are inset stoves with back boilers.....

The Kingstar stove supplier they sort out the installation, plumbings all that. The local Staney supplier does have a few recommended plumbers on their books but it will be separate from the store.

But I think the Stanley stove looks nicer!

Decisions Decisions.....

therealmccoy

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Making a decision on a stove seems to be one of the hardest things to do going by this thread!

We are torn between the Stanley Cara+ and the Kingstar Falcon - both are inset stoves with back boilers.....

The Kingstar stove supplier they sort out the installation, plumbings all that. The local Staney supplier does have a few recommended plumbers on their books but it will be separate from the store.

But I think the Stanley stove looks nicer!

Decisions Decisions.....

Can't say I know of a Kingstar Falcon stove. By any chance is it the Phoenix Boiler Stove?

Sunny Dayz

therealmccoy wrote: »

Can't say I know of a Kingstar Falcon stove. By any chance is it the Phoenix Boiler Stove?

No it's not the Phoenix as my friend's parents have one of those. It said Falcon in the showroom.

Edit:
Just googled the stove - turns out the brand of the stove is Falcon - I thought it was the name of the stove as the showroom mainly does Firestar.

This is it here:
http://www.falconfires.com/falcon-450si-inset-stove.html

therealmccoy

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

No it's not the Phoenix as my friend's parents have one of those. It said Falcon in the showroom.

Edit:
Just googled the stove - turns out the brand of the stove is Falcon - I thought it was the name of the stove as the showroom mainly does Firestar.

This is it here:
http://www.falconfires.com/falcon-450si-inset-stove.html

Ah yes, I know the one now. Grand stove, wouldn't have anything bad to say other than you will struggle to get spare parts as the manufacturer has gone out of business. So if you were trying to decide between the Stanley and that, I'd recommend the Stanley.
Others to consider would be; Henley Achill Boiler Inset, Heat Design Causeway Inset and the Stratford EB12i.

Sunny Dayz

therealmccoy wrote: »

Ah yes, I know the one now. Grand stove, wouldn't have anything bad to say other than you will struggle to get spare parts as the manufacturer has gone out of business.

Thanks for the heads up on that - they didn't mention that in the showroom!! :pac:


What was going in its favour was that the showroom has a few plumbers who they contract to fit the stove for customers so it's all looked after by the showroom really. We know people who have had stoves fitted by the show room and granted some of them had a problem after but the showroom completely looked after them. We have a messy job cos we want to go from open fire no back boiler to putting in a back boiler, an inset stove and to work in tandem with our piped gas heating! I don't ask for much really! :P

RubyGirl

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Making a decision on a stove seems to be one of the hardest things to do going by this thread!

We are torn between the Stanley Cara+ and the Kingstar Falcon - both are inset stoves with back boilers.....

The Kingstar stove supplier they sort out the installation, plumbings all that. The local Staney supplier does have a few recommended plumbers on their books but it will be separate from the store.

But I think the Stanley stove looks nicer!

Decisions Decisions.....

Defo hard work, I had a couple of guys out to give me a quote one guy quoted me €3k extra to do the same job, and then went on to bad mouth the guys that had called to give me a quote aswell.

arbf1

Hi I need some advice on an insert/inset boiler stove. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the Stratford EB16iHE. This is the 16kw inset boiler model. 13.5kw to water and 5kw to room. We have 8 rads (5 double). currently have no thermostat on rads but will look into getting them too when installing. We have a mid sized sitting room to heat (13ft by 16ft) and have double doors out to kitchen (8ft x 12ft) which I would love to be able to leave open. will be heating the water from it too. fairly well insulated however currently have single glazed windows which I know will let us down abit. I have been reading loads about inset stoves and I like this one because of larger output to room than others I have looked into. (Stanley, Mulberry, Henley, heat design, Boru, Esse, Yola, Causeway). I am also considering the reputation of companies as I read. I came across a polish company today called Kratki stoves that seem to do bigger outputs, I can't find much about them online however. The stratford company also seem to keep a low profile so I would welcome any thoughts from people who have actually bought from company. I am so worried about spending all this money and the house still not being warm enough. I am not sure of the above stoves themselves so would value any opinions or advice.

therealmccoy

arbf1 wrote: »

Hi I need some advice on an insert/inset boiler stove. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the Stratford EB16iHE. This is the 16kw inset boiler model. 13.5kw to water and 5kw to room. We have 8 rads (5 double). currently have no thermostat on rads but will look into getting them too when installing. We have a mid sized sitting room to heat (13ft by 16ft) and have double doors out to kitchen (8ft x 12ft) which I would love to be able to leave open. will be heating the water from it too. fairly well insulated however currently have single glazed windows which I know will let us down abit. I have been reading loads about inset stoves and I like this one because of larger output to room than others I have looked into. (Stanley, Mulberry, Henley, heat design, Boru, Esse, Yola, Causeway). I am also considering the reputation of companies as I read. I came across a polish company today called Kratki stoves that seem to do bigger outputs, I can't find much about them online however. The stratford company also seem to keep a low profile so I would welcome any thoughts from people who have actually bought from company. I am so worried about spending all this money and the house still not being warm enough. I am not sure of the above stoves themselves so would value any opinions or advice.

Hi,
Clear from your post that you've put a lot of research into this.
From my own experience, Stratford tops the poll in terms of Quality Inset Boiler Stoves. They're from the Arada brand which are UK made stoves, so it's comforting to know that the stove is locally produced as some that come from far afield are pure scutter!

The only concern to worry about is the width of the stove. It requires 20" as opposed the conventional 16". Also, you'd probably want an extra few inches either side for pipework accessibility.

Based on your rad count this should do the job for you. Would always recommend putting on TRVs (especially on rads you dont plan on using frequently) and also invest in good fuel. 2yr seasoned or kiln dried hardwood being the best, mixed with stove coal and you'll be getting the best from the stove.

Kratki are a Polish import and have only seen them in person a few times. Although I know them under the name 'Hestia'.. (think it's the same company) Bit more industrial and will probably mean a bit of construction to your chimney breast if its a refurb (as opposed a new build).

Hope this helps, any Qs let me know.

arbf1

Thank you so much therealmccoy, the salesman in stove shop did flag extra width alright, I presume I would need a builder to widen fireplace and a plumber to do installation in that case. Has anyone any experience of cost of this? Just a rough estimate even. Is it a big job? We have an ineffective back boiler already so will be putting stove in its place. I am a little concerned that the room output is advertised as 1.5 to 5kw. The salesman said the 1.5kw would only be when it was first lit but I am always distrusting of salesmen and know from experience to take what they say with a pinch of salt. I was talking to a woman today who installed an insert last winter, she says water is hot and plentiful and the rads are hot but she still feels the room it is in is not hot enough. She could not remember brand but lives nearby and invited me to see it. I won't buy this brand for the reason she said (as I know she is not afraid of stocking up a fire). I spend so much time in sitting room and kitchen and would love to be warm and comfortable in them. Unfortunately room is not big enough especially in layout for traditional stove. The salesman (again pinch of salt) said it would be a big job to fit traditional stove into fireplace and although it looks nice in display photos it is often not effective as you are heating inside fireplace rather than out into the room. Has anyone any experience of this. If you were picking an insert stove to do job I describe what would you pick? Thank you.

therealmccoy

arbf1 wrote: »

Thank you so much therealmccoy, the salesman in stove shop did flag extra width alright, I presume I would need a builder to widen fireplace and a plumber to do installation in that case. Has anyone any experience of cost of this? Just a rough estimate even. Is it a big job? We have an ineffective back boiler already so will be putting stove in its place. I am a little concerned that the room output is advertised as 1.5 to 5kw. The salesman said the 1.5kw would only be when it was first lit but I am always distrusting of salesmen and know from experience to take what they say with a pinch of salt. I was talking to a woman today who installed an insert last winter, she says water is hot and plentiful and the rads are hot but she still feels the room it is in is not hot enough. She could not remember brand but lives nearby and invited me to see it. I won't buy this brand for the reason she said (as I know she is not afraid of stocking up a fire). I spend so much time in sitting room and kitchen and would love to be warm and comfortable in them. Unfortunately room is not big enough especially in layout for traditional stove. The salesman (again pinch of salt) said it would be a big job to fit traditional stove into fireplace and although it looks nice in display photos it is often not effective as you are heating inside fireplace rather than out into the room. Has anyone any experience of this. If you were picking an insert stove to do job I describe what would you pick? Thank you.

Yep, based purely on what you need the eb16i is the best equipped to do it. You'd need a Stove fitter to come out to see if this stove can be fitted without work needed to be done to the chimney. (A VERY rough idea of whats involved in rebuilding your chimney could cost up to €1000, but I would strongly recommend getting a specialist out before committing to anything).

Have you the house zoned at the minute? (Be able to heat living quarters ad sleeping quarters separate of each other). If so then you could go for the eb12i which is standard size 16"W and 22"H. This would allow you to heat one zone at a time along with the room. This sort of installation is very handy as it reduces fuel consumption and in all honesty, do you need to heat living quarters the whole time? a 2/3 channel zone controller will allow you control where your heat goes so with the push of a button you can switch the heat from downstairs to upstairs etc..

The heat to room (1.5kw - 5kw) is relative to the fire you have going. As it is a boiler stove, naturally the boiler will draw the vast majority of the heat from start off to get the system up to temperature. Once that is satisfied then you feel the strong heat coming to the room.
Some people flick on the oil heating for a half hour to get the system hot while lighting the fire so that the rads are hot and the heat comes to the room from the stove quicker.

alibab

Hi completely confused at this stage and bog eyed from googling so looking for some help .

I have just bought a house with a back boiler . The back boiler is the older style that has a switch at the side of the fireplace for the pump and when the fire is going for awhile you have to manually switch on pump to heat rads .

I have 12 rads in the house and I am wondering how I can make this more efficient. I have been thinking either a fire door or a stove but would prefer a stove . How does this work with the system I have etc . I know mulberry do one you can just attach on . My worry is at the minute I have to wait for fire to die down at night to manually switch off pump and I am worried that with a stove that it would be too hot etc to turn off pump and a stove would be a waste .

Also is there a way to change the pump to one that comes on and off itself set by a thermostat etc and would the cost of changing this be high . I am thinking what is the best option for a old system thanks .

Markie58

Hey folks looking for opinions at the min. In the middle of a new build. Looking to put in 2 multifuel stoves small on in living room - looking at Charnwood c5 and a larger free standing double sided stove in the kitchen (not linked to a back boiler). Ventilation to this one is by mean of a hit n miss vent on the floor underneath where the stove will sit (by means of a 4 inch duct in the floor screed). Reviews are a bit thin on the ground relating to double sided stoves. Have heard/ read the air wash systems don't always work with these. Had looked at dunsley highlander 8 and a boru carrig mor. Has anyone any other suggestions of better stoves to look at? Or any experience with either of these stoves?
Thanks

therealmccoy

Markie58 wrote: »

Hey folks looking for opinions at the min. In the middle of a new build. Looking to put in 2 multifuel stoves small on in living room - looking at Charnwood c5 and a larger free standing double sided stove in the kitchen (not linked to a back boiler). Ventilation to this one is by mean of a hit n miss vent on the floor underneath where the stove will sit (by means of a 4 inch duct in the floor screed). Reviews are a bit thin on the ground relating to double sided stoves. Have heard/ read the air wash systems don't always work with these. Had looked at dunsley highlander 8 and a boru carrig mor. Has anyone any other suggestions of better stoves to look at? Or any experience with either of these stoves?
Thanks

Other double sided stoves to look at are the Henley Druid 14 & 21 (depending on the heat requirement).

arbf1

Hi I am back again, I visited another stove showroom today. The salesman recommended the Heat Design 18KW Insert boiler stove. Now this retails at 1200 euro. 800 less than the Stratford16i I was looking at previously. i had a niggling feeling when he mentioned the stove nam that I had read mixed reviews, I checked when I got home and they are mixed. The salesman himself said they are Chinese made and imported, he thought the Stratford could have some Chinese parts too so said not to let it influence me. I am on here looking for any opinions of this stove. In the brochure it says 12.1kw to the water and heats 10 rads. salesman said 5kw to room but does not state this in brochure. I like that it is cheaper obviously but I want quality and so will pay for it. Another bonus would be not having to widen fireplace as with the Stratford 16i I have to do this. Also how would this stove compare to the Stratford 12i which also would be cheaper than the 16i and I wouldn't have to widen fireplace. You can probably tell I am still leaning towards Stratford but please give me honest opinions and personal experience would be especially helpful. Thank you.

Green farmer

Hi guys. I have a non boiler stove in my sitting room for several years and love it. I want to take the plunge and swap in over for one with a back boiler, to heat radiators ( 16 rads, counting double rad as 2 ). In general are boiler stoves noisy ? do they do a good job heating rads and would all the heat go to the boiler section of them as opposed to heating sitting room ? Thanks

Mountainsandh

We have a Hunter 14 with boiler, and the whole system (boiler, pumps...) in the sitting room in a press, and it's not noisy at all. We do hear the pump kicking in, that's only a small electrical kind of sound, for a minute, like you hear something switching on (not a beep or anything !). Kind of like when you hear your fridge kicking in, but not as noisy as fridge.

On most of the boiler stoves descriptions online, you will see heat to room and heat to water numbers, that gives you an idea how much heat will go to your living room, and how much in the rads. Sales people can also tell you how a particular stove tends to perform I'm sure. In our case, because I'm always cold, we put a rad on one side of the room, and the stove on the other. Luckily that rad is end of the loop and is last to heat, so we're not roasting to death in there either, because the stove does give off great heat

The heat to the rads is brilliant, and you can control it pretty well after a year or so using the stove, you know how much to push it for what heat. There is something to regulate exactly what maximum heat you want your rads to get at, at boiler/system level, and at first we had it set too low and I wasn't too impressed (rad were lukewarm), but it was only a control thing, and now we can have the rads boiling hot if we want to.
You do have to think of the loop, and which room you won't be too bothered having the "last" on the loop rad in.
Our last two rads are a guest room, and the living room, so if we only want a quick fire to take the edge off when it's not freezing outside, we know we can give it a good boost at the start, and we're not pushed to maintain it just for the sake of the two last rads.

Also, if you are going to heat your water with it, it might take a bit longer to heat your rads. I was a bit worried about that, but in our case it's not a problem at all since we have solar tubes which pre-heat the water to a certain temperature, so the stove doesn't have to work as hard. But that's something to take into account I guess.
I suppose it's mostly for example in the middle of a cold winter, if you were not at home a few days and had no hot water or heat in the house, your heat to rads could be delayed a bit. Not a huge deal, but good to be forewarned.

Some more knowledgeable people on here, I'll leave you with them, but hope that helped.

therealmccoy

Hi Arbf1,

Tbh, I wouldn't be enthusiastic of heating more than 8 rads with the heat design boiler stove. It may do one of two more if the rads are small and you light a big fire but it is in no way comparable to the Stratford EB16i. The EB12 is more comparable as it is similarly spec'd. If it was a straight choice between the Heat Design Boiler and the Stratford EB12 then it isnt a contest, Stratford all day long but be willing to pay for it, could be up to €600 more!

If you want that extra umpf! then the EB16 is what you need. Now I know that both Boru and Henley are bringing out a competitor for the EB16 very soon (may even be out already) which will be similarly spec'd and similar in size (extra wide 20" width).

arbf1 wrote: »

Hi I am back again, I visited another stove showroom today. The salesman recommended the Heat Design 18KW Insert boiler stove. Now this retails at 1200 euro. 800 less than the Stratford16i I was looking at previously. i had a niggling feeling when he mentioned the stove nam that I had read mixed reviews, I checked when I got home and they are mixed. The salesman himself said they are Chinese made and imported, he thought the Stratford could have some Chinese parts too so said not to let it influence me. I am on here looking for any opinions of this stove. In the brochure it says 12.1kw to the water and heats 10 rads. salesman said 5kw to room but does not state this in brochure. I like that it is cheaper obviously but I want quality and so will pay for it. Another bonus would be not having to widen fireplace as with the Stratford 16i I have to do this. Also how would this stove compare to the Stratford 12i which also would be cheaper than the 16i and I wouldn't have to widen fireplace. You can probably tell I am still leaning towards Stratford but please give me honest opinions and personal experience would be especially helpful. Thank you.

therealmccoy

Hi Green Farmer,

Straight up, a Boiler Stove shouldn't be noisy at all. To heat all those rads in one go you will need quite a sizable stove. Something like the Inis Meain MK2 from Inis Stoves. This also gives quite a large heat output to the room so you'd need to consider that aspect too. How big is the room that you are looking to put the stove into?
In truth, an Inset Boiler Stove wont be an option for you unless you do a lot of construction work to the chimney (requires a large opening circa 24"w.

If you have an option to zone your house then you can reduce the size of the stove you need. So this would heat your living quarters firstly and then once you want heat to the sleeping quarters, you simply flick a switch and it will transfer to it.

So I suppose, it al depends on the size of the room, and if you want to heat all in the one go? Once you can identify that I can advise on a specific stove. Then you'd need a plumber to call out and advise on what plumbing works are involved in connecting it all up for you.

Green farmer wrote: »

Hi guys. I have a non boiler stove in my sitting room for several years and love it. I want to take the plunge and swap in over for one with a back boiler, to heat radiators ( 16 rads, counting double rad as 2 ). In general are boiler stoves noisy ? do they do a good job heating rads and would all the heat go to the boiler section of them as opposed to heating sitting room ? Thanks

Green farmer

Thanks the real McCoy,

The current stove I have is 2ft wide by 1ft deep. Bought it several years ago. A budget brand. The room is 14 ft x 21ft . Gets hot in winter, but I leave the sitting room door open and the heat travels around the hall upstairs/ downstairs and the bedroom located above the sitting room. I'm not a huge fan of the insert stoves and like the traditional stoves. I have a stove kettle and boil up a cup of tea on it at night while watching tv. Not too sure about zoning house, but I'm sure it could be an option, many thanks !!!

therealmccoy

Green farmer wrote: »

Thanks the real McCoy,

The current stove I have is 2ft wide by 1ft deep. Bought it several years ago. A budget brand. The room is 14 ft x 21ft . Gets hot in winter, but I leave the sitting room door open and the heat travels around the hall upstairs/ downstairs and the bedroom located above the sitting room. I'm not a huge fan of the insert stoves and like the traditional stoves. I have a stove kettle and boil up a cup of tea on it at night while watching tv. Not too sure about zoning house, but I'm sure it could be an option, many thanks !!!

An Inis Meain MK2 sounds ideal then to be honest, if you want to PM/or say here where you are I can recommends a good place to go..

Green farmer

Pm sent

Green farmer

Anybody know the rule of thumb for converting radiator size to kilowatt ?. I've measured all the radiators in the house for sizing up a boiler stove. I think a 4ft single rad is 1 kilowatt, and a double 2kw, but I'm not sure ? Anybody know the exact calculation, would be much appreciated. Thanks

therealmccoy

Green farmer wrote: »

Anybody know the rule of thumb for converting radiator size to kilowatt ?. I've measured all the radiators in the house for sizing up a boiler stove. I think a 4ft single rad is 1 kilowatt, and a double 2kw, but I'm not sure ? Anybody know the exact calculation, would be much appreciated. Thanks

Yep, thats the unofficial rule of thumb. You'd often see on stove brochures that a certain stove can heat up to 12 rads (for example). That means a 12 x 4ft single panel rad. But you'd be best to use 1 kw: 1 4ft SP Rad. and to allow 2/3kw for a hot water cylinder (depending on size, assuming no other heat source i.e. solar.) Plus maybe 1/2kw extra just to be on the safe side.

PaddyJules

Looking at getting a boiler stove to heat rads and wate, freestanding not inset. Think we have narrowed it down to the Stratford EB16 and Charnwood Country 16b. Cant decide between them so has anyone any advice. Head is fried with the amount of stoves out there, so please help me decide.

therealmccoy

Hi Paddy,

I've had no experience with the Charnwood stove, but I know the Stratford fairly well and would consider them to be up there as one of the best boiler stoves on the market. Never a ounce of trouble with them, and always does what it says.

PaddyJules wrote: »

Looking at getting a boiler stove to heat rads and wate, freestanding not inset. Think we have narrowed it down to the Stratford EB16 and Charnwood Country 16b. Cant decide between them so has anyone any advice. Head is fried with the amount of stoves out there, so please help me decide.

RubyGirl

PaddyJules wrote: »

Looking at getting a boiler stove to heat rads and wate, freestanding not inset. Think we have narrowed it down to the Stratford EB16 and Charnwood Country 16b. Cant decide between them so has anyone any advice. Head is fried with the amount of stoves out there, so please help me decide.

We have finally decided on the Stratford EB16 insert, did a lot of research & it came up every time I rang or called into store's to look at different ones. Hope to have it installed this month. I'll pm you where I bought it.

Sunny Dayz

So we decided on the Heritage Sheelin stove. Nice price and I think it will look neat in the fireplace - it's not going to take over the whole room. I agree that most difficult part is selecting a stove - there is a lot out there, it's easy to get over whelmed and it is difficult to figure out which is the right stove for you.

Fingers crossed with this one. Although we got an awful shock this week. There is little or none in stock around the country. Mini- panic attack as we have the plumber booked for the week after next. But managed to find one so to go on a road trip with my Dad's jeep!

Swimmy

Hi all,

I'm looking for some feedback on ecologs. Any brand that folks recommend? It's for a wood burning stove. My experience has been mixed. I bought hardwood logs many years ago which were fantastic but are no longer available.

My experience with megatherm logs was terrible! Blazing and huge expansion in the stove! The Bord na mona wood briquettes just blaze ...

I've been looking at Blazers ... Any feedback on these?

Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated!

Thanks.

Pumpkinseeds

We're thinking of putting in a multifuel stove to heat the water and radiators. We've got 2 double sized radiators and 5 single sized rads. Any recommendations would be appreciated, I haven't a clue what to go for. Currently we have an open fire with a pump and backboiler, we also have oil fired central heating.

arbf1

can you let me know how you get on with Stratford EB16 insert? I'm looking at it too and would be ever so grateful if you let me know how it goes for you. Are you getting a builder to widen fireplace opening before installation?

RubyGirl wrote: »

We have finally decided on the Stratford EB16 insert, did a lot of research & it came up every time I rang or called into store's to look at different ones. Hope to have it installed this month. I'll pm you where I bought it.

RubyGirl

arbf1 wrote: »

can you let me know how you get on with Stratford EB16 insert? I'm looking at it too and would be ever so grateful if you let me know how it goes for you. Are you getting a builder to widen fireplace opening before installation?

Hi, will do, no plumber said it was wide enough. I'm hoping to get it fitted before they go back to school so I'll let you know how it goes. Up & running and in full use will be middle of October so i'll keep you posted. Better do some good with the price I paid for it, but in saying that can't be any worse than the open fire with back boiler, disaster from day one.

arbf1

I sent you a PM Ruby Girl just wondering where you got Stove and few other bits. Thanks for agreeing to share and fingers crossed stove goes well for you.

RubyGirl wrote: »

Hi, will do, no plumber said it was wide enough. I'm hoping to get it fitted before they go back to school so I'll let you know how it goes. Up & running and in full use will be middle of October so i'll keep you posted. Better do some good with the price I paid for it, but in saying that can't be any worse than the open fire with back boiler, disaster from day one.

Sunny Dayz

Stove landed yesterday by courier. Plumber coming on Monday. Any idea how long it takes from when the stove is installed to when the stove is actually up and running? Do I need to leave it a few days? In no hurry to light a fire, it's not a bit cold but would like to know how long before we know it is working properly. BTW we are getting a back boiler put when there wasn't one before.

Mizenly

Hi all,

Has anyone heard of/had experience with a Burley Debdale (4kw, 89.8% efficiency), Nordpeis Bergen (5kw, 84% efficiency), Mendip Loxton 5 (4.6kw, 80%), or Yeoman CL5 (4.9kw, 80%). I'm also looking at a Charnwood C4

Apologies, I didn't know I had such a long list until now!! Yikes...

I like the Burley Debdale, all the reviews look good and there are regular mentions of the 'mesmeric' flame picture. However, as far as I can see they are only available in the UK...I have no idea about the practicality of trying to have one shipped over or going to get one...Any thoughts/advice?
I have seen clearview and Woodwarm mentioned on this thread, so I presume they are pretty easy to locate in Ireland, and they are in consideration though they are moving away from the style I prefer. I quite like the charnwood and there is a supplier in Galway, but...what if I'm giving up too easily on the Burley Debdale?! I have read that the efficiencies aren't so important, because there are so many variables...but I feel that since my treatment of each stove would be constant then if one is a harder worker than another it will still show?
The stove is for our living room - online calculators say we would need 3.8kw heat, but we have a draughty sliding door facing the atlantic (you can both hear and feel the wind whistling in as soon as it starts to bluster! And these are fairly new doors so they are here for a while, brr), and would like to have excess heat escape into the hall rather than have to close the door to keep heat in...Actually now I'm doubting that 4kw would be enough Anyway, many thanks for any thoughts!

Green farmer

Mizenly wrote: »

Hi all,

Has anyone heard of/had experience with a Burley Debdale (4kw, 89.8% efficiency), Nordpeis Bergen (5kw, 84% efficiency), Mendip Loxton 5 (4.6kw, 80%), or Yeoman CL5 (4.9kw, 80%). I'm also looking at a Charnwood C4
"quote"


In a similar position as well at the moment, trying to decide on a stove. After looking at every brand on the market id got it down to clearview and Charnwood. Dont think you would go wrong with either of those. However going to add the burley to the list now after reading the reviews. I noticed they have a few stockists up north, so you could source one from there instead of going to England. I'd also be interested in hearing if anyone down south sells them.

Mizenly

I checked out a few of those websites in the North but none actually mentioned Burley. Instead of contacting each individually I sent Burley themselves an email yesterday so if I hear back I'll put it up here. I did find a stockist for the Nordpeis Bergen (it has a bigger window but still excellent efficiency) in the North, and it looks like free delivery to the south, so that's still in. And the Charnwood!

Mizenly

Got a fairly unhelpful reply from Burley, but through it finally found a supplier in Galway - naturalgreenenergy (dot) ie I don't know why none of these guys have the Burley on their websites, (is that ominous?) but I emailed this place and they confirmed they supply them. However, their showroom is being renovated so they may not have a model for display until the end of September. He said the Debdale 4kw would be €930, I haven't asked about delivery/installation. Is it a no-no to order a stove you have never seen?

RealJohn

Just a quick question and one that has no doubt been answered multiple times before so if someone could point me to a previous answer, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'd like to get a stove but I'm unsure as to the best way of going about it. Should I go to a fireplace supplier who will install it for me too? Should I buy the stove and hire someone to install it separately? Obviously I'm hoping to do it for the lowest price I can but I'm a complete novice when it comes to this sort of thing.