Aga Little Wenlock multi fuel stove

hardwick

Hello - I have just spent a fortune on a new multi fuel stove and am very frustrated because I cannot always get it to stay alight. Some days it works ok and other days like today I just could not get it to stay alight - tried about 6 times and gave up feeling defeated and very annoyed with it. I put fire lighters in the grate, topped with plenty of kindling and surround this with antracite smokeless fuel with a couple of bits put on top once the flames are going from the kindling... it looks like it's okay but then it just dies...grrr its costing me a fortune in fire lighters, kindling and matches! Anyone got any idea why this could be happening - does it depend on how windy it is outside or anything like that? I'm really regretting spending all that money on buying it and having it installed by a HETAS registered engineer... Please help!

stoveman

are you findig your having problems only on certain days?

Is the chimney lined? do you have an anti downdraftt cowl on top of the chimney?

When you light get it really going with lots of kindling so you got a good bed of red hot embers and then working from the middle outwards put some anthracite into the middle and build up gradually, make sure you have the spinner on the front completly open.

hardwick

Thank you for your suggestions and help! Yes, it is more difficult on certain days... I noticed today for example it was cold but very still outside and I wondered if that might be causing the problem. I always keep the spinner open fully (have found on the occasions I've actually got it going that closing the spinner really dims the fire very quickly). In fact I did try it on an overnight burn by only opening the spinner a couple of turns but it was hopeless... fire was totally out the next morning. I had it installed by a HETAS registered fitter, with flexible lining and a cowl with bird guard on top of the chimney stack... I have called him about the problems I've been having but he has just suggested doing what I have already been trying...he suggested screwed up newspaper to warm the chimney first and then when that went out using a fire lighter and kindling... as I say, sometimes it stays alight and when it works it's really great but there have been a number of days when it just will not light and drives me mad! Don't know if problem is my technique, the stove or the chimney!

stoveman

Hi,

Its not the stove, you got a good stove there.

It could be a downdraught/lack of draw problem.

May be worth changing the cowl for a Wind Jammer Cowl which will stop wind coming back down the chimey.

The spinner needs to be open fully until teh coal is 100% alight. If you want it to stay in overnight then you close it right up but only after its been roaring away.

It will look like its going out in morning but when you put more fuel on and open vent again it should catch very quickly.

I think it would be worth checking out the draft situation as thats what its down to 9/10

dooby

I have the same problem sometimes, It does seem worse when it's windy.

I've just heard though that some stoves light better if you build your fire top down. It's something to do with whether its north/south or east/west facing.

Basically, add some fuel but don't overload it, just a shallow build should do, then put your kindling on top of that and then add 4 knotted newspapers placed on top of that.

I've not tried it yet as i'm not due to light ours till I get home tonight but i'll give it a go later. I'm hoping it'll work as when it's windy here and I try for the conventional bottom up lighting method the fire doesn't take quick enough and the fuel (smokeless brickettes) which are on top squashes on the kindling/paper/firelighter and smothers the flame which is quite frustrating.

A._Badger

Having had similar problems with a Little Wenlock, I suspect the advice about draughting is correct. But you could also try different fuels. I've found anthracite quite variable in quality and hard to light/slumber. You might want to get a few bags of alternatives to see which, if any, performs better. My Little Wenlock ended-up on a steady diet of Maxibrite, which always seemed to perform best.

Inscidentally, better than firelighters by far is a Grenadier electric firelighter!

dooby

I'm reporting back to let you know that i've tried the top down lighting method and it was a complete success!!!!

I'm going to light the fire like that all the time from now on, it was so much easier.

Thank you me

welda

I found this clip on another website, although for woodburners only, it explains fully top down lighting method, btw origin is Canada.

http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/videos/Woodstove_mgt-Eng.wmv

mirabelle

Have just watched this clip for tips on burning wood for woodburners. It's excellent and well worth a look. I'm going to try the top down method of lighting the fire this morning. Also, the tip about burning your wood from north to south in the box in very cold weather and east to west in mild weather was interesting. Anything that helps make the wood burn longer is a bonus. Thanks Welda and Dooby. I am going to buy a Grenadier electric firelighter as suggested by A Badger, so thanks to him as well for his good tips.

hardwick

Hello and thank you to all you wonderful people for your advice and help... in the end yesterday I resorted to getting the engineer who installed it back. He was very nice but it took him an age to get it going... he didn't think there was anything wrong with the draw/draught/chimney but said the ?anthracite? I had bought was very difficult to light. I've tried 3 different types of smokeless now and the other two bags looked quite similar to each other i.e. consistently shaped nuggets that looked quite dusty but the antricite is different shapes, some bigger but mostly very small and it's shiny... I'm wondering if it's the right stuff. Anyway going to try and source local maxibrite for next bag. He also said the "seasoned" logs I'd purchase from BQ were very damp. I tried to burn it overnight again last night and even though it was very well lit when I left it this morning disappointingly it had gone out although the stove itself was still quite warm... will also get some of those Grenadier electric fire lighters and will try the top down method suggested by Dooby... hopefully not another wasted day trying to get the blasted thing going! I'll let you know. Oh btw the engineer did say that he didnt think much of the little wenlocks! Shame he didnt tell me that before I spent the hard earned cash!

hardwick

Hi - just looked for grenadier fire lighter and can't believe the price... £116 so won't be buying one of those Badger! Thanks for the info anyway.