Help with buying a wood burning stove!

Catzpaws

Hi all!

I have been avidly reading all the wood burning stove threads on this forum with huge interest. What a mine of information - it's great! Anyway, I adding my own post as I would really appreciate any assistance with choosing a wood burning stove.

I am looking for a stove that meets the following criteria:

• Good source of heating to heat kitchen/diner (2.5m x 5.7m x 4m) and large adjoining open plan living room. All of downstairs is cold, and needs the CH on continuously in the winter. Quite often the living room gas fire and the electric undertile heating is on too.
• Is approved for use in a smoke controlled area
• Is efficient and reliable - the stove will be on most of the day in the winter months as I work from home.
• Easy to operate and maintain
• Looks good

I have shortlisted three stoves that I really like the look of:

• Morso 1442 Squirrel Convector
• Charnwood Cove 1
• Esse 125

All of these are 5kW...... is that too much? Too little? The calculators say 4kW for the kitchen/diner, but I want the stove to also heat the adjoining room, but at the same time also not having it TOO hot! (I work in the kitchen/diner and want it to be comfortable).

The Morso is a convection type stove... I like the sound of this for reasons of safety and comfort. I have pets, and often friends' children around, and think that a convection one would be better as I wouldn't need to buy a safely guard, etc. Plus, it wouldn't scorch the tables and chairs that I have positioned near the fireplace.

The Charnwood Cove I has preheated airwash, which I hear is a great feature.

The Esse 125.... I was initally drawn to the contemporary styling of this, plus the fact it takes bigger logs (less work to cut logs into smaller ones) as it has a much wider firebox.

Anyone have any experience of these stoves? Any help/thoughts would be much welcomed.

Catzpaws

Anyone with any thoughts? Sorry, I know I asked a very specific question, but if anyone can maybe offer any guidance, it would be SO much appreciated!

A._Badger

Catzpaws wrote: »

Anyone with any thoughts? Sorry, I know I asked a very specific question, but if anyone can maybe offer any guidance, it would be SO much appreciated!

You best bet would be to look at www.whatstove.co.uk They are all well respected brands and you might find user experiences from that site of more value than anything else.

crphillips

Morso is fantastic, Charnwood is great......Esse are pretty naff at the moment......don't know whats going on with the company...... their delivery times are ridiculous at the moment. Just go and see them in the flesh and you'll see the difference. Can't fault the Morso Squirrel.

hethmar

Im not sure if 5Kw would be sufficient to heat the two rooms - CR will know better. Best to go to a showroom - pick the brains of the salespeople there and if you can try the stoves out. Our local supplier has a number on show which are fitted and can be played with Best to see for yourself as if someone has no experience of any other stoves but the one they have bought they cant really give you unbiased or informed advice. We see some dreadful stove performances but if someone doesnt know any better ........ they may think its great.

Ive got my Clearview 400 on today - lovely to see the flames dancing around inside the glass But I think clearview delivery is about 6 weeks now.

Swipe

I have a 5.5KW stove in a 21m sq room and when it was really really cold last year (-10C) I was having to run it flat out to maintain 20C so I doubt a 5KW would be sufficient in the depths of winter to heat two rooms

A._Badger

hethmar wrote: »

Best to go to a showroom - pick the brains of the salespeople there and if you can try the stoves out. Our local supplier has a number on show which are fitted and can be played with Best to see for yourself as if someone has no experience of any other stoves but the one they have bought they cant really give you unbiased or informed advice. We see some dreadful stove performances but if someone doesnt know any better ........ they may think its great.

Then again, owners (not all of whom have never owned stoves before) have spent more than 5 minutes fiddling with the knobs in a showroom while being sales-talked by the owner and have had time to find out whether the one they've bought stays in over night, or suffers operational or manufacturing problems.

There's a fair amount of user-generated guff over at whatstove.co.uk but it also some useful insights. More than can be gleaned from one or two retailers I've encountered, that's for sure.

hethmar

Avoid Aarrow, Hunter and Villager stoves or the cheap chinese ones. Good mid range are Charnwood, Morso, Dovre and Stovax.

welda

I have a villager, British made, and works a treat, I'm into my third season with my villager and, I haven't had to replace any parts, even any of the fire rope. My only complaint is, now and again it bursts out in song.......... YMCA

A little knowledge is dangerous when advising what stoves to avoid. :beer:

welda

Being honest too, villager duo is my first stove, price was not really an issue, although I did not want to go OTT on price if we did not get on. Dimension wise it ticked all my boxes. I've mentioned here many times, this wee fella heats my three principle rooms, which is all I really expected. Build wise. I know for a fact Lincoln Electric Welding Company (a multi national company) advised on weld procedures, equipment and consumables. I'm also a qualified welding examiner and, I certainly could not fault welds doing a visual.

As for bankruptcy, I have no knowledge of this.

As and when this one goes pear shape, I would certainly look at another make now, I have the bug, I love the free heat even more. :beer:

Ps, I'm not upset, honest

welda

Flew into France this morning, my next stoves gonna be one of those inset huge beastie ones, certainly puts my wee villager to shame :j