Help with buying a wood burning stove!

Catzpaws

After speaking to various people (in stove shops and those who have done a survey to quote for the job), I think I have now settled on the Morso 1412 Squirrel.

After visiting one shop, I really loved the Morso Badger, but think it would probably not sit right (it would jut out slightly) due to the depth of the stove and the positioning of the flue pipe.

Although I was originally very keen on the Morso 1442 Convector model, I think we'll now go for the radiant model. Was told the convector model wouldn't really be able to do its job (convecting heat) when recessed so not worth paying extra money for. Seems to make sense??

So far, I have visited 3 stove shops and will be having a final quote this week. Hopefully can make a decision ASAP after this as it's been a real time-consuming process to try and find the right stove!

The only thing that I would have liked is a slightly bigger firebox. I wonder whether I'll be continually reloading the stove especially as will be used a lot during the day??

What my experience so far has told me is that there is a lot of misinformation out there. My advice to anyone buying a stove is to do your research. Whatever you're told by retailers or installers, double-check. There seems to be so little impartiality out there! I've been told various things that have been blatantly not true.

A._Badger

Catzpaws wrote: »

After speaking to various people (in stove shops and those who have done a survey to quote for the job), I think I have now settled on the Morso 1412 Squirrel.

They're lovely stoves. I hope it works out well for you.

Catzpaws wrote: »

What my experience so far has told me is that there is a lot of misinformation out there. My advice to anyone buying a stove is to do your research. Whatever you're told by retailers or installers, double-check. There seems to be so little impartiality out there! I've been told various things that have been blatantly not true.

Sadly, that has been my experience, too - and that of others I've spoken with and who have posted here.

The stove business is pretty lucrative and, at the moment, very fashionable. A lot of people (misguidedly, I suspect) think wood comes free, or is substantially cheaper than other fuels, so get sucked into the market that way.

Others are drawn by the 'back to reality', 'lets keep some chickens/grown our own vegetables/knit our own yoghurt' lifestyle schtick.

An entire industry has grown-up in not much more than 30 years to cater for this demand and inter alia has managed to bamboozle the government into allowing it to set its own rules and regulations 'for the public's safety'.

Because of that, just as you say, we consumers really need to be on our guard when buying stoves and having them installed. There are plenty of rogues out there who don't care what they say to make a sale.

crphillips

There is a lot of conflicting information around. After ditching the jokers what you listen to depends whether you want a top class thorough job or a cheap job.

We re-line everything pretty much and i know people on here don't agree but we have cracking reputation with pretty much zero come backs......unlike other companies close to us where i spend a lot of my time pulling their installations about and doing them properly.

Also this thing about fitters installing liners to make more money.....this is factually incorrect. To line a flue and fit a stove takes me all day........if i weren't lining them and just banging them in with a closure plate and a sweeps access door i could do 4 a day. Also.....i easily turn enough work away to be able to sustain 4 a day from September until April. ....therefore i can earn a lot more money doing 4 jobs at £300 than 1 job at £900.

Doing your research isn't as simple as it sounds as there is a lot of duff info online and on forums. Also views and opinions will change depending on which forum you visit. Another forum i frequent has users where nearly all of them chose a liner and a Clearview stove.

bootman

After having so many people out looking at my fire place that needs altering to put in a wood burner I decided I would give up this year. None of the local Hetas guys wanted to do it. I have a 12 year old house with a baxi open fire and a stone surround. All I want is the stone surround removed the opening opened bigger and a neat plaster finish down to the flag hearth. They all said fitting only earns them more money and would rather just do that.

Anyway, I went to Fired Earth a week or so ago who have an Aga shop within, they had a load of the Ago Much Wenlock Classics reduced. I some how managed to come home with one!! I had planeed on a Morso, but actually prefered to look of the much classic, so I do hope it will be ok. I can't find much info on it review wise.

So my hunt is back on for a tradesman! The Aga shop gave me a card of a right rogue, he did not even know about the building regs that changed in October for stove installations. I think I have had 5 people out in total. Not one did I have much confidence in.

crphillips, do you travel to Banbury Oxfordshire? You sound like you would do a good job.

crphillips

Thanks....we do an exceptional job. We'd love to carry out your installation but at this time of year it simply isn't economical for me to do so as we're stacked out with work locally. I'm in Essex shortly fitting a stove in a tree house but this is only because we are the only installers of solid fuel appliances for the company that builds them and they don't need us to see the place as they're building them from scratch so they build them with installing a stove in mind. I could come to Oxford but by the time i've charged for travelling it would be very expensive. Unfortunately with the age of the house it's the type of job that can't be quoted for via email and photo's either.....i'd have to see it in the flesh. If it was Victorian or Georgian i could tell you what will be behind the fireplace without looking at it.

jonewer

My house is victorian. Whats behind me fireplace!

Just joking.

crphillips

Hehe....Birck 'n' mortar

Oxonfoundryman

crphillips wrote: »

There's nothing going on between me an Hethmar....the first time we spoke was on here. I'm just trying to educate people in another direction rather than cheap and that'll do. The thing that makes a good stove isn't it's welds.....it's it's design.........i could make a well designed stove and mig it together with no gas and it would work a treat........i could have a poorly designed stove and tig weld it beautifully and it would still be a crap stove. A a lot of other so called 'British made' stoves........ and i know of a definite 5 manufacturers that are made in China and badly made at that. British made stoves that are 100% British are Dunsley, Charnwood, Clearview, Woodwarm......any others aren't really worth talking about. I think some of those manufacturers might source their ceramic glass from Germany but thats only because it's far better quality than the British or stuff.

The reason manufacturers won't bother getting our IP addresses is because i can prove that what i've said is true.......i know the guy who has the foundry that was asked to price the doors for a certain supposedly British Made stove........they went to China because it was cheaper. British made...hmm....yeah...right. People can't sue you if your speaking the truth.

Badger also said " (a favourite line, that one - and said to me about both some British and Scandinavian 'luxury' stoves - the latter in the context of recycled cast iron). "

You do realise that cast iron can be recycled over, and over, and over again with no loss of quality......Welda should know this being his profession. Chesney stoves are top notch and made from recylced cast.

Going back to the Good Old British made.........i love England and i'm very patriotic.....i actually have my own brand of stove coming out next year which will wipe the floor with most of the stoves out there....it Is 99% British Made (except for the ceramic glass at 1%).,....not only is it British made....everything is sourced, machined, cut, fabricated, cast and assembled in Yorkshire! The stove will never leave Yorkshire until it is sold. There are some quality British made stoves and we promote them massively......in all honesty though.......what do we make nowadays that is good?

Look at what we manufactured in the past and what we make now:

TVR....gone
Rover.....went massively downhill and gone
Jaguar....went massively downhill and gone
Landrover....gone
Sheffield steel for high quality knives and such.......gone
Triumph.........nowhere near as good as Honda

The main issue is i feel i'm possibly preaching to the wrong people as this forum is titled "Money Saving"........money saving and quality top notch installation don't really go together. Although having said that there must be a lot of people that come on here that understand and agree with what i say and simply don't join in the tit for tat as we get stacks of work from posting on this forum......so it's worth the odd argument with you guys as people can see who are the pros with experience of using thousands of stoves and who simply has the experience of one or two.

Totally agree Mr Phillips having worked in the foundry industry since leaving school i have seen it go down hill in a big way...the ones that are left are now surviving because people are finally realising China is not as good as it first looked...Cheap yes but quality terrible and long lead times...our foundry in oxfordshire is doing more and more business with people that have had there fingers burnt with china and other low cost countries...and we are also casting stove components which i am proud to say are for british companies wanting british quality!!...Long may it continue...:j

stefff_2

i would certainly advise to avoid at any cost TheGreenerCompany.com, They have refused to provide me with any refund or exchange, which am not sure is legal and are extremely unhelpful to deal with.

mattydevon

I have the choice of fitting either a masport auckland or a morso squirrel wood burner in my home and I wondered if there was a concensus on which was the more efficient, if anyone can help I'd be grateful.