Gazco Fireplaces

Mister_Cee

Hi all,

Currently looking at purchasing a Gazco Studio Edge 2 fireplace, glass fronted with a conventional flue.
The shop where I am looking at getting this from has advised me that they are very good fires but do require a lot of maintenance ie. annual/bi-annual services.

Just wondering, does anyone own this or a similar Gazco fire and what their opinion is?

Thanks

Chris

rustyboy21

Have sold them in the past. They are a nice bit of kit. From a retailers point of view, they are nicer on the outside than the inside.

What I mean is that they have a very good fascia, well built, but behind, is only similar to a lot of other fires, which are cheaper.

He has most likely had issues with sooting up, so recommends that you have them serviced every 6 months. 12 months is normal and suggested by the manufacturer.

What a lot of people do wrong with Gas fires, whichever make, is that, when they come in from work etc, they turn the fire on and then put it straight away on low. Doing this does cause issues, as you haven't let the flue warm up enough, to draw the fumes out correctly. You are also not burning off any residual soot, from inside/on the burners.

To run a gas fire properly, which will mean it will last a lot longer, is by doing the following.

Switch fire on and put it on Full, for about 20 minutes.
Turn it down to the level you want.
After 2 hours, say, turn it back up to full , for another 20 mins.

Just before you switch it off , to go to bed, turn it up to full for 10 mins then switch it off.

Doing all this, will burn any residual soot off, clean out the burner and prolong the life of the fire.

It sounds a bit messy, but it is better to do. The Riva, burns with a slightly yellow flame, which when ran on low, will cause soot to build up. This is why he is saying every 6 months.

Mister_Cee

Thanks for the reply. Just a couple of questions.

Do you know how much servicing costs, roughly, and what this entails?

Do you think they are worth the money (looking at about £1700 before installation) or are there cheaper, similar style alternatives that you know about?

Cheers

rustyboy21

servicing costs will be round £80 or so, depending on area and who you ask. It will involve stripping the burner down and cleaning it, relaying all the ceramics, flue testing and spillage testing. A good thorough clean up in effect.

They are a lovely product, the fascia's are outstanding quality, but the back box which goes into the wall, is made like a more basic fire ( thinner steel, with cheap cut edges ).

Don't let me put you off, they are lovely and when it is in the wall, you won't see any of the back of it. It is just they have brought these out to compete with companies like Dru, Faber, bell barbas, but have cheapened the quality to hit a price point. It may be me being a bit picky, but the box inside the flue , at the price you are paying, I feel, should be a decent thickness. You should be paying for quality.

If you can afford a little more, then the build of the 3 mentioned above are a lot better, the back boxes are very thick and rigid steel, stove painted and weigh a tonne !

You could also have a look at Paragon fires, they are similar price. If you are going for this type of product, I would go for a log version. The ribbon flame styles are going out of fashion a bit now. Like pebbles on a fire have , over the past few years.