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Review of Charnwood Country 16 b stove

Charnwood 16b Multifuel Stove

Colin Newton 11 years ago

Bought this stove in September 2007. We have 9 radiators running off this system. I intially had lots of problems trying to get sufficient heat from the stove to keep all the radiators warm let alone hot. The problem however was not the stove but the user. Logs were not sufficently seasoned and anthracite was not sufficently dry. Because of the cost of anthracite here on the Isle of Mull (£200 per month)I now only use wood which mainly comes from the Forestry Commission (25 tons costing £650). Apart from the amount of time I spend cutting and splitting logs (which I enjoy) I estimate the cost of running this system for me is just over £350 per year as opposed to oil which would cost us £3000 per year.

In order to get our stove working effectively, here are some of the things I have done.

Built a very large woodstore which holds approx. 12ton of split logs (one years supply). This ensures wood is well seasoned before using.

Adjusted the thermostats to 80degrees centrigrade and 60 degrees centigarde to ensure the radiators become hot. Please check with your installer.

Use a moisture meter to check moisture content of logs is between 15-20%

All logs split to 3 inches or 6 inches wide.

Have a pipe thermostat to ensure stove is sufficiently hot to achieve secondary burn.

Ensure kindling is extremely dry.

Where possible use seasoned hardwood in the coldest months.

All these things have helped me overcome the intial problems.

I love my Charnwood 16b (wife calls it the 'black bitch' as it gets more attention than she does!) and would replace with the same.

Initial layout for the stove, plumbing, liner and cost of repairing the chimney was expensive at £5k, but I have already recouped all of that cost in comparison to what it would have cost if I had used oil or LPG - no gas available on the island.

Stove expert replied: What a great account of how to get the best from the stove, log store, moisture meter, stove thermostat, seasoned logs - an expert in the making! Thank you for your valued comments.

Overall rating:

4 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 3.9)
Quality of finish 5 flames (avg 4)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 3.7)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 4.3)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.3)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 3.5)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 4)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 3.8)
How likely are you to buy it again? 4 flames (avg 3.4)
What is your overall satisfaction? 4 flames (avg 3.6)