Review of Charnwood SLX45 stove
Charnwood slx 45 fs
We have had this for about 3 or 4 years now which replace our old charnwood stove. The problem with this fire seems to be the design of the throat plate and the air vent. The air enters the fire through the vent then circulates to the front of the fire where there is a gap that then directs the fumes above the throat plate to the flue. This fire needs a lot of air flow to work properly or the air flow can work in reverse which means fumes can leak back in to the house especially when opening the doors not good if you want to use a slow burning high heat fuel. Most experts like to blame one thing or another but really air flow is the most important thing but equally the design of the fire is just as important the example being a fire that draws air from the front then leaves the fire from the rear back or top this would help the flow and minimize the risk of fumes in the house. This stove has too much distortion in air flow not like our last charnwood however the fire does heat the house and hot water well after a few adjustments although we still have to be very careful.
Stove expert replied: The air available for combustion is paramount for any stove and manufacturers design stoves to work efficiently with the various controls that are on the stove, if you are getting back draught when opening the doors then the flue draw would appear to be insufficient for this stove. It may have been fine for the previous model but with the more efficient models now on the market, further air supply into the room may be required. There may also have been modifications to the property increasing insulation etc that will affect a stoves performance which need to be considered.