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Esse 350 stove

Overall Rating:

3.5 flames

based on 17 reviews    (View rating breakdown)
Esse 350 stove

The Esse 350 stove will fit into a standard fire place opening as long as the fire back has been removed.

It has a bigger fire box than the 300 model , so can take longer logs.

The Esse 350 stove needs an airvent into the room.

This stove is a convector model.

Technical Data
  • Height: 620mm
  • Width: 485mm
  • Depth: 492mm
  • Flue Diameter: 150mm
  • Fuel: Wood
  • Efficiency: 78.5%

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Review Ratings Breakdown

Build Quality 3.5 flames
Quality of finish 3.5 flames
Value for money 3 flames
Ease of use 4 flames
Ease of lighting 4 flames
Firebox size 3.5 flames
How well does the airwash work 3 flames
Controllability 3.5 flames
Handle operation 4 flames
How likely are you to buy it again? 3 flames
What is your overall satisfaction? 3.5 flames

Most Recent Review

  • Esse Greenswitch soot leakage

    Micheal Murray 4 years ago

    The Esse Greenswitch is fabulous for heating purposes and lovely to have in the room.We have had one issue for a long time, that is a leakage of soot on a very continuous basis.Chimney cleaned
    regularly, burn best quality smokeless coal and yet everyday we can get a layer of a very fine film of soot. I have replaced the rope on the door but still think it''s coming from door seal....can never smell smoke... have good ventilation etc... so still at a loss as to where soot film is coming from.. any advice from anywhere many thanks Mike

    Stove expert replied: Smokeless fuel can and often will leave particulates on surfaces due to its makeup, it mainly occurs when loading and re-loading and when riddling to de-ash the stove. Different fuels will have more or less ash so it is worth trialling a few brands to see which you find is best in your situation. It is also best to de-ash with the door closed and then leave for say 5 mins for the ash to settle before removing the ashpan. Do you use an ash caddy or remove by taking the ashpan through the house to dispose of the ash as this can lead to fine particles becoming airborne? This is not caused by the stove but by the fuel type being used.

    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

Most Popular Review

  • Esse 301 inset

    D. Adam 14 years ago

    Comments for the ESSE 301 which is similar to the 305. Easy to fit into a small traditional fire-place without really needing to add a chimney liner. Just make sure that the hearth gives the
    door clearance to open and of-course insulate the fire back with home-made aluminium foil / rock wool envelopes to give maximum heat output. This stove's convector system really works well to deliver 'red hot' air into the room, even with a small fire burning.It burns best on small logs and they last a long time compared to using an open fire.
    Overall rating:

    4 flames

More reviews for Esse 350 stove (page 1 of 2)

  • Firebox not under guarantee

    7 years ago

    I have made a mistake going for the Esse SE350 I was told this model was a 7kw convection stove. Only if you burn solid fuel, 5kw if you burn logs. The complete firebox is not guaranteed, only
    the cast iron frame. It is only stated by some companies that list this on their website. I did not see this prior to my purchase. My stove is one month old the glass has developed a Bloom at the bottom, I have contacted Esse and was told the glass is not under the guarantee.The cost of a new glass is £54 This company has no Good Will @ Customer services. Not recommended.

    Stove expert replied: Glass and consumable items are not covered my manufacturers, the glass bloom (if a milky appearance) is likely to be caused by overdrawing of the stove and is not a manufacturing defect (it may be an installation problem or operator error). It would not happen on one firing but over a period of time and means that usage is exposing the stove to higher than normal working temperatures. This should be investigated fully as further damage may occur. You should be able to have the stove slumbering with a gentle flame, with short periods of fast burn and not a raging fire all the time.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

  • Esse 350 - poor quality parts and poor customer,we service

    Fiona MacNeill. 8 years ago

    After first couple of months with only weekend use the throat plate buckled. It fell down into stove. Esse refused to replace it even though fire had only been used about 8 times. Photographic
    evidence sent to Esse. Esse insisted it is not covered by warranty. I would argue that there is a difference between a consumable part and one that fails after a few uses.Eventually we bought a replacement - this was at least double the thickness - an admission surely that the original was not fit for purpose? Very poor customer service indeed not to replace a part when they are clearly fully aware that there is a problem with the part and hold proper quality ones for the customer to buy as replacements. To add insult to injury, although only a few months old, one of the side fire bricks has cracked - far too soon with only weekend usage over 4 months. At this rate I will have paid for the stove twice by the time I have a replaced the internal parts. General view of Esse - poor quality parts to the point of being 'not fit for purpose' and short sighted customer service.
    Overall rating:

    1.5 flames

  • Wow

    Jon Harries 9 years ago

    I really don't know where to start with this, probably best to start at the beginning. We ( me, and my wife and at the time two year old daughter) live in a two bedroom bungalow in a rural area
    . We have no gas option and are tied to oil. The oil companies haven't been very kind to us in recent years so decided to give this an option. Wood burner!! We have a massive builders opening and before I started work I got a local sweep in to get all the rubbish out of the chimney before I got my sledge hammer out.He dully arrived and asked me what I was going to do and I told him I was going to bash it about and get a wood burner and make it look nice and hopefully save a lot of money on heating bills! His reply to me was; " how much work do you want to make for yourself?" To which I replied as little as possible. He then told me about inset wood burners and told me about Esse and did a loft inspection and told me I wouldn't even need a flue liner. I did a lot of research in the days that followed and ordered one.All I had to do is break up the fire brick and get my hands on some fire proof insulation. While I was awaiting delivery an ash tree came down in a local pub garden so I went a long with a chainsaw and a log splitter and made some free fuel ( I didn't use this until the following October, about nine months) but got a bag of seasoned logs to see the winter out.It took a day to fit and after we'd had it a week, I wondered why I hadn't done it ten years ago. It's been in a year now, a cracked fire brick is the only battle damage and we use it every day as our primary source of heating. Consistently our living room is 22-24 degrees and our little girls room( furthest away from the fire) is 18-19 degrees. When I went to a local stove shop that said is was an authorised dealer for Esse, they said they were no good and tried selling my wife and I a four grand stove that would cost another two to install. They said the glass would go black and it wouldn't be very controllable. How wrong they were. Each morning I make up the fire I wipe the residue from the previous day with a single sheet of kitchen towel. Brand new again. With good kindling lights first time every time. Once lit and hot, turn the bottom vent until it's open only 1.5-2mm one and half close. The top one and if you have properly seasoned logs you will have the most amazing flame picture which will slowly die down to embers yet resume with eagerness once more logs are added. I'm off to buy my wife a new bikini to sit in front of the fire with this winter.Jon.Ps first review I've ever written on anything!
    Overall rating:

    not yet rated

  • Looking at the Esse 350 Se inset - advice

    Sulli 69 10 years ago

    I am considering one of these to replace an inset gas fire (Magiglo).Couple of things, it's a large room, 10m x 4m approx, is the 7 KW Esse 350SE a good option.Also, we wanted to get one of
    those Eco fans to circulate the heat, is there a lip at the top on the inset that one could sit on?Thanks

    Stove expert replied: The stove fan needs to sit flat on top of the stove so I do not think a fan would be suitable for this model.

    Overall rating:

    not yet rated

  • Owned since 2008. Saved us a fortune and works great!

    Clive Turner 10 years ago

    We bought our place in 2007 and moved in during October '07. There was an awful gas fire in what used to be an open fire in the living room. I found the Esse 350 after a lot of looking, and
    installed it in the winter of 07-8.It cost around £800 and another £100 for a red door instead of a plain one. It paid for itself the first winter, including its fuel.With young children and their mother at home, we would have needed the gas boiler running far more than we do with this stove. After more than 5 years, I can share this:We now use a 50/50 mix of small anthracite and homefuel nuts, which give a perfect balance of heat and ease of lighting. We also burn some logs and wood that we get free. The coal costs around £500 a year. We only use the stove to heat the whole house except on the coldest days. Last winter it was only 'out' two or three times, otherwise we kept it going 24/7. This mix of fuel will go 14 or more hours with all air shut-down and around 4 to 5 hours with the air open enough to have the whole 4-bedroom house really warm. I calculated, based on the use of gas before we got the stove in and running, that we would have used £1500 more of gas to have the same kind of warmth in our house all winter. So £500 of coal saves £1500 gas for us. I've had to replace the grate once (last year) and this year it needs a new throat plate. Otherwise, its going fine and very reliably. We sweep the chimney once a year with this fuel mix. We also have a carbon monoxide alarm in our living room, just in case. I should also mention our chimney is an 'outside' one, but we've had no problems with drawing or with condensate etc, perhaps because for every run the stove has fully shut down, its also runs fully open and hot.I'm really pleased with this stove, and with the direct support from Esse and Glynn the designer when first installing it. I have recommended this type of stove to several others who enquired why our house was always so lovely and warm and enjoyed the cheerful flicker of the fire.Key points - anthacite/homefuel mix is best, and only use the bottom air (top/airwash shut) once its alight- wood, only use the top air (bottom air fully closed) for a proper burn.Don't use fresh cut unseasoned or wet wood.Johnsons wet wipes are fantastic for cleaning the glass on the inside (when its cold!).

    Stove expert replied: A stove running 24/7 should have at least two short periods of fast burn (15 - 20mins) twice a day to burn off any deposits produced in the slow burning periods. A stove should be let out once a month to check that the airways are clear. A Carbon Monoxide Alarm is a requirement for any stove installation and should be retrofitted if there is not one currently installed. Great review and good savings being made.

    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

  • esse 350gs best thing we ever bought for the frontroom

    Michael Connolly 10 years ago

    Great stove for heating water and way better than an open fire with a back boiler, with the right smokeless fuel it keeps the glass clean all night long, would recommend this stove to everyone
    .
    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

  • Esse 350 poor manufacturing standards

    Philip 11 years ago

    This stove has had wintertime evenings only use for just over a year. In the first 5 months the throatplate burnt out and was replaced 3 times by esse. I have now had one made by a local metal
    shop as each of the plates sent by esse burnt through within at most 8 weeks. The fireproof rope that excludes air has shrunk back and consequently the stove is less controllable than it would otherwise be. It will not burn overnight on any fuel. The firebrick linings are crumbling and this process started off early on. Be aware that the throat plate and the firebrick linings are expressly excluded from the warranty. The throaat plate and linings are necessary for the stove to function so their exclusion is worrying. It's a bit like giving a warranty on the body of a car but not the engine. This suggests to me that the manufacturers are aware that the quality of these items are poor. It is also the case that replacing throatplate and linings will be an annual running cost not metioned in sales blub on the esse website. I get the impression that much of the stove's materials and manufacture have been outsourced to the far east. A throat plate made from good quality mild steel should last longer than 8 weeks of evening time burning. I would not buy from esse again.Stopve Expert Replied: Esse are not alone in excluding these parts from the warranty provided, all manufacturers do so as they are deemed as consumeable as is the glass. Warranties generally only cover the body of the stove against splitting or cracking.
    Overall rating:

    2.5 flames

  • Esse 350SE Stainless Steel

    Stephen Barker 11 years ago

    We had this stove installed about a month ago - we chose it because we had an existing opening which we didn't want to alter too much, so this was the only stove which fitted that we could see
    . It seems of reasonable build quality but the glass cracked within 5 days, all the way across the middle from bottom to top and we are STILL waiting for a replacement - Esse are giving our vendors the runaround - after 2 weeks they decided they wanted the serial number and a week after giving them that we have still heard nothing. I e-mailed Esse direct and they didn't even have the courtesy to reply. So this company seems arrogant and not the least interested in customer service so on that basis alone I would steer clear of their products.It seems to give out a reasonable amount of heat(it might be a touch small for our room) but the glass doesn't stay very clean and as I daren't wipe it because of the crack, we cannot see much of the fire. It lights OK if there is a breeze but is a real pain if it's still outside.I have bought an ash hoover which is the best £50 you will ever spend so I can hoover it all out in about 10 seconds. I wasn't overly impressed with having a 4" hole drilled through my wall which now lets in a freezing gale, which seems to defeat the object of having a fire in the first place !So, in summary, good stove, crap company.

    Stove expert replied: Warranty on stoves does not cover glass however, normally after such a short period of time a replacement would be supplied either by the manufacturer or by the supplier perhaps at a reduced rate as a gesture of goodwill. Regarding the problems you are experiencing when lighting on a still day may be due to the flue which should be investigated further as there are ways to improve the draw. Room ventilators are a good option for providing the extra air required for a stove, have you got this or just a vent direct through the wall?

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

  • Esse 350 SE

    Douglas 11 years ago

    We had an open fire and were fed up with all the heat going straight up the chimney. We almost went for for 301 but after seeing the size of the firebox we went for the 350 SE. It was a bit
    more work taking the fireback out but really worth it. The 350 firebox is much bigger and easily fits a 300mm log, a few small bits are better than 1 big bit of wood but that's the same with any fire. I found a few comments that the heat output is not up to scratch, the 350 SE is up to 7KW with solid fuel and 5.2KW with wood which is perfect for us. The convector works well blowing hot air around the room and provides better circulation than a free standing stove. We are very happy with the 350 SE and would recommend it, like an open fire with a door really and a lot better heat to the room.

    Stove expert replied: Heat out put good, stove working well. Good feedback for this model.

    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

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