Franco Belge Monaco stove

Bought this stove end of Dec 2009 installed mid Jan 2010, after the first few fires the main air control situated at the bottom of the stove did not feel sturdy and then fell apart. The small rectangular metal plate on the end of the rod came away completely (with nothing more than an shaped cut in the metal for holding it onto the rod by gravity) and the fireproof cladding which had been glued on had all but disntigrated.

Appears to have been a design change as it differs from the markings on the cast and that in the brochure, its a push pull design as opposed to a sliding side to side action. Quiet frankly its not fit for purpose and in comparison to the rest of the stove is of poor build quality. As i have not had a real chance to test the stove adequately i can now look forward, it appears, reading some of the comments to having the baffle warp as well!!

The stove does punt out a good heat rate but even with the controls in perfect working order i get the feeling that it would not be the best to control.

Fire box size good - but again due to so much air the fire is so fierce that im left with fine dust.

The air wash works well - but then ive got more air than i would like pouring into the fire so i would expect to be clean in the circumstances.

At present im in discussions with the supplier so im waiting to see how repairs / spares pans out.

A potentially good stove blighted by a poor and flimsy intake device. I even attempted to contact Franco Belge direct re this but no response as yet and thats from begining of March 2010.


stove expert says: I would try to reduce the draw on the chimney for starters either by fitting a draught stabiliser or flue damper.

Had exactly the same problems as many contributors.

Baffle plate literally disintegrated after only 6 months. Buckled very badly allowing smoke to billow out when opening to refill. Really unhealthy and worrying.

Plate was replaced FOC by the company who fitted it, but, 6 months later, the same thing has happened again!!!! Supplier onto this problem again.

My overall impression was that there was little or no control over the ferocity of the fire. With 6 vents at the back, they were constantly firing the fire pit and many evenings we were struggling with the heat being belted out,and having no control over it. I have now pushed in 4 bolts to close 4 out of 6 vents and the difference is amazing. Fire very controllable, flames literally dance around the fire box and it gives out a more gentle, consistent heat.

The plate issue still remains unresolved, but I am pretty sure that the plate has been damaged by the ferocity of the heat. With the bolts in place to tamper the air intake I am sure the fire is now fully controllable and the baffle plate will (when replaced) stay in its correct shape.

Having said all that, the fire is stunning to look at. The very large glass door shows off the fire superbly and despite the problems, I would go for Franco Belge fires again as their design is first class.

Our 2 Jack russells literally fight over the prime spot and visitors are impressed with its appearance.

We've had this stove since September 2009 and as instructed only burn seasoned dry wood on it. It is never used at full capacity and never overloaded. I found yesterday that when i opened the door the stove belched plumes of smoke out into the room and flames were coming out and licking around the top of the stove. I called the engineer that fitted it to see if the flue could already be blocked but he had never heard of this after only 5 months worth of use.
I then saw that the flue baffle was warped, stopping the fumes escaping up the chimney. I called the supplier having found the reviews on this site stating the same had happened to other stoves. I spoke to a woman who rudely and abruptly told me that I had overfired the appliance and used innappropriate fuel. I use dry seasoned wood from a stove firewood supplier. She refused to accept that there is a problem with the stove and told me she didn't like my tone of voice or the implication that these stoves are not fit for purpose. Thats it, no offer of help, assistance or further advice on how to avoid this happening again. Simple advice, don't buy from ACR Heatproducts in Birmingham. If your stove fails, it'll be your fault. You've been warned.

Update to review: ACR have e-mailed me to say that as a gesture of goodwill they will be sending a replacement baffle 'free of charge'. The reason i wanted to pass this on is because I thought it unfair to not give ACR credit for their change of heart.

V Good stove

This is a great Fire, looks great, air wash is good; heat out put is high but not east to control. BUT. . .

As with the previous 2 comments I have also had the flue baffle warp. The fire is only 1yr old. We only burn wood, (free from the local golf course) and have been accused by the manufacturer of over firing or using a non specified fuel, which I might add we didn’t as we have had fires before with no problems.

I am an engineer by trade and I deal with cast parts all the time.
I argued with dealer and supplier and eventually they supplied a new part at cost £15.

I am still a little unsure if this is the modified part that is discussed below, following up with ' This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '.

The replacement part is a solid plate and at the bottom there is a half moon extension bolted on. The bolts on this part also failed. They are too small and sub standard for its required job.

Also in my opinion flue baffle looks to be missing a vital 3rd cross rib in the center which allows the panel to warp in the 1st place.

As per Mixed Ratings statement - "think the manufacturer should have alerted all suppliers to ensure that the modification was made to the stoves before they were sold, instead of leaving it until users complained"

This is a great Stove. I love the large clear view of the fire.
The big glass gives you the large clear view of a modern contempory stove but with a more traditional frame. This stove will look great in almost any style of room or property.
Just like some of the other reviewers I did have some problem with the baffle, but was issued with the modified part and securing plates free of charge.
The biggest problem i had was of control, I couldn't shut the fire down to slumber. Dry timber would roar away even with both dampers fully closed and the glass would discolour around the area of the latch.
I have had the stove for 18 months now, and during the first winter I enjoyed using it but found that wood burned much quicker than I wanted. There are 6 holes in the vermiculite material at the back of the stove, three on each side, that can bee clearly seen through the glass. It was quite obvious that even when the dampers were fully closed the strong chimney draught was pulling air through these holes and feeding the fire. I also found that air leaked through the door seal next to the handle and this cased an area of dirt to form on the glass around the leak. One evening I opened the door and the door seal stuck to the stove as I opened the door the seal tore into three parts.
I visited the approved distributor / installer I had used and offered to come out to repair the seal however I accepted his offer to give me a length of new seal rope and fire glue to complete the repair myself.
Whilst I was repairing the door seal I made two other deliberate modifications and the Stove is now a joy to use.
1. I removed the fire bricks and using DIY Store bought fire cement. I blocked the holes in the back wall of the stove (I used some short bolts to plug the holes first so I could remove them if it was not an improvement) and re-fitted the firebricks
2. I used the fire cement to fill in the small gaps above and below where the door latch is bolted in in the surface where the door seal makes contact with the stove. I sanded this down when it was dry and painted with stove paint.
The new door seal rope was the same diameter as the original but of a more dense material and provided a tighter seal.
The result of this modification is a tremendous amount of control. Once the stove is lit and hot I can close down both dampers and hypnotic flames appear in pockets around the top of the stove light the northern lights, pale blue and translucent yellow flames move in slow motion off the logs.
The glass also stays much cleaner and only just discolours slightly at the very bottom after a day or so but it can be wiped off or burnt of by giving it air and burning the fire hotter.

The best feature of the modified stove is the long slumber properties of smokeless fuel pellets. I now use a re-formed smokeless coal and I can load the stove full of fuel, close both dampers fully and the stove will give off a consistent steady heat for up to 24 hours. I’ve even left it 32hours and still had enough glowing embers to re-light kindling without paper.
I use well seasoned Oak and Ash logs and each log will last between 1 to 2 hours, surprisingly the stove actually gives out just as much heat for longer now I can shut it right down than it did when it was pulling through more air. I love the smell of the Oak and Ash wood smoke if you open the door quickly and little wafts into the room.
Very pleased with this stove but the modifications have made it even better.

Slightly mixed feelings about the Monaco. Had the same problem as a previous reviewer, in that a cast iron supporting lug for the baffle sheared off, leaving the baffle lopsided and the fire unusable. Having said that, once I made the supplier aware and she pulled out all the stops to get the modified baffle and supports fitted. Since that was done the fire has been excellent. I only rated the "burning overnight" as a 3 because I haven't actually tried it yet, so don't really know about that element. I'm not convinced that the airwash works properly, despite burning very dry logs the glass still gets a bit tarred at the bottom. However, a damp kitchen towel dipped in a little bit of ash gets it off easily enough. Controllability is not great - the difference between fully open and fully closed at the top vent is very small, and so it's a bit hit and miss when trying to adjust it. This stove is great, but only if you get the modified part fitted. The trouble is that you only become aware of the problem when the baffle fails. I think the manufacturer should have alerted all suppliers to ensure that the modification was made to the stoves before they were sold, instead of leaving it until users complained.

very not happy with this stove i bought display model i have had to replace the flue baffle 3 times in 8 months it keeps distorting with the heat and fallss down it is very dangerous it could break the glass and spill out burning wood,
having said all that the model has now been modified having 2 bolts to hold up the baffle, i feel the product should be recalled and problem sorted any one had same problem let me know e mail me at, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wonderful fire. Great view of the fire as glass is so large. This was one of our main requirements as our last multi-fuel was a lot smaller and hence the view was not so good.

Belts out lots of heat. Easy to use. Impresses all our guests with its looks and
efficiency. There is nothing better to greet friends than a roaring fire and a pile of cut logs in a basket on the side on a cold winters day.


Dogs adore it too !!!!!

Really happy with this, it is our first stove and replaced a terrible inset gas fire. It produces a huge amount of heat yet can be set 50mm from a rear wall as it has a built in heat shield at the rear. It has a large glass front which allows you to see the flames and the airwash system works well. Coal/anthracite based fuel burn overnight without a problem but soots the glass somewhat, get some wood burning hot and the glass is clear again in no time.

If I keep it going 24hrs a day it will heat my entire home with the interior doors open to allow the heat to travel (1930s 4 bed detached).

No looking back, I now own a chainsaw, axe, log grenade and have a wood pile :)

We bought our stove in late 2008. I genuinely did not realise how cold our house was before we bought the stove. I was used to it - well as used to it as is possible under 5 layers of clothes! The stove is very easy to light and heats up the room within a really short space of time. It is a very large room 32" with high ceilings with an aga at one end and now the stove at the other, a wall of east facing windows and a large south facing bay window. The airwash system works well if you have really dry wood and the vents open. If you let it sit and simmer the large window does soot up but it is really easy to clean.



The handle comes off which is good as it means you don't just grab it and forget it may be hot.



The ash box is a good size so it doesn't have to be emptied every day. If you build up the ash it burns even better!



We have a multifuel stove and when the North Northumberland wind blows we put on a layer of anthracite and it belts out the heat.



I LOVE THIS STOVE! It is a great design classic and contemporary so will fit in with most property styles.



We had it fitted by a stove expert which I think is key to getting the best from your stove.



We want another one!

detachable handle not ideal & no riddler, otherwise very good stove.