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Stratford EB 25 HE

Overall Rating:

3.5 flames

based on 9 reviews    (View rating breakdown)
Stratford EB 25 HE

The largest in the range the Stratford EB 25 gives out up to an impressive 25kW of heat to water and 12kW to the room.

Technical Data
  • Height: 725mm
  • Width: 678mm
  • Depth: 489mm
  • Flue Diameter: 150mm
  • Fuel: Multifuel
  • Efficiency: 72.4%

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Review Ratings Breakdown

Build Quality 4 flames
Quality of finish 4.5 flames
Value for money 3 flames
Ease of use 3.5 flames
Ease of lighting 4 flames
Firebox size 4.5 flames
How well does the airwash work 3.5 flames
Controllability 3.5 flames
Handle operation 3.5 flames
How likely are you to buy it again? 3.5 flames
What is your overall satisfaction? 3.5 flames

Most Recent Review

  • Disappointed with Raking control

    Karen Morris 3 years ago

    Can you advise me how you are meant to rake this fire when the raker (riddle) control on the side of the fire only moves a small amount, and the bars are so close together that the ash from
    the coal ends up being pushed to the back of the fire. It gets stuck there as there is no gap at the back for the ash to fall down- so you end up not being able to rake the fire by the control. You end up having to use a poker to move the ash from the back of the fire and try and get it to fall between the bars which is hard work, and the dust from the fire ends up everywhere in the room as I have to have the door open to rake the fire .

    Stove expert replied: Please try an alternative smokeless fuel as the ash content varies greatly between the products on the market. The grate bars are designed to be more open for smokeless fuel and closed more for wood burning so do make sure you know which setting is which. When you riddle the stove the ash will be shaken and if not compacted will fall through the gaps in the bars, perhaps more frequent riddling could be tried but ideally leaving a small bed of ash on the bars which will protect them and elongate their lifetime.

    Overall rating:

    5 flames

Most Popular Review

  • Fitted this stove four months ago and I am verry happy with its performance

    Matthew OHalloran 10 years ago

    It is well built, huge firebox, easy to use and gives out plenty of heat to water and rads . My heating is zoned so when the water gets hot enough usually after thirty minutes my down stairs
    rads come on . I don't usually have upstairs and downstairs zones on at the same time this would require a very big fire with coal. I Find it more efficient to alternate between zones. Kitchen and livingroom temps regularly reach 27 degrees celsius when the stove is running all day . On a negituve note the ash pan is not wide enough and has no back on it and the glass gets dirty sometimes even with air wash fully open . All in All excellent choice especially for a large home
    Overall rating:

    5 flames

More reviews for Stratford EB 25 HE

  • Stratford EB25

    Sabrina Brown 3 years ago

    Extremely disappointed in the Stratford stove This is our second in 9 years with the same problem cracked at open ending owing to gas leaks. Also disappointed in sales team and way it was handled
    . Never would encourage anyone to buy a Stratford boiler. I will certainly be reviewing product at every opportunity.

    Stove expert replied: The Stratford boiler brand has provided a good product over many years and it is disappointing that you have had a problem with two units. Stress cracks around the door opening are very uncommon, gas leakage should not occur into the room as the draught from the chimney should be adequate to prevent them from coming into the room as it should be an up draught normally, that is unless there is a down-draught problem which is not the fault of the stove. There is currently a 7 year warranty available on Stratford Boilers, have you taken this up with your dealer who in turn can contact the manufacturer?

    Overall rating:

    1 flames

  • Stratford E 25 Smoking when door is opened to refuel

    Dermot Burns 4 years ago

    The Stove expels a lot of smoke into the room when the door is opened to re-fuel. I have a 100mm direct underfloor Air Intake piped to it and also have a 150mm dia Vent in the same room as per
    Building Regs (really don''t need it as the Stove is piped direct )but still smokes badly.

    Stove expert replied: It is worth checking the flue draw to see if it complies to the manufacturers guidelines, it may need lengthening as this sometimes helps, try opening the door ajar for a short period before opening fully as this sometimes helps with the imbalance!. If you have another flue in the property this may also be a factor that needs investigation, if the draw is stronger on this one then it is preventing the gases from lifting out of the firebox fully on the Stratford, this can happen even if the flue is in another part of the property. Further investigation recommended.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

  • Uncontrollable

    Michaelgray Morsetaper 5 years ago

    Poorly designed overall. Its impossible to shutdown the stove enough for it to stay lit overnight. So it burns too high most of the time, which means the pipe stat kicks in a lot to pump extra
    heat to the radiators. It also spills smoke easily out the door when it is opened, and as there is no bar along the base front it also easily spills out burning wood. I''m amazed that stove design seems to have gone backwards since the last Stratford Boiler model that we had previously.

    Stove expert replied: If the stove is not controllable it may be due to an over-drawing flue system which although may have suited previous stoves may not suit this model without remedial work, this should be investigated further. These are normally very controllable stoves when installed correctly and if using smokeless fuel should easily keep in for overnight burning, unlikely if only wood being used to have a lot left in the firebox but the hot ash should be able to be re-kindled if the air controls are set effectively. The thermostat on the stove itself, can be regulated to control the water temperature and do check that the damper flap has not become jammed open with ash, which can also lead to poor control overall. There is a fuel retaining bar that fits at the front of the firebox, so this should keep the fuel away from the front edge if the fuel is pushed to the back when loaded, if you are over-loading the stove then ash can spill onto the hearth when the door is open. This is a high output model so please make sure that you have either an airbrick in the room or use the direct air feed that is optional, this should help to overcome smoke coming back into the room when the door is opened. These models have gone through a complete design change since previous Stratford models to give greater efficiency, quicker heating up times and have a more modern appearance. Do also check that the door seals and intact and are forming a good seal and that the glass gasket is in place.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

  • Mixed review - too noisy but a good stove other wise. Avoid.

    William Jones 6 years ago

    We purchased this stove as it was the only one we could find with the required output to water. Positives are that it burns very well and does give most of it''s heat to water. It has a large
    firebox so you can use long logs, which is helpful. However the issue is the amount of noise, presumably localised point boiling, that happens during the heating phase. Lots of gurgles, rumbles and boiling sounds. This goes after maybe 30 mins, but is very annoying for a main stove in a living room. This even happens with all vents closed and the thermostatic control lowest, and all pump speeds. I''ve owned stoves all my life and this is easily the worst for water noise. I have tried calling Arada several times to discuss, but they never answer. So zero out of five for after sales support. I would avoid and wouldn''t buy again.

    Stove expert replied: You should not have a boiling water noise in the system as this is indicating the heat is not getting away fast enough from the stove, do get the plumbing system checked as the pipework should rise away from the stove, be correctly sized for the demand on the system etc and with a heat leak radiator should mean the water can't boil (open vented system layout) as this is loosing heat all the time. Only if the stove got into an over-drawing position where the thermostat is stuck open with a full firebox of fuel would it be likely to get a boil situation.

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

  • Stratford 25he boiler stove

    7 years ago

    Since 2006 had a Hunter 14 good stove but not boiler type. As they do not do a boiler model big enough as I have 18 radiators went for the 25HE after much research on internet. Fitted the latest
    version of it in September 2014. As my house is 1871 lath and plaster interior walls with no insulation the house looses heat quickly when the previous gas central heating went off. I fitted a 300 litre thermal store hot water tank at the same time as fitting the new boiler stove and the combination works extremely well this stove is superb is easy to use and very good quality , the thermostat control is brilliant and it takes 18 inch logs. I run my whole house on it and the thermal store has a coil in the tank so that the gas boiler can heat the water should the stove not be lit which in Aberdeen that's only sometimes in the summer months. My gas bill direct debit now around £21 per month. I would say this is a fantastic stove and although not essential the addition of a thermal store tank with 2 inches of insulation on it means my house is hot in every room with no fridge like areas, I also have mains pressure hot water all the time so showers have plenty pressure. Would not be without it and having to cut logs means I do not need to go to the gym .One very satisfied customer so much so put the same system in to my sons house with the 20HE model and his gas bills are a fraction of what they were. Neither of us are at the mercy of the utility companies anymore. Definitely a good buy.

    Stove expert replied: Great review and sounds like you are warm and toasty!

    Overall rating:

    5 flames

  • pressured system

    Geoff Milburn 9 years ago

    is the Stratford he25 OK to connect to a pressurised system

    Stove expert replied: Yes it is possible using a heat plate exchanger and a qualified heating engineer should be able to advise you further.

    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

  • dissapointed

    Christopher Taberner 9 years ago

    We bought the stove in september and had it fitted by hetas approved engineers but right from the first week we had problems with it not heating radiators and not being able to control the burn
    rate.The engineers have been back about five times but we can still not get it to heat radiators and it does not put much heat into the room, this is despite burning approx 10 tons of wood so far, we have had a hetas inspector out to check out the installation but this is mainly concerned with building regs rather than performance.We are not sure what to do next but feel sure that either the stove is not right or that there is a problem somewhere with the installation.Very dissapointed

    Stove expert replied: If the stove is working hard and you are not able to shut is down it may be an over-drawing flue preventing the heat from going to the water. A flue damper or stabilizer can be fitted so that more control can be achieved and this would help to keep more heat in the firebox so that it transfers to the water effectively. Your installer should be able to advise further. It may also be worth trying smokeless fuel to see if the performance improves.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames