Westfire 16 stove Hot

Nice looking stove. Beautiful flame when running well. Air wash not great- needs bone dry wood. But easy to light and gives off a very good heat. Firebox adequate.

Stove expert says: I have used this stove myself and if any deposits do build up on the window then you can just burn it hard and fast for a while to burn them off.

With oil prices increasing at an alarming rate last winter, we fitted the Westfire to help reduce our oil consumption. Fitting the stove to a kitchen of around 100 cubic metres, reduced oil usage by 50%.
The stove alone can heat this room comfortably to 25 deg centigrade, quicker than water filled radiators.
Open the ash pan drawer, as stated in the instructions, to light it and it lights fine.
Use dry wood and the doors stay clean, only going slightly black as the wood burns out when the air is closed down. A quick rub with a damp newspaper and some ash soon removes any soiling of the glass next day.
I bought the coal pan, but doubt I will ever use it, it burns well with wood.

This stove is really easy to use, looks great as a stand-alone stove in a corner.

The window size is large and the Firebox is more than fine for secondary heating of smaller rooms.

The only element would be the costs, that really depends on if you require a stove to look good or just function.

A good stove which looks great and allows us to burn wood in a smoke free area. When it gets going it burns really hot and the airwash system does work. The controllability is not as good as our previous stove, but all round we are exceptionally pleased with this stove. One thing you need to ensure with this stove is that you remove one of the cross bars out of the stove flue connector before installation to allow future sweeping. We were not told of this and now have a job ahead of us to cut it out from the inside of the stove!

Stove expert says: This top bar is used in the factory to move the stoves around. When ordering specify that you want the top bar cut out - this involves 2 cuts either side of the bar, you need to leave the ends of the bar in place. Otherwise it is a very quick job when the stove arrives.

Form before function but It looks great - the glass stays clean if you stick to dry wood. I have the fresh air kit so I really only have control over the secondary air. That said it does light in as little as 30 seconds (I cheat and crack the ash drawer open and it goes like a gas torch) and I could watch the rolling boiling gasification flame for hours. The soapstone top retains the heat for about an hour after it goes out and the stove heats up quickly. If using the soapstone all the convected heat has to exit through the side and back - so think about that before deciding.



The firebox is not that big but if you fill it it will get too hot so it is probably the right size.



No regrets about it - it is not as good mechanically as our Hwam but it is still very good.

Gives out a lot of heat for a pure wood burner. The only problem is the airwash which in our experience is poor.

Stove expert says: A trick with the Westfire 16 stove is to crack the door open a tad when lighting it. Wait till it is nice and hot and going well before closing the door and then make sure that you close the ash pan and primary air slider. This should help keep the window clearer.