WhatStove?

Review of ACR Oakdale

ACR Oakdale MultiFuel Stove.

Alan Cockburn 5 years ago

Think from my point of view this stove is pretty good, installed in September 2018, so been running it through its first winter. The trick with every stove is understand your air flows and watch and listen for what''s going on during combustion, remember what you need...heat, fuel and oxygen, take one away and it goes out so it''s all about a balance.

The ACR Oakdale has three air supplies, (primary, secondary and tertiary) the primary and secondary supplies are for initial ignition, then when loaded with fuel and hot enough to sustain combustion you then push the primary air control in and control the air supply using the secondary supply with the tertiary supply half way open to burn wood, the tertiary supplies heated air from the stove which is blown onto the wood to aid combustion. This supply is fully closed when burning solid fuel as only the primary air supply is utilised to burn solid fuel supplying air from underneath.

Fuels

For ease we burn solid fuel (Phurnacite) which isn''t cheap, but you get what you pay for. Advantages are: burns really clean and for a long time with plenty of heat, disadvantages are: it does create a bit of ash...so keep an eye on that shallow ash pan. I am going to try Anthracite which I believe produces very low rates of ash so should be easier on the ash pan.

Through the week we burn wood only which is fine once you get all the three parameters of combustion balanced, wood also produces low amounts of ash so not a lot of waste to worry about.

So the stove... is it good or bad? Well it''s a well made cast stove with very good air control, burns efficiently on both fuels, glass airwash system is effective, the stove is easy to clean, and really easy to service, ie remove fire bricks and hoover and clean the airways. If I had a negative it would be the ash pan but hopefully Anthracite should be able to resolve the issue. Top tip, don''t use cheap solid fuels as it can damage your stove and flu liner.

Recommend? YES, But remember the trick from paragraph one.

Hope this helps.

Stove expert replied: Smokeless fuels do vary in the amount of ash produced so it is worth trialling a few to see which suits you and your stove best. It is refreshing to hear about how a stove operates by someone who clearly has understood how to get the best from their stove. The review gives an honest overview and is very informative. Do bear in mind that it is not recommended to leave hot ash in the ash pan for long periods, once the stove is riddled you should remove the ash and not leave it to build up as this can shorten the life of the grate. An air gap should be maintained at all times below the grate system.

Overall rating:

4 flames

Build Quality 4 flames (avg 2.5)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 2.5)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 2.5)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 2.5)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 2.5)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 2.5)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 2.5)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 4.5)
How likely are you to buy it again? 3 flames (avg 2)
What is your overall satisfaction? 4 flames (avg 2.5)