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ACR Rowandale

Overall Rating:

4.5 flames

based on 6 reviews    (View rating breakdown)
Technical Data
  • Height: 575mm
  • Width: 555mm
  • Depth: 370mm
  • Flue Diameter: 125mm
  • Fuel: Wood or Multifuel
  • Nominal Heat Output: 5kW
  • Efficiency: 74.4%

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Review Ratings Breakdown

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

Most Recent Review

  • New stove problems

    7 years ago

    We have recently had a ACR Rowendale stove fitted and have experienced a couple of problems, the rope seal has frayed and is coming apart on the door and after the first use the black matt paint
    /enamel has come off from both the control sliders, we used the appliance as instructed by doing only small fires for first 3 uses, really disappointed by these happening so quickly after having the stove fitted.

    Stove expert replied: Have you been back to the supplier to ask for warranty assistance? I am sure that if the rope has frayed this can be replaced and also paint could be supplied to cover the control sliders. Teething problem I suspect and please review again on the working of the stove in the near future.

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

Most Popular Review

  • Very Pleased With the ACR Rowandale

    Sam Cartwright 8 years ago

    This is our second wood stove, installed after we recently moved house (and foolishly left our old stove behind as part of the sale!). Our old stove is no longer available so we visited various
    local retailers to find a replacement. We wanted traditional cast iron construction and, and a fairly plain, classic style, and we were horrified at the prices of the better known brands. The Rowandale ticked all the boxes, and offered a few bonus points: firebricks inside, brushed steel door handle, nice solid closing action on the door, a lip directly in front of the door that catches a lot of the falling ash during cleaning. Overall a nice looking 5kw stove, easy to run, and already heats us out of the room. Our last stove was rated at 6kw and this one is every bit as effective at heating a similar sized room. Finally, we added a stove thermometer this time, and it has enabled us to get great fuel economy from our well seasoned logs. We have a fairly short flue, so we do need to warm it thoroughly as we start the stove to get the correct draw. This is not an issue with the stove. It takes a while to get going, and then we have to keep a close eye on it until it is up to heat and ticking over, otherwise we can smoke up the glass. Our stove is DEFRA approved, and we could de-DEFRA it by removing a screw if we want to try and run it overnight. At the moment we are not that bothered as the residual heat is really keeping the chill off the house overnight. To summarize, we thoroughly recommend this stove.
    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

More reviews for ACR Rowandale

  • After one season of use...

    8 years ago

    I am back to update on my previous review . I would just like to add that I did not find the glass stayed clear at all, and after every burn I needed to clean the window (a baby wipe dipped
    in ash works a treat!). I also found this tricky to light and control the burn, despite the initial ease of use. aside from these niggles, I am still very happy with this beautiful stove and can't wait for the cold to set back in again so I can enjoy reading a book by the fire again!

    Stove expert replied: Have you an air brick in the room as it may not have enough free air to burn efficiently and could be causing the blackening of the glass. Do you keep the air control open as this will effect the glass wash system?

    Overall rating:

    4 flames

  • Brilliant

    Angela Barstow 8 years ago

    Bought this burner 2 months ago and we are very satisfied with it. It looks lovely, the glass is big and lovely to watch the fire. It is easy to clean, and refuel. It looks very good quality
    , and would definitely recommend this burner.
    Overall rating:

    5 flames

  • Great Stove!

    Andy C 8 years ago

    I have been living with this stove for about 8 weeks now and I am extremely happy with the choice. I could not find any customer reviews of the stove when I bought it and trusted my judgment
    based on the looks and feel of it in the showroom so I'm reviewing here to help others. The features I really like about the stove are as follows; great classic looking stove, extremely sturdy build with strong fittings, the castings seem thick and look to be of a high quality, very large window that seems to stay just as clean as our old clearview stove (once you master the controls as all stoves are different), the air controls and door handle stay cool enough to touch without a glove and it is quite large for a 5kw stove so it fills a large opening even if your room is not big enough to warrant a larger (usually higher kw) stove. The heat output is quite high compared to our previous 5kw as the body is larger and thicker but output is easily controllable using the secondary air control when burning wood. The fire box is well insulated with bricks and a large vermiculite baffle which really helps keep the fire combustion temperature up so burning even large hardwood logs (400mm x 150mm) is not an issue. My only small criticism is the lack of riddling grate and tool for removing a hot ash pan. These are not an issue if you just burn wood as I predominantly do but if you plan on using it to mainly burn smokeless fuel or anthracite then it may be a determining factor. I have made an ash pan handle from steel to remove it whilst hot (acr could offer this as an accessory quite easily I would imagine). The lack of riddler is not really a major issue - you just have to get busy with the poker. I only burn anthracite when its extremely cold out so its something I'm happy to live with. On the whole a fantastic purchase backed up by a solid warranty and actual people who answer the telephone and emails when you need to ask them something. Buy with confidence!
    Overall rating:

    5 flames

  • best decision ever

    Fire Novice 8 years ago

    I was really torn between the clearview pioneer (which has a fantastic reputation) and this stove. price point was marginally different, both 5kw, both felt solidly built. couldn't find any
    reviews as its a relatively new stove to ACR. Our initial stove, upon delivery had a manufacturing defect and we had no problems getting this sorted with ACR customer service.To compare with the clearview, this stove is wider, with a massive viewing window, and less deep profile, so it sits into our not-too-deep fireplace beautifully without sticking out. With its chrome handle and clean straight lines it feels like a modern twist on a traditional cast-iron look. I have fired it twice, and being a total novice I found it very easy to use, albeit I have nothing to compare it to. it is very easy to control the amount of air into the stove and therefore the intensity of burn. It takes a while for the stove to get really hot (around half an hour) but once it's hot it retains heat well.Being larger than most 5kw stoves I suspect you can achieve higher heat outputs if you wanted to. Burning two logs is currently keeping me very cosy indeed and it is a pleasure to look at, overall thrilled with my purchase. 
    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames