The Serrano 3 is rated at just 3 kW but is nonetheless a very efficient and solid little stove. With the same height and width as its 5 kW big brother it is just 340mm deep, allowing it to stand into a shallow fireplace without intruding into the room. A perfect little boat or wagon stove, it will also find its place in a smaller living room or snug.
I am very pleased with this stove. I have had no problems with the air wash (unlike a previous reviewer) and find it very easy to control. I like the minimal and unfussy look of the stove -
it looks great in my victorian house. Highly recommended!
Plus pointsAttractive appearanceMaterials appear to be good qualityEasy to installMinus pointsPoor design - Inefficient airwash, hard to keep fires alightHaving owned a wood burner for over
25 years (the same woodburner, and still going strong!) we decided to replace an open fire in another room with a woodstove. The stove looks very attractive in situ. It was easy to fit. But it isn't practical. Instead of a 'basin' in which wood can be burnt on a bed of hot ash, with a removable grate for burning solid fuel, this design requires wood to be burnt on the grate so that ash can only build below the grate. Below the grate is a small pan which has gaps down each side so that much of ash falls next to the pan, down the grooves on which this pan stands and can only be removed with your fingers (even a spoon is too wide to poke down them).The air vents, which should be able to create a 'roar' when open, may be partially blocked by the grill pan, anyway they have little effect on the fire. The difference between opening and closing them is marginal. The only way to 'draw' the fire would be to leave the door slightly ajar - hardly to be recommended. Our other stove can relight from only a few hot ashes, this one usually has to be relit completely if allowed to burn even slightly low. And because it has a small interior and this strange burn-on-grate design, it can only hold a bit of wood at a time.The stove boasts an 'Air Wash' system but because the fire never burns very hot, this doesn't work - the vents which are supposed to activate it make little difference to the flame direction, whether left open or closed - and the door needs extensive cleaning daily (white vinegar with a dash of washing up liquid applied with a plastic scouring pad). I was surprised by a line in the manul that states that 'Failure to allow a sufficient flow of air through the grate will result in the grate burning out in a very short period of time. This will not be covered by any warranty claim' also 'You will get some spillage of ash to the back and sides of the ashcan itself' (You certainly will - since the ashcan is too small for the unit!) 'and you must ensure that this is cleaned out regularly and from behind the internal baffle plate. If you do not do this, you may buckle the baffle plate or in the extreme, burn it out'.Well, Broseley have certainly covered their backs!I can understand that because this fire is small (3KW) that it won't work as well as a larger unit but I was expecting better for my money. An expensive, high maintenance ornament.
Having owned a woodburner in my previous property I decided on the Serrano 3 as I only wanted a small stove for my Dining room. I had the stove installed by my local qualified engineer, I must
admit I was not overly impressed with the stoves initial performance (I was getting smoke back in the room and found it difficult to get a roaring fire going).I spoke to my installer about the problems and he advised that I get my chimney lined, one week and a flexible liner later and the stove was working perfectly. Whilst I hadn’t planned on buying a chimney liner I must admit that it was money well spent, the stove is now performing brilliantly and I still can’t get over how controllable it is. This is a fantastic looking stove, well constructed and very easy to use. I would definitely recommend it, however I would also recommend getting your chimney lined from the get go. This stove does everything I wanted it to do, very happy with my purchase.
