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Churchill 8 stove

Overall Rating:

2.5 flames

based on 3 reviews    (View rating breakdown)
Churchill 8 stove

The Churchill 8 is the biggest output of the Churchill range -

the multi fuel model is quite tall and deep and will give an 8kw output.

It carries the Mendip 5 year guarantee.

Weight 91kg.

Technical Data
  • Height: 660mm
  • Width: 510mm
  • Depth: 460mm
  • Flue Diameter: 150mm
  • Fuel: multifuel
  • Nominal Heat Output: 8kW
  • Efficiency: 80%

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Review Ratings Breakdown

Build Quality 2 flames
Quality of finish 2.5 flames
Value for money 2 flames
Ease of use 3.5 flames
Ease of lighting 3.5 flames
Firebox size 3.5 flames
How well does the airwash work 2.5 flames
Controllability 2.5 flames
Handle operation 3 flames
How likely are you to buy it again? 1 flames
What is your overall satisfaction? 1.5 flames

Most Recent Review

  • C Thomson

    Chris Thomson 6 years ago

    I would agree with the other reviews of this stove. We''ve had ours for nearly four years and it''s probably on it''s last legs. The metal casing split near the door latch after only a year
    and has been patched up with cement/glue.The upper door pin broke when I first removed the door to clean/replace door roles and I now use a wood screw to keep the door in place. The baffle plate started to warp after the first year and now looks as if it may fall out. This may be due to the fact that it burns very hot. Local stove engineer keeps telling me to throw it out and laughs when I tell him of my woes, and there seems to be no information available about how to service them yourself, so I can''t figure out if there may be a problem with an air intake. Mendip themselves were unhelpful when I first contacted them about the stove burning very hot, shortly after installation - "lots of people buy a stove that''s too big for their needs" - so I haven''t gone back to them for advice. My advice would be, don''t bother.

    Stove expert replied: If you had a problem of controlling the stove early on the installer should have been asked to attend to check the flue draw, it appears this was not requested which is unfortunate. The metal splitting should have been taken up with the manufacturer under the 5 year warranty that is provided by the manufacturer as soon as this had happened. It will not be valid if the stove has been over fired though. The problem could be that the flue draw is in excess of that which is recommended by the manufacturer. The installer can do a flue draw test and if this is too great, compared to what is recommended, then a flue damper or stabilizer can be added to the system so that the stove can be controlled. If when the air controls are shut the stove is burning fiercely and does not go back to slumbering, then this is likely to be the reason and you can't blame the stove for failing prematurely, it is being exposed to higher than normal temperatures for prolonged periods. I agree this is a costly experience and if you do change the stove, do make sure that you have control of the rate of burn, as similar can happen again if this is not corrected regardless of which manufacturer you purchase from.

    Overall rating:

    2.5 flames

Most Popular Review

  • churchill 8

    Justin Butler 9 years ago

    Total waste of money looks nice that's about it. The stove started to warp within 6 months took over a year to get our money back, the top vent fell apart and the fire bricks fell out and where
    the handle locks to the main body it split across the metal hence I wouldn't recommend to anyone
    Overall rating:

    2 flames

More reviews for Churchill 8 stove

  • Chirchill Stove

    Terance Chuah 12 years ago

    I had this stove installed end of May 2012. The stove itself is elegant with its curved glass door gives it a rather sleek and contemporary appearance. It is well assembled and welded, and has
    a smooth semi-matt finish. I had difficulty opening and closing the door at first, it seized up on a few occasions and I had to jiggle the handle a few times before it opens again. According to the installer this is due to the new seal around the door and will eventually get easier after lighting the stove a few times, which it did... but the nut and bolt that holds the handle loosen with use thus having the need to tighten it up whenever needed otherwise the handle just drop with dead weight. The "cool touch" handle gets hot after a while of burning, and so does the sliders to the primary and secondary airflows.When I tried to empty the ashes I noticed the ash pan was not sitting evenly and left a small gap on one side. Upon closer inspection of the ash pan I realised that it is warped, with one side welded higher than the other(see photo):http://www.flickr.com/photos/9894031@N06/7401258036/in/photostreamhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/9894031@N06/7401255666/in/photostreamThe back of the stove has a canopy sheltering the third airflow (six 4mm holes that cannot be closed off); the canopy itself is also warped and corrugated. Unfortunately due to the high updraft of my twin wall flue system, the five holes whistle like "pigs to the slaughter" during high wind and gust. Although there is no mention of this side effect on the manual or installation guide, I only learnt of this after contacting the installer and manufacturer (See photos and videos):http://www.flickr.com/photos/9894031@N06/7401257066/in/photostreamhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-x4iQwS1oshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iSgXv0RojcApparently a damper is required to remedy this. Having spent more money recently on installing a damper, the stove still whistles during high wind and gust, even with the damper at the closed position. I had to cover the six holes with nails to stop the whistling, thus rendering the third airflow useless.The stove throws out a lot of heat and the three airflows achieve optimum burning efficiency in very little time, this also means higher ratio of wood burning. But with the third airflow blocked I have no idea what the performance will be like. So is Churchill any better than some of the Chinese stoves? Well it is nearly double in price by comparison, although cheaper than most of the British made stoves.A few days ago I noticed patches of rust inside the box already (the stove was installed only 7 weeks ago - see photos):http://www.flickr.com/photos/9894031@N06/7583385868/in/photostreamhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/9894031@N06/7583394044/in/photostreamI do believe the Churchill requires tighter quality control to make it a good value stove. If anyone may be interested in purchasing one, I seriously recommend a close inspection before committing to it.

    Stove expert replied: I would not recommend blocking any air vents that do not have controls on as this may be dangerous.

    Overall rating:

    3 flames