Review of Esse 100 stove
Esse 100SE - Excellent Stove
After several weeks of research and comparing reviews we decided to buy the Esse 100SE as it gave the required heat output of 5Kw with apparent good heat control, can be used in a smoke control area and the wide viewing window appealed. We also liked the fact that Esse have a good reputation, the stoves are made in England and spares availability appears to be good.
We live in a modern house and have fairly good insulation so we didn’t need a stove with huge output. The installation of a stove was more life style choice, preferring to burn wood, save on gas and have the warmth and comfort of a nice glowing real fire instead of a dull gas fire. Our house is decorated in a fairly traditional style so knew the Esse would fit in really nicely with the rest of the décor. As we were replacing a boring gas fire which was installed when the house was built we needed to replace the whole fireplace. As we have no chimney we also needed a twin wall insulated flue installing as well. All the work was completed by the installer from the shop where we purchased the stove from. The stove has now been installed since early Feb 2014 and although we haven’t had too much really cold weather we have had the stove lit almost every night instead of using the gas central heating. Our lounge is north east facing so gets little sunlight after about 11am so can be quite cool most evenings except in summer. We have found the stove very easy to operate (except the one night we didn’t open the vents before lighting and managed to fill the house with smoke). As long as the vents are fully open, and the fire laid with plenty of newspaper and kindling and a few small logs, it lights very quickly. To light the fire I leave the door open on the catch for about 2-3 minutes, then close the door leaving both vents open, then close the bottom vent after another 2-3 minutes. Another 5 minutes, the small logs are glowing so I add another larger log and once that is alight I close the top vent. I can then leave the stove for about an hour without needing to do anything. Heat from the fire is good within 5 minutes of lighting, with the whole room warmed in 5-10 minutes. As the stove is an SE version, the top vent does not close completely to allow more efficient burning and less smoke, so control between open and closed is a bit fiddly so I tend to either have it open or closed. When fully open the airwash works very well and the fire draw is good. When closed I do sometimes get some deposits on the glass, particularly if a log has fallen forward towards the front of the stove, so I try to push them towards the back. Not wanting to produce massive heat, I add logs at a rate of about 1 per hour with the top vent closed which gives off good heat without being overpowering. If I leave the top vent open, the log burns in about half the time and the heat output increases. Contrary to the size of the stove, the firebox isn't huge so it wouldn't be possible to stack many large logs, but given its only intended to be 5Kw output and isn't necessary in our circumstances, this isn't an issue. I’m currently burning kiln dried ash which lights very easily and burns well. Monday to Friday we only use the stove in the evening and the combination of an efficient stove and ash logs I’m getting very little ash deposit, so only need to empty the tray about once per week. I tend not to use the tool provided as it’s a bit awkward, so just wait unit everything has cooled down. I haven't tried overnight burning as it hasn't been necessary, but having gone to bed quite late a few times and kept the stove in until around mid-night, the lounge has still been a reasonable temperature the following morning from the residual heat in the stove. Cleaning the stove is easy with a stiff brush on the outside and a damp cloth dipped in ash to clean the glass when it’s dirty. The stove build quality is very good and it looks and feels solid. The door handle does get hot quite quickly, as do the air controls, so I use the Esse glove to open and close both the door and the vents. I also use the glove to add new logs to the fire. We do have a slight squeak on the handle and door when opening, but as it isn’t a major issue I’ll get that sorted when I have the stove serviced by the installer. Overall we are very happy we chose the Esse 100SE, and would be happy to recommend to anyone.- Be the first to comment
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