Review of Firefox 5 stove
Keep thinking I should have bought a more expensive stove
I have a 1930's semi and went through all the in and outs of flue liners as no doubt everyone else does. The best advice I can give is contact a good chimney sweep first and get their advice. The two that I spoke to said the chimney was solid and draw was fine, so I decided against a liner. Every Hetas chap I spoke too wanted to supply a liner, not surprising when they charge such a ridiculous amount to fit one. I fitted the stove and register plate myself and got it inspected by the local authority, very easy and no problems.
The problem I do have is that the stove does not seem to get enough air flow and this can result in frequently opening the door to keep it burning, especially with hardwood. I am not convinced that this is a flue problem since softwood burns fine, as does a smoke pellet. I have the CB version and I think that because its so small its difficult to control and keep going. It seems to be all or nothing. Maybe a bit more money would have bought something better ? I notice others mentioning a wood burn kit, can these be fitted to the CB and does this remove the grate ?Stove expert replied: The wood grate can not be fitted to a CB stove and a liner may well improve the issue of poor draw. It may be that the chimney is allowing the gasses to cool too quickly before they lift away from the stove. Also remember that a Hetas Engineer is providing a certificate for his work and hence they are likely to cover every aspect to insure a good installation.