WhatStove?

Review of Franco Belge Montfort stove

Not as warm as we'd like.

Aurelia 11 years ago

This may be more a reflection of the overly damp weather recently, too much pine and other conifer type wood and supposedly 'seasoned' wood being anything but, however we have not managed to get our stove to a level I would describe as 'toasty' never mind 'glowing red' ( actually that would be quite worrying). My friend who was visiting was concerned that perhaps the stove is not 100% cast iron. We spent a while trying to see what it was made of with magnets etc without success. The stove is certainly warmer using smokeless coal but we have been advised by chimney sweep that this could fur up and over time damage the flue so would like ideally to stick to wood. It is in the gable end fireplace of a very small front room in a victorian flat-fronted end-of-terrace house so the model and size of stove should have been more than adequate yet it fails to throw out as much heat as we would like and indeed it is usually still possible to briefly touch the metal outside even when it has been running for over 4 hours. Tends to eat wood at an alarming rate but goes out completely if we don't keep the dampers at least a tiny bit open. We are hoping to get a moisture sensor to check the dryness of the wood when we can find one. If just a case of damp wood then hopefully that would resolve it. However if a lack of warmth could be caused by anything else, we would be glad of any advice! Love the appearance and build quality of our stove (matt black) but would be happier if it would retain and radiate more heat into the room (not 'glowing red tho, that is going too far the other way!!) Could the position (i.e. gable end) be the issue?

Stove expert replied: The flue needs to be checked as this will affect the heat produced as will damp unseasoned wood. Smokeless fuels are fine to be used on stoves and can give a good constant heat output if required.

Overall rating:

4 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 3.9)
Quality of finish 5 flames (avg 4.5)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 3.7)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4.6)
Ease of lighting 3 flames (avg 4.5)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.2)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 3.9)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 4.2)
Handle operation 5 flames (avg 4.3)
How likely are you to buy it again? 4 flames (avg 3.4)
What is your overall satisfaction? 4 flames (avg 3.6)