Review of Little Wenlock stove
Hard work and a nightmare to sweep
We were so looking forward to our Aga. It hasn't lived up to expectations. We always had a poor draw on our open fire and this is no different and often fizzles out to nothing. At times, we have relit it maybe 4 times a night, only occasionally giving us all round heat and only then when it has been on all day. I saw recommended space to be around 150mm at the sides and 300m at the top, well our spacing is barely half that and we get little heat out. Some outlets don't sell these anymore as they are a pig to clean out. If I'm lucky I can dismantle, clean, sweep and put back in an hour but usually more like an hour and a half. Getting the baffle out and in is a nightmare as is the soot cap at the base of the flue - almost have to be a contortionist to do that and only having the option of a horizontal flue outlet when you have a poor draw is not good. We are really disappointed with it, we hoped for much more. Didn't help that the installer has never been back or returned any calls and AGA were not helpful when contacted either.
Stove expert replied: How long is the horizontal flue that you have? It should be no more than 150mm (6"). Is the flue system lined as this will help to aid the draw? The flue gases need to be kept warm to aid lift away from the stove. Also with a small clearance round the unit the heat generated will not move freely into the room and will be absorbed by the surrounding materials, if you have space above it may be worth getting a stove fan to move the heated air into the room which should help.