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Review of Riva 66 Multi-fuel Fire

Excellent central heating system

Jude 11 years ago

Installed with ducting in a well insulated house. We used insulated ducting and stainless steel adjustable vent outlets. We are using the same quantity of wood as on the open fire it replaced. Stove is on for about 3 hours in the evening and the house is warm enough not to need morning heating. Extra heat can be pushed into the furthest room by partially closing some of the vents. The vents can get hot so worth cutting back carpets if needed - we fitted steel plate to spread the heat. I estimate that it will save us at least £300 in heating bills per year for an installation cost of £5000 so earning us equivalent of 6% interest. To date we are very pleased. The handle fixing seems a bit flimsy but that's my only complaint. Occasionally the two convection paths merge and form one big path (half the vents act as inlets). This can be fixed by closing off the other vents for a few minutes and then re-opening them although it makes no real difference to the overall heat output. We bought the fan kit but found we didn't need it. Also unlike other central heating this still works during a power cut

Stove expert replied: Good feedback.

Overall rating:

4.5 flames

Build Quality 4 flames (avg 3.9)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 3.9)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4.3)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 4.4)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.4)
How well does the airwash work 5 flames (avg 3.9)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.4)
Handle operation 2 flames (avg 4)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4)
What is your overall satisfaction? 4 flames (avg 4)