Review of Stovax Riva 55 stove
Riva 55 inset
We had a Clearview stove at our last house. It worked really well and heated most of the house.
This house is much more modern and needed an inset stove. Clearview don't make one of the right size so we went for the Riva 55. It works well in that it lights and burns well and gives a good heat. There's a problem with the reliability and maintenance design though. The second baffle just below the flue only lasts about 3 months before it's corroding away. after 6 months there's almost nothing left of it. At nearly £100 each, it's an expensive bit of folded steel. The strange thing is the first baffle above the fire has lasted 3 years even though it takes the full heat of the fire. I don't know why the second baffle fails so quickly. It's also held in by 2 studs which are part of the flue mounting. These are also corroding. The log guard has also had to be repaired and will need replacing soon after 3 years use. I'm sorry to say that the Riva compares very badly with the Clearview if you use it as your main heating. If you only use it occasionally for effect, it would be OK.Stove expert replied: the second baffle probably does not get as hot as the first baffle. One should expect more deposits and condensation to form on the second baffle. Perhaps it might be worth getting a moisture meter to check the fuel quality. If the fire is being slow burnt or slumber burnt then this would also contribute.
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