Review of Westfire 23 stove
Westfire 23
I bought the Westfire 23 over 2 years ago and am very happy with the purchase. It looks great and pumps out a lot of heat. My living room is 6m x 5m and is 3m high with huge draughty bay windows and with a nice fire going it's been warm all winter.
I've been mostly using wood that hasn't been seasoned properly and it definitely isn't as efficient as properly seasoned wood but when it's free I'm not going to complain. The stove seems to handle it fine as long as you give it a vigorous burn when you initially put the new logs in. The window does get dirty a little quicker but still doesn't need cleaning often. The instructions are not clear and I've only just worked out how to use it properly. The right hand lever controls the main draft coming from the bottom and the left had lever controls the secondary air which comes through the little holes at the back. I start the fire with them both open and once I've got the main logs burning properly I completely close the main draft (right hand lever) and close the secondary air (left had lever) about half way and the wood burns nicely. You can adjust the fire mostly just by moving the left hand lever slightly. Every time I put in new logs I open both vents fully for a minute or so and then revert to the status quo when they are burning nicely. The handle can get pretty hot which isn't a problem unless you have helpful guests that don't know about the 'free' fireproof glove!Stove expert replied: Using damp unseasoned wood can cause problems with the chimney so insure that you are having it swept at least twice every season as the potential for chimney fires increases due to the residues that will be produced.