We gave had our phoenix firegem for 4 months and the riddle grate had already wrapped badly to the point you can''t close grates shut for log burning even though we've had controls set low.
Anybody else had this issue
Stove expert replied:
It would appear that the stove has become too hot, (it has been working at a higher than recommended temperature). This could be a flue draw problem which should be investigated further to prevent further damage.
I've had this fitted since March 2016 and it's a great stove, all the better for being made in Devon UK. Glass stays lovely and clean, easy open door and its a great looking stove. Suitable
for 12mm thick hearth and DEFRA approved.For burning coal just open the bottom grill/riddle to let in air from the bottom, and retain the two internal plates at each side, these help keep the coals in place. If burning logs remove the plates and close the grill.Woodwarm also sell a rear flue adapter if you don't want the flue coming out of the top.Stove is so easy to use, with easily adjustable primary and secondary air adjustments. Its a joy to use.
Well, it''s a very well made stove and great for burning wood. The only reservation I have is that the riddler is not suitable for solid fuel.
That''s because it''s one of those consisting
of rotating bars which open when you turn the lever. If a bit of fuel gets stuck between the bars when you open them you cannot close the bars again. I am convinced that a multifuel stove should have the traditional rotating riddler, to avoid this problem.
Opted for this contemporary looking stove as it looks greats and felt well built. Easy to light, controllable air flow / air wash. Very soon after lighting this stove, it began making annoying
expansion noises until it was up to a static temperature e.g. 200 C and then as the stove cooled it again made noises, tings and pings. Once we were tuned into these noises it became very annoying. We've had experience of a Dovre 250 MF and that made no noises in comparison. Our very helpful shop / fitter replaced with a 2nd one and although the noises were less they were still there. This is not a cheap stove and I expected better. Excellent customer service from our local shop / fitter and we swapped for a 3 rd time to another make / model - a HETA 45 Inspire, which apart from the odd noise is silent in comparison.
Had the Firegem 5kw fitted 4 weeks ago. Researched a few other stoves but this is so simple to use and the airwash system works perfectly. Wanted a stove with large glass for watching the flames
- this fits the bill.The best thing we''ve found is the controllability - as easy as controlling a gas fire! This was one of the first Woodwarm stoves the installer had put in. He''s already put another up working in his shop as he too was that impressed. Not the cheapest but worth the extra expense.
I''ve had 2 Phoenix FireGem kw fitted since February 2017 and I have had the same problem with both of them the blanking plugs falling out of the back of the fire.The rest of the fire I cant
fault.
Stove expert replied:
Strange to have two stoves with same problem, are these kept in by twisting and locking in place or just with sealant?
We are loving our new 5kw Firegem. It's the second woodwarm stove that we have owned. We had a Fireview 6kw installed at out last house (see my other review) and it was a magnificent piece of
engineering that would heat the whole house. Although our firegem is not quite as much of a roaring beast as the fireview, possibly due to having a smaller 5 inch flue and different airwash routing (underside feed instead of side), it is still a beautiful bit of kit. It lights and heats up very quickly just using paper and kindling and is very responsive. Its large window at the front gives a great view of the splendor contained within and the handle is much easier to use that than the Fireview and never gets too hot to handle. I'm unable to compare it to other branded burners, since having my first Woodwarm and not wanting to choose another brand due to being so impressed with the design, build quality and service. We have a factory fitted double heat shield installed at the rear which is very effective at redirecting heat and reduces the gap from the rear of the stove to the wall to approx. 4 inches, the outer most metal shield only gets touch warm. We have our stove with a log store below and sprayed in honeyglow brown instead of the usual metallic black, and combined with the modern design it really stands out and forms a main feature of the room. I'm very happy that I decided to go for another Woodwarm and as other owners will agree that once you've had a Woodwarm, you will never look elsewhere. They may not be the cheapest but you get what you pay for and it's totally worth the extra.
Bought this and had it fitted 18 months ago. Prior to this stove we had a Stovax Stockton 5 and I can say without hesitation that the Woodwarm is like a Bentley whereas the Stovax is like a
Kia (no disrespect meant to Kia owners). The Woodwarm is so easy to light, it gets up to temperature so much more quickly and really kicks out the heat. Above all though the glass is always spotless, we've never had to clean it, whereas the Stovax always sooted up every 3-4 fires and that was burning good dry timber and having it drawing to keep the supposed air wash system operating. I'll never buy a Stovax again. My very strong advice is spend the extra cash and get a Woodwarm. I'm a bit of a pedantic person and quite particular but I just can't fault the Woodwarm, it's just brilliant. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Stove expert replied:
Great feedback for the Woodwarm stove
It took me a long time to decide which stove was the right one for me and to be honest I didn't even consider a Woodwarm, I was looking at a few other manufacturers and visited a showroom to
look at another stove and a Woodwarm Pheonix Firegem was fired up, I was attracted to it's heat output and the simple clean lines on further investigation the way it was put together and the thought that had gone into it's engineering design won me over, it is very easy to light with just kindling and paper (I've never used firelighters), and it burns extremely well, the handle is so easy to operate (unlike some of the other stoves I looked at) and being below the fire glass does not get very hot, the airwash keeps the glass very clean, it also seems far more responsive to the air controls than some other stoves I've used, and it can make the fuel last without getting too cool, the old saying "you get what you pay for" seems perfectly true, I would recommend this stove to anyone who was looking for a top quality, superbly engineered stove!
