Solid Fuel Stoves - do they really heat radiators as advertised?

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Sparki74

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Do any of you have solid fuel stoves which you use to heat radiators / or heat water? We brought our specifications to our first builder for a quote and as usual, we asked questions on our ideas. Bias aside, he said that stoves don't really heat radiators that well, they may become luke warm but that's all. Some solid fuel suppliers are selling stoves that can heat up to 12 rads.... Any thoughts would be grateful. Thanks :)
 
He doesn't know what he's talking about. Solid fuel stoves and ranges have been used to heat radiators for decades. Perhaps you misunderstood?
 
In my home place we have 12 radiators that run off a solid fuel stanley range - when the fire is going the radiators are piping hot!
 
We have a solid fuel stove in our living room (a tripp stove, made in dublin i think), but it has a "wrap around back boiler", which basically means that the boiler surrounds three sides of the stove so gets the water heated really well. On top of this the fact that the chimney is smaller and routed over the boiler also, it means that it is really effeceint compared to a traditional open fire place back boiler.

The heat off the stove is so good we do not use the rad in the living room, but it heats 18 other rads very very well. In the middle of the winter we have the stove running and heating the water and the rads so well, that we very rarely use the oil. We have a 2000 sq ft house, but one of the pluses here is that our rads are zoned into the living area and/or the bedroom area, and so we switch between zones depending on the time of night.

Absolutley no problem in my opinion getting heat from a stove to your rads as long as you spec it correctly, and of course if you had zoned heating even better.

Regards,
Eamon
 
some solid fuel stoves heat rads some don't, it depends on the type, check the brochure and it will tell you.
the stove is certainly better than an open fire energy efficency (and environment) wise, but an oil or gas boiler would be much better.
A woodchip boiler would be more environmentally friendly, but it is just a matter of the boiler being sized correctly to heat the house. ( correct number of bTUs to heat the house.)
 
Thanks for your messages. I have been looking specifically at the stoves that heat rads and I wanted to check them out. If we were going with a stove, it would definitely be a solid fuel stove as we are planning to put the system in to compliment oil. Wexfordman, thanks for your information - can you tell me where you got your stove, its type, cost etc... Thanks :)
 
Just to note- we bought a house with a (2001) oil-fired Waterford Stanley stove in situ. No heat came from the stove to the kitchen, which is regarded as progress by the makers (they are low btu anyway) but will dismay many who are putting in the stoves for cosy warmth. It barely heated the radiators, but when it soon after stopped working altogether, Waterford Stanley proved worse than useless when looking for a accredited serviceman. One finally came and then said he 'didn't have the tool he needed' and never came back- leaving a house with an infant entirely without heat. Average plumbers won't touch Stanley stoves.

After 8 more phonecalls I emailed both the Waterford Stanley MD and Sales Director asking for a solution or I would take out the stove. Neither replied. Sold the stove in Buy & Sell last February and will never again deal with this company.
 
Wow. And this company is pretty much the market leader. What kind of warranty did it come with? Did you ever consider legal action? Can't believe you let them away with this although I appreciate you needed to get the heat working!
 
Spark,

We bought ours in Youghal Co Cork. It cost I think arount 1800 euros, and the make and model is a tripp tr14. They are made in Dublin as far as I know. I found a link showing a picture of the stove from a retailer, link is enclosed. We have had it in for almost 2 years now and no complaints. I think it looks well also, a little more modern looking that your average stanley, and its more of a matt black than enamel black. Anyway, each to thier own. THe link shows a couple of the tripp models, each having different ratings and with/without boiler etc. I do remember on of the selling points was that the actual water tank is wrapped around three sides of the TR14, so is more effeceint in heating the water. Although for all I know about boilers, this couldb be quite common and a sales rant



[broken link removed]

Regards,
EAmon
 
Hi,

We installed a new solid fuel Staney Super 8 three years ago. We also run an oil fired boiler on the system (though not at the same time...). The Stanley heats 12 radiators as well as the room that the range is in. We normally use briquettes but on colder nights we need to burn coal as well to heat the house properly. Our upcoming conversion to double glazing may well solve that problem.

Its very disappointing to hear of poor customer service from Stanley and its baffling to hear of plumbers avoiding them. There's nothing very complicated about them and if the system is properly installed with pressure relief valves and piping to an expansion tank then all should be safe and well.

Herbie
 
extopia said:
Wow. And this company is pretty much the market leader. What kind of warranty did it come with? Did you ever consider legal action? Can't believe you let them away with this although I appreciate you needed to get the heat working!
Click to expand...

As 'second-hand' customers we had no warranty paperwork and they had no interest. No customer service was forthcoming and we took the opportunity to sever the connection with a company which to us was inefficient and unconcerned. We considered this the ultimate in not letting them get away with it...
 
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