What multifuel boiler cooker range?

[T14EES T14UNK]

We had a wamsler 1100 fitted in November '11. Hooked up to a 750 litre thermal store which also has oil boiler hooked up too. It takes a little playing about with and getting used to but basically I turned the oil boiler off in December and it's been fine since. Still to get through our first summer though so I don't know how warm it will be in the kitchen but so far it seems ok on what warm days we have had.

It does take some getting used to though. I had to learn how to use the cooker in a different way to an electric oven obviously. But we do still have the electric if necessary - like if the wife can't be bothered to faff with the fire.

Overall though, I'm very pleased with it. As you say, they are a bit tinny compared to a Rayburn or esse but it works very well. I sold all of my seasoned firewood in September last year so all I had was Ash from every chance I got and it's been fine. Although an extra sweep of the chimney every now and then would obviously be good.

[Stereo]

We have an Esse W23 and it's WAY too fussy on fuel. Anything but super dry wood and it gums up and needs a full clearout. I'm not happy with it to be honest, wish I had gone with a Rayburn. I'm also not convinced on the heat output of it. I have no real way of measuring this so I maybe wrong but for the amount of super dry extra fussy wood I put in it, I think it should cut more off the gas bill.

 

It's off at the mo as it gummed up again and I can't be bothered to clean it out again as it's not cold enough so we just light the big old Villager A flat in the lounge of an evening.

 

A stove / cooker should not be this much hard work. They say in the manual that you can get good results from reclaimed pallet pine. Try it. Good for a week and then you'll be poking a brush up it's nether regions to stop smoke coming out of every orrifice.

[renewablejohn]

Customer of mine has a esse swears by it.I supply her with large logs 44cm.Her house is 40foot x 40 foot

 

I think you find most Esse customers swears by their Esse every time it needs sweeping. The internal flues frequently block up even with wood of less than 20% MC. The flueways are very badly designed and we have had to make up specific tools to get into the awkward recesses. Our stove was so badly engineered you could see the flames through the crack in the door. Esse replaced the door with another which had exactly the same problem. With burning exceptionally dry wood the after burner needs replacing every year.

[pie eater pete]

We've got a Rayburn 355 but having read more about them I'd say their only really useful on coal due to the amount of wood it will go through in a day. To keep the rads toasty Iv been using about 2 barrowfuls a day!

 

Next winter il be getting some coal in as it lasts much longer.

[Alycidon]

We have an Esse W23 and it's WAY too fussy on fuel. Anything but super dry wood and it gums up and needs a full clearout. I'm not happy with it to be honest, wish I had gone with a Rayburn. I'm also not convinced on the heat output of it. I have no real way of measuring this so I maybe wrong but for the amount of super dry extra fussy wood I put in it, I think it should cut more off the gas bill.

 

It's off at the mo as it gummed up again and I can't be bothered to clean it out again as it's not cold enough so we just light the big old Villager A flat in the lounge of an evening.

 

A stove / cooker should not be this much hard work. They say in the manual that you can get good results from reclaimed pallet pine. Try it. Good for a week and then you'll be poking a brush up it's nether regions to stop smoke coming out of every orrifice.

 

This gumming up is caused by the returning cold water, the firebox cannot get up to temperature while continually surrounded by a lot of cold water, this means that crerosotes in the wood are not getting combusted untill the firebox gets up to temperature, instead they are condensing in the flue ways and gumming the system up. This is an issue with all boiler appliances to a greater or lesser degree. I have never has a non boiler Esse appliance suffer with this issue and even the boiler ones it only happens occasionally.

 

Esse have now devised a Compatatable Boiler Control unit that limits returning cold water untill the firebox reaches optimum operating temperature. This is fitted external to the appliance into the water system. So in other words it gets the cooker and boiler up to temperature first before getting to work on the water system other than the small amount of water in the boiler when starting off. Talk to David Randleson at Esse for more details or pm me. I am an Esse cooker and stove dealer.

 

A

[Alycidon]

I think you find most Esse customers swears by their Esse every time it needs sweeping. The internal flues frequently block up even with wood of less than 20% MC. The flueways are very badly designed and we have had to make up specific tools to get into the awkward recesses. Our stove was so badly engineered you could see the flames through the crack in the door. Esse replaced the door with another which had exactly the same problem. With burning exceptionally dry wood the after burner needs replacing every year.

 

 

Esse do provide brushes and scrapers with every new applianace and they are also available seperatly from your local Esse cooker dealer.

 

Not quite sure what you mean when you say the burner needs replacing every year ?. If you mean the thing in the top of the firebox that looks like a waffle then that is viewed as a consumable item as is everything else in direct contact with the fire.

 

I have never had or seen a door with a crack in it, I have also never sold a replacement door. Do you mean a gap around the door where the rope sits ?. Cooker doors are all heavy cast iron and all except Ironheart are enamaled.

 

A

[Rich D]

We've got a Rayburn 355 but having read more about them I'd say their only really useful on coal due to the amount of wood it will go through in a day. To keep the rads toasty Iv been using about 2 barrowfuls a day!

 

Next winter il be getting some coal in as it lasts much longer.

 

Ye both my grandparents and parents have a 355sfw and burn coal (anthracite), they probably use 50Kg a week more colder weather less so warmer. I dont really think it utiliser wood as it should, I just you compromise when you get any multifuel stove. Although my Morso owl manages pretty well on either wood or anthracite

[Rich D]

We had a wamsler 1100 fitted in November '11. Hooked up to a 750 litre thermal store which also has oil boiler hooked up too. It takes a little playing about with and getting used to but basically I turned the oil boiler off in December and it's been fine since. Still to get through our first summer though so I don't know how warm it will be in the kitchen but so far it seems ok on what warm days we have had.

It does take some getting used to though. I had to learn how to use the cooker in a different way to an electric oven obviously. But we do still have the electric if necessary - like if the wife can't be bothered to faff with the fire.

Overall though, I'm very pleased with it. As you say, they are a bit tinny compared to a Rayburn or esse but it works very well. I sold all of my seasoned firewood in September last year so all I had was Ash from every chance I got and it's been fine. Although an extra sweep of the chimney every now and then would obviously be good.

 

I assume your burning wood primarily, out of interest how much do you use on an average day? Also any trouble keeping it in at night?

[T14EES T14UNK]

Totally wood. I did try some smokeless coal, taybrite I think. It's good to keep it in overnight but needed to put about half a bag on. (12ish kg). It gets a bit expensive compared to virtually free wood.

Now I'm just on wood. It sometimes has a few embers in the morning. Enough to stick a bit of kindling on to get going again. I load it up to the brim at about 10pm and usually start again at 7am. Sometimes it's out but still very warm and it's not much time or hassle to fire it up again.

I go through a heaped wheel barrow each day if it's on all day. But now the weather is a bit warmer I generally don't need to fire it up until back from work.

[Rich D]

A barrow is pretty good considering the output of the stove. I do like the idea of this stove seems to be on the more efficient side of the scale, not too fussy on fuel, has the required output. It looks ok ish.

 

Do you find the the adjustable grate works ok, I suppose it make cooking and heating more contollable?

 

Thanksfor feeback its of great help