Cheap Multi-fuel Stoves Ireland

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Cheap Multi-Fuel

Cast Iron Stoves

SunRain Multi-fuel Stove 6Kw €225 plus €25 delivery

I have had a lot of hits, feedback, and enquiries regarding low priced stoves, their quality, value etc. One business that offers solid fuel stoves at very cheap prices is Stove Deals, Blanchardstown, Dublin. They operate mainly through DoneDeal Internet sales site, and do not have a retail premises.

Stove Deals offer a 6Kw stove for just €225. It is made, like nearly all cast iron stoves sold in Ireland, by a Chinese Factory. The Chinese brand is called SunRain Foundry.

The exact same stove is sold by B&Q only in the UK for Stg£239 or roughly €300.

There are some mixed reviews on this stove but the majority are quite positive. I have written before about buying imported stoves. My advice is the same now. Cheaper prices usually mean that there have to be some saving by the manufacturer, so don't expect exactly the same quality as items costing more than twice the price. If you are ordering one of these stoves, buy a spare set of grates and baffles, costing about €55, at the time of purchase - make the purchase conditional on getting the spares. Then look at the results in this way; if the stove gives you 5years good wear it will have cost a mere €45 per year. Chances are, if you use it carefully, you will get 10 or more years out of it.

I contacted Stove Deals and asked some direct questions about the stoves, spare parts, delivery, guarantee etc. Here are the questions and the answers, from Dave at Stove Deals, in bold italics

(1) Do you have any sort of show room? Address?
 No showroom, we use a freight company in Blanchardstown for distribution, but no shop at all.

(2) Collection point for cash sales?
Collection can be arranged by appointment Mon-Fri from the warehouse and they accept cash, customers should do their research first, then give me a ring when they know what they want!

(3) What type of guarantee do you offer?
All stoves are 1 year guarantee and buying off us is the same as any other shop, your consumer rights are the same.

(4) Do you have spares in stock in Ireland for the stoves you sell. Grates / Baffles / Glass / hinges / handles etc?
I try to carry the main spares in stock in Ireland, but we do run out. Best time to order spares is around the end of the season, March - April, so if they are not in stock we can have them before the next winter.

(5) You advertise flue pipe and bends on DoneDeal what type of material - enameled steel?
The flue pipes are mild steel, painted black

(6) You have been selling stoves a few years now - what is the failure rate generally/? Baffles? Grates? Any body failures?
I've had 1 complaint about poor assembly, as in bolts not fully tightened and a door loose, other than that I would say about on average 1 stove per container (200 per container) arrives damaged at the customer, either the glass damaged or maybe somebody dropped the pallet. Obviously these are replaced, and there are always people looking for cheap damaged stoves for their shed.

(7) Price of a grate for 4Kw stove - and 7Kw stove?
4kW grate €25 - 7kW €30.

(8) Price of baffles for the above?
Baffles for stoves €25-€35 depending on size.

Glass €20-€50 depending on sizes, really only the insert stoves have a €50 piece of glass. Biggest problem at this time of year is keeping stoves in stock! Thanks, Dave.

Stove Deals 6Kw stove, a very popular size, is priced at just €225 plus €25 delivery nationwide.

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/heating/3620184

B&Q offer the same stove at Stg£239 or roughly in Euro €300

http://www.diy.com/nav/rooms/fires-surrounds/stoves-accessories/stoves/-specificproducttype-solid_fuel_stoves/Cast-Iron-Solid-Fuel-Stove-10146489



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Review of Multi-Fuel Stoves some Pointers 2

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Input

From Readers

It has been pointed out to me that my last post perhaps compared two samples of Cast Iron which had quite different life experiences. One from the outside of a stove, and the other sample evident had seen some action.

So I have taken a close up of a casting from the inside of my three year old stove - see the top photo with the position marked. This piece of iron is at the front of the stove and directly above the fire, so it has seen plenty of action and received a lot of heat. I obviously had to clean the soot and debris from the position to make the texture of the iron properly visible.

As you can clearly see from the above close up of the inside casting of the stove, the quality and texture of the cast is, apart from discolouration, of the same nature and texture as that of the outside.

My Blacksmith Anvil has very good quality cast iron, take a good close look at the texture and remember it when looking at stoves. The quality is testified to by the obvious smooth texture of the casting, but much more importantly, by the fact that there has been no signs of wear or burn on the fire exposed parts, or any other part of the stove for that matter, in three years to date.



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Review of Cast Iron Stoves Some Pointers

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What to Look for

and What to Avoid

in Cast Iron Stoves

Part 1

There has been such a massive increase in interest in solid-fuel stoves, that it is time for me to review the few pointers that I am aware of regarding what to look for, and what to avoid in a stove.

Most stoves sold in Ireland are made in cast iron. Only a very few are made in steel or in stainless steel, so I will not bother looking in this direction. So for a start let us take a look at the material of stoves itself, in this case Cast-Iron.

 

Above you see a small section of the external cast iron casing of a, three year in use, stove. The coin is only for perspective. Take a close look at the texture of the casting. What do you observe? It looks like a painted surface, but it isn't painted, it is naturally smooth and fine grained, and has not got major sandy texture or more importantly - little holes or pits.

By way of contrast, have a look at the above picture, and ask yourself which of the two examples do you think is the better quality of casting?

In the above very rough textured casting, you should be able to see some pitting. The grain itself is like the surface of a child's sand castle. This very rough grain and the associated pitting effect, are some of the factors that can lead to damage, such as cracking, distortion, and burning away, in a stove. Other factors that can affect the life of the metal of a stove, such as the actual basic material and chemical make-up of the cast iron, you will not be able to see. Regarding the composition of metal, the grates and the baffles should ideally have a chromium content upwards of 12%. Too much chromium will make the metal brittle but with the right amount, it will make it resistant to oxidising, that is distorting and slowly burning away.

Poor Quality Cast = Poor Quality Stove

The vast majority of the problems with stoves, excluding poor design, are associated with the quality of the cast iron that makes up most of the stove. This is especially true of the parts of a stove that come into direct contact with the fire.

Grates and baffles are the most obvious parts that are vulnerable to fire damage. However, some stoves of dubious manufacture, have been known to literally split at the seams. So be warned when shopping for a bargain stove. If you buy a trusted brand name from a trusted retailer, you have at least two lines of come-back in the event of failure.

Look for a good thick and smooth quality of cast iron. Very rough, pitted, or very thin castings are going to lead to problems.

This is part one. I will revisit the subject over the next couple of weeks.



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Multi-Fuel Stove Tips & Tricks part 1 of 4

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Multi-Fuel Stove 

Tips & Tricks 

for economy and efficiency

part 1 of 4

1.    The Stove Itself.

If you don’t have a well-designed stove in good condition - you simply won’t get good heat output or fuel efficiency.

Apart from superficially looking nice and pretty, a stove must have certain well-designed and properly functioning technical features in order to work efficiently and have a reasonable working life.

Fire Grates.

The fire grate/s should be cast in high chromium iron in order to sustain high temperatures without burning out and warping. Check this carefully before you buy any stove, or you could find yourself replacing the grates after a couple of years, this is especially true if you use smokeless coals which can burn at very high temperatures. The grates are quite an expensive part of a stove. They are complex in shape and come in several parts. This is because they are usually remotely activated by an external lever to move them in order to shake down excess ash from the fire.

The Importance of Air.

Any stove should essentially be an airtight box, so having good door seals and well-jointed sections etc. is of the essence. A stove should have precise controls on both the primary and secondary air inlets. It is the mixture of fuel and air that causes combustion. Control the air and you control the level of combustion.

The Primary Air Inlet.

The primary air inlet or control is the one underneath the firebox that allows air to come up under and permeate through the burning fuel. This is the most important control to regulate the rate of burn. It should be capable of controlling the air supply to the fire in a quick and accurate way.

With some fuels, especially smokeless coals, it can be almost closed down completely. This will give slow burn and will keep the stove going for up to 9 hours or so over night or while you are at work. Slow constant heat 24 - 7 will keep a house very comfortable and stop fluctuations in temperature. When a house cools down, it can take up to half a day or more to get it fully warm again.

It takes a bit of practice to get the right settings. Basically, open the primary air right up when lighting a fire, as the fire gets going, begin to turn down the air. When the fire is good and hot further reduce the air until the fire starts to dim down. At that point gradually - over a few minutes - open the valve a fraction at a time, until you reach a point of burn that you require.

Secondary Air Inlet.

The secondary air inlet allows an air supply in above the burning fuel in order to allow burn-off of the gasses released from the fuel. I personally do not ever open this inlet, as I use mainly smokeless coal which tends to glow rather than create a flame. Opening the secondary air supply, where gasses don’t need to be flame burned, can reduce the efficiency of the burn. When wood is burned, the secondary air supply needs to be opened a crack in order to get full and proper combustion of the gasses released.

Subsequent posts on this subject will be spaced out over a few weeks - so keep a look out for them.

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