Multi Fuel Stove not getting hot!

[diggerdog36]

We had a Hunter Herald 6 installed about 2 months ago, since then we have burned well seasoned wood from a number of local suppliers. The problem is it is just not getting hot, even after 8-10 HOURS! I can open the door (using the metal handle) without burning myself!
I assumed this was just the norm, I was a bit disappointed with the heat output as people told me I would be sweating in the room. I am sat in the lounge now with it roaring away and a blanket on me!

Then, we went on a break for New Year to a Cottage in Cumbria that had a TINY stove in the lounge (the lounge was bigger than ours) and it was red hot in the room!! I had to open the front door and window!

Why should our 6kw stove be so cool, yet a 4kw can pump out so much heat into a much bigger room?

Ours was installed into a 6" S/S liner, register plate is fitted and its a Hunter Herald 6kw.

[kellys_eye]

Is it a 6-inch pipe ALL the way? Most stoves of under 6kW have a 5-inch outlet and go via na adapter to 6-inches. Does the flue pipe exit 'on top' or via the rear? Have you got the 'deflector plate' in?

Some stoves are just better than others at what they do.

[diggerdog36]

The flue is 6" all the way up, by law to conform to HETAS is must be 6" for solid fuel fires. It is a 6" outlet all the way to the top cap on the roof.
Yes, the deflector plate is inside.

I know what you are saying about 'some stoves are better than others' but ours is rated at 6kw, so it should be able to produce it. The little stove in our rented cottage is only a 3 or a 4kw, yet gives out 10x more heat!!

[cotswold builders]

Most problems occur because people go for to far a bigger stove, you need to be burning them high with the air wash systems open.
Mine is a Villager duo, one of the smallest stoves, it heats up 3 ground floor rooms, all knocked through for wheel chair access, we dont use any central heating down stairs.
Flue sizes are to be minimum 150mm, mine is adapted from 125mm from stove to 150mm adapter.
Is your glass tarring up, ? if so then so will the flue, you need to get the flue heated for optimum performance, from lighting mine instant heat and correct flue temperature is within 3 minutes.
I have an Eco fan sat on top of stove, this works via heat conducted to the fan then radiates the heat out.
Unless you can get the stove hot, its not going to chuck out any heat.

[andyshandywork!]

Interesting, has to be your flue or your airwash not functioning correctly. Strange that you say it is roaring away though. If both are ok maybe you should go back to basics. Before it starts heating the room you will have to get the cast iron HOT, light it with plenty of kindling and then a good coal and fill it up too. This should be roaring in minutes few. Once this begins to die down use your seasoned logs or smokeless fuel. This is when you need to pay more attention to the airwash. Manufacturer will have a list of best airwash positions for each fuel. I know it seems basic advice but if this doesn`t work get a chimney sweep to test your flue?
Hope this helps. Andy.

[Rossthedon]

Hi, I had the same problem myself in my workshop with a multi fuel. You say it's wood your burning? Does the stove consume the wood quickly?
You may have the stove set up to burn coal. There is a difference in the way the stove needs to be set up depending on the materials.
You need to remove the grill if you can, if not then you need to make sure you burn the wood directly on a thick bed of ash. I could'nt remove the grill in mine so what i do is lay some flat timber (floorboard) directly on the grill and light my fire on top.
With burning wood you dont want too much air flow getting in underneath so make sure to close the bottom vent, dont clean out the ash either, you want quite a big build up of ash.
Try burning on top of some flat timber like i suggested and see if that solves the problem. the wood should last longer and the stove will produce a LOT more heat!
Let me know how you get on, good luck!

[diggerdog36]

Ross,
The stove is consuming wood like its going out of fashion! There is no way the stove can be adapted to suit wood only, as we also burn Coal. What we have started to do is get the fire started then shut down ALL the vents (Lower vents, Airwash and Flue damper) This slows the burn right down and we seem to be getting more heat, and the wood is obviously lasting longer.

The fire is getting air from the tertiary vents in the back. Though, I still think there is something wrong with the bloody thing!!

On the instruction book it says the airwash should be left open, if it is, the fire roars out of control and I think most of the heat is sucked up the flue!!

[Rossthedon]

Yeah i was having the same problem with mine which is also a multi fuel airwash, i wasn't too bothered about it at first as i had just built my workshop and needed to get rid of some wood!
I have only been using it for about 2 weeks and it's the first time i have ever used a stove so i'm not too clued up with them! However i seem to have solved the problem with laying the flat wood on the grate first and it lasts suprisingly long! Before i done this it took almost 2hrs to boil my little stove kettle, now it will boil in about 20 mins!!!
I was considering placing a sheet of Iron on the grill as a more permanent fix but so far all is well and my stove is working great.
I have a 6kw stove with a 125mm (5inch) flue running straight out the top through the roof. the operating instructions said that for burning wood you should let a good bed of ash build up and close the bottom vent but i've found it a lot easier to just continue with what I'm doing at the moment which is effectivley restricting the airflow to the bottom. Another thing to consider is your seals, has the fire rope been replaced round the door?

[diggerdog36]

Has the fire rope been replaced round the door?

The stove is only a few month old, and it has done this since day one!!

My neighbour (who is a qualified pyromaniac!) couldnt believe how cool my stove was, he has tried to set it up the same as his, weve tried everything he would do on a typical night and mine is c**p. We have sat in his on a night time and he showed me all he does to his, then the next night we sat in ours and he tried the same on mine......loads of raging flames, but no heat!!

Mine is a £680 Hunter, his is a £250 china special!!

[cotswold builders]

Was the installation done by a Hetas registered installer.
Who advised you on the size of stove.
I have already said the stoves to big and not burning correctly, refer to your holiday stove.

[kellys_eye]

Hunters have (in my limited experience) a poor performace when compared to anything modern. My f-in-law recently changed his Hunter and the new stove gets his rroms up to 25 degrees in no time flat whilst the hunter barely kept the place at 18 degrees even at full belt......

Not sure if this is significant as you 'may' have other issues but 'experience' might also prove otherwise.

[diggerdog36]

Was the installation done by a Hetas registered installer.
Who advised you on the size of stove.
I have already said the stoves to big and not burning correctly, refer to your holiday stove.

Yes it was installed by a HETAS installer, I used an online 'room size' calculator and confirmed by our local supplier.

Hunters have (in my limited experience) a poor performace when compared to anything modern. My f-in-law recently changed his Hunter and the new stove gets his rroms up to 25 degrees in no time flat whilst the hunter barely kept the place at 18 degrees even at full belt......

Not sure if this is significant as you 'may' have other issues but 'experience' might also prove otherwise.

I couldnt agree more! There are so many reviews slating the Hunter stoves saying they just dont get hot! I researched the bloody thing too!
One guy said 'If he could afford to he'd give it away!!!' which made me chuckle, as thats exactly how I feel!

Its just an expensive ornament, I get more heat off my TV!