epinay Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 HiWe are thinking of buying a Hunter Herald 8 slimline multifuel stove. Does anyone have any experience of Hunter stoves? Any feedback will be welcome - are they reliable, efficient, easy to install etc - any info appreciated.Also if you know of a stockist in France, or who can deliver to France.MerciDiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 We have a Herald 6, and we wish we didn't.The paintwork flakes off, the damper has rusted and is hard to move, the door seals are always falling off, but worst of all, every time you open the door to refuel, LOADS of red hot embers fall out all over.Look around and buy French, they tend to work, rather than just look niceAlcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobc Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 "Look around and buy French, they tend to work, rather than just look nice"A bit of a sweeping statement.I have no experience of Hunter stoves, but plenty of experience of quality UK stoves, including Charnwood, Villager and Coalbrookdale.These are engineered to far higher standards than most of the junk sold in the French bricos which usually do not include rope door seals, are pressed from very thin steel and do not have functional airflow controls.Even expensive French brands such as Godin perform badly against a quality UK stove.There is also no point in buying a UK multifuel stove to use in France. Wood needs to be burnt on an ashbed and not on a grate.There are also a lot of very poor quality stoves sold in the UK - particularly those from Machine Mart.Regards,Bob Clarkehttp://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardrawlings Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hunter are a good Basic stove but there are better Both Effel and Nester Martin are French made and are very good in terms of finish, reliability, and burning. If you want a good british stove try Clearview you will not be disapointed they are on the expensive side tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Having used ours for three years, and been mostly disappointed, I stand by what I said. It LOOKS pretty, but falls down in the performance stakes.Alcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Love my Villager and as it is a flat top with rings I also cook on it. I actually miss it in the summer when it is off.The only drawback is that the glass does not stay very clean but to be honest that does not bother me - keeping warm as it is our only source of heat is the main requirement.I got it in France. There are a couple of people who import them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Di, some spray-on stuff we get at Leclerc (Silex nettoyant vitres) works brilliantly for cleaning the glass doors. Our Godin is brilliant, I'd say you'll virtually always do better buying a French stove if you are in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeb Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 [quote]Di, some spray-on stuff we get at Leclerc (Silex nettoyant vitres) works brilliantly for cleaning the glass doors. Our Godin is brilliant, I'd say you'll virtually always do better buying a French s...[/quote]Absolutely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve@sarah Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I can't comment on Hunter Stoves, But we have fitted several different makes over the years. I would not say you needed a multi fuel stove for France if you intend to burn wood, as the previous poster said .Clearview stoves are good; several diff. sizes and styles our customers have always been happy with them. Villager stoves likewise, they are cheaper, personally I think the styling is a bit "fussy"[but you might like it] and the doors do tend to soot up. My personal fav. are the charnwood type- we've got a small one in uk and are planning to fit a bigger one in France. Mine seems very economical to run, its easy to light and the doors dont soot up.Also, they are designed to take a back boiler which, if you have one, will give hot water and run rads.When you are looking at stoves, look how thick the metal is, how well the door is sealed and how easy re-fueling is all important to future use.Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 If you're burning wood, white vinegar, available by the litre in supermarkets, will clean the glass, inside and out. It's amazing how fast the deposits come off.NEVER clean hot glass thoughAlcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Hi DianaHave just installed a Hunter Herald To run 8 rads off. The fire stays in all night ,works well ,very responsive to controls, have no problem with fuel falling out when doors are open,we have a dual fuel but as earlier forum member stated seems pretty pointless.coal is of limited supply in France,one really important point worth mentioning due to the internal boiler the radiated heat is pretty low ok if you open the doors ,have no problems with peeling paint.Hope this hasnt confused the issue All the best DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinay Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 Thank you everyone for all your feedback. I've been swinging back and forwards with every post and we still haven't made up our minds. Its good to hear the varying experiences though.We've requested prices from Hunter and Villager, and have been looking on ebay too at lots of different makes. The choice is huge which doesn't help matters! Whether we buy in France or UK might come down to price and delivery costs, - even a french supplier quoted 120 Euros to deliver, so we will have to do our sums.Thanks again for all the info. I'll let you know what we decide and how we get on with it.Installation / chimney / flue questions will probably follow once we have the mystery stove in situ.Regards, Diana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Installation / chimney / flue questions will probably follow once we have the mystery stove in situ.OOh, ooh, Mrs, don't do a lot until you know a bit about chimneys: our Hunter Herald 6 takes a 150mm flue, and boy, was it tight getting the liner down the chimney!If you buy one with a large flue and can't fit a liner for it, what then?Alcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinay Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 I love the way you all really listen and pay attention!!It's OK, there is already a flue liner in situ - it's 150mm or 6" near enough, and all the stoves we have been looking at are no more than that. But, we are not sure if the flue in place is a flue for a GAS appliance, and if so, we think we will have to replace it with a solid fuel flue.Does anyone know an easy way of telling the difference? Could it be as simple as if there is soot it's a solid fuel flue, and if there isn't, it's gas? Sorry if that's an idiot question.Diana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TartanCarol<STRONG><FONT face=Celtic color=#ff0000 size=5>Tar Posted April 20, 2005 Share Posted April 20, 2005 First posting.......ta ra ta ra!This may be a question that has been asked and answered before and if so, I apologise............but I'm going to ask anyway! Is there anyone out there who has anything to say about woodpellet stoves? We are in the Gers and the fuel is available..........by the pallet load!.......Thanks for all responses..........Tartan Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 Epinay: what does your flue LOOK like? If it's a sort of continuous stainless flexible tube, a bit like a giant hoover hose, it'll be OK for wood.Now I'm no expert, but I reckon any flue safe for gas, as far as emissions are concerned, would be safe for solid fuel too.I was advised NOT to use the type that come in 1 metre lengths and I'm glad I didn't: getting it UP the chimney would have been a nightmare. The one we had came down by dint of wifey and youngest son literally HANGING with feet off the floor, onto a rope attached to itAlcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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