Full Independent review of the Burley 4KW range:
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2022
- This is a full independent review of the Burley 4KW range, including the:
Thorncombe
Debdale
and Launde
We test the stoves real world performance in:
Clean glass
Fuel economy
Ease of lighting
And controlling
I also give my views and a bit of background information. The videos are designed to be quick with only the "must know" information, they are independent and I'm not paid to make them.
If you would like any further information please feel free to drop me a comment or you check out the manufacturers page here:
burley.co.uk/category/wood-bu...
I also produce a short video that shows how to remove all the innards of the stove and put them back, check it out at the end of the video at the link here:
• How to service the Bur... - Zábava
Hello, thank you very much for your great review and constructive feedback. I've removed the scoop which you didn't like from the Thank You Pack and added the graduations on the control lever across the whole range.
All the Best,
Steve, MD of Burley.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the comment, and for your impressive attention to detail. I’m looking forward to trying one of your larger stoves and checking out the changes.
Perhaps I’ll give you a bell next year and we make a review of a stove following the changes!
Gabriel
Super informative video.
You have convinced us to purchase this model.
Thank you so much.
Awesome, let us know how you get on. It has fantastic control.
The air control arm bolt that comes loose is the one that's behind the stove not under it.the reason it the glass clouds is in real terms it does not have a air wash,I have tried 3 burley and enjoyed using them all,the problem with the handle is not just that it comes loose its adjusted via a cam so when it comes loose you also have to adjust it not just do it up,as a sweep I do not recommend customers even try to achieve long burn times as this stove has incredibly low flue gas temps which can lead to creosote in the flue, I really rnjoy your reviews keep up the good work
Thanks a lot, always useful input!
Dry fuel is definitely a must for this stove, particularly given the creosoting issue you mentioned. 👍
Really helpful videos, thanks. We’re trying to decide between Dik Guerts Ivar 8 and Burley Swithland 9308 (no catalytic) - got to decide today! We like the burley and it seems very efficient (less so without cat), but reviews seem patchier, it’s harder to light and reports suggest it doesn’t stay in as well. We are used to running a stove 120 days straight with dry but not kiln dried wood. The Ivar seems like a really solid work horse and I can’t find a bad word said about it anywhere!
Given your use and fuel I would definitely favour the Ivar. The Ambition 8 is another similar appliance which is slightly more powerful, which maybe worth looking at if you need at least 8-10kw instead of 8 as a max (which is roughly where the Ivar operates).
@@TheTortoise thanks for the advice! The door on the Ivar also opens the right way for the room so that swings it! My only concern is that I ideally wanted a convection burner (with hot top for kettle) to distribute heat more easily, but most installers / suppliers seem to suggest that a fan on a radiant stove will do a similar job. What’s your take on this? I’m unable to find any data online when it comes to heating larger spaces, only opinion!
@@ryank4895 I wouldn’t panic about convection, as the installers have said the stove top fans are very effective. I also found that the Burley convection system was less effective because it did not surround the whole appliance. When I tested the Mendip Woodland I found the convection system hugely effective, but an Ivar with a Fan will do a grand job.
@@TheTortoise thanks a lot. I think the Mendip has convection top, which I don’t want. My ideal stove would be Chilli Penguin 78 - oven box, convection sides, hot top, 7.2kW. The wait is too long though, my family are freezing, so Ivar 8 is a good near term option! Incidentally, I’ve got a Piazzetta E900M to sell which is fantastic but too large - have you ever used those?
@@ryank4895 no I haven’t, they look much more exciting than most stoves, but I guess their market is quite small in the uk. I’ve never even seen one 😬
We have had this stove for about 5 years now. Never had a problem with the door handle. Never replaced the ash collector at the top. The ash scoop is fine, our handle is more open than the one in this video, just wear a rubber glove to keep your hand clean if it bothers you. The glass only looks dirty when cold and you open the door and look at it, when closed you don't notice the etching at all. I'm happy with it.
That sounds good. Although I imagine (given the age) your stove doesn’t have the catalyst in the top.
Wish I'd of found this channel before I ordered a stove didn't know there was so much too it lol 😆 I've ordered a Mazona Ripley 8kw eco design, I am on a budget after all, any chance of an opinion on those for the more affordable end of the spectrum? Ps cracking reviews and presentations 👍
I’ve put them down on my list, I would definitely like to look at a few more lower cost stoves.
@@TheTortoise Much appreciated for the reply thanks a lot 💯
So I have had a Burley Debdale for about 8 years now. The scoop may not be the best but you do need something to get into the bottom of the ash tray to get things out and it does the job. I tend to run it close to max most of the time as it is now my only source of heat in the house so a bit undersized. I found the metal ash collector at the top burns out every two years and have now given up with it as it is expensive to replace, this does cause some issue as I think it is designed to help lock the fire bricks in place. Obviously the size of the fire box does limit the size of the logs you can put in, it is better now I do my own chainsawing. I do run it over night with the right logs and a good bed of ash its ready to go in the morning. This year I did replace the inner sheet of glass as the other one had got etched and I had no problem getting a replacement, which was the same with the rope and fire bricks. On the top along with an Ecofan I keep 3 Stellar 3 litre kettles two are filled with rainwater for washing up and hot water bottles etc, and the other one with tap water for hot drinks., so there is never a shortage of hot water in the house over the winter months.
This sounds fantastically self sufficient. It’s probably worth replacing the upper baffle etc as you will get more out of the stove in return, but it sounds like you’re tweaking things down to a fine art.
Thanks for the comment.
How much does it cost to replace the metal ash collector?
@@jasonngldn £63 in 2014
@@jasonngldn you’ll need to speak to Burley or a local dealer as I don’t have any details on price.
Can you explain the best ways to tun the Burly stove? Is it on high heat or low heat? I find high heat bit too hot and have to move away from the stove but I heard thats the best way to run these eco models? Frankly I’d prefer putting one log in to maintain a lower heat anytime. But was told that’s not good. Any expert advice would be welcome.
I hear this a lot about Burley and I think people have over learned from past mistakes and their new advice is just as bad as old advice.
Previously people weren’t educated on burning stoves, they used wet wood and would often slumber it all day and night (because this was seen as the advantages of having a wood burner as apposed to an open fire). This caused loads of tar and soot in the chimney, and that caused chimney destruction, fires, leaks etc.
Nowadays not only do stoves burn much cleaner, but people use dry fuel and installations are miles safer and within small pipes that don’t tar up in the same way at all.
It’s still foolish to run on slumber all the time, but it is equally foolish to suggest to you that it should be run on full all the time, and be unpleasant to live with. Treat it like a car, you don’t drive in 5th gear at 30 with the engine struggling to go, and you equally don’t scream the car at 6000rpm. Just use the stove as you’re comfortable. It’s not a problem to shut it down, or to run hot but doing 1 or other constantly is definitely a mistake.
I’m sorry you’ve been poorly advised, but I hope this gives you some confidence. Just remember it has that control for a reason, there is no problem using it👍!
Really helpful video, thank you! We’ve been recommended this stove for our open plan living space (50 metres squared) but do you think it’s only suitable for a small room as you mentioned in your video? We want something with a decent heat output! Thanks
50 square meters (just to be sure you don’t mean cubic m?) sounds very big. This stove would happily heat a 50 cubic m room, but unless this is a very well insulated building, I would want a bigger stove for 50sqm.
What is the H,W&L of your room?
Hey! 50 metres square in terms of floor plan area, so width 7.5m, length 6.5m and height is about 2.5m. It’s an open plan space including a kitchen, dining and living and the living area will have the log burner. I think the insulation is ok, probably not amazing and we’ll have big bifolds which won’t help heat loss. Most people have said a 5kw would be enough but then one stove supplier said this 4kw burley stove was great and would be sufficient but we feel a bit unsure! Any advice would be amazing
This advice seems a little bonkers to me. Assuming your house is more than a 30 years old, I would calculate like this:
8x7x2.5 = 140m3
= 10kw
I would then think about how I wanted to use it?
If it were just a back up and focal point then I might avoid the need for an air vent and go for the biggest 5kw I could find (the Clock Blithfield can hit around 9kw as an example). Or if I wanted to use the stove more as a tool for a job then I would look at something capable of a bit more (maybe 12kw) and then ensure I picked something very capable and focused eg:
Heta Ambition 8
Burley Crownley
Etc etc.
Given the size of the space, glass and insulation, buying this stove is like buying a moped to drive a 5 person family around. Totally mad!
How do you plan to use it, what will you be burning and how old is the house?
Let me know and I can confirm a sensible output needed.
The house is 1930s so quite old and we’ll be using the original chimney. We’ve been advised that as our chimney width is only 800mm, we are limited to a more portrait style stove.
We are going to have underfloor heating in the room, and there will be a sofa within a few metres of the fire so don’t want it to feel too hot if sat there! We’re hoping it will give the space warmth but doesn’t need to be the main heat source. We do like the Clock Blithfield but was advised we’d need the compact one which we don’t like the look of as much, so been thinking about the Heta Inspire 40!
Assuming the fireplace opening is 800mm wide then I would think you have reasonable flexibility. The Blithfield would certainly work in an 800mm width assuming there’s no wood/combustibles in the opening.
But given your use perhaps something smaller is appropriate.
Hi there, what do you think of the Woodpecker WP5 plus and can I just buy any stove thermometer and position it where you have in this video or is it built in? Thanks!
Yea we will be selling thermometers on CZcams once we get organised. I have reviewed a woodpecker, which may be worth a watch.
Did you notice any glass staining on these new models. I've read reviews they do not have air wash system.
They have a huge amount of air being directed into the firebox from lots of places. Some of this air will be acting as an air wash, but you’re right, they don’t have a typical shelf of air coming down from above. The stove I tested could run overnight and even then stay clean, so there was certainly no issue whilst I was using it (with dry fuel)!
We have a bigger burley and noticed that the instructions that come with the stove suggest that flue thermometers don't work with burleys due to the heat exchanger design meaning flue gases are cooler. Is this the experience you had with this stove? We have a thermometer (one of yours!) and it doesn't tend to get out of the lower end of 'operating'.
Yes. I did find myself putting on the top of the stove, as this read more accurately. But to be fair, once you’ve learned the stove it doesn’t matter where it is. The indicator is really helpful even if it reads a little lower. Obviously in your case you can add 50° in your head and it leaves you in roughly the right place. For me it’s a rough indication, and it’s definitely still really useful.
Hi, i had a debdale 10 years ago and loved it, economical and clean glass. This one i have had a week, glass very brown each morning not just dust, cleaning it, but dont understand why it's doing this. Help!
It’s likely to be moisture in the fuel, or shutting it down before the fuel has properly burned.
There’s always a learning curve with new stoves so don’t panic. Keep trying and come back to me if you’re still struggling and I can ask you some questions about your use etc.
Thank you, dry wood as i use the damp meter , better yesterday, have good ash bed now, bottom inside door very brown, on the metal holding rope in.
@@annw6400 keep going it’ll improve each time and you’ll be able to predict it in no time. If the fuel is right then it’s all to do with air, either there’s not much draw or the vent is closed just a touch too much.
Needs more air, I run mine when fully hot between the second and middle markers on the air bar and don't have much browning at all
Any reviews of the Merlin range coming soon?
I've never used a Merlin so far, but I'll send them an e-mail now and see what they think.
I have tried many merlins very high quality long path air wash which leads to crystal clear glass main problem the voide below the top of the stove the air wash travels through is too deep so it suffers with low stove top temps
@@MegaSweep1 I’ll have a look at some point. I’ve got a Clearview in at the moment, I know it’s old school, but still worth a look!
@@MegaSweep1 You seem to be pretty knowledgeable - may i ask you for a recommendation? I have a 120m3 room with large single glazed windows, 3 outside walls - i want a plain looking stove with direct air - what do you suggest?
Any experience with the hi flame/ Olymberyl stoves( heard it's the most selling stove in Ireland? The Gabriel 5 kw model has quite a good reputation) probably OEM . Strangely hardly anything on CZcams. Thoughts? You would probably be the best person to ask..so was wondering if uv had any experience with them?
Yes I know that stove quite well. It’s a stove that has been being made for decades under loads of different names. It was based on a stove from Waterford Stanley which was sold by Aga (the little Wenlock), you then had the Cuig Saey, which again was basically the same thing.
Generally the stoves were not anything special, but they are a simple and affordable coal or peat burner.
@@TheTortoise I think the Gabriel is a multifuel..burns wood though primarily..a friend of mine who owns it says while burning coal he can never get it to standards temps..only around 350 def. F...says has never reached 400. Basically only uses wood now.. Is it a thing with these multifuel with grates not enough air flow for coal? Or is he doing something wrong? Efficiency wise he's quite proud and says it's above 78 percent! Thoughts? Btw takes a good hour to get upto 220 250 degs c..heavy little thing.
Smokeless fuel doesn’t generally run at high temperatures so lower temps are fairly normal. Mixing in some wood or peat will raise the temperature. Burning wood on these coal stoves is fine, but you’re losing a lot of functionality due to the grate burning the fuel a little more wastefully. If you’re struggling with getting the stove hot, then the simple answer is add more fuel. You want to make sure there isn’t an underlying issue, but assuming things are serviceable then more fuel, and leaving the air open for longer is the answer.
@@TheTortoise really appreciate you taking time to answer my questions...appreciate it. Cheers!
How was the heat output. I have bought the 5kw hardwick.
They work excellently, that catalyst will be a pain for some people though. If you ever burn wet wood you can easily clog it very quickly. The output though was great
Hi, what is the hardwick like? I have purchased one and am awaiting it being installed in September. Any chance of a CZcams video of it as there are literally no videos reviewing that stove. 90% efficiency rating is what made me go for it though!
If a stove is classed as "intermittent" how long can you run it for,?
Lots of these classifications are about manufacturers reduce exposure to blame. If you say your stove is a 24/7 use then you open yourself up to huge amounts of potential problems:
Someone struggles to keep it in, someone burns wet wood and causes chimney fires, someone consistently over fires the stove and has high running costs etc.
Every manufacturer will have their own way of saying basically the same thing, and it will basically always involve them saying “for intermittent use”.
If you’re referring to this stove, I have tested it as a serious use appliance and I found that it was fantastically competent as a serious continual use stove, but no one can advise you to do that, it will be a personal choice.
@@TheTortoise is best place for stove information. Appreciate your time replying, keep up the good work 👏
@@DavidWilliams-hm4cv you’re very kind, glad I could be of use!
Can you just not use or replace the baffle ..
The design of that baffle completely covers the top of the stove so that all the smoke has to go through the catalyst. So if you didn’t have a catalyst then you’d have to leave a gap for the smoke but who knows whether the stove would work after you did that. It certainly wouldn’t work as well 😬
Thank you
It doesn’t last for 8 hours on one load!!!
It might be worth watching this:
czcams.com/users/shortsrTFB_plYBsc?si=tJT7sRGqYoKItT3p
This stove with good technique can run 8 hours very comfortably.
Thank you