range cooking and heating help

[Chris-B]

Good stuff the reason I ask is there are quite a few advertised locally from time to time and got me thinking. Ive always like the look of them and like something different. It would also seem that there must be a local supplier judging by the frequency of adverts for secondhand ones being available, I think that would point to them being easy to get your hands on. My son would like a range but cant stretch to an Aga or Rayburn and Ive put him off an Esse, time to change the gameplan and look at them methinks!

 

we went for the pressure jet version "centenary 80" rather than the wick type as its more controllable, very low power drain ( we do have a shoreline on the mooring) not that noisy in operation and most importantly very good on fuel

We did have it set up properly to ensure correct combustion etc

 

Chris

 

edited to add

I can recommend somebody to collect/move and install if its of interest , he also will go and check one over for a reasonable price prior to purchase

Edited October 20, 2011 by Chris-B

[soldthehouse]

we went for the pressure jet version "centenary 80" rather than the wick type as its more controllable, very low power drain ( we do have a shoreline on the mooring) not that noisy in operation and most importantly very god on fuel

We did have it set up properly to ensure correct combustion etc

 

Chris

Cheers

[richardf]

Good stuff the reason I ask is there are quite a few advertised locally from time to time and got me thinking. Ive always like the look of them and like something different. It would also seem that there must be a local supplier judging by the frequency of adverts for secondhand ones being available, I think that would point to them being easy to get your hands on. My son would like a range but cant stretch to an Aga or Rayburn and Ive put him off an Esse, time to change the gameplan and look at them methinks!

 

I work in the range cooker industry. Lots of my customers sell Esse and they ALL complain about poor customer service when it comes to ordering parts and assisting them in making repairs. It is a real shame as they are a long established UK company, but their build quality has slipped over the years. I am also aware of an issue with their wood burning ranges; basically the products of combustion tend to cool before leaving the range and hence condense. The reality is that this can cause problems with tarring. I can't think this would be helped in any way by having a short flue such as you would see on a narrowboat.

I've not heard this leveled at solid fuel Rayburns and you can pick these up for not much more than scrap value. The days when old Agas and Rayburns were worth good money have long gone - with the price of oil what it is, the secondhand market for used and refurbished oil Agas has dropped on its nose! The best most people can expect is for it to be taken out free of charge - the tool of choice being a 14lb sledgehammer!

[soldthehouse]

I work in the range cooker industry. Lots of my customers sell Esse and they ALL complain about poor customer service when it comes to ordering parts and assisting them in making repairs. It is a real shame as they are a long established UK company, but their build quality has slipped over the years. I am also aware of an issue with their wood burning ranges; basically the products of combustion tend to cool before leaving the range and hence condense. The reality is that this can cause problems with tarring. I can't think this would be helped in any way by having a short flue such as you would see on a narrowboat.

I've not heard this leveled at solid fuel Rayburns and you can pick these up for not much more than scrap value. The days when old Agas and Rayburns were worth good money have long gone - with the price of oil what it is, the secondhand market for used and refurbished oil Agas has dropped on its nose! The best most people can expect is for it to be taken out free of charge - the tool of choice being a 14lb sledgehammer!

Back to square one then! We will have to help him with a one way loan to get a recon oil Aga!!!! even at £25 a week running cost they give so much in return

[Chris-B]

All I can say is that I rang Esse up and ordered a new thermal switch on Monday afternoon it arrived Wed with a handwritten note on fitting instructions

if thats crap service then I don't know what would quantify as good !

Chris

 

or am I just lucky ?

 

time will tell after I fit it this weekend

Edited October 20, 2011 by Chris-B

[richardf]

All I can say is that I rang Esse up and ordered a new thermal switch on Monday afternoon it arrived Wed with a handwritten note on fitting instructions

if thats crap service then I don't know what would quantify as good !

Chris

 

or am I just lucky ?

 

time will tell after I fit it this weekend

 

No, good service indeed - but on a cooker that is 4 years old and 'has hardly been used' I would say crap quality

[Chris-B]

No, good service indeed - but on a cooker that is 4 years old and 'has hardly been used' I would say crap quality

 

 

To a degree I would agree BUT that is not a component they manufacture themselves

as with all products sometimes things go wrong

hopefully this will be all we need

Chris

[richardf]

To a degree I would agree BUT that is not a component they manufacture themselves

as with all products sometimes things go wrong

hopefully this will be all we need

Chris

 

That's OK then then in manufacturing is it? Generally early demise of a component part is due to the purchasing department taking the cheaper option or not really examining the supply chain in enough detail - or a fault in design.

It is still their product in the eyes of the customer and it is still their reputation that suffers (and has done)

You said the cooker had hardly been used; at an initial cost of £3000-£4000 to buy, it simply shouldn't go wrong if it was built at a quality to match that cost. But if you are happy with it - that's fine.

[Chris-B]

Without taking this totally off topic Richard

are you saying that the product you produce has never had any form of component failure within 4 years of service ( full or intermittent)

 

I agree with you 100% that its not acceptable in any manufacturing process to accept a percentage of component failure, this can be minimised as much as possible by correct sourcing/materials/component purchasing but there will always be that one component that does not function for its fully expected working life

 

My comments above do not only apply to range cookers but all manufactured goods

 

Chris

[wandering snail]

Have a look at the Sigmar. Smaller than the Aga and lighter but has a good size oven, all the 'hob' surface is useable, heats the hot water and the boat. Very pleased with ours.

[Dave S2]

Hi,

 

We have a Heritage Range cooker-it's very clever, operates heating,water and obviously cooking. It runs on diesel and carosine, but there are other alternatives! we are considering increasing battery power by adding another battery, 130amp- as the heritage is controlled by a clever 'gismo' that automatically trips-in to maintain optimun temperature-although you can set it to a manual configuration. Absolutely fab in a boat, comes in 2 sizes and several colours and to date: uses not a lot of fuel!

 

Kind Regards,

 

Warrior Princess.

 

 

Hi there,

 

What is the manual configuration you speak of?

 

I have worked out it should use 1.14 litres of diesel per hour but after an hour of heating up to 200 the oven will cool down every 15 minutes or so and the burner will prob come on again for a few minutes after that time cycling roughly like this.

 

Always have a multifuel burner on board with a backboiler this is a must have for when the range needs servicing or when you run out of diesel and IS nicer. All houses with ranges I am certain have a stove as well! (tho i could be wrong)

 

I will emphasise just how helpful those guys at Heritage are. I have learnt how to replace the burner nozzle and adjust the electrodes next to them. I am going to learn gasket replacement and removal of hob for clean out, also the bottom of the oven is removable for a hoover or wipe clean if necessary with a wide flat head screwdriver. It is worth knowing because their time is limited and I think they welcome it if you are confident however a full service which involves adjusting the pump pressure... a critical factor, is not something I can yet do or perhaps would be able to do.

 

If it fits then a Compact would be advantageous over an UNO.