Full Independent review of the Charnwood Aire range 

Soft wood is definitely not the ideal fuel for this, but it is possible. I followed this carefully to the letter with Kiln dried ash: ru-vid.comrTFB_plYBsc?si=x7KNKHqAr_EL9tqW Through this, most stoves that will only run for an hour or 2 can achieve a lot more, but initially you need to get it spot on. Once you’ve done it twice, you’ll grow in confidence and it’ll get easier.

@@TheTortoise Cheers Gabriel. The Aire 3 doesnt lend itself to stacking up does it? I got it to run for quite a few hours earlier though, which is useful as its primary job is drying washing. I am probably spoiled, I run a Woodwarm Fireview 9 on a 5 inch 904 flue which runs through 6 tons of reinforced concrete, resulting in a perfect heat brick and excellent draw. I have been at this a long time, all the way back to a Yorkshire stove in 1998 and the Woodwarm replaced a Morso Badger. The Woodwarm is easy overnight, but you have to accept sweeping your own chimney in between annual sweeps. Would be interested in a Woodwarm review, especially after the Heta and DG tests being so impressive. I think to be honest you would find it a little boring, it’s impossible to get wrong but doesn’t do extremes.

I’ve been to see Woodwarm and am hoping to do some work with them in 2024. I’m really excited about it actually, particularly the grate design which is very interesting!

Your bang on with the grate. The rotating teardrop design is really clever and works well. You can open in a little to get the fire going on primary air (control to the left) then close it completely. Once to temperature, the Fireview will run easily shut right down. Woodwarm themselves are a joy to deal with also. BTW, I got the Aire 3 running better now, like any stove you get to know it. Get it hot and run it on large kiln dried beech logs. Happy new year @@TheTortoise

Glad the Aire is working well now too!

It’s certainly on my list, it’s a pretty thing without a doubt.

I spoke to Charnwood about this. Apparently the control that you pull out to increase air can be made slightly longer so that, when you close it, it will close more fully. I must admit I have not done this, but this information was from Charnwood themselves. They said that on the 3 however, this was not a possibility as the way the air system works is quite different to the 5 & 7.

@@TheTortoise thanks for your prompt detailed response.

Just what is this removable DEFRA kit? For use in stoves in a non SE area??

I would like to try one out, I shall have to give them a call and see whether they have anything available.

@@TheTortoise Thank you, that’s great to hear. I have noticed they are being used quite a bit by people needing to fit a small stove into small victorian fireplaces that won’t allow for anything larger. Not everyone wants to tear out nice old features from their homes and this choice seems to work for some.

@@jb7052 yea I’m with you. They’re used in lots of outbuildings, boats and vans too.

There aren’t many stoves with fans, so yes most purely radiate heat.

What will you burn on it mostly (wood or coal)? Will it be used as a back up and focal point, or as a bit more of a serious heat source? Let me know and I’ll suggest some models.

@@TheTortoise I'll mostly use wood, with solid fuel only used occasionally. The room (living room) will still have central heating. It'll mostly be used as a focal point and a heat source in winter.

@@MG63 cheers. Yeah you'll not be allowed to post links as RU-vid will assume it's spam.

As an idea of the style that I've liked from my research so far, I like the appearance of the Stovax Futura 5 and Clock Blithfield 5, but I'm open and happy to receive alternative suggestions.

@@clarkeysam it’s worth mentioning initially then that m/f as a purely occasional/maybe could be a mistake as stoves that are set up for coal tend to be very wasteful with wood. Given your use I don’t think you’ll struggle too much with most things, and the 2 you’ve mentioned are obviously very smart and expensive stoves that maybe over and above your requirements. That’s no disaster, but it’s fair to say you could get a stove to do what you want for less money. I might add in the Hunter Herald Eco stoves to your list (it is capable of burning coal, but it’s focused on wood, which sounds the right way round for your use). Perhaps the Chilli Penguin, F2 vue, Saltfire and Ekol and Woodford stoves will all achieve what you’re after. Overall the likes of the chilli penguin and hunter are the most focused on wood and will likely perform the best too, but they’re not necessarily the cheapest.

The Aire is definitely the higher spec model and is more special and good to use. But this isn’t a perfect comparison because obviously the Country 4 is more powerful.

This is an interesting comment. How long have you had the stove, because this could simply be down to technique tweaks. I’ve used the 5 and get a long burn (certainly way longer than 2 hours) was easily possible. I’m not sure what you mean by “autonomy”, but: What are you burning? How long have you been using the stove? Do you have a thermometer/ are you getting the stove to fill operating temperature?

I burn mainly Oak, beech and Ash tree wood logs. Humidity is lower than 20%, generally around 15%. When I say autonomy, I mean combustion time, I am perhaps a bit severe with my comment but I was really expecting a big difference with my previous mid range stove. I have a thermometer on the flu and I confirm that operating temperature is Ok (beyond 300°F). My main disappointment is really the ease of use. My previous stove was running always the same way. The charnwood is very sensitive to wood type and humidity, log size and external conditions (temperature and humidity). I would say that the charnwood is very reactive, burn conditions are not stable, changing from overburn to underburn in a few minutes. It has perhaps an higher efficiency than old stoves but ease of use is worst.

Modern stoves do operate very differently to old stoves. It could be that there are still things to learn about it, but I agree they are much more sensitive. It makes sense when things are more highly tuned, but it’s definitely not all good news. I obviously live with loads of new stoves, and I have become very used to how they work. Also my comparisons are obviously between other modern appliances, but thinking about it, making a video about how they differ from old stoves is probably an interesting video, because they really are hugely different.

It’s not the ideal stove for the job, but it is definitely capable if you’d like it.

@@TheTortoise thanks for your answer m8, and all of your informative videos!

@@TheTortoise Then which one IS suitable for that task?

@@DeanJuvenal something with a deep firebox that is easy to leave a bed of ash inside. It needs to be tough like the Aire and controllable, but perhaps a slightly simpler design. This stoves ash pan looks convenient, but it is less capable of constant use because of it. I’d be looking at things like: Ivar 5 Ambition 5 Burley stoves The Charnwood C 5 is a good alternative to this.

@@TheTortoise I ended up buying the aire 5 and after 1,5 seasons, I am very happy with it! Btw, would be cool if you showed how to remove the defra kit on this model.

The pod question does seem a bit rubbish, I don’t think there would be a warranty issue if it was drilled because let’s face it, there is nothing to break. But on the other hand the fact that it isn’t available pre-made is rubbish particularly given the price. Also the money you mentioned is my primary issue with this stove, it is terrifyingly expensive. However on the overnight thing, I am very particular, and this stove did run over night. I’m not paid to do these reviews and I was certainly not making it up. Any person wanting to achieve this would need to use my “hamster technique” seen in my “how to run overnight” RU-vid short, but it is possible.

It’s very dependent on what you want to achieve with it, but in a word, no. I like the stove, but it depends on what you’re burning, how you’re using it and how much?

@@TheTortoise a mix of fuels but mainly coal atm. Efficiency is really important but i also like visual glass too. Use is pretty much all the time now. ( never used to be )

@@jonathonhoggarth6473 efficiency is always at its best when you focus on 1 fuel, but if you need both then I’d look at the following: Heta inspire, best with wood, but capable with both fuels. The Ludlow is compromised with both fuels, but also fairly flexible as it is capable with both fuels. May well be a good option for you. The Hunter Herald Eco is also quite capable with both. You could look at the Pevex stoves too.

​@@TheTortoise thanks for all the advice, have you tried a charnwood skye?

@@jonathonhoggarth6473 I will have a look, I believe that underneath it is essentially the same as the Aire, but I obviously tried the little version. I hope to try a 5 or a 7 next.

I really like Charnwood, and they’re not the only ones with prices like this. You could equally argue that a Porsche is over priced, but really nice things are sometimes worth it for the name, exclusivity and how they make you feel. But like a Porsche they’re definitely not a value option.