Wood burning stoves -- steel or cast iron

[Simon Langford]

I was looking at an Aga to heat our large high-ceilinged kitchen, but for various reasons we've eliminated that option and are now looking at wood burners.

The one we like is the Morso O8 (see

. This is a steel stove, but we like the design better than all the cast iron stoves we've looked at.

So what difference does steel vs. cast iron actually make? My guess is that an iron stove would stay hot longer after the fire has subsided. Would it also take longer to get hot once the fire is lit? Presumably so, since you can't get something for nothing.

This particular make (Morso) seem quite expensive. Other steel stoves seem to go for around £600 where this is more like £1000. Does anyone have a steel Morso stove and are they worth the extra outlay?

Thanks,

Simon.

[Michael Mcneil]

.> This is a steel stove, but we like the design better than all the

No idea about prices but it looks like you will be filling it every hour at peak burn rate. Does it have an hopper?

600 quid seems a lot for a fireplace. You could make your own with some large tins. It would be a pain emptying it though. And have you thought through what is going to happen to your carpet when you empty the ashes?

Have a trawl through this site to see what fireworks come up seasonally here.

[Grunff]

.> This is a steel stove, but we like the design better than all the

Can't answer your question, but we've just installed a Morso Squirrel, and I have to say I'm *extremely* happy with it. The build quality is superb. The output is huge for such a small stove.

[Steve Firth]

You pay for what you get. The reason cast iron is preferred to steel is longer life rather than the quality of the heat produced. Flue gasses will eventually corrode the steel but cast iron seems to go on for decades.

FWIW we've had a steel woodburner in the kitchen for about seven years now, it's OK but is showing signs of corrosion.

[Tony Williams]

I read a (US) book on woodburners a few years ago.

They were of the opinion that cast iron was best, because what they called 'boiler plate' stoves had a tendency to distort if overheated.

Our is cast iron, a Spencer Sherwood. A big ugly brute, but it will take huge logs and well sealed, so that an overnight tickover is no problem.

These are the things I would look at first as well. Is it a big firebox that will take nice long logs. Are all doors well-fitting, with sealing gaskets. Is the ash pan large enough to go days without emptying. Is it practical to do at least some makeshift cooking on the top if there is a total power cut (that lasts a few days).

[Andy Dingley]

Much less than for most other differences. Don't let it influence you.

Cast iron will typically last longer (centuries not decades), but you can break cast iron by mis-firing. It will also break if you hit it, and it's hard to repair. Steel is great, _if_ it's adequately made in the first place.

"tin cans" are just not up to it.

And take a look here.

[Glen]

Check out

. The designs obviously aren't for everyone, but they are very popular in our region, and the build quality is fantastic. I mention it here mainly due to the fact that they too are fabricated from mild steel, and that the site is very informative as to reasons for this etc.

Glen