Pyroclassic mini woodburner

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Swept

36 posts

Geek

#2549830 26-Aug-2020 09:50

batdan:

Have not had much success with chimney sweepers. Last one levered up the top plate to sweep out the soot, and left it not sealing properly and it wouldn't burn hot. The Pyroclassic website shows how they should be swept by removing the flue. Previous to this they just swept and left in top chamber.

And this is my issue with these fires; they are too finicky for their own good.

1) these are 'premium' fires, thus often get installed in architecturally designed homes where if it ain't a low 15 degree pitched roof, it's a cathedral ceiling monstrosity.

2) Pyroclassic insist on sweeping from the top - this is so behind the times. Health and Safety in this country has drastically changed where we are not allowed up without full harness or kit, only to spend 10 minutes up there. The cost and set-up is prohibitive.

3) Pyroclassic state that these fires should not be installed with offsets so the flue can be lifted up; well, low and behold the number installed WITH offsets. Offsets are common with logfire installations - you can't move a truss, or the owner wants the fire positioned in a specific place that dictates the use of these offsets. The retailer should know this, but don't inquire, the owner doesn't know or care, the installer is just paid to do the job, and the consenting officer doesn't know any better.

As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread; my experience is vastly different. If you own one and have no problems, you love it. If you own one that is constantly an issue and I have to keep going back to try remedy something that was never really going to work from the start, then yes my view of it is in the negative. We service around 200-300 Pyroclassics a year and the problem-childs certainly stand out.

Yes, all other brands have their issues, but we can always solve them pretty easily. Pyroclassics are like Italian sports cars; great in the summer when working well, but not so great when they're not.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2549835 26-Aug-2020 09:58

We have a corner location that used to have a Masport potbelly. That was replaced with a small Logaire that had to sit further forward with an offset. I'm looking at narrow units like the Pyroclassic or the Masport Akaroa that will sit further into the corner and possibly remove the need for the offset.

Looking at an Akaroa yesterday it seemed odd that such a tall firebox only had bricks covering the lower third of the firebox wall. Is that all that's needed?

Swept

36 posts

Geek

#2550107 26-Aug-2020 15:35

Bung: We have a corner location that used to have a Masport potbelly. That was replaced with a small Logaire that had to sit further forward with an offset. I'm looking at narrow units like the Pyroclassic or the Masport Akaroa that will sit further into the corner and possibly remove the need for the offset.

Looking at an Akaroa yesterday it seemed odd that such a tall firebox only had bricks covering the lower third of the firebox wall. Is that all that's needed?

It's not so much the narrowness of the fire, but the clearance distances - you can have large fires that can be 20mm off of the wall, meanwhile a small narrow thing that needs 270mm off the wall; just depends.

Have a look at the Firenzo Lady Kitchener (Lady K) - this is a beast and what we consider the 'Rolls-Royce" of the logfires. I've serviced one of these bad boys that was 47 years old and still going strong. Additionally, Firenzo do a model called the 'Bronte' which has a rear outlet set-up (check it out) which is one of the few that does this meaning the flue joins at the rear of the logfire, rather than on top.

Also look at Bosca's; very well build fires - kinda off look, but I think they're all good. Avoid: Kent, Jayline, Ethos - the first two are former shells of the giants they were in NZ (both being bought and sold various times, now owned by importer outfit who know nothing about logfires), and Ethos...just are average. Not bad, but not good either.

Yeah so what they use to do was make fireboxes out of 12/10mm plate steel - this would mean they would work really well and last long. But then...well times changed, and making things last isn't the done thing now. So, they reduced the thickness of the steel and bulked it up with fire bricks. This started with 6/8mm thick steel and just bricks on the bottom half where the most extreme heat stays. Then, they realised they could go 5mm or 4mm thick steel with the whole internals covered in fire bricks! Cheaper, AND like printers or razer blades, you make more money of the 'consumable' parts wearing out - like fire bricks!

So now we're starting to go back to thicker steel and fire bricks just located at strategic places (this is for Masport, Metro, Yunca etc.) but Woodsman and Firenzo still stick with bricks, bricks, and more bricks! The Akaroa being one of the more recent ones from Masport, I reckon they've gone thicker on the steel for less reliance on bricks.

sJBs

69 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

#2550115 26-Aug-2020 15:54

Swept:

@Psilan

So, the Akaroa & Mystique are very different logfires.

The Akaroa is just a fancy standard low-emission logfire and like all other Masport low-emissions; they good! The Mystique is a double-chamber Ultra Low-Emission Burner (ULEB). They no longer manufacturer the Mystique due to the various issues they had with them - it's rubbish.

However, Masport is my personal favourite as they are like Toyota's: simple, work, and do the job (except the Mystique). They are a quality build and if there is an issue, they don't muck around with warranty - they just get you sorted right away.

I'm also looking for a fireplace for our new home, but most likely a larger one for the living room area. I know you recommend the Masport as it "just works", but may I also ask you opinion on the Mackenzie R10000 complete with a wetback. Is it worth the added complexity for the gain of "free" hot water, or should I stay clear of these?

Also, being a Napier local, I was also considering one of the Firenzo stand-alone fireplaces, once again complete with a wetback such as Contessa, Lady Kitchener or Viking. Any thought you are willing to share?

VirtualKiwi

29 posts

Geek

#2550128 26-Aug-2020 16:15

Have a Pyroclassic V here, that's about 5 years old and it's been generally pretty good.

It has a wetback fitted, and one of the differences to many other fires is the 'wetback' is actually in the upper chamber rather than behind the fire, so it doesn't cool the main firebox down. Over winter, the hot water heating electricity bill tends to drop away to nothing.

The top works well for boiling a jug or cooking up a soup or stew too.

I like the good length of logs that it can take, although it does take a lesser diameter than other fires.

If you're into aesthetics, you can choose pretty much any colour you like, and even change if you update your interior design, as there are slide on panels that go around the fire.

Heat output isn't as much as some other fires, and it takes a little while to heat up but it keeps going longer, and due to the massive ceramic cylinder lining the firebox, it's a bit like a nightstore heater, so even if the fire has gone out, it will usually still be warm in the morning.

Most of the heat output is from the top, with relatively little radiated from the glass door panel, so you depend on convection to spread the heat.

On the down side, I think the door may have warped a bit causing the fire to burn faster than it should even when the front slider is closed, however new door seals may be enough to fix that.

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#2550184 26-Aug-2020 16:52

Bung: We have a corner location that used to have a Masport potbelly. That was replaced with a small Logaire that had to sit further forward with an offset. I'm looking at narrow units like the Pyroclassic or the Masport Akaroa that will sit further into the corner and possibly remove the need for the offset.

Looking at an Akaroa yesterday it seemed odd that such a tall firebox only had bricks covering the lower third of the firebox wall. Is that all that's needed?

Haven't had any issues, but IMO I also keep the ash level down and not let it build up too much between burns. My prevous log burner , Stack, didn't have any bricks at all. although it had a metal back plate that distorted over time from the heat. If getting one, I would suggest the one with the front door, and also has a ash tray. IMO it looks better too.

Swept

36 posts

Geek

#2562060 11-Sep-2020 10:06

sJBs:

Swept:

I'm also looking for a fireplace for our new home, but most likely a larger one for the living room area. I know you recommend the Masport as it "just works", but may I also ask you opinion on the Mackenzie R10000 complete with a wetback. Is it worth the added complexity for the gain of "free" hot water, or should I stay clear of these?

Also, being a Napier local, I was also considering one of the Firenzo stand-alone fireplaces, once again complete with a wetback such as Contessa, Lady Kitchener or Viking. Any thought you are willing to share?

The Mackenzie R10,000 is a Masport (based upon the R1500, R5000 series). It is the biggest fire you can get - seriously the thing is massive; if you don't like splitting firewood, this is the one for you - you can fit half a tree in the thing.

In saying that due to the sheer size of the thing, they really only work in big open areas - I'm talking massive open kitchen/dining/lounge area. If you're building a new house with modern insulation, go for a size down e.g. house size is 200sqm and the logfire says "heats 180-220sqm" then go for the next size down i.e "heats 140-180sqm" as we are starting to see the issue of a too big of a fire in a modern house; they get the room too hot (35-40 degrees), they then get shut down for long periods of time, this then creates a lot of creosote (soot) build-up, we are then sweeping your logfire twice a year.

Masport only do "water boosters" now along with many other manufacturers due to Clean Air rules. I'm not entirely sure how it works as all the difference between a 'water booster' for clean air and a 'wetback' for non-clean air zones, is that the actual copper coil is longer. Firenzo offer this, and literally all the difference is is the length of the coil, but it must affect the burning somehow.

If you're Napier, I'd consider a Firenzo if your budget allows - they are just awesome. Expensive yes, but they were built for old villas and farm houses in mind - i.e. big old cold places that run the thing for 6-9 months of the year. Well built, heat well, look cool.

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