We''ve had two FB Montfort stoves since 2005 - one in the kitchen and the other in the lounge. They have both been excellent and, apart from replacing some of the firebricks once, and the glasses
which we managed to scratch, and,of course, the door seal ropes now and then, they have been no trouble at all. The stove is easy to get going, and to control, and warms the room very quickly.I do wonder why some of your reviewers have had so much trouble. Maybe a case of Read The Manual!Would certainly have no hesitation in buying again and have recommended to stove to many friends and relations.
Stove expert replied:
As always the Manual is the best place to start when you are having problems. Nice review.
Firstly, I would like to say I never normally write reviews, but am so happy with this burner, that I felt obliged to spread the word!We spent a while reading up on all the reviews and then
went and looked at quite a few different makes and models.My neighbour had actually installed this exact model in his house about a year ago and was really pleased with it. Overall this burner has been brilliant. Excellent build and really easy to use. Feels very solid, sturdy and the handles are good too. (We looked at some cheaper makes at a "countryside chain", and the handles were a real giveaway as to their lesser quality.The stove kicks out plenty of heat and some reviews suggest more than its 5KW. We have it in an open plan downstairs, semi and its been plenty warm enough.It does die down over night with wood, Its a smaller burner so I think thats fair enough. I reckon if you load it up with a woodburner multifuel "coal" at the end of the evening, then it would probably still be going in the morning.The Airwash system is pretty good, but not excellent. I quick rub with a scrunched up newspaper over the glass works for me every couple of weeks.The ashpan works well, collecting all the ash and is easy to remove without spilling everywhere. Franco Belge is quite an expensive make, but its so true about getting what you pay for. Dont pay the RRP £750, there are some good deals to be had out there. Im not sure if I can say how much we paid (Please Edit if you want),but more like £600 inc delivery. Try buying in the summer!(Dont buy a cheap woodburner, I have two friends who have regreted it, one has already replaced his after only two years.)When our burner was delivered, Franco Belge had really packed it well and obviously on a crate. We lifted it, crate and all straight into the fire place, but couldnt understand how it weighed so much more, when we tried to lift it off the crate. After much back ache and rude words, my wife pointed out that it was attached by bolts through the bottom of the crate! Anyway 10/10 for a cracking stove and really recommended.
Had this stove for 8 years and have used it in the winters from October to April depending. Used hard wood only and sometimes smokeless coal. Had to buy two new baffles at a cost of 180.00,
each 3 back bricks £50 each( one due to the baffle incompetence of one nib burnt away causing brick to crack in two) 4 side bricks 30ish each. Also replaced the grate which cracked (£80) recently the 2 year old baffle plate fell in to the burning fire! My installer saved by welding it back together otherwise that would have been a further cost of180. However I would guess I may need a new baffle for next winter season. Also I noticed that there were cracks in the grate for sometime and yep 4 of the bars eventually collapsed last week. Another £80 . The question is is the stove or the parts or both that are not up to the job? My installer recommends I save up and get a new stove. Other than that the fire looks great and burns beautifully until the parts start to disintegrate. Nightmare would not recommend this stove.
Stove expert replied:
Unfortunately replacement parts are expensive compared to the original price of the stove. Operating the stove correctly (not over firing), leaving a slight bed of ash on the grates and emptying the ashpan daily helps to provide the best conditions for longevity of the parts.
We have had our wood burner for 10 years now and it is lit every night from October through to about April. We have never had any problems until now. We have just replaced the fire bricks and
baffle plate. The side bricks now consist of 2 each side instead of the previous 1. These now cover a larger area so there is little room for the smoke to go up the flue. We lit it last night after putting in the new fire bricks & baffle plate and every time we opened the door the smoke billowed out into the room. This is obviously dangerous so we may have to do away with the smaller side brick but despite this would definitely buy another.
Stove expert replied:
Do check that you have been sent the correct parts for the stove. Make sure there is enough air in the room and open the door slowly so that the change in pressure is gradual which may help when refuelling is required.
I have had my stove for 5 yrs now and it is about ready for the scrap yard! U have to have the flue swept from above (Costs more) as like other reviewers the internal parts have warped, back
plate cracked 3rd time now! Yes I use the correct fuel and clean the grate etc etc....I have a different make of stove in my kitchen that I treat the same and use the same fuel on - it is still functioning well with no issues. .. so I need not say any more!
Had this wood burner for four years now. Only problems encountered are broken back bricks which become very brittle. Kicks out plenty of heat and easy to control. Would recommend.
We have had this in our home for just over 2 years but hasn't had much use. The body of the fire has got cracks all over it. The rear brick has a 2.5" crack down the middle and franco belge
aren't bothered at all because the 2 year guarantee has run out. This is a waste of money but more importantly potentially very dangerous, please avoid.
I have had this stove two years this coming June. I've just ordered a new rear brick, £50 new side bricks £73. I'm on my second grate at £75 each, the baffle plate is shot at, and this
is the second one I've had as the first warped so badly smoke billowed out each time the door was opened. And yes it was so bad we had to redecorate and if you've asthma its potentially deadly. This has cost me more to maintain than any gas fire or boiler you could imagine. Any notion that you will have cost efficient heating, forget it. Franco Belge shouldn't allow this stove to be on sale without modifications to overcome these problems. It is an expensive mistake. There are plenty of stoves out there, so choose your stove carefully.
My stove was fitted professionally 18 months ago. It stopped working properly (smoke coming into room when refilling) 4 months later and the fitter found the top baffle plate had warped and
was blocking the outlet. He had to take an angle grinder to it to get it out, half a days work He contacted Franco Belge, this is / was a known problem with these. He had to argue to get a free replacement. The stove is multi fuel with only seasoned wood and approved merchant supplied smokeless used on it plus a flue temp gauge, please bear this in mind because the 'experts' will always try and blame your fuel. There is a good deal of denial about this fault on these stoves. My fitter was excellent and he will not recommend these stoves at all now. The grate is now burned through which I have patched up with an old bit of a barbecue, and the product outlet lip has rusted and corroded off (and yes I clean the crap off it regularly as if its left on it can cause rust, nor does it rain down the flue pipe, ive heard them all !) . Now it has some air going through it even though its in a state it works fine after I jammed the rear insulating panel up with a screw as it kept falling down over the fire. With all the good reviews perhaps there is just the odd Friday afternoon stove knocking about so Im not going to embark on an assassination based purely on one stove, but I would seriously take these issues into account before buying one, and check the price of spare baffles / grates no matter which type you buy, Franco Belge Montfort are astronomical compared to other reputable makes. Its roaring away in the fireplace quite nicely now, but I wouldnt have another one and they are too much of a big ticket item to be replacing after a couple of years. Makes gas seem like a cheap option !.
Stove expert replied:
Having consulted the UK distributor regarding these comments it is felt that this stove has been over-fired or has been using a high pet coke based fuel causing distortion to the internal components. The only other reason the grate could be in this state is if the ashpan has not been emptied often enough and has been sandwiched between two sets of ashes and the hot fuel. Ash should not be allowed to build up and should be emptied regularly to prevent the grate from overheating.
If you had the original bolted in baffle this would have been replaced under warranty.
This is a great little fire but have had a lot of trouble with the fire bricks , had 3 of the back fire bricks in 3years as they seem so brittle.
Stove expert replied:
When putting fuel in the stove take care not to know the liners as this can shorten their life, Possibly get the sheet of lining material and cut your own would be an option for the future.
This is a great looking stove and on the whole am pleased with it except for one thing the fire bricks are so brittle had 3 back bricks in 2 years , had a new one in less than a week and it'
