I took a really long time to choose the Ivar 5, having had a terrible wood burner for some years I wanted one that was efficient, easy to light, easy to control and warmed my sitting room properly. I went through many sites, hundreds of reviews and all the You Tube videos I could find. I kept coming back to the Ivar 5 and Stovefitter’s Warehouse.
As it was going to be a careful DIY installation I didn’t just appreciate the price on this site but also all the useful, detailed information.
It was delivered by two very helpful men, installed just before Christmas, lit as per the instructions - kindling on top - and it worked perfectly immediately. I was a bit worried as I’d read of occasional smoke issues when the door was opened, and the fire did take five lightings before the burning off of the rather unpleasant smell was completely gone, but my first fear was groundless, there hasn’t been smoke when the door’s opened even once, and the second - that the smell would last forever - disappeared as soon as it had gone not to return.
I was also a little worried that the 5” flue wouldn’t draw well on my not particularly high chimney (roughly 5.5m total) but again a groundless fear.
In the last few weeks the Ivar has been lit multiple times in many different weather conditions and has performed perfectly under all of them.
The single sliding air control is a dream to use, the airwash has kept the glass immaculate on all but one occasion, when I turned it too low because I was going out. As an aside the glass cleaner that came with it restored the glass to pristine with no effort at all.
I don’t load it to max but it still heats the sitting room and noticeably warms the rest of the house. Can I think of any negatives? Only that the handle does get very hot if it’s left on, so I don’t.
