A
Anonymous
Guest
Hi everyone,
My wife and I recently moved into an old cottage with a 25 year old solid fuel Aga. Thus far, using it has been a dream and I can honestly say that I'd hate to have to go back to using any modern appliance. However, despite a thorough service and having its thermostat repaired we're still finding that life with the Aga is, at best, somewhat inconsistent!
I've read the theory, and we're experiencing the practice, but with only three months behind us I'd love to hear from anyone who can share their experiences...here are ours:
1. Recently, despite trying to set the thermostat very carefully to ensure the temperature is near optimal first thing on a morning, everytime we give the Aga a decent riddle (i.e. to begin with twice a day) several hours later the temperature has rocketed in to the red and we've even seen the hob glow a deep red...in daylight!
2. So, now we've elected to continue to top the aga up twice a day (once on a morning and once on an evening), but I've stopped riddling the thing before bed. On a morning the temperature is quite low, but by doing this I can riddle again in the morning and by teatime, after work, the temperature is pretty optimal...and so the cycle continues.
3. Being only the two of us and therefore using a relativey small amount of hot water throughout a normal work day I think one of the problems is that we're simply not using the hobs or enough water to help 'use' the energy the Aga builds up...does this sound plausible?
4. We're using anthracite nuggets at £9.50 a bag! When under control, the Aga uses a full coal scuttle a day (i.e. two half scuttles or there abouts). How do these figures compare?
5. What other fuels could we actualy use and how might they compare...would they burn faster or simply cooler...if cooler, perhaps this might help our overheating problem since manipulation of the thermostat and circular 'valve' seem not to produce consistent results...perhaps because our usage is inconsistent.
So far, we're definately adapting and the benefits are welcome (who would have thought pork crackling was so easy to get right!), even if the fuel is proving to be a little pricey (1/2 a tonne used in 2 months). We'd love to hear your opinions and experiences!
Thanks.
My wife and I recently moved into an old cottage with a 25 year old solid fuel Aga. Thus far, using it has been a dream and I can honestly say that I'd hate to have to go back to using any modern appliance. However, despite a thorough service and having its thermostat repaired we're still finding that life with the Aga is, at best, somewhat inconsistent!
I've read the theory, and we're experiencing the practice, but with only three months behind us I'd love to hear from anyone who can share their experiences...here are ours:
1. Recently, despite trying to set the thermostat very carefully to ensure the temperature is near optimal first thing on a morning, everytime we give the Aga a decent riddle (i.e. to begin with twice a day) several hours later the temperature has rocketed in to the red and we've even seen the hob glow a deep red...in daylight!
2. So, now we've elected to continue to top the aga up twice a day (once on a morning and once on an evening), but I've stopped riddling the thing before bed. On a morning the temperature is quite low, but by doing this I can riddle again in the morning and by teatime, after work, the temperature is pretty optimal...and so the cycle continues.
3. Being only the two of us and therefore using a relativey small amount of hot water throughout a normal work day I think one of the problems is that we're simply not using the hobs or enough water to help 'use' the energy the Aga builds up...does this sound plausible?
4. We're using anthracite nuggets at £9.50 a bag! When under control, the Aga uses a full coal scuttle a day (i.e. two half scuttles or there abouts). How do these figures compare?
5. What other fuels could we actualy use and how might they compare...would they burn faster or simply cooler...if cooler, perhaps this might help our overheating problem since manipulation of the thermostat and circular 'valve' seem not to produce consistent results...perhaps because our usage is inconsistent.
So far, we're definately adapting and the benefits are welcome (who would have thought pork crackling was so easy to get right!), even if the fuel is proving to be a little pricey (1/2 a tonne used in 2 months). We'd love to hear your opinions and experiences!
Thanks.