Squirrel Stove Modifications

[BargeeSpud]

Went to fire up our brand new Squirrel for the 1st time at the weekend only to discover a couple of "modifications" have been added.

 

The 1st one we found was 2 washers on the ashpan door vent that reduces the amount you can open it by about 1/2 - 2/3rds, which means you don't stand a snowball's getting the thing lit in the usual manner. According to the new manual, you do this by leaving the upper door open until it gets going to imrove the draw! EH!??

 

The 2nd one we discovered once lit. You can't open the ashpan door when the upper door is closed because someone thought it a good idea to attach a small angle bracket to the top of it that sits behind the upper door flange when they are both closed, so now you have to open the upper door to empty the chuffin ashpan! Madness!

 

Needless to say, we removed these objects of madness & the stove operates as it should do, perfectly. Is it me, or has someone at Morso completely lost their marbles, maybe due to some EU jobsworth interferance?

 

Personally I'm getting fed up with being treated like an unintelligent child by those in positions of influence that get so scared by ANY potential for letigious actions, that they spend their days dreaming up such garbage in a vainglorious attempt to thwart such litigation. This merely results in their having to assume that everyone who might come into contact with their product or service has to be a total moron!

 

I'm getting fed up with it, when will these idiots realise that the vast majority of people this crap is aimed at are intelligent ****ing adults!!!

 

 

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited October 8, 2012 by Spuds

[Djuwenda]

Personally I'm getting fed up with being treated like an unintelligent child by those in positions of influence that get so scared by ANY potential for letigious actions, that they spend their days dreaming up such garbage in a vainglorious attempt to thwart such litigation. This merely results in their having to assume that everyone who might come into contact with their product or service has to be a total moron!

 

I'm getting fed up with it, when will these idiots realise that the vast majority of people this crap is aimed at are intelligent ****ing adults!!!

 

 

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I went throught the same process at the week end. I dont seem to ge as worked up as you do on these minor trivialities. - we are talking about remving three screws here arent we?

[rjasmith]

Would it be worth giving Morso a ring and asking what the reasoning was behind these changes?

 

I found their tech man very helpful when I was putting together my comments on BS 8511 a few years back.

 

It would be interesting to know their reasons if you do find out!

 

Richard

[dor]

My Stovax Brunel had a piece moulded on the ashpan door that stopped it being opened when the main door was closed.

 

30 seconds with an angle grinder sorted that one.

[BargeeSpud]

I went throught the same process at the week end. I dont seem to ge as worked up as you do on these minor trivialities. - we are talking about remving three screws here arent we?

Yes we are, but the point is, its totally unnecessary & aggravating.

 

Would it be worth giving Morso a ring and asking what the reasoning was behind these changes?

 

I found their tech man very helpful when I was putting together my comments on BS 8511 a few years back.

 

It would be interesting to know their reasons if you do find out!

 

Richard

OK, thats a great idea, I'll get in touch with them or Uxbridge BC (the supplier), when I get a little time.

[mrsmelly]

Went to fire up our brand new Squirrel for the 1st time at the weekend only to discover a couple of "modifications" have been added.

 

The 1st one we found was 2 washers on the ashpan door vent that reduces the amount you can open it by about 1/2 - 2/3rds, which means you don't stand a snowball's getting the thing lit in the usual manner. According to the new manual, you do this by leaving the upper door open until it gets going to imrove the draw! EH!??

 

The 2nd one we discovered once lit. You can't open the ashpan door when the upper door is closed because someone thought it a good idea to attach a small angle bracket to the top of it that sits behind the upper door flange when they are both closed, so now you have to open the upper door to empty the chuffin ashpan! Madness!

 

Needless to say, we removed these objects of madness & the stove operates as it should do, perfectly. Is it me, or has someone at Morso completely lost their marbles, maybe due to some EU jobsworth interferance?

 

Personally I'm getting fed up with being treated like an unintelligent child by those in positions of influence that get so scared by ANY potential for letigious actions, that they spend their days dreaming up such garbage in a vainglorious attempt to thwart such litigation. This merely results in their having to assume that everyone who might come into contact with their product or service has to be a total moron!

 

I'm getting fed up with it, when will these idiots realise that the vast majority of people this crap is aimed at are intelligent ****ing adults!!!

 

 

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Hi mate

 

Youare so right. Morso have fitted these silly mods for quite some time now. I have done on 3 or 4 stoves for mates precisely what you have done, removed the silly bracket and washers. I believe you may have missed another recent addition though that can hinder the draw through the chimney. If you look at the gap between the flat removeable baffle plate forming the roof bit on the inside of your stove you may find there is a hand shaped baffle that slots under the exit hole to your flue, this also is an unecesary piece of kit and a friend had one on his for a couple of years and once we removed it his stove was 54 billion percent better, give or take a billion. Its best to remove it as soon as possible as they stick realy hard after some term of useage. Whats wrong with the bloody world, namby bloody pamby idiots. Oy can I see you using hot water for that cup of coffee now dont you be doing that you may well burn yourself !!

 

Tim

[rjasmith]

OK, thats a great idea, I'll get in touch with them or Uxbridge BC (the supplier), when I get a little time.

 

(snipped the other bit)

 

If you do, I would talk to Morso themselves rather than the supplier - in my experience suppliers can be a little lacking in the correct technical knowledge!!

 

Also make sure you talk to a tech bod at Morso and not just the sales team! I think the helpful man I talked to was their UK Tech Director - sorry I can't remember his name now.

 

Richard

[Keeping Up]

I think there is a safety issue that, unless they are suitably throttled back and choked off, the stove may get warm or possibly even hot when it is in use.

[MtB]

Excellent rant Spuds.

 

I particularly liked your inclusion of the word 'vainglorious'.

 

Would have been even better if you'd managed to squeeze in my other favourites 'temerity', and 'turgid' too....

 

 

 

Mike

[mrsmelly]

I think there is a safety issue that, unless they are suitably throttled back and choked off, the stove may get warm or possibly even hot when it is in use.

 

Yes quite. There has always been that safety issue and hundreds if not thousands of people have been using unmodified stoves for many years and like all things if used correctly they are totaly safe. What pees the op and indeed myself off is the stupid namby pamby stance being taken by more and more firms of late. Most people are not stupid enough to use their stove or whatever in a dangerous manner and those that do so I believe come into the category of " Natural selection "............You were of course joking and I have bitten

 

Tim

Edited October 8, 2012 by mrsmelly

[Dekazer]

Our Squirrel is obviously of the newer variety then, as we have these modifications fitted. I have long wondered why the top door should be open before emptying the ash pan as it makes the whole business rather hot. I echo others' desire to hear the reasoning, should you be successful in getting any answers

[Keeping Up]

............You were of course joking and I have bitten

 

Tim

 

....... Tee-hee - will that now make you twice shy?

[BargeeSpud]

If you look at the gap between the flat removeable baffle plate forming the roof bit on the inside of your stove you may find there is a hand shaped baffle that slots under the exit hole to your flue, this also is an unecesary piece of kit and a friend had one on his for a couple of years and once we removed it his stove was 54 billion percent better, give or take a billion. Its best to remove it as soon as possible as they stick realy hard after some term of useage.

Tim

You know, I suspect you're dead right there. I'd have checked before we left on Sunday but the stove was too warm to remove the baffle plate. To be fair to Morso, they do say in the stove manual that if this smoke plate (as they call it) is in place, then it must be removed for a boat installation. First job to do when we get down there next!

 

I think there is a safety issue that, unless they are suitably throttled back and choked off, the stove may get warm or possibly even hot when it is in use.

Top post, nice one!!

 

:lol:

Edited October 8, 2012 by Spuds

[Gibbo]

Most people are not stupid enough to use their stove or whatever in a dangerous manner and those that do so I believe come into the category of " Natural selection"

 

Unfortunately, stupid people are rather common. And it only takes one stupid person to use something incorrectly and it can destroy the company that made it.

 

The nambies have won.

[BargeeSpud]

OK, here's the griff from Tony at Morso UK:

 

On the continent, they haven't grasped the concept of the Squirrel being a multifuel stove & are considered to be wood burners only & so the need for tha ashpan vent isn't necessary, hence the travel on the this vent being only 1.5mm instead of the 5mm we're all used to, so since about 6 years ago, the stoves are now supplied with either a shorter bolt or with the washers attached. In either case remove the washers or replace the bolt.

 

The small angle bracket is there to "prevent" people lighting the stove & leaving the ashpan door open which allows the stove to roar away which greatly reduces the life of the grate. Although how that prevents people doing that, is plain daft & again, Tony says remove it.

 

The smoke plate is only there to satisfy the Norwegian market because it increases the stove's efficiency by 1%. WOW. Again, remove it as the manual says for a boat installation, because it is more likely to hinder the efficiency, unless your flue & chimney is 4.5m or more. Get under bridges with that attached!

 

So it seems that its market forces rather than jobsworth interference that brought about these changes.

 

If you're interested, Morso UK can be contacted on 01788 554410

 

Cheers.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Spuds

[rjasmith]

OK, here's the griff from Tony at Morso UK:

 

On the continent, they haven't grasped the concept of the Squirrel being a multifuel stove & are considered to be wood burners only & so the need for tha ashpan vent isn't necessary, hence the travel on the this vent being only 1.5mm instead of the 5mm we're all used to, so since about 6 years ago, the stoves are now supplied with either a shorter bolt or with the washers attached. In either case remove the washers or replace the bolt.

 

The small angle bracket is there to "prevent" people lighting the stove & leaving the ashpan door open which allows the stove to roar away which greatly reduces the life of the grate. Although how that prevents people doing that, is plain daft & again, Tony says remove it.

 

The smoke plate is only there to satisfy the Norwegian market because it increases the stove's efficiency by 1%. WOW. Again, remove it as the manual says for a boat installation, because it is more likely to hinder the efficiency, unless your flue & chimney is 4.5m or more. Get under bridges with that attached!

 

So it seems that its market forces rather than jobsworth interference that brought about these changes.

 

If you're interested, morso UK can be contacted on 01788 554410

 

Cheers.

 

Excellent info Spuds! (I think the bloke I spoke to was a Tony now I think about it).

 

I think this is a good example of the usual situation common to most stove manufacturers in that their manuals are often written only for a house situation. Only a very few include sections covering installations in boats.

 

That's why it was useful that BS 8511 specifically covering boat installation was finally produced. Although even the writers of the first draft made the mistake of religiously copying most of the Building Regs Part J guide until it was pointed out that eg 125mm thick masonry hearths were not always practicable in a boat!

 

The second draft thankfully removed a lot of the Building Regs plagiarisation and the doc we have now is a lot better.

 

Richard

[BargeeSpud]

Excellent info Spuds! (I think the bloke I spoke to was a Tony now I think about it).

 

I think this is a good example of the usual situation common to most stove manufacturers in that their manuals are often written only for a house situation. Only a very few include sections covering installations in boats.

 

That's why it was useful that BS 8511 specifically covering boat installation was finally produced. Although even the writers of the first draft made the mistake of religiously copying most of the Building Regs Part J guide until it was pointed out that eg 125mm thick masonry hearths were not always practicable in a boat!

 

The second draft thankfully removed a lot of the Building Regs plagiarisation and the doc we have now is a lot better.

 

Richard

Cheers Richard, always informative reading what you have to say, I probably wouldn't have contacted Morso without your suggestion. Top guy that Tony, very easy to talk to.

 

[bottle]

The 'smoke plate' was never supplied with mine but both the other mods are in place and will stay as it does not effect in any way I operate the stove.

[David Mack]

The 'smoke plate' was never supplied with mine but both the other mods are in place and will stay as it does not effect in any way I operate the stove.

 

So is yours a Bottle Stove?

[Grace and Favour]

So is yours a Bottle Stove?

 

Rephrased to suggest - - - - So, is yours a stove, Bottle?

 

 

 

[BargeeSpud]

The 'smoke plate' was never supplied with mine but both the other mods are in place and will stay as it does not effect in any way I operate the stove.

With a bit of luck, mine won't have the smoke plate either. Glad to hear you're OK with the mods & that they haven't affected the way you use your stove, that's a real plus. At least you can remove them in the future if you ever find the need, but somehow, I doubt you will. Once we find our routine with a stove, we rarely change it.

[Dekazer]

Thanks very much for sharing that - very timely for us as we've just decided to reinstall our stove and surround

[Ralph Claydon]

I bought mine from Midland Chandlers yesterday,

Not only does it have these small modifications BUT it has sheet metal baffles on the back and underneath.

I am wondering that the extra depth at the back of the stove will mean that i have to reposition the stove forward to maintain the gap between fire and baulkhead?

[BargeeSpud]

I bought mine from Midland Chandlers yesterday,

Not only does it have these small modifications BUT it has sheet metal baffles on the back and underneath.

I am wondering that the extra depth at the back of the stove will mean that i have to reposition the stove forward to maintain the gap between fire and baulkhead?

You might not have to. I didn't with mine, but then mine's in a corner hearth at an angle so the extra depth had no effect on its position. I assume those baffles are there to deflect the heat, so maybe reducing the space behind the stove might not be that critical as its only about an inch. Be interesting to see if my BSS surveyor spots it in the New Year!

[Radiomariner]

Our Squirrel is obviously of the newer variety then, as we have these modifications fitted. I have long wondered why the top door should be open before emptying the ash pan as it makes the whole business rather hot. I echo others' desire to hear the reasoning, should you be successful in getting any answers

 

A few boat fires have been attributed to stoves greatly overheating when the ashpan door was left open. (Chap went ashore to empty ashpan, got talking to another boater as you do, came back to a blazing boat). This would not happen if the front door was also open. Perhaps this is the reason (in addition to the overheated grating mentioned earlier)

You might not have to. I didn't with mine, but then mine's in a corner hearth at an angle so the extra depth had no effect on its position. I assume those baffles are there to deflect the heat, so maybe reducing the space behind the stove might not be that critical as its only about an inch. Be interesting to see if my BSS surveyor spots it in the New Year!

 

I take it you mean BSS Examiners? I dont think they will be greatly interested. The new BSS guidlines coming into force on 1st Jan do have some additional checks on stoves, but I think, with reference to your comment, the examiner will still only be checking for signs of burning or scorching in the surrounding structures and materials.

I, for one would look and probably discuss, but no action if no such indications found..)