Morso Squirrel with a hairline crack on backplate

[Colin Brendan]

Hi,

 

Our morso squirrel is 21 years old and has a hairline crack on the back plate(plus another crack on the back plate I've just discovered. Does it make sense to replace the back plate or buy a new stove?

 

I don't know how seized up the bolts are inside I'm afraid, but the boat has almost always been lived on as far as i know, so just looking for general opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Colin

 

 

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, Colin Brendan said:

Hi,

 

Our morso squirrel is 21 years old and has a hairline crack on the back plate(plus another crack on the back plate I've just discovered. Does it make sense to replace the back plate or buy a new stove?

 

I don't know how seized up the bolts are inside I'm afraid, but the boat has almost always been lived on as far as i know, so just looking for general opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Colin

 

 

 

 

The bolts will be VERY seized up. SO much so you'll be into drilling an re-tapping all of them from what I saw of mine when I dismantled it with a club hammer.

 

It can be done don't expect it to be quick or easy. And at the end, you'll still have a 21 year of squirrel likely to crack a different panel next. Mine cracked after 22 years which seems to be par for the course. 

 

I replaced mine with a Boatman stove which was a mistake. They are not a patch on a squirrel in any way. Get another squirrel if you can afford it. 

[Boater Sam]

Price up the back plate, and the flue collar, and the fire bricks and a full set of sealing ropes. You will need all these plus possibly a top plate. They fall completely apart when you start.

Have a good look at the rest, doors, grates, fire bars, glass.

Then think how you will grind off the 8 bolts that hold it all together on the inside and drill out and rethread  them in the top and bottom plate. You will not managed to undo even one of them.

 

Then sell it as it is on ebay for £100 to £200.

 

Then go buy yourself a new one for around £450.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Boater Sam said:

Then go buy yourself a new one for around £450.

 

Who sells new squirrels for £450 Sam? 

 

I'll have ten!

[Boater Sam]

I bought one for around that price 18 months ago (without boiler ) from Kings Lock Chandlers. They are main distributors for Morso now.

Steve Wedgewood gave me a price I could not believe, I would of been stupid not to buy it. And I sold the old one needing a back and top and collar ( with an old back boiler ) for £250, collected, cash.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Boater Sam

[mrsmelly]

42 minutes ago, Colin Brendan said:

Hi,

 

Our morso squirrel is 21 years old and has a hairline crack on the back plate(plus another crack on the back plate I've just discovered. Does it make sense to replace the back plate or buy a new stove?

 

I don't know how seized up the bolts are inside I'm afraid, but the boat has almost always been lived on as far as i know, so just looking for general opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Colin

 

 

21 years is a good time for the money. It's worn out. Bin and replace but only with another Morso.

[BEngo]

All good advice above. At 21 it is probably time to replace it.

If you buy a new one, before installing it replace the 8 mild steel bolts that hold it together with Stainless steel cap heads and fit them with lots of copper grease.  That way the stove can still be dismantled after a few years use when it needs a new whatever.

Do the bolts one at a time and don't overtighten them.  They only need to be just over hand tight.  Overdo it and the panels cannot move as the stove expands and contracts,  so they crack.

N

[doratheexplorer]

Is the view of the forum that the Squirrel is best?  Are there other alternatives?

[Boater Sam]

If you want to put the back boiler in you have to remove the top anyway. I put brass bolts in, easier to drill out if ever. No matter what you use, the top 4 will seize in. Oh, and drill the back on the dimples, sell the back firebrick and deflector.

Not found one better than Morso.

[Machpoint005]

1 hour ago, Boater Sam said:

If you want to put the back boiler in you have to remove the top anyway. I put brass bolts in, easier to drill out if ever. No matter what you use, the top 4 will seize in. Oh, and drill the back on the dimples, sell the back firebrick and deflector.

Not found one better than Morso.

Is differential expansion not a problem? From memory, the coefficient of expansion of brass is about double that of cast iron.

 

Is there any evidence of gaps appearing between panels, because if so, it may be a worry as regards carbon monoxide getting into the boat?

[bizzard]

Like lighting up a steam loco from cold and any stove. Light a small fire with sticks and gradually build the fire up slowly to its normal heat. This way all the metals will moreorless expand at a similar rate. Don't just bung a big load on to let it flare up and roars away like Dante's Inferno. Its crackers.

Similar reason why we used to ''run in'' car engines'' so that the metals gradually adjusted themselves to their final ''run in'' form.

Edited September 3, 2018 by bizzard

[Machpoint005]

17 minutes ago, bizzard said:

This way all the metals will more or less expand at a similar rate.

I don't dispute that's what the firemen used to do, but I doubt it was done to re-invent the laws of physics.

[Tonka]

To futerproof yourself buy a smoke exempt model. 

[mrsmelly]

2 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

If you want to put the back boiler in you have to remove the top anyway. I put brass bolts in, easier to drill out if ever. No matter what you use, the top 4 will seize in. Oh, and drill the back on the dimples, sell the back firebrick and deflector.

Not found one better than Morso.

I've put two back boilers in both through the door. It's a pain but is doable.

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

I've put two back boilers in both through the door. It's a pain but is doable.

I'd imagine there isn't much room to get the second one in after you have fitted the first one.

 

It's no wonder your ecofan does not work - there is no room for the coal!

[Boater Sam]

4 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

I've put two back boilers in both through the door. It's a pain but is doable.

I tried this but gave up. It may depend on the back boiler, I may have bought a pattern one, the welded pipe brace was different than the old one.

There are seals between all the panels to prevent leaks. Never overtightened the brass screws, the threads in the cast iron are normally cut a bit slack anyway.

[Colin Brendan]

So i am now contemplating a steel stove. Needs to be 4.5-5kw. Preferably defra approved/exempt. Any recomendations?

 

If not i may end up getting another squirrel.

 

Thanks for the replys btw. Very useful.

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, Colin Brendan said:

So i am now contemplating a steel stove. Needs to be 4.5-5kw. Preferably defra approved/exempt. Any recomendations?

 

If not i may end up getting another squirrel.

 

Thanks for the replys btw. Very useful.

 

Beware the Boatman steel stove. Mine has not cracked and it works ok for a cheap stove, but the heat output is way less than the Squirrel it replaced and it gobbles coal faster, for the less heat. 

 

Nor will it stay in for 48 hours without attention like my old Squirrel. I miss my old Squirrel and am very tempted to buy another but like you, I'd prefer a steel stove. I'm looking forward to see what suggestions you get.

[Guest]

On 03/09/2018 at 12:18, doratheexplorer said:

Is the view of the forum that the Squirrel is best?  Are there other alternatives?

We have  a Charnwood C5 stove at home and it's superb, very easy to control with a single air control. Not cheap though, about the same or probably more than a Squirrel.

 

UK made by a company that's been doing them for years (not Chinese rubbish)

 

But we also had a Squirrel on the boat and that too was an excellent stove, they are hard to beat, but I think our Charnwood just pips it on build quality.

[alan_fincher]

On 03/09/2018 at 12:18, doratheexplorer said:

Is the view of the forum that the Squirrel is best?  Are there other alternatives?

Squirrels are probably not a problem if you shift the boat on to someone else before they get to 20 years old.

Though not all seem to be guaranteed to last 20 years.

Having seen a broken up one, I was genuinely surprised how thin the cast iron is for something so expensive to purchase.

We may ultimately need a new (and pretty powerful) stove on Flamingo, which currently has a very early model Much Wenlock - also cast iron but seems very much more substantial than a Squirrel.  So I'm also very interested in recommendations for a fabricated steel stove - the concept seems far more sensible to me than building in cast iron.  The steel on a 20 year old Villager Heron on our last leisure boat looked like it would easily serve another 20 years, when we sold the boat, not like it was about to disintegrate!

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Colin Brendan said:

So i am now contemplating a steel stove. Needs to be 4.5-5kw. Preferably defra approved/exempt. Any recomendations?

 

If not i may end up getting another squirrel.

 

Thanks for the replys btw. Very useful.

Be aware DEFRA approved will after 2022 no longer the minimum standard for stoves, after that date the minimum std. will need to be 'SKA Eco design ready'. Some stoves are available that already meet this requirement. Of course there is currently no compulsion to buy such a stove.

[bizzard]

I not aglee, Chinese stove vely stlong, rast rong rong times.

Edited September 4, 2018 by bizzard

[canals are us?]

5 hours ago, Colin Brendan said:

So i am now contemplating a steel stove. Needs to be 4.5-5kw. Preferably defra approved/exempt. Any recomendations?

 

If not i may end up getting another squirrel.

 

Thanks for the replys btw. Very useful.

 

I have the now discontinued woodwarm fireview 4.5kw stove for 5 years and its brilliant but cost £950 with the optional boiler. I haven't replaced any parts yet, the only things that have worn/cracked is the vermiculite fire boards.

 

I like the double glazed glass and stays 90% clean and stays in very well. The door ropes fit into a cast channel with no glue. Good airwash. Heavy build and very thick 8mm baffle plate. Riddling grate can be set flat for wood or open for coal.

 

Used on ebay seem to go for £250 when available. Like the foxfire rated at 4kw. Or the new firewren. Not cheap though.

 

James 

[Boater Sam]

Beware of over firing a fabricated burner/stove, they distort and then you may have problems with the fit of the door/s.

[Tonka]

Have a look at Ekol stoves. They are smoke exempt. Been very happy with the Clarity 5 that I fitted a year ago 

Edited September 4, 2018 by Tonka