I have a terrible habit of browsing Gumtree for interesting sounding things, and specifically for old, cheap range cookers in the hope of finding one that will keep our old Doric on the road. A couple of weeks ago I was rummaging around and turned up not a Doric, but a Wellstood Two – the bigger brother of the Doric, from the same 1950’s era, but with the addition of not only a warming oven, but a hotplate cover. In the world of little old ranges, these are positively the bells and whistles of any self respecting range cooker. And it was cheap, a shade over a hundred pounds. Next thing I know we’re arriving home with the venerable Wellstood in a trailer.
Bloody hell it is heavy. Three hundred and fifty kilos of cast iron, and Claire and I managed to lever it on to the everlasting B&Q trolley (25 years old and counting) and inch it into the kitchen. I felt terribly guilty taking Doric out, having spent five years getting to know her ways, and her enamel has paid a terrible price for some incredibly hot fires and an ever decreasing quantity of protective fire brick.
Doric is a small cooker, not helped by the fact that the floor was laid around her, and so she had shrunk by nearly four inches over successive modernisations, and was a complete bugger to get out, leaving a hole in the floor. In the end all sorts of bits of kitchen were removed, as the impact of my casual purchase spread out. (I should add that Doric has been subsequently cleaned and stored pending a full rebuild, and we have Future Plans for her).
Of course the flue was now the wrong height, and so a hole was excavated into the wall, and the thing moved around, and then patched back in, and the floor repaired. At which point we wheeled in the Wellstood and pretty much considered the job to be done. Pats on the back all round.
A bit of pipe wrangling and some fire cement for the flue, and there we were. Triumphant and ready to light. The whole process had taken less than a day.
Except for the point where I went to light the fire and realised that the firebox was full of water. The boiler had a leak. After a cup of strong tea and a bit of sobbing, the range was disconnected again, and shuffled into the middle of the room to begin the process of removing the boiler. It had been living quite happily where it was since 1950-something and so was reluctant to leave, but a morning with a grinder and a drill, and the deed was done, and all the old screws tapped out and ready for new ones to go back in. Our friend John (a real heating engineer) offered to test and weld the old cast iron boiler for us, and off I went only to discover that the boiler had much in common with a colander, and repairs were impossible.
More tea, and a bit more sobbing. Then a call to H&F in Tipperary, who restore stoves and make boilers. Yes they could make one but it would be a day or two. The day or two gave me the chance to discover that the difference between our 1950’s Wellstood (who make Esse ranges) and a modern Esse, is basically a better burn, and better insulation. So out came all the old dusty fibreglass, and in went new ceramic blanket (the same as is used on kilns), and some perlite.
Then I wondered how I might improve the way that the wood actually burned in the range, and decided to drill some holes, and add a pipe to inject air into the top of the fire. Wood burns best when air is fed from above, unlike coal which needs air to come through the base of the fire. Most ‘multi fuel’ ranges use the latter method, but its not great for wood. So the range gained an addition –
Some one inch pipe and a gate valve to control airflow on the outside, and a drilled pipe on the inside to deliver the air –
And then the boiler turned up, so I was able to put it all together again. Here it is – hopefully the last time we’ll see it for a while now.
Then I spent another day connecting it up, and filling it with water (forgetting to adjust the ball valve in the attic tank and accidentally making it rain in the hall for a while), and happily it works.
Of course then we decided that we might as well get rid of all the old white tiles behind it and do the job properly, so more mess was made, and another day of frantic tiling and clearing up, and the result is rather fine. And our water is hot again.
Postscript – The week after we were given another range which turns out to be identical, albeit in not such good condition. It is in the process of being stripped and renovated….More to follow
Great article!
Can you comment on the water heating capacity?
I recently bought a house with a Wellstood a-l with boiler. It’s not plumbed in (no flu or pipes) and I’m wondering whether to get it going or buy something larger.
Hi Michael – we’re heating 220 litres with ours – it does the job, but is aided by solar thermal most of the year, and it has a remanufactured boiler from H&F Enterprises in Tipperary. If I were you I would definitely test the existing back boiler before installing; and if you have a lot of water to heat or the range is to be the only heat source, maybe consider something with a larger back boiler. The Stanley 8 can be had with 3 different boiler sizes, and I’ve seen the larger one in action – it works a lot faster than the Wellstood. There are plenty of Stanleys about second hand – I’d get one and put in a new boiler. Hope that helps
cheers
Steve
I have the same well stood D series and the boiler leaks in the process of taking out the boiler and was carefully saving the fibreglass or asbestos would have loved to see the process of removing the side panels as I didn’t want to fully remove everything just what was needed to get boiler out repaired and back in. Not much info on the systems
regards Daniel
Although I’m doing this over time I suppose I should video the process although it’s hard when you are dirty with nobody helping
I would bin all the insulation, take the side and the back off, pull it all out and replace it with something better while you’re there. Might as well. The boiler has about 6 or 8 bolts on the back of it, which might be a pig to get off – I’ve had to drill them sometimes. If its the original cast iron boiler, then repair is tricky – certainly get it pressure tested as what looks like a single leak might turn out to be more.
You can get a stainless boiler for the Wellstood for about 100 euro from H&F Enterprises in Ireland, they are the only people I know of who make replacements.
Hi Steve,
Just came across your article. I have just moved in to an old home and have this above stove. Do you have any idea where I could get an instruction manual or information about how to light the stove etc. I have never owned a wood stove before & am very excited about this one. If you could please help, I would be very grateful. I am from Australia.
Hi, I am trying to do the reverse of what you did. We bought a house with a Wellstood Two. It was in a terrible state and we have decided to remove it. However I cannot seem to isolate the water supply. Is there a water tank in the Wellstood ? How big is it ?
Switched off the mains, drained all of the water (hot and cold) out of the system and ensured they tanks were not refilling.
When we undid the water feed to the Wellstood we had a huge surge of water. Probably emptied about 40 litres out but it still kept coming !
Where could it be coming from ?
The back boiler in the wellstood isn’t big at all – you’d expect no more than a few litres. I suppose there’s no chance there is a cold main feed into that boiler circuit is there? That said, you did say you switched off the mains. An odd one. If you’re scrapping the Wellstood, are any of the doors, oven shelves etc in reasonable condition?
cheers
Steve
It was very strange and very wet ! There must be a hidden mains feed into the Wellstood system that we can’t find.
There is nothing on the range you could recycle, its a right off !
Very unusual – back boiler circuits are normally gravity fed. Can you turn the supply off at the road and see if that does the trick?
I cuurently have an unused doric that is no longer plumbed into the heating system as we have a modern combi boiler now.
However was wondering if we could convert it just to burn wood as a standalone heat source in our kitchen.
Yes, if your hw tank is no longer connected, you could disconnect the back boiler connections on the Doric (assuming the circuit has been drained). Don’t plug the back boiler connections on the range, and it should be fine. Running without water in the back boiler won’t bother the Doric though the boiler may warp a bit. Won’t affect the range though and will be safe. You could also get some firebrick and cut it to sit in front of the back boiler to keep more heat in the fire.
You wrote ” So out came all the old dusty fibreglass,”
Do you know it’s indeed fibreglass? I have this same cooker (are you looking to buy another btw?) and have been really worried about asbestos, especially with young kids around.
Yep, I am pretty sure that in this range, at least it was old fibreglass. Whether its that or anything else – be careful not to spread the dust around, wear an appropriate mask and bag it up well before disposal.
Hi Steve, Your article is very interesting! My Mother has an old Wellstood solid fuel stove, Series A1, NO2 WD. Its old firebrick has completely crumbled, my Dad had actually replaced it many years ago. We are trying to find a firebrick, or someone who could replace it. Do you have any advice? Thank you, Suzanne Harris
Give H&F Enterprises a call – their website is http://www.handfenterprises.ie/ and they are good for parts.
cheers
Steve
Dec 2019
Hi beloved Wellie cooker holders.
I’m in NZ and if anyone wants info or parts, we can rebuild a Wellstood from the floor upwards. We have casting patterns for obsolete components (except the Oven temp gauge (I now use Rayburn’s Gauge))
The original Boilers are made of copper tube with a cast iron Heat sink on the fire side of them. The Wellstood Boilers are 3kW (like the early Rayburn’s) & designed for a 30 gallon (UK gallon) plus 2 radiators (if so desired).
The insulation is Rockwool rated to approx 450º C.
I, like the chap who is doing this restoration, use a ceramic blanket insulation Kaowool (SuperWool) which is rated to 1260º C so it makes it absolutely fireproof up to those temps.
We also carry all their fire brick molds & make 2 different grades of fire bricks for them.
Conventional (like their original factory fire bricks may last 5 to 7 yrs but the premium grade lasts for decades. We don’t know how long because no one has returned seeking a replacement set))
The Fire box MUST HAVE ALL FIRE BRICKS in it so as to protect the cast iron superstructure of the cooker. If the cast iron Sham Plate or Oven side plates breaks, because of heat, ‘it will coat ya big time’ to have it removed and replaced.
Some cracks or fractures can be strengthened with an additional bit of 3 or 5mm steel bar but be careful NOT TO TIGHTEN bolts! A tad more than finger tight will then allow the expansion and contraction of the plates. Even less tightness if you are using two different types of metals is suggested, as materials such as steel and cast iron expand and shrink at different rate when heated & cooled.
To help stop a crack from continuing, drill a small (say 3mm) at the very end of the crack and leave it as a hole or if its being covered with refractory cement when placing fire bricks, ‘no prob’
The biggest problems we have over here, is when moisture gets down the flue and then into the insulation. The Ovens rust out which can be replaced but tis a big job.
The other one, probably the most common fault which causes a cooker to come to me, is folks who have used the cooker without all fire bricks in place.
I have only ever repaired one boiler. Later model Rayburn’s have more problems (with their steel Boilers) than the ole Wellie’s.
We have our own designed Super Boiler which brings the heat out put up from 3kW to 4.5kW, so it make the cookers almost as powerful as a Rayburn MF or in current model terms, a Rayburn 216’s Boiler.
It then can run a larger Hot Water Cylinder plus more radiators. They are made of a particular grade of Stainless steel.
By the way, if you are pressure testing your Boiler, I strongly recommend that you do not to go beyond 30 psi.
Hoping I have helped other Wellie owners.
By the way, I have fire brick molds for the DORIC also. (great wee cookers)
If you want us to supply fire bricks (or any component which we have cast from casting molds and patterns for, for both early and late models) what is needing to be known, is if the Doric is a RH Oven model or a LH Oven model.
Cheers and good on ya for keeping these treasures goin’.
They may be getting pretty old in modern day terms but they will last and give good service for another 50 plus years, if looked after. I am definitely a fan of Wellies and the wee Doric.
Merry Christmas to all!
Cheers
Thanks Bill, thats amazing news – I’ve had a good lot of enquiries from Doric and Wellstood owners in NZ over the years so hopefully people will find this post and beat a path to your door. Like you say these cookers are going to be going for a long time yet. Have a happy Christmas and New Year, and keep an eye on the page here as there are often Wellstood owners passing through looking for help.
All the best
Steve
Hi,
What is the KW heat output from Wellstood ? I need to replace a multi fuel stove (where a Wellstood once stood) and am wondering whether to replace with another stove (8kw) or a Wellstood. Looking for pros and cons of each and Heat output from Wellstood is an unknown for me.
Thanks
I’m afraid I’ve no idea what the actual output is. Ours is heating water (200 litres) and running 3 rads and seems ok. Its not a huge amount, especially if you run it purely on wood. Given that coal is going to become hard to obtain I would assume wood, or compressed briquettes as a fuel.
I’m picking up a Wellwood stove soon do they all have water heaters in them the people I’m getting it off don’t no stuck in wall I might need your number and email please to rebuild this stove
No they don’t all have boilers. If there’s no sign of any pipework to one side or the other, then chances are it hasn’t. In theory you could retro fit one. They’re dead simple to take apart but chances are some/all of the bolts will be seized, so its a case of wd40 / heat / grinding the heads off and drilling and re-tapping the threads and using new bolts. If you dismantle it, replace the insulation with something modern, and renew all the seals and fire cement.
A belated Message for Aileen Leonard on March 6, 2020 (sorry but I havent been here for a yr or so)
The Wellstood cookers have a 3 kW Boiler in them, unless they have been removed for some reason and a updated one has been installed.
I prefer to use the original Boiler as they are damb near bomb proof. Over the last decade, I have only had to replace one washer of any Wellie Boiler.
The deeply grooved plate at the back of the Fire Box ,is not the Boiler but is the Heat Sink which heats up and then transfers the energy through to the large (about 4 inch) vertical standing copper pipe, behind the Heat Sink.
There must be no gap between the copper tube and the Heat sink, so as the heat can transfer to the copper wall of that large diameter copper pipe.
We have our own very successful Boiler which allows for the water heating capabilities to increase from 3kW to 4.5kW. Its made a huge difference to many peoples hot water and so can heat 5 radiators plus the HWCyl.
It also comes with 4 outlets so as to be able to take water from the cooker either from the rear of the cooker or the LH side. RH take offs, can be made up by any plumber.
The other 2 unused outlets can be blanked off.
Message/ answer to Garry Billinghurst 0409815820
To my knowledge, they all came out with the 3kW boiler but I know of 2 which have had the Boiler removed (here in NZ)
its not just a matter of removing the boiler. The area needs to have Fire Bricks put here the Boilers Heat Sink is positioned. I make Fire Bricks and have a mold for the brick.
There has been numerous comments on the Insulation.
I have commented upon it in the past, a couple of yrs ago but I will do so again, so as people might get more of an idea of how these cookers function best and also, most economically for the long term.
The Insulation Smith & Wellstood used, is RockWool which is rated to 450º C.
There is a fibre glass insulation used in cookers but it is only rated to 350º C
RockWool has a green tinge to its colour. Old stuff tends to have a hint of yellowish brown.
Fibre-glass is more yellow.
I use KaoWool around the Fire Box and Flue galleries which gives more fire protection and it wont burn. Its rated to 1240º C/
I have had several cookers in to be repaired which have had melted or burnt RockWool so be careful that you do not remove it and replace it with a lessor grade of material. It could be disastrous.
That’s the reason why ANY COOKER which normally carries Fire Bricks in it ABSOLUTELY M U S T have a full set of Fire Bricks in place.
If you decide to light the fire in the cooker, you are more than likely going to get damage, which is likely going to cost ya HEAPS to repair!
A Fire Box in any cooker, is DESIGNED to gain as much heat from a fuel as possible.
I have recorded an old Rayburn 2 (which has a Fire Box which is near enough to being the same Fire Box as a Wellie,) The fuel was dry Radiata Pine.
Now remember, you wash your hands in hot water which is generally about 40º to 50ª C.
When you want a cuppa, the kettle BOILs water at 100º
The Rayburn cooker was ticking over really nicely and the temperature I measured INSIDE the Fire Box was 670º C.
Those sorts of extreme temperatures (which these wonderful old cookers were designed to cope with) does or can do serious structural damage, even to cast iron. hence the need for Fire Bricks and good quality insulation.
So if you want to have a cooker which will give you and your family good longevity of service, I’d urge you to not let the task slip by, of replacing the worn or damaged Fire Bricks.
Remember, replacing Fire Bricks might be a lousy. grubby task but the cost of not doing it, on time,….. will hurt the Bank balance, big time.
By the way, I like the idea of adding the air to the top of the Fire Box and having a gate valve to adjust the air flow.
Im sure that the secondary combustion would not only great greater combustion but would also assist in keeping the flue gases more fully burnt and therefore less particulate heading up the flue. Good on you giving it ago.
Best wishes to all Wellie operators,
Cheers
Bill
Brilliant advice Bill – glad to hear that Wellies are going strong in NZ. We’re lucky that its still pretty easy to get firebricks, I keep a bit of a stash. The sheet boilers made up by H&F in Tipperary do work well, ours has gone years now and no sign of distortion. I’ve had a couple of original boilers that looked great but leaked once you put a bit of pressure on them – they can look great but rot from the inside. There’s a complete Wellstood for sale near us at the moment, £150 so am tempted to go and take a look.
Hi I really enjoyed reading your article and am immensely happy to have just purchased a wellstood a-r for the grand sum of £1. Outwardly it looks great although the top has been painted over and the front rail is missing but I’m sure these can be rectified without too much trouble. I’m going to sound completely stupid now but how can I tell if the firebricks are complete? Many thanks in advance for any advice
Well it has side and back firebricks in the firebox, so if you look in and can see the metal sides, the bricks are likely missing. If its got a back boiler then the back brick is supposed to be removable so that in summer you dont heat the water as much, but if its not got a boiler then the back brick should be there. Have you got any pictures?
Hi Steve, lots of very useful & interesting info. here, thank you.
Our Wellstood is not in great shape, hopefully you can give us some advice on how or if it is repairable.
We have a Wellstood No2, same as yours, only difference is flow & return pipes connected to boiler come out the fire box side of the range, not the back, as on yours.
It came with the house some 25yrs ago and was running on oil when we moved in. It gave problems running on oil so we DIY converted it to solid fuel (wood & coal).
We only use the range infrequently and over the years the cast Iron front has started to pull away from the sides leaving a gap on both sides of about 15mm at the bottom but reducing down to almost nothing at the top. When looking in the oven again a gap has opened up at the front between the cast iron front and the sheet metal that forms the oven.
Moisture / water has come down the flue and rotted out some of the square section on top of the range that the flue regulator box sits on, also the metal work just in front of and to the side of this area is rotted & gone.
There is rust & holes in the roofs of both the ovens also.
From reading your description of the fire bricks I now realise that whilst we’ve owned the range it has never had a fire brick on the oven side of the fire box and I guess some are missing either side of the boiler also.
What do you think can be done with the range, can it be saved.
(we’ve taken the top off, it’s in good shape and came off fairly easily).
Thanks Pat
Northwest of England
Hi Pat. From memory, theres a top, middle and bottom bolt that goes through the frame, into the front part that holds all the doors, so either, your bolts have gone, or the body has rotted or broken where those bolts attach, which has allowed the front to pull away.
Depending on what access you’ve to to it, it sounds like you might end up having to detach the back boiler pipes and flue, and pull it out. I’ve had a couple of rotten ones and ended up having to drill out broken bolts etc as they are very likely not to move.
It sounds like its got pretty wet. The oven is just sheet metal so actually getting a local fabricator to bend up some sheet isn’t hard.
I reckon you’re going to have to disconnect it and pull it out to get a proper look, and basically take it all apart to be able to sort it. Be really hard to do in situ. Take all the insulation out, and have a proper look at it.There’s a lot of cast iron there in the body, so plenty of scope for drilling your own holes to remake DIY attachments to the front.
Certainly I wouldn’t run it with all the gaps, its going to be pretty leaky, fume wise, and you don’t want a carbon monoxide risk into the bargain. If you salvage it and it goes back together, dont stint with the fire cement.
Send me some pics, and good luck
cheers
Steve
Im more than just a bit late in answering a question that a woman named HELEN has asked.
Fire Bricks for the Wellstood cookers.
In early models, there is 3 on the LH side of the Fire Box
There is one above the Boiler at rear of the Fire Box and sits on top of the ribbed Boiler Heat-sink. That Heat-Sink transfers the fires heat to a copper tube, which is the Boiler. Ypou can not see the tub in the Fire Box but is when the small circular Disk up behind the Hot Plate shows
Anyway, omn the Oven side of the Fire Box, there is 2 replacement Fire Bricks. The top two are made of a refractory material which is generally rated to 1450 (or there abouts )
The lower Fire Brick is made of cast iron and needs to be in good, flat condition on the surface which comes up against the outer cast iron wall, between the Fire Box and the vertical, outer cast iron Oven panel. If this cast iron Fire Brick is bowed, broken or burnt away, there is a reduction of temperatures going into the Oven.
The front of the early models Wellstood cookers have a verrical Grate. The later models have a refractory Fire brick. This helps the front surface of the cooker (and its enamel) to be a tad cooler.
Above the Door, is the last Fire Brick.
So, if your cooker has a grate in the Fire Door, the cooker needs 7 Fire Bricks
If it has a cast iron Support Plate immediately inside the Fire Door, then the cooker needs 8 Fire Bricks
Another way to check if you have a early or a later model, is to check up under the Fire Doors Handle.
If you see two small holes (about 1/8″ in diameter, tucked up VERY CLOSE to the handle, then its the latter model.
There were formed/drilled so as cooler air would pass through them and help keep the Fire Door’s Handle a little cooler. (I don’t reckon it worked much, if at all but it was a good try Mr Wellstood)
If you decide to help protect your Fire Door and the area of the cookers Front Panel between the Fire Door opening and the Ash Pits opening, you will need a couple of components to do it.
One is the newer Fire bricks Support plate, as well as a different Fire Door Protection Plate/box (the one which bolts to the inside of the Fire Door (with two bolts.))
How does one determine if the Fire Bricks are needing to be replaced?
I suggest that the user periodically checks to see that all fire bricks are in place. Check them and see if they are flat or how concave they are in shape. The thinner they are, the more damage that can be done.
I STRONGLY recommend that the user DO NOT USE the cooker until ALL Fire Bricks are in place.
All it takes is too much heat to fracture or break a cast iron panel, resulting in a substantial and costly repair.
These Wellstood’s are a great simple design cooker which is easily cleaned and fired. I strongly believe that they can be expected to be still operating 100 years after their date of manufacture. (or longer).
All it takes, is a bit of observance and common sense and keeping its maintenance up to.
date.
AND, keep them dry!
Water is the main killer of them. Especially water which might find its way under the roof’s seal and comes down the Flue. EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS do damage.
Hope all who have these wonderful cookers have a warm trouble free winter over there. We are heading into summer down here. in Kiwi land.
Cheers