Good Afternoon it makes a change writing an article in the early afternoon well 2.15 pm to be precise, We have had a very nice busy morning with customers collecting Stoves mainly the Firefox 5 which has now returned to stock.
We have also had collected the Firefox 12 and the Tiger Plus by various trade and retail customers we do have a few trade customers mainly Fireplace fitters and chimney sweeps as we offer a good price and always have the items in stock.
One particular customer North Derbyshire Chimney Services who buys Tiger Plus stoves from us has been this morning to collect Tiger for a job he is fitting today he didnt ring till yesterday but as he knows we keep a few in stock its never a problem for him to drop in and collect one as he did at 10am this morning.
The last one of the day is on his way from Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire again coming to collect a Firefox 5 so im off to the Showroom to meet him there and load up his van.
I must say the pile we had delivered last week of Stoves has some what shrunk but we are expecting a huge amount more for the end of the month
So if you do want to grab yourself a Mulit fuel Stove at what i think is the Best Price on the Internet look no further than CastFireplaces.
Archive for January, 2010
Collections of Stoves makes one very busy Saturday Morning
Saturday, January 16th, 2010Normal Fireplace service has been resumed
Friday, January 15th, 2010Well im glad to see the back of the snow and ice as today has seen the start of the big thaw it is still quite icy around our Fireplace factory but when i left there this evening it was turning to slush.
We have been to South Wales and Gloucs today delivering various stoves and fireplaces and are very pleased to report no further additions to Thursdays terrible day delivering it really is strange how 24 hours and a few hundred miles makes a large difference
We have had some Solid fuel kits arrive today that we were not expecting so all the orders we have on our files for solid fuel deliverys will now go out with all the relevant bits.
I was dreading not sending the solid fuel kits with all our orders as customers like to get the fire going once it has been installed and with it still being winter its nice to have the Fireplace on.
Also today we have had a small batch of the Firefox 5 stoves arrive to service outstanding orders but we now do have none spare until the 26th/27th Jan when our main delivery arrives.
It really will be nice to be able to offer our best selling stove again and replace our showroom model where a space is still reserved for it just as you walk through the door.
Anyway off out now to drop off a stove to a neighbour 10 doors away who has ordered a Tiger Plus after seeing mine running at home.
It really is a major selling point having one running for customers to see and feel the warmth they produce.
Worst Fireplace Delivery Day i Have Ever Had
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Today has been the worst experiance delivering fireplaces i have ever had it has been a nightmare, as most of our customers know we deliver fireplaces and stoves all over the UK using our own fantastic delivery service.
Well as we have been so busy and the snow had slightly disrrupted our normal service i was today heading to Esh Winning near Durham.
I set off at 5.30 am this morning and followed the gritting lorry right through to the A38 the road was fine and i carried on to M1,M18 A1 Etc.
All was going nicely and then i took my turn off to Esh Winning the roads again were fine until i came to the road i wanted and im not joking a foot of snow was in my path.
Luckily i wanted number one so i parked on corner and unloaded Firefox 12 onto our wheels and away i went 5 minutes later it was sat in customers house and i was on my way again splipping and sliding back to the main road.
So of to Durham i thought this was going to be easy 5 miles and 15 minutes on the sat nav it said which turned out to be a complete joke.
The road was black iced over all over cars were skidding and smashing into each other and going through peoples hedges and walls i turned straight round and took another route this turned out to be much safer but had the whole of the northern population on this road and it took me 1 hour 24 minutes to travel 5.2 miles.
So i arrived at drop number two to find snow blocked road again with around 400 yards to go so out came the barrow again and i carried a Tulip and Bedford Fireplace Gas package to the customers house in three trips this took me around 25 minutes as cars tried in vain to get off this road ive never seen ice and snow packed in like it it was like a scene from Scandinavia.
Anyway sweating like a pig i was sat back in my van dreading going to Billingham which was clear and then Maunby where i crawled at 10 miles an hour into a the Village which had snow and ice on the road, i thought at this point of RAC advice are fireplaces and Stoves really a neccesary journey but hey im here now and im not going back with them.
After this drop i was now 1 hour and 45 minutes late but it was all plain sailing after here with clear roads to Wetherby and finally home.
So that was my morning and half the afternnon from Hell i hope Stuart fairs better tomorrow in Swansea and Cardiff fingers crossed then.
Do i need to line my chimney when fitting Gallery Fireplaces Stove
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010Do we really need to line our chimney or is the fitter we have had come round trying to rip us off a concerned customer rang me this morning to ask.
Well the answer is yes and no and here ill explain
A multi fuel stove can be fitted without using a chimney liner if the chimney is in good order and the chimney has been swept and smoke tested most chimneys are in reasonable condition and after fitting stove with register plate with a sweeping hatch in you can rely on the chimney breast to take naturally take the fumes away.
We use 6″ chimney liners when the chimney is in poor condition and leaks or if you have a large chimney that makes the fire uncontrollable or for customers wanting peace of mind that nothing is going to go wrong
Our advice here at Castfireplace is to have a reputable qualified HETAS registered fitter fit your stove and they will advise you if chimney liner is needed.
Personally i think it is a good idea as whilst they are there installing tove its not too much of a job for them to drop liner down and connect it to the stove and with the chimney lining kits that cost £320 it is good value to and to think they have 10 year warranty its only £32 year for peace and mind.
If you do have liner installed at a later date the stove and register plate will have to be removed to undertake this job so really i would suggest having it done.
But that decisio is yours and as we have stated it is not essential but its worthwhile having done while your fitter is there so if you need any help or advice with lining kits or stove choice just give me a ring we are here to help
Oak Fireplace Surrounds more are ordered to create packages
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010As some of you know we do supply JIG Fireplaces and we can get any fireplace from the Carron range including the Carron Stove which our Jig rep Richard tells me is now DEFRA approved for burning wood in a smokeless zone which we will write about tomorrow.
Anyway the range of Fireplace Surrounds Jig Supply are vairied and we stock 4 of those in stock as we sell them as part of our Fireplace packages.
So Richard came to see us today with a sales leaflet listing some oaks surrounds that are great quality at a price we couldn’t even attempt to manufacture them at.
So off he went with a nice order and these are being picked as i write this post for us to collect and then photograph with different fireplaces to add to our ever growing Wooden Fireplace Section.
We already stock the Oak Large Corbel so we have ordered even more stock so we can reduce our prices and make them such a bargain you would be mad not to buy a solid oak fireplace at this price.
Another mantel is the Oak Edinburgh which we have ordered and is a nice corbel designed mantel which im sure will be popular and gives our customers another alternative to choose.
So these items will be going on our new website and will appear very shortly after it going live so keeps your eyes out and i will inform you on here when they are ready
Back in Stock Firefox 5 Stoves arriving this week but we only have 2 spare
Monday, January 11th, 2010We do have a small delivery of our best selling multi fuel stove The Firefox 5 arriving on Friday and we do have loads on order that are arriving at the End of the Month
We have been taking pre orders on this model as it has been out of stock for around a month now and we even had somebody buy our display model in the showroom as they were so desperate to get it fitted way back before Christmas.
I hate running out of items as i spend a lot of time monitoring sales patterns and deciding which items to have on special offers and to get our stock levels right but even we didn’t see the 40% increase on sales of the Firefox 5 from last year when we ran out too.
The surge in solid fuel sales was expected but again it sees our suppliers and the whole Gallery group running short of some items you just cant plan for this and with the reccesion as well nobody wanted to stock too much either.
Here at Castfireplaces we doubled our stove stock levels from our normal rate and this has kept a good flow coming through of everything except the Firefox 5.
Anyway we do have 2 left as my lovely wife has sold two today after i removed the out of stock tag on the website page and we dont expect these to be around for long.
So if you do miss these we do have stock arriving around the 26th January when we have a huge amount coming in which will see our Warehouse bursting at the seams i really must have a day moving things around but you know what its like when your busy with things coming in and going out you just never get round to it but i know at the End of the Month space does need to be made for all these Fireplaces and Stoves.
Mmmmmm now where am i going to fit it all leave that with me im just not sure yet
Fireplace Delivery service still running even in Bad Weather
Sunday, January 10th, 2010Well everyone knows how cold and how much snow we have had recently and we did delay a few deliverys last week but today we have been to london and around M25 area with a load of Fireplaces and Stoves we had to deliver we set of a little later to allow the roads to clear if there was any snow and we arrived at our 1st drop in South east London at 9am (normally 8am) right on time.
The forecast today was for light snow so i was sure we could make it round before the Weather interefered with our plans.
Deliverys followed in Sw London,Guildford,Aldershot,Bourne End,Hoddesden and finally Cople before returning back to base all in one piece it did snow whilst we were out but nothing really settled so we now have another 7 happy customers with their Fireplaces and Stoves delivered and two have rung me to say thankyou for a wonderful service and they couldn’t believe we had delivered when snow was again forecast.
To be honest we have so much to do it would have caused us a few problems delaying this run as we have two full vans for next week already so it was a little calculated gamble that paid off.
Again this week we are out in South Wales, The North West and the North East there seems to be no end to the mad rush which has started again after Christmas after a very busy few months.
Hey im not moaning it just goes to show here at Castfireplaces we must be doing something right and offering a better service than all the rest.
So if you wish to order a Fireplace or Stove from the best company with the best service look no further than Cast and Pine Direct.
Solid fuel Fireplaces How long are re-fueling times
Saturday, January 9th, 2010Ok this is quite a normal question asked by our customers and today i have been asked it again so i thought i would write a little article about it.
With the sales of solid fuel fireplaces and stoves increasing all the time as we the British public return to cheaper ways of heating our homes or adding extra heat i write this as the rest of my family are sat watching tv in our middle room huddling round our multi fuel stove.
So anyway it really depends on which type of fireplace you have an open fire basket or open fire has no way of restricting the air flow so they burn at a faster rate i have heard of people keeping the ashpan full to restrict the amount of air coming underneath in an attempt to slow it down refueling for this type of fireplace is Hourly for wood and around 2 hours for coal.
Obviously this depends on the type of wood and coal and how dry it is.
Stoves are a different creature as the conditions in which fuel is burnt can be altered to suit the amount of heat you require
On all good stoves there is an air intake slide which is basically the control button more air in eqauls hotter fire but quicker refueling it is trail and error to get it perfect.
So with it slowly set wood can last 2-3 Hours and Anthracite around 5-6 Hours they way we have ours burning at home is fairly hot and burning oak and cherry it gets refilled around every hour to hour and a half.
Again this depends on what type of fuel you are burning and if it is seasoned or not.
So theres a rough guide to the times of refueling but dont forget this can alter as to the draw of your chimney too.
Solid Fuel Fireplaces and Stoves are going so fast
Friday, January 8th, 2010I know it is always busy in January when we return from our Christmas break but things this week have been mad and im sure it is the Weather.
With temperatures below freezing and according to the News -20 Degrees in some places i can see why.
Well anyway solid fuel stoves and fireplaces are flying out of our factory and with the weather as it is some deliverys are being postponed in certain areas but this has not stopped people buying.
We do keep a huge amount of fireplaces and stoves in stock and next week we do have an interim delivery of Firefox 5 stoves that we have on order as most are arriving at the end of the month but we do have 4 spare which are coming next week.
So with the upsurge in sales the gallery group has run out of various fireplaces such as the Lytton Highlighted and The Pembroke Black but the problem now is there are not any more solid fuel kits for arched fireplaces.
We only have 2 in stock and need 7 to go out this week alone, these are not due in on container until the 26/27th Jan which means we will be sending out the fireplaces without the relevant solid fuel kits and then forwarding them on when they arrive.
The fireplace can still be fitted as the solid fuel kit slots in from the front and will not hold up any fitting work but im afraid you will not be able to light a fire until it arrives.
It is not just us that has run short the whole gallery group are very low on them there really is not much we can do except wait.
As for Stoves we do have them coming into stock still so im reasonably sure we should have enough to last this cold spell out.
Right im off to toast my feet in front of my glowing Tiger Plus Stove and those that have them installed or have ordered them from us will know just how warm they are
Customer orders fireplace and set of tiles from California
Thursday, January 7th, 2010As most of our customers know we do offer a Mainland Uk delivery service and we have a few times before delivered items to shipping agents for them to be packed and sent abroad.
This is not something we advertise but if asked will wrap and palletise these items to be sent this way.
Anway early this evening we had a customer email us asking if we wrapped and palletised a fireplace and some tiles could he arrange to have it collected from our factory by his shipping agents when he next attends the Newark Antiques Fair.
Now i dont think we have dealt with him before but we have had a few orders from a lady from Kansas do this and had goods delivered to a shippers near Newark for them to be crated and sent to the USA.
This is fine with us we do not promote sales of Fireplaces or Stoves to any other country than the UK but it may be worthwhile looking into exporting them.
We do have forklift facilty and plenty of crates so ill investigate the option of sending itemsother than mainland UK.
We do have a fiar amount of items go to Northern Ireland and we use a very good company for delivery who charge around £125 -£150 for delivery but there the same as us Blanket wrapped and individually wrapped with a two hour timed delivery service. Believe me im not sure how some of these companies go on sending everything on carrier and by pallet the damages they must incurr and customers being let down.
Anyway thats not the way we do it our delivery service is the pride of our company.
I will return again to featured items on Friday i just thought i would share the thought of exporting fireplaces and stoves with you