We spent literally days selecting our log burner. There are many to choose from and many things to consider. You need to get the right size for your chimney, a look that compliments your room and regulations that you need to adhere to. After much deliberation we went for the Broseley Serrano 7 SE multi-fuel stove. This article is a simple Broseley Serrano 7 SE review assessing the pros & cons and explains our reasons for the selection.
What is the Victorian Project all about? Find out here.
The Serrano 7 SE Design
We visited a number of show rooms in search of the right log burner & what was immediately apparent was that the majority of stoves were vertical in design. The Serrano 7 stood out from the crowd to us due to its horizontal layout and burley cast iron look. We wanted this orientation to fill the fireplace opening and make better use of the space.
It features a large viewing window allowing clear visibility of what is going on inside and more importantly lets you enjoy the flames. Its cast iron finish gives it a traditional feel which compliments our Victorian house. Many of the other stoves in the show rooms we visited looked rather cheap by comparison. [See also: Main Living Room Transformation (Before) -Decorating Begins]
The inner chamber is designed with both air flow & the simplification of cleaning in mind. Inside there is an inner grill for the wood/coal to sit on and the layout allows air to efficiently move around your fuels. Like most burners, beneath the grill is a fully removable tray allowing you to take away the ash. All inner components are removable making it relatively easy to access all areas. The image below shows the inner layout. As you can see, it has had some use in recent months & I appologise for not giving it a scrub before writing our Broseley Serrano 7 SE review. [See also: Fix Damp in Victorian Houses and the Common Causes]
Air Flow Controls
The Serrano 7 features two air controls located on the front of the stove as shown in the image beneath. The primary air control is used to provide maximum air flow into the stove during lighting whilst the secondary leaver allows you to control the flames during normal operation. The leavers are functional, easy to use & nice and discreet. [See also: Remove Stubborn Wallpaper – Stripping Back]
Broseley Serrano 7 SE Specifications
The table below details the specifications of the Broseley Serrano 7 SE log burner. These details have been taken from the accompanying documentation of the stove. [See also: Victorian Roof Repairs – Starting Point for any Renovation]
| Specification Item | Detail |
| Width | 608mm |
| Height | 540mm |
| Depth | 488mm |
| Flue outlet size | 125mm |
| Weight | 120kg |
| Efficiency | 76.9% |
| EU Energy Rating | A |
| Nominal Heat Output to Room | 7.5 KW |
It is important to note that any logburner installations that are over 5KW require sufficient ventalation into a room. This is usually in the form of a small vent in placed into the wall close to the burner. With the Serrano 7 SE being a 7KW stove please bear this in mind and do your homework.
Serrano 7 Efficiency Comparisson
To fully gage the efficiency of the Broseley Serrano 7 the table below shows a selection of other 7KW multifuel stoves in order of efficiency in descending order. The efficiency figures have been taken from various sites and rounded up. The table also shows the best available price for each stove. [See also: Ivy Invasion – Removal from Bricks, Roofing & Gutters]
| 7 KW Stove Make & Model | Efficiency | Approx Price |
| ACR Ashdale 7kw Cast Iron Multifuel Stove | 83 | £1,255 |
| Henley Elite G1 7kw Multifuel Stove | 82 | £1,600 |
| Henley Apollo 7kw Multifuel Inset Stove | 79 | £900 |
| Henley Arklow 7kw Inset Multifuel Stove | 79 | £900 |
| Broseley Serrano 7kw SE Multifuel Stove | 77 | £800 |
| Flavel No.2 CV07 7kw Multifuel Stove | 75 | £700 |
| OER 7 – 7kw Multifuel Stove | 75 | £1,050 |
| Flavel Rochester 7kw Multifuel Stove | 74 | £775 |
As you can see, when pitched against other stoves the Serrano 7 sits middle of the park in terms of burning efficiency clocking in at 77%. Whilst there are slightly more efficient stoves available it is important to note that the 77% provides a grade A EU efficiency rating so you can expect the Serrano to get a lot out of your logs. The key stat here is that the Serrano 7 is cheaper to buy than all other 7KW stoves above it in the league table. Yes you will find stoves that exceed 80% efficiency but at a considerably higher price point. [See also: 10 ‘Gotchas’ when buying a Victorian House – Knowledge is Power]
Cleaning & Maintenance
As mentioned earlier on, all of the inner workings of the stove can be fully detached for cleaning. This includes the grill that supports your burning materials & an ash pan. The front door & viewing window can also be easily lifted off. [See also: Should I Get A Building Survey & Are House Surveys Worth It?]
The Serrano 7 uses what Broseley call the ‘Air Wash’ system to keep the front screen free from soot. To quote from the manual;
‘Air wash is a system where secondary air is drawn into the stove (by combustion) through the air control under the ash lip and is deflected down the back face of the glass, thus preventing the smoke coming into contact with the glass.’
Whilst we have found this to be fairly effective it is not perfect and you do get a build up on the screen over time. You will still need to give the viewing window a good clean on a regular basis. Another issue we have found is that a fair amount of ash is missed by the ash pan and you get a build up on either side. This particularly happens when you over fill the Serrano 7 and don’t place the fuels centrally on the grill. This isn’t a huge problem but means a little extra time cleaning is required.
The Cost Of The Burner & Is It Value For Money?
This leads us onto the Price of the Broseley Serrano 7. If you are considering purchasing one of these I suggest you shop around to get the best price. A quick Google search will bring up a whole host of retailers with varying prices going as high as £1200. We paid £800 for ours and there are a number of places offering it at this price point.
Our view on the Serrano 7 price is that you get a lot for your money and at £800 is good value. As seen in the last section the Serrano 7 is an efficient stove yet far cheaper than its marginally more efficient competitors. Not only is it efficient but is relatively easy to clean and looks good.
We selected the Serrano 7 as it is unique in design with a large viewing window and the Airwash technology helps to keep in top viewing condition. For £800 you won’t go far wrong.
An Example Installation – Our Log Burner
For an in-depth look at how we transformed our fireplace, see our article Open Up A Fireplace & Log Burner Installation. The image below shows our Broseley Serrano 7 SE fully installed and finished to give you an example of how it could look. Our fireplace opening measures approximately 90cm x 90cm & the stove nicely fills the space.
We positioned our Serrano 7 on a traditional slate hearth with an exposed brick rear. These are the original bricks & not a fireboard solution. The fire surround is of Agean lime stone and provides a good colour contrast with the burner & hearth. The landscape layout of the Serrano 7 provides a better use of the space than the more common vertical layout alternatives. [See also: Main Living Room Transformation (Before) -Decorating Begins]
In the above image both the Serrano 7 stove & the hearth have been cleaned up with a coat of linseed oil which is great for hiding the blemishes caused by day-to-day use and to really bring out the colour. The elegant look of the stove compliments the fireplace & surrounding room and the large viewing window allows you to fully enjoy the goings on inside.
Broseley Serrano 7 SE Review – Roundup
If you have read our Broseley Serrano 7 SE review from start to finish you will have already got the impression that we are pleased with the product. The design of the stove was the first thing that attracted us to it as it is very different to the majority of stoves and more traditional.
When it comes to cleaning & maintenance of the Serrano 7 it isn’t bad. Like with most stoves the vast majority of ash created will be caught in the removable ash pan that you can just take out and clean. The grill used to support your fuel is also removable. You will get some ash build up outside of the pan particularly if you load the burner up too full but a regular sweep will keep this inline. The ‘Airwash’ system will help to keep the viewing screen clean but you should still aim to give it a wipe down on a regular basis.
The efficiency rating of the Serrano 7 should allow you to get the most out of your fuels. Sure you can get slightly more efficient multifuel stoves in the 7KW band but as we have shown, all of the ones that we assessed we more expensive and significantly more in some cases. So in terms of price the Broseley Serrano 7 will not break the bank and can be purchased at a very reasonable price. My advice to you is to shop around as when producing this article prices ranged from £800 right up to £1200.
We can highly recommend the Broseley Serrano 7 SE multifuel stove and are pleased with our installation. You struggle to find something as unique offering as good value for money.
