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Original poster

An Aga? Yes or no?

12 replies

Amelily · 07/05/2006 14:37

We live in the back of beyond and our heating is oil fired. Love the idea of installing an aga and getting rid of crap electric cooker completely (portable gas hobs and microwave as back-up). Thinking of getting one which will also heat the water - second hand, hopefully, from e-bay. Pros and cons anyone?

OP posts:

spidermama · 07/05/2006 14:40

I would love to have an aga. The experience I have had with friend's agas has been totally positive.

twocatsonthebed · 07/05/2006 15:28

We've been renting a house with a Rayburn (much the same as an Aga, but less heat storage, works better as a boiler) for the last eight months, and it's pretty good.

If you're a cook, you will love it - won't bore you with all of the reasons why, but just having an oven and plates always on, is fantastic. And it makes the kitchen amazingly cosy in winter (and will dry washing, warm cats etc etc.)

BUT, do think about what you will do in the summer. We've just had to switch it off as the kitchen was turning into an oven - ours will let you turn the cooker off but leave the boiler on. The house has an electric hob and oven as well, and I think you do need to think about how you manage in the summer (I do know someone who cooks on an Aga all year round, but think he is mad).

I'd do a bit of research on which are the best boilers and how you'd use it - as there are all sorts of variants and makes out there.

awaits tidal wave of abuse for being middle class

lummox · 07/05/2006 15:29

love mine.

and it was here when we moved in, so no angst.

SqueakyCat · 07/05/2006 19:25

Ours was here when we moved in.
Fab - a bit like broadband cooking: always on.

We do turn off in summer: personally, I could cope through the summer with a hob and microwave, but many people would like to have an oven.

I've heard that Aga's with water heating can be a but variable: the temp in the oven falls when someone runs a bath, thus disrupting cooking sunday roast.

We have a coal-to-oil converted Aga, and the bottom oven doesn't get quite as hot as it would do in a designed-for-oil Aga, therefore OK for warming plates but not much else.

Do you already have oil boiler?

Think about positioning of Aga and hot water cylinder: our house layout would require TOO much pipe work for the Aga to heat the water.

I'd be very tempted to get another if we moved.

Original poster

Amelily · 07/05/2006 19:33

Thanks for advice. Our house is (or will be) very open plan, with double height ceiling in some of it. Could you stand having the aga on all summer if that's the case?

OP posts:

Original poster

Amelily · 07/05/2006 19:35

Oh... and we have an electric boiler (very small) and the hot water is linked to the central heating which runs on oil. Does that make a difference? Also have been told we will need to have a chimney put in for aga. Is this true?

OP posts:

SqueakyCat · 09/05/2006 20:10

It sounds as if you have an oil-fired boiler heating water for central heating? In which case, I wouldn't bother wtih getting the Aga to heat the water, just get it for cooking and general room warmth.

Yes, you need a chimney or flue, but the Aga installers should be able to fit a flue. The only issue I've ever come across is in putting an Aga into a single-storey kitchen on the side of a double storey house. As the chimney / flue has to rise above the top of the house, they couldn't do it. They got an electric Aga: which I suspect is financial ruin on the elec bills.

Check out Rayburns and other similar range heaters - often easier and cheaper to get 2nd hand.

HTH

Pennies · 09/05/2006 20:16

Not wishing to be all eco smarmy or anything but aren't they really wasteful? We're trying to buy a house that has a gas aga in it (and a massive one at that) and I cna't understand why you have them on all the time.

Also the ovens look really tiny - how do you fit the Xmas turkey in?

tallmummy · 09/05/2006 20:33

The ovens look small but it's an optical illusion. We cook a 16lb turkey in ours every Xmas. Love my AGA. Couldn't bake cakes till I got one am now near domestic godess Will turn it off in a few weeks though. Miss it when it's off so useful for drying clothes and all the kids palstic beakers and plates.( On top by the warming plate.)

moondog · 09/05/2006 20:35

Agas are the bizz. Not wasteful 'cos they store heat and yes,you can have it on very low all summer.
We moved house and I miss mine terribly.

canadianmum · 09/05/2006 20:45

our was here when we moved in, I have been using it for a year and love it - fantastic for roasts, casseroles, spag bol, jacket potatoes, etc...but I will turn it off during the heat of summer.

Great for drying clothes on too!

We don't use it to heat water, just for cooking and keeping the kitchen lovely and warm in winter. The maintenance guy reckons it costs a a bit less than a pound per day for gas.

jollyfolly · 09/05/2006 20:47

we love our aga and it burns constantly through out the winter heating our house (we have three radiators running from it and rarely need to use any additional heaters) and water and cooking our food. However it is solid fuel and a bit too hot for summer use (oil fueled aga's are easier to control), so we have to use the electric cooker and immersion during the summer..... but go for it they are great cosy homely and we find it cheaper as it does three jobs at once.... not sure how expensive it would be to run an oil fueled one though.

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