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Thread: AGA advice?

  1. #1
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    AGA advice?

    We are in the process of going through a planning application for an extension which will including relocating the kitchen into the new downstairs bit. This will be an open plan area approx 4m x 7m. Just starting to lick at kitchens etc. and the Mrs has indicated she would like an AGA or similar as part of the new kitchen.

    So I am seeking any experiences or advice on AGA and similar range cookers. We currently only have gas and electric as supply options but if there is overwhelming advice to go the oil route we could do this.

    We would be looking for a 2 oven model or similar size - does not need to incorporate hot water or central heating.

    Do we avoid refurb'd stuff?

    Are AGA the leaders in the market - do we consider Rayburn, Marshall? Any other recommendations.

    TIA
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  2. #2
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    I am biased as a former employee - I'd love one :) Aga own Rayburn BTW. (Aga will do hot water but not CH, and Rayburns will do both) Loads of info over on http://www.agaliving.com/aga-range-cookers

    I'd go 3 oven (still a traditional Aga) with total control so you can control its energy consumption when your not in the house/out at work.

    Oil/gas/solid fuel have been the traditional way of fuelling one of these things but if you do it that way, you need to consider what to do in the summer (do we have those anymore!) when its hot and you really don't want the Aga running 24/7 and pumping out heat all the time. What are you going to cook on?

    Method of cooking is a bit different as there is more focus on the oven as opposed to using the hot plate (i.e. steaming veggie in the oven as opposed to boiling on the hotplate) but once you get your head round it or attend a free cooking demo (they do them all round the country) its not all that different.

    You'll need to factor in servicing costs too.

  3. #3
    Master Incredible Sulk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuBee View Post
    I am biased as a former employee - I'd love one :) Aga own Rayburn BTW. (Aga will do hot water but not CH, and Rayburns will do both) Loads of info over on http://www.agaliving.com/aga-range-cookers

    I'd go 3 oven (still a traditional Aga) with total control so you can control its energy consumption when your not in the house/out at work.

    Oil/gas/solid fuel have been the traditional way of fuelling one of these things but if you do it that way, you need to consider what to do in the summer (do we have those anymore!) when its hot and you really don't want the Aga running 24/7 and pumping out heat all the time. What are you going to cook on?

    Method of cooking is a bit different as there is more focus on the oven as opposed to using the hot plate (i.e. steaming veggie in the oven as opposed to boiling on the hotplate) but once you get your head round it or attend a free cooking demo (they do them all round the country) its not all that different.

    You'll need to factor in servicing costs too.
    Total Control or a Dual Control is the wallet saving way to do it. Discounting the purchase cost of course, which is eye watering. You'll need to factor in a (conventional)backup oven and hob for the summer when the AGA will hopefully not be needed for heating the kitchen. That's assuming you don't go for the even more eye wateringly expensive add on AGA conventional cooker module that tacks on to the side of a three oven.

  4. #4
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    My mother has always had an AGA the one she has now was fitted almost 40 years ago it was second hand then, when we moved house it came with us . It was a solid fuel 4 oven model but about 5 years ago they had it refurbished and converted to gas she still loves it and being gas it's more easily controlled etc but I think she preferred it when it was solid fuel. Obviously they are pretty reliable as there's not much to go wrong as long as they are fitted and flued correctly . Not sure how they compare with the other makes but they have certainly stood the test of time.

  5. #5
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    I've never had an AGA Chris, but have had two "proper" range cookers with another two planned.

    I fitted an oil fired Esse in the Manx cottage I had to give my first wife - it provides central heating which an AGA won't and hot water. It is a bigger unit than a Rayburn but smaller than an AGA - small enough to be manhandled by several very strong men without partial disassembly. As a cooker it was pretty good but I kept it in a dining room with a separate gas cooker in the kitchen- used to use the ovens which are excellent but it would get switched off altogether for around 3 months of the year so a backup cooker is essential IMHO. Fuel consumption was horrendous and I've heard similar stories about AGAs.

    In my pied-a-terre London flat I have an Everhot, which is electric-powered. The flat is the top floor of an Edwardian house and is left for several weeks at a time. The Everhot basically stays switched on 24/7 for 8-9 months of the year and keeps the place aired and the temperature to a certain level. This minimises how much we have to use the central heating and means that even if we arrive in February with snow on the ground at least the kitchen is comfortable while the rest of the flat warms up. As a cooker it is brilliant - relatively quick to heat up for a thing of its kind so it does even get used in summer and I've never felt the need for a backup apart from the microwave which I would have anyway. Mine is the smallest model - the Everhot 60 - but they make larger ones for family houses. I find it pretty economical to keep and servicing requirements are minimal.

    I'm so impressed with the Everhot that I'm getting one for the guest annexe of my house in Malta (and wish it was here now as it is chilly and damp on the rock) and will also fit one in my other occasional-use flat in Douglas when it gets its overdue refurb in the next couple of years. In my opinion they can't be bettered for period homes that aren't occupied full time - the benefit of unlocking the door not to be greeted by a chill and smell of damp can't be understated.

    But equally, based on my experience of the smaller Everhot, if I wanted a large range cooker for a family home and especially if it was going to be the only cooker, it would be my first choice.

  6. #6
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    So, to sum up, you leave them on 24/7 wasting fuel, (and they use a lot of fuel) and you need a backup oven and hob for the summer when you can't leave the Aga on, as it would be too warm. And they cost a fortune to buy. And need serviced.

    Would a range style conventional cooker be a more cost effective option? Or does the fact it's always on hold some advantage that I'm missing?

    They do look nice I must admit.
    Last edited by demonloop; 18th December 2016 at 14:07.

  7. #7
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by demonloop View Post
    Or does the fact it's always on hold some advantage that I'm missing?
    As per my post above, it does if it is an older house without the benefit of modern insulation and damp proofing, and especially if you aren't there all the time - could be relevant even if your business takes you away for a week at a time or if you spend winter at another home somewhere warmer (which definitely isn't Malta today!)

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by demonloop View Post
    So, to sum up, you leave them on 24/7 wasting fuel, (and they use a lot of fuel) and you need a backup oven and hob for the summer when you can't leave the Aga on, as it would be too warm. And they cost a fortune to buy. And need serviced.

    Would a range style conventional cooker be a more cost effective option? Or does the fact it's always on hold some advantage that I'm missing?

    They do look nice I must admit.
    Your not wrong ;)

    Aga's are from an age when Mrs was at home all day, cooking cakes and rearing orphan lambs....But an Aga is an Aga and others are very capable (sometime superior) imitations, there's a watch analogy here!

    Even I would be hard pushed to justify one unless my 6 numbers had come up, plus I like my induction hob...
    Last edited by LuBee; 18th December 2016 at 14:20.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuBee View Post

    Aga's are from an age when Mrs was at home all day, cooking cakes and rearing orphan lambs..
    This is exactly what I imagined when I opened the thread.

    I fear these times have passed, though I do accept they're a good solution to keep a house warm that isn't always occupied as per the poster above.

    I'm not sure I could personally live with one.

  10. #10
    We have a Rayburn Solid Fuel range. It provides hot water, CH and some cooking facilities throughout the Winter months. Roughly, it's lit and functioning constantly from Nov through to end of March. Ours throws out far to much heat to use during the warmer months, so from Apr through to Oct we use a conventional ceramic hob, immersion heater and electric storage heating if required.

    I agree that you may need to provision for additional cooking facilities at certain times. We use our ceramic hob and electric oven often, even if the Rayburn is lit as, and I think all range owners will agree, they can be somewhat volatile at certain times (ovens take a while to get to roasting heat, certain weather conditions affect temperature control, etc. etc.).

    YMMV with an Oil/Gas range. But I like the solid fuel version: they seem to have character and you can open the firebox door on a cold winters day and sit roasting your Chestnuts by an open fire .

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by demonloop View Post
    So, to sum up, you leave them on 24/7 wasting fuel, (and they use a lot of fuel) and you need a backup oven and hob for the summer when you can't leave the Aga on, as it would be too warm. And they cost a fortune to buy. And need serviced.

    Would a range style conventional cooker be a more cost effective option? Or does the fact it's always on hold some advantage that I'm missing?

    They do look nice I must admit.
    Excellent summary - 6 month service intervals and oil consumption is 6cc a minute idling 8 cc cooking. They do keep the kitchen lovely and warm and are convenient as always on. I can see how they make good sense in a busy farm house constantly cooking and drying things but for someone at work all day they make no sense. If you turn it off it takes about an hour to light and 12 hours to warm up.

    That said they do electric models now which I think are much more efficient but I would be wary of the always on oil version or at least consider the running costs as well as the looks.

  12. #12
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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  13. #13
    Master Incredible Sulk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MB2 View Post
    Excellent summary - 6 month service intervals and oil consumption is 6cc a minute idling 8 cc cooking. They do keep the kitchen lovely and warm and are convenient as always on. I can see how they make good sense in a busy farm house constantly cooking and drying things but for someone at work all day they make no sense. If you turn it off it takes about an hour to light and 12 hours to warm up.

    That said they do electric models now which I think are much more efficient but I would be wary of the always on oil version or at least consider the running costs as well as the looks.
    The new electric total control or dual control are a bit more environmentally friendly.

    I don't have any experience with the total control. but I do with the electric dual control. Unlike the old AGAs, the hot plates are individually selectable on or off, and the three ovens can be either on or off, or sort of halfway on, which has the roasting oven at about IIRC the temperature of the simmering oven. (Or is it the baking oven?) So the idea is that you can have the thing 'idling' with the ovens sort of half on and the boiling and simmering hotplates turned off. The hotplates come up to temperature in something like ten minutes, it takes the oven probably a couple of hours to get up to full temperature from the half on setting. I think.

    What it means is that you turn one or both of the hotplates on as you need them, and you can either leave the oven on at full heat all the time, or knock it back to the halfway setting if you know you won't be using the ovens much. The halfway setting still keeps the kitchen toasty.

    The advantage of all this selectability is a fuel bill that's significantly less than it would be with everything on full all the time, the disadvantage is that you can't stick the kettle on the boiling plate and have a brew in three minutes if you feel like one! And cooking takes a bit more planning.
    Last edited by Incredible Sulk; 18th December 2016 at 16:14.

  14. #14
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MB2 View Post

    That said they do electric models now which I think are much more efficient but I would be wary of the always on oil version or at least consider the running costs as well as the looks.
    Agree, Esse make a very nice one.The electric ones are far more efficient, no regular service requirements and no flue so you can stick them anywhere plus they look like a conventional Aga type oven.They can be left on 'hibernate' so they still give off a little heat to warm the room and far easier to control the heat

  15. #15
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    We had a proper aga when we bought this place it's just been replaced by a falcon all electric range cooker and it's the best thing we ever did, as stated earlier if someone's home all day etc they may work for you but for us a complete pain in the bum. Highly recommend the falcon (part of aga or rangmaster all the same afaik) up to now on our short (about a month) experience, very well made and the induction hob is brilliant to clean after a stir fry or similar just wipe it over job done personally I wouldn't have another traditional aga type if you paid me.

  16. #16
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    We have the Aga s-series six four, looks like a classic Aga but with the convenience of a normal oven
    You can gas or electric hobs and gas oven!

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by bootneck View Post
    Highly recommend the falcon (part of aga or rangmaster all the same afaik) up to now on our short (about a month) experience, very well made and the induction hob is brilliant to clean after a stir fry or similar just wipe it over job done personally I wouldn't have another traditional aga type if you paid me.
    Falcon are a nice piece of professional kit and would be my modern choice. Aga own them along with La Cornue, Rangemaster, Divertimenti, Fired Earth, Stanley, Redfyre,Marvel, Grange, Leisure Sinks and Mercury.

  18. #18
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    We have an Aga with the full induction hob. Basically it's a very large, powerful cooker that requires a 72amp supply.

    But it is brilliant. Brings a pan of cold water to boiling in about sixty seconds - its that powerful, and just wipe clean.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  19. #19
    Grand Master Chinnock's Avatar
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    We have a 2 oven Aga which copes easily for my family of 5. On 24/7 most of the year and it's the heart of our house. Might be viewed as a dinosaur these days, but makes cooking so much easier and hassle free, cooks meat succulently, perfect roasts and much more and warms our house with the boiler only running for a couple of hours morning and night during the winter.

    Would never go back to a conventional oven.

  20. #20
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    We have a 30 Amp 2 oven Aga, so it heats up overnight and a fan blows the heat from the heaty bit to the ovens. Just cooked Christmas lunch on it (slightly early) and it is brilliant.

    Totally unnecessary in the modern world, but we have a 15th century cottage with no central heating so it stays on all year (they are very well insulated and our house is like a cave so it doesn't get unbearably hot in the summer, we just leave it on) and I reckon it costs just a few quid a week to run, maybe £8-£10.

    The new fancy pants ones are a lot of money, if I was buying one I would get a reconditioned or refurbished 30A. New in 2008, our's was £9k.

    You can also chuck away the kettle, toaster, bread maker, tumble dryer and slow cooker as it does all that!

  21. #21
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    We have a Marshall. It's an old alpha design which Rayburn called the 800. It runs on oil. Basically it's great. We had some issues with the supplying retailer and the manufacturer (a trim piece that needed replacing took over a year!) but the cooker itself is great. It takes about 15 mins from cold to get to cooking temperature and you can switch it off two thirds of the way through and the heat retained will do the rest. It also has the ch boiler inside. 2 separate burners which are completely independent of each other.
    The kitchen is really warm and it looks the part. I'd have another tomorrow if we moved, one of the best things we have bought.

  22. #22
    My gas fired 2 oven aga was installed in 1972 and still looking and running well. Absolutely love it despite wanting to hate it. It cost £80-£90 a month to run but heats the whole kitchen easily and when combined with a log burner in the living room we barely have the heating on.

    You can buy a refurbed gas aga that looks like new fully installed for around £4k, or a spanking total control electric version from the showroom for £11k. Yes it'll cost you less to run but £7k will take a long time to catch up.

    Gas will need a flue externally or up a chimney, the electric ones can vent in to the room (not ideal) of outside via a 25mm run if pipe.

    I'd say do it though, we love our aga!!!

  23. #23
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    Thanks for your replies - most helpful!!.
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  24. #24
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    So clever my foot fell off.

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by bootneck View Post
    and the induction hob is brilliant to clean after a stir fry or similar just wipe it over job done personally I wouldn't have another traditional aga type if you paid me.
    I had forgotten this aspect - as the "always on" version are always hot any spillages get burnt on and can be tricky to clean as all so hot so only gets a proper clean every 6 months on the day before the service as it cools down.

  26. #26
    We used to have an oil Aga, converted years back from wood burning apparently. It's an old house and it's the only source of heat in the kitchen but when you look at the oil costs (something like £2k a year), servicing (every 4-6 months @£150) and the fact that it was roasting hot for a few weeks after it was serviced but got progressively cooler until being unusable after 5-6 months it wasn't really sustainable...I'm sure a new oil one would be more efficient but I'm still not sure it makes a lot of sense, even now oil prices are much lower.

    We had it replaced with an electric one (Dual Control I think) a year or so back and it's much more usable. Still takes a while to get from off to full heat but much cheaper to run (about a fiver a week) and still gives the kitchen that warm, focal point like the old one.

  27. #27
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    UPDATE

    Order placed with a company recommended by a friend - gone for full refurb old style traditional 2 oven in cream.
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK View Post
    Order placed with a company recommended by a friend - gone for full refurb old style traditional 2 oven in cream.

    Nice one, Gas I presume?

    What did you pay if you don't mind sharing, £4k ish?

  29. #29
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tz-uk73 View Post
    Nice one, Gas I presume?

    What did you pay if you don't mind sharing, £4k ish?
    Yes, £4k fully referred - new liners, seals, annealed, re-enamelled (our choice of colour) all over, new plinth, delivered and fitted- ended up electric due to a couple of reasons.

    Great company to deal with.
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  30. #30
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    what happened next

    I am new to this forum ,so what happened next?
    what did you do/buy etc.
    i hope you bought a new four oven oil aga just to cook on .... leads to happy wife!!!!!
    alvis

  31. #31
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by alvis View Post
    I am new to this forum ,so what happened next?
    what did you do/buy etc.
    i hope you bought a new four oven oil aga just to cook on .... leads to happy wife!!!!!
    alvis
    2 Oven, antique cream - love it!
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  32. #32
    Master Alex L's Avatar
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    I have an electric 3 oven AGA with AIMS control which broke 17 days outside of warranty, they outsource their engineers who managed to fix it, within 48 hours another fault occurred. We now pay £22 a month for AGA Care as the control unit alone is £2,700 to replace!!!!

  33. #33
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    We have an induction Aga. We have had it for six years, and it has been both faultless and excellent. The large four oven version.

    It will take a pan of cold water to boiling in around sixty second, and looks superb too. The induction hob is brilliant, and takes seconds to wipe clean.

    The only significant consideration is that it needs a larger than standard power supply, so will need a little electrical work to install.

    Other than that, it's brilliant.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  34. #34
    Grand Master Rod's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    We have an Aga with the full induction hob. Basically it's a very large, powerful cooker that requires a 72amp supply.

    But it is brilliant. Brings a pan of cold water to boiling in about sixty seconds - its that powerful, and just wipe clean.
    Induction is the best, super fast, very controllable.
    Daughter has just upgraded her kitchen and has a Rangemaster with induction hob, and she loves it.

  35. #35
    Master earlofsodbury's Avatar
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    I know threads are broadly supposed to be "luv-ins", but the case for the prosecution is as follows: when we bought our current house (C18th farmhouse) it inevitably came with an AGA. And yes, it very much suits the appearance of the kitchen. And yes, the dogs like the warmth sometimes.

    And that is where it ends. I *hate* the bl##dy thing with a passion, and since I do most of the cooking, that matters! It takes literally hours to adjust the temperature, and it is entirely useless for anything that requires actual HEAT - stir-fries and pizza for example are a thing of the past, and steaks less than perfect. It takes up more space than a modern 6-burner/double oven/double grill unit but boasts just two "burners" and only one pokey little oven that can actually cook anything!

    It is the most environmentally unsound object on the face of the planet since it must be left on at all times in order to be able to cook on it, otherwise it's a minimum of four hours to get up to heat, 6 to get properly hot. Cleaning it's a 'mare cos it seems to attract ALL the filth, and being hot all the time, normal cleaning is hopeless. ...And it's not even providing hot water/central heating! In the summer I turn it off as the kitchen's unbearable otherwise, and then have to get-by with the kind of Baby Belling stove most of us left behind in our bedsit days!

    I've had it serviced by an AGA franchisee, and he explained that it's a model from 1948 which has been (properly) converted to gas, and "that's how they are sir".

    I looked into selling it, but despite the fact that they costs £thousands, no-one's willing to uninstall one for anything less than a vast sum (we were quoted £500 to uninstall and remove!). I'm guessing that may be because locally there's little demand for massively-overpriced kitchen ornaments, as it's one of the poorer parts of England. So for now, I'm stuck with it, as I can't afford that cost (which feels like an outright scam anyway) *and* the cost of a decent new stove.

    So yeah, I've no doubt new ones are better, but they are *not* all they are cracked-up to be - more of status symbol than a practical stove IME. Caveat emptor!

  36. #36
    We’ve just thoroughly enjoyed a chicken stir-fry cooked on our two-oven AGA!

    However, like the earlofsodbury I am not a great fan of the AGA. You need a second oven for during the summer, the temperature of gas AGA’s can be affected by wind direction, and they pump out heat (and consume fuel) whether you want them to or not.

    On the other hand, they make the kitchen the most welcoming room in the house, the dogs absolutely love them, and Sunday roasts (and toast, fried eggs, cakes and more) never taste as good as when cooked in the AGA.


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  37. #37
    Grand Master Chinnock's Avatar
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    We have a refurbed Gas aga with new burner. Best thing we ever bought over 12 years ago. Cooking with an Aga is just so right, and no longer need to iron.




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