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We have a Diamond. When it is up to temp it is adequate as a heater and very welcoming to look at, but:
* it is slow to heat up,
* the air has difficulty getting to the back of the fire box,
* it rarely burns through the night,
* the fan is quite noisy,
* when the fan is on High (or Boost) it doesn't blow a lot of air,
* the top plate vibrates against the body,
* I have yet to suss out why a lot of corrosion falls onto the top plate from the flue shield.
- Build Quality
- Noise Level
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This heater it the best and most used item I have ever added to my home..
I purchased my solitare in 2000 and have 14 foot ceilings in a massive room, we have only ever used it on on low. It heats all 8 rooms in our house with ease if I put a big log in it will burn all night. I only clean the glass about 3 times during the winter and it runs for two months continuous.
Purchased in for $3,000.
- Build Quality
- Value for Money
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- 2 reviews
After much research..we purchased the Eureka "onyx" inbuilt model wood fire 10 years ago. We heat a room 9 x 11metres with 11 foot ceilings.
It burns non stop through long winter months and keeps the room so warm..never running at more than a third capacity. It also heats 2 other adjoining rooms when needed.
We have not needed to repair or replace anything on fire as yet. This fire is amazing in that it will easily burn all night and is easy to load the wood.
Best thing we have ever bought and have had friends also buy after seeing ours. Love it.
- Date Purchased
- 2 reviews
- 6 likes
Have damage to firebox.They told me that I have to fix myself???Thoigjt this would be under warranty but am very disappointed it isn’t.i now have to fix myself which will involve heating the front ash pan and trying to straighten it which will not be an easy job.I have only ever burnt good hardwood.
- Date Purchased
Find out how Eureka Freestanding Discovery Series compares to other Wood Heaters
Know better, choose better.
- 8 reviews
- 5 likes
This company has been around a long time. I purchased the Solitaire about 25 years ago 1992. $3,300 installed
I see it has not gone up much in price in 25 years and still same design.
It works very well, spare parts always available, I have only replaced fire bricks twice and sacrificial plate once.
It looks really good as well. I think it will last another 25 years.
In winter it runs non stop for about 6 months as I live in snowy mountains.
- Date Purchased
I've had a solitaire for 7 years, its had little use. It's bloody slow to heat up, the coonara in the other room heats up in no time. Also the damn thing also burns the wood fast. I'm not sure if it's an emissions requirement, but it is very hard to get it to burn through the night. When it does finally heat up, it's very hot, until the wood burn quickly down again. Also the fan was a heap of crap, a small noisy cheap thing. The fire box and exterior well made and looks nice, but there has to be better out there.
- 33 reviews
- 37 likes
- Freestanding Discovery Solitaire
- Selected Review
Easily the best wood fire out of 11 we looked at.
It’s the biggest heater with the biggest firebox on the market. The door opening is 555mm wide and 265mm high. That means a whole lot less wood splitting. Many logs we collect fit straight into the wood heater door, while many other wood heaters would need those to be split into 4, 5, or 6 pieces. When speaking to our friends about wood heaters they all tended to say that the biggest headache about wood fires is cutting and splitting the wood, so this heater really appealed to us.
A big firebox also means long burning times. I would usual...
Read morely load the heater at 6pm and it would still be burning at lunch time the following day. In speaking to people in the industry, there are only 2 wood heaters that burn for more than 18 hours, and this is one of them. Long burning times also means racks of washing can dry in front of the heater overnight, so our power bill was a lot lower since we weren’t using the dryer or the air conditioner. In fact, our last power bill for the winter quarter showed we had used 35% less electricity and had to pay 25% less money (after electricity price rises). A big firebox also means you can control the temperature 2 ways; with the air intake slide and the size of the fuel you load. Big bits of wood have less surface area so they burn cooler. Small bits of wood burn hotter. The availability of spare parts means the heater doesn’t have to be thrown away when things break or wear out. Glass doors, steel panels, baffle plates, and fans are all available through Eureka heating. On some heaters, when the top panel rusts through, the heater goes in the bin. The 3 speed fan blows air between the top cover and the top plate so the heater can warm a room quickly when you get home. We used to have the fire going 24 hours a day with the vent off when we were out and the vent on for more heat when we came home. If you make sure you install a large tiled hearth (such as 1200mm x 1200mm), there is enough room in front of the heater to stand the next load of logs. This pre-heats the logs and enables them to ignite faster and get you warmer faster too. It also means your chimney produces a lot less smoke. The intake fan at the bottom will also suck up any steam given off by the logs as they pre-heat; this is a unique feature as many heaters have their intake at the back with the fan. The heater measures 820mm tall, 880mm wide, 640mm deep so make sure you plan where you want to put it before you buy it because it isn't a cute little girl's fireplace. Having a big firebox also means getting wood is less of a problem for people with a bit of up and go either. We have about 16 tonnes of firewood on our front lawn, which is enough to burn 24 hours a day for 8 months and more is on the way. We set up an arrangement with a few local tree loppers, and we also took old shipping pallets from factories that didn't need them anymore. With a bit of thinking (and less time numbing your brain in front of the TV) getting firewood is really easy. Big firebox, plenty of heat, long burning times, and low chimney emissions. Parts can be expensive if you break something like the glass.
Found your review very interesting so want to ask a couple of questions.
Carlingford Sydney? I thought these type of burners were banned in the Sydney metro area because of the problem emissions th...
Read moreey produced in areas like the valley on the western side of Mt Colah.
thanks for the review, my parents too have the solitaire to heat their open plan area, it is so powerful they hardly if ever have the fan on. The radiant heat it produces is sufficient enough to heat...
Read more the area comfortably, hit the fan on 1 and your roasting! I live in an older style weatherboard house with high ceilings and drafts etc... i have recently renovated it and made it an open plan. So I decided to upgrade the tiny radiant heater we had in the lounge to an Ultimate elite 20. The wood heater works ok at keeping the area at 20 to 21 degrees during the day, however when the cold nights kick in it struggles and we resort to turning on the ducted central heating as well. Also the fan has to be on the highest speed all the time on a cold day. We also installed a heat tranfer kit that takes the heat from the lounge to 2 of the bedrooms. this doesnt seem to be that effective so we resort back to running the central heating during the nights to avoid freezing to death! So that brings me to now, I have weighed up the cost of running central heating every night for the next 6 months of cold weather and running a wood heater all day and night with the fan on 3 ... its just too much just to be comfortable! So I figure get a more powerful wood heater that will pump loads of heat that i can easily tranfer with the flick of a switch. longer burning times so it can run during the night without requiring a reloads and not having to run the central heating all night ! older houses are a pain to keep warm, so to keep the house at 18 degrees when we go to bed means the central heating basically never shuts off. it just cant retain the heat for long periods of time! So rather than pay a fortune for gas and be forever dissapointed in my wood heaters performance I am best to buy a eureka solitaire and will soon be saving money. they are an expensive unit, however you get what you pay for! they say they heat 350 squares and i have no doubt they can do it! im excited to get mine installed next week and fingers crossed it will solve my heating problems!Related Articles
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Questions & Answers
Hi. We own a Eureka Free Standing Garnet Wood Heater. It heats our full home beautifully. One question. Is there a way we can reduce the fan noise that it makes, (especially on high). It was like this when we purchased it around 5 years ago? NSW.
Hi Janine,
Glad to hear you are enjoying your Eureka Garnet! In regards to the fan, due to the amount of air being moved, it does make a bit of noise on the high speed, which is unavoidable. However,...
Read more it should be noted that the high speed should only be used in short bursts, as leaving the fan on high for too long is counterproductive to heating the home as it can rob the fire of heat. For 90% of operation, the low and medium fan speeds are ideal.
I have a large old Diamond wood heater
The inside latch which holds the door shut has broken. Can I get parts or a new handle?
Replacement parts are certainly still available. If you contact your nearest Eureka Dealership, they will be able to assist you with replacing the required parts. Eureka Dealerships: https://eurekaheating.com.au/find-dealer
Hi all.
I have been working on a pensioner mate of mine who’s heater is as he said like over 20yrs old.
My question is the slider to allow in re low or high.
The ashes on the floor, if pulled to the front, will this impede the drawing of air as the slider is at the bottom.
My fires are both at the top.
A design by Eureka and other brands.
So how is air allowed in?
Through a chamber through the bottom, through the back etc via the fan area as well?
I’ve always scraped coals etc to the front to burn and get more coal burning availability as it burns to eventual powder.
Any help will be beneficial as he is struggling with his fire and it his elderly wife isn’t well with arthritis.
Cheers.
The slider (air vent) allows air to enter the firebox both at the front, below the door, and at the back, just above the fire bricks. The ones at the back tend to get blocked up.
Generating heat requ...
Thank you Rick.
Yes when I cleaned it for him he said I’ve never cleaned it that well.
Hence I did clear holes at the back up to top.
I also noticed, no fire bricks at the base which I also found odd ...
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Details
 Eureka Freestanding Discovery EmeraldNo reviews yet | Eureka Freestanding Discovery OnyxNo reviews yet | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Wood Heaters | Wood Heaters | Wood Heaters |
| Price (RRP) | $4,300.00 | $4,765.00 | $5,195.00 |
| Heater Type | Flued | Flued | Flued |
| Max Room Size | 565 m² | 300 m² | 350 m² |
| Dimensions | 745 x 655 x 610 mm | 795 x 775 x 595 mm | 825 x 850 x 620 mm |
| Efficiency | 73 % | 65 % | 66 % |
| Manufacturer Warranty | 10 year(s) | 10 year(s) | 10 year(s) |
| Colour / Finish | Black | Black | Black |
| Construction Material | Steel | Steel | Steel |
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Extra Information
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Can you cook properly on it?