Installing a Marshall Heater totally transformed the sprawling 1920’s farmhouse we live in near Havelock North. As third generation caretakers of the family homestead, as a child, I remember the efforts my grandparents and later my parents went to, year in year out, trying to warm the house in winter. It was built with six fireplaces but all but two fell by the wayside. Next came the electric heaters, then eventually heat pumps. None did the job. The house was still cold. Some bedrooms were like ice chambers. Power bills were eye watering. Concrete was the problem. As beautifully built as it is, the house is like a bunker. Everything is concrete. The roof, the suspended floor, every internal and external wall – all solid reinforced concrete. God knows how many times the place was painted inside. In winter you saw last summers paint job peeling under the relentless condensation.
In 2018 the family decided to invest in a boiler system with radiators in nearly every room. This was a big, complex and extremely difficult project. The gap between suspended concrete floor and the ground under the house in many areas is just 30cm so installing pipes to radiators was hard and very, very unpleasant. Tunnels had to be dug to fit a plumber working with pipes. We looked at boilers from Britain, from Austria, Canada and the United States. They had all sorts of bells and whistles. Even the ability to use your smartphone for some functions. But none could give the guarantee we wanted: If we burned hardwood, plentiful on the farm, would the firebox last more than 5 to 10 years.
It was the first question I asked Meryl at Marshall Heaters. She told me there are original Marshall fire boxes still operating after 40 to 50 years. The secret was simply the Marshall water jacket system. After a lot of research we elected to go kiwi made. We wanted something simple, economically, sustainable and efficient. We chose a Marshall Integral 1360L boiler, what the central heating firm supplying the 14 radiators described as a “water boiler on steroids”.
There’s no way to window dress the fact that this was a difficult, costly and complex project. But we have never regretted it. The plumber installing the system was a hero. Meryl was too. We now have a warm and cosy house. For the first time in its 100 plus year history, the whole place is dry. We don’t even need to the two remaining fireplaces. It’s unbelievable the difference the Marshall has made.
I am happy to vouch for this, Phil Kitchin, Havelock North