Soggy Coal

RoseRed

This is my 1st winter in a house with a coal fire central heating system. We get our coal delivered open sack straight into the coal bunker. We have an old style concrete bunker and it seems to have got a fair bit of water in it. The coal is very soggy.

It does light but it takes a while, once it is going it is normally OK provided we don't pile too much on.

Is this normal or should we get a better bunker that actually keeps the coal dry?

Also, we pay £9 for a 50kg sack of mixed doubles. I've had a look round at the homefire ovals and these are around £10 for a 25kg sack. I heard some people say that these are good value for money as they burn well and last a long time, any experience would be gratefully received.

Many thanks.

McKneff

Also, we pay £9 for a 50kg sack of mixed doubles. I've had a look round at the homefire ovals and these are around £10 for a 25kg sack.

The doubles at £10 for 25kg are nearly double the price of the others, would they last more than twice as long.

Doesnt seem good value to me.

When i had a coal fired central heating system many years ago
we just used to use small coal and banked it up with ash last thing at night, poked it up on a morning and it never went out 24/7.

Can you water proof the bunker, even by throwing a waterproof over it after the coal is delivered.

macman

Sorry to state the obvious, but wet coal will not burn as well as dry coal...

crphillips

Wet coal is an issue. Also buying the cheapest coal isn't generally the most economical method. £9 for a 50kg bag is very cheap so i wouldn't expect top notch performance from it.

RoseRed

I like the idea of a waterproof cover, the simplest ideas are normally the best. I'm feeling pretty dim for not thinking of that!

I've checked and it is not mixed doubles we get but mixed coke. What sort of fuel is good for these fires? We do end up with a lot of waste, lots of grey chunks mixed in with the ash. It is a closed gravity feed system and can use a lot of coal if we keep it going all the time. It is multifuel so we can burn logs as well, the only problem is we don't have sufficient space to season our own logs or to store large amounts.

Sorry if I sound a bit dim, I've never had a coal fire before and it seemed very appealing when we rented the house in summer. I'm now romanticising about gas central heating!

Many thanks for all your help. :T