Overnight burn in a woodburner

A._Badger

Oh, and no - coal of any kind needs air from beneath to burn properly, meaning you need a grate, which rules out its use on traditional woodburners. That's one of the reasons I would always chose a multifuel stove over a woodburner: it keeps your options open.

Obviously, if you have free wood, that's not a problem!

grahamc2003

A._Badger wrote: »

There is an interesting comment on the site - twice - to the effect that housecoal 'burns too hot' and will damage a stove. Is this yet more mythology from the stove business? As I understand it, the reason bituminous coal is not recommended is because of the considerable amount of soot it produces.

Does anyone have any actual evidence that bituminous coal burns hotter than smokeless fuel? Empirically, I'd have said the opposite.

I burn housecoal on mine without any problems. Never tried smokeless.

I always get the stove really hot with wood before adding a few bits of coal in the hot ashes under the burning wood. The coal lights almost instantly, and if there's only a little, I can burn all the smoke. Too much coal and I just can't get enough air in (aga little wenlock, with one air control). The thought of trying to light a coal fire from scratch makes me think it's not a good idea - it must produce loads of smoke for a long time before it's hot enough to burn - and of course that would cause loads of soot in the chimney.

So I mix coal and wood - something others say produces acid which will dissolve my chimney or something - but four years on and it's still there (and no flue lining). I think it's simply no smoke = no problems, and no smoke comes from a hot stove and the correct amount of air.

I don't see any point in keeping a stove going overnight. What a waste of fuel imv. In fact, I stop feeding mine about 3 hours before we go to bed, and the room keeps warm. the air control is closed fully when theres only glowing embers (so no chance of smoke), to stop the room air going through the stove. I timed lighting the stove tonight - about 7 mines to get the stove pipe to 500F, and I'd estimate about 20 minutes to get the stove itself really hot, and about 45 mins to get my large room from 17 to 20.

A._Badger

grahamc2003 wrote: »

I burn housecoal on mine without any problems. Never tried smokeless.

I always get the stove really hot with wood before adding a few bits of coal in the hot ashes under the burning wood. The coal lights almost instantly, and if there's only a little, I can burn all the smoke. Too much coal and I just can't get enough air in (aga little wenlock, with one air control). The thought of trying to light a coal fire from scratch makes me think it's not a good idea - it must produce loads of smoke for a long time before it's hot enough to burn - and of course that would cause loads of soot in the chimney.

So I mix coal and wood - something others say produces acid which will dissolve my chimney or something - but four years on and it's still there (and no flue lining). I think it's simply no smoke = no problems, and no smoke comes from a hot stove and the correct amount of air.

I don't see any point in keeping a stove going overnight. What a waste of fuel imv. In fact, I stop feeding mine about 3 hours before we go to bed, and the room keeps warm. the air control is closed fully when theres only glowing embers (so no chance of smoke), to stop the room air going through the stove. I timed lighting the stove tonight - about 7 mines to get the stove pipe to 500F, and I'd estimate about 20 minutes to get the stove itself really hot, and about 45 mins to get my large room from 17 to 20.

That's interesting because my 'experiments' with coal were using a Little Wenlock and I did have problems. Mind you, I wasn't mixing wood and I have since come to think that my flue pipe was probably smaller than it could have been.

I think this shows how variable all this is and how much is determined by the individual installation - let alone the quality of the coal, which can vary a lot from batch to batch.

Lighting has never been a problem with anything since I bought myself a Grenadier!

suki1964

<<<sticking a Grenadier on the Christmas list

I too was under the impression that house coal was frowned upon because of the soot so I can see what grahams doing just adding some to a very hot stove but then I cant see the point of adding just a few bits of coal to a fire as you are surely up and down like a yo yo refuelling??

As for quality of coal I have to agree. I just got a sack of smokeless delivered and tipped in the coal bunker - and its a mare to get lit. It doesnt look unduly wet but its taking a lot of nursing to get flaming and throwing the heat

I last added fuel to my stove at 7pm. Still hot to touch although very little in the way of embers left

highrisklowreturn

Send a link to a grenadier stove?

My main regret is not getting the stove to do everything, by which I mean full CH, as opposed to just room heat. Would love to see a 14kw bad boy roaring away doing everything.

alleycat`

The grenadier they are talking about is a device to light a stove, it isn't a stove itself.

It is just a very fancy electric firelighter / bellows type device.

muckybutt

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

Send a link to a grenadier stove?

My main regret is not getting the stove to do everything, by which I mean full CH, as opposed to just room heat. Would love to see a 14kw bad boy roaring away doing everything.

Thats only an 8Kw Charnwood Cove 2 with boiler does 5 double rads with ease, doesnt do hot water though as the hot water is a pressurised system.

ventureuk

I had our first overnight burn last night and am confident I've got it down to a bit of an art now.

Put a bed of smokeless ovals in the stove, I use enough to cover the bottom of the fire 2 ovals high.

Then get a decent wood fire going on the top of the smokeless, the combination of fuels seem to compliment one another and slow each other down so releasing their heat over longer.

I set both the upper and lower vents to about 1/4 open after the wood has taken

I lit last nights fire at 6pm, went out for a curry, chucked a couple more small logs on at 11pm and at 7:45 this morning the stove was still hot. A shuffle of the bed and red hot ovals were still present, if the day had been cold it would have just needed a couple of dry logs to get it really roaring again.

Never been able to do it on wood alone, trial, error and experimentation will get you there.

muckybutt

Overnight burning with wood I wouldnt do personally, smokeless yes household coal hmmmmm maybe.

We have used household coal for years on all our stoves and never really had a problem with excess sooting up.

I see all too often the after effects of slumber burning with wood which normally results in poor air flow in unlined chimneys, or completely blocked 6" liners, which is why I would never slumber burn wood, far too risky and expensive if it all goes pete tong !!

muckybutt

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

I too would like advice on burning bituminous coal in a stove in a smokeless zone - as long as it is cheaper. As long as I can see burning smokeless coal is cheaper than the smokey varierty so I don't see any incentive to break the law which is a great disappointment.

Burning household coal is Illegal even if you are in N Ireland, the clean air act 1981 is what you need to read, you will never be able to burn household coal without producing smoke and if you get reported then you will undoubtedby be fined or prosecuted.
www.doeni.gov.uk/smokecontrolguidance.doc