Coal used in multi fuel stove

A._Badger

Alycidon wrote: »

Most man made smokeless fuel is imported these days and is very high in Sulpher.

A

Is this actually true? AFAIAA, most smokeless fuel sold in the UK is still produced by the two main manufacturers here and conforms to the standards recommended by the Solid Fuel Association, who claim it does not cause this problem.

If this is not the case, please post something that confirms your statement as it could change a lot of people's purchasing decisions.

muckybutt

Alycidon wrote: »

if burning on a low oxygen setting (perhaps overnight slumbering) and you get up at say 3am and decide to just pop a bit more coal in then when you open the door a large amount of oxygen is admitted to the stove, this can cause an explosion as someone mentioned earlier in the thread, it will also throw a fireball out of the stove door into the face of the person filling it.

Really ? I have never heard of this happening, can you provide a link at all news cuttings H&S advice ?

Simply opening the door and putting coal on will not cause an explosion, ignition yes but explosion ? REALLY ? Coal dust and you would maybe get a flash back, and I cant see a link in the thread anywhere where it says that. :undecided

Greenfires

I've had two or three customers who have blown the glass out of their stoves. It's happened when a good load of fuel has been added to a low fire, and then the stove shut up again. Presumably the fuel starts releasing volatile gases which don't actually burn - then eventually they ignite - by which time the stove and a good part of the flue are full of gas. Happened in our own stove as well when we were using some wood pellets we had lying around. Big bang - and a big puff of smoke out of the vents.

A._Badger

Leaving aside issues about smokeless zones and so on, the real problem with using bituminous housecoal on a stove is that the considerable volume of soot it produces quickly blocks the stove's passageways, the stove pipe and, if fitted, the liner.

Blockages like this make a fire hard to keep going and increase the danger of noxious fumes leaking into the room but, to my mind at least, the greatest danger is of a chimney fire - and that really will cost you a new liner - and potentially even a new house.

alleycat`

My wife bought a 10kg bag in error as part of a sell off at Home Bargains (in with a few smokeless bags).

I realised what it was and tried to mix in about 5 nuggets with the smokeless as a diluted effect.

Just to use it up as i didn't want to waste it.

It basically turned the glass black in about 5 minutes and all 5 "nuggets" fused to everything else so i couldn't just remove them.

I gave the rest of the bag away and won't be doing it again.

I do have a pre-cast chimney so wasn't worried about it destroying a liner mind you.

deaston

We're moving and we've got a couple of bags of house coal from when we had an open fire. I've just put them in our multi-fuel stove (a Pioneer 400) and... it's a mess. I also can't really regulate the burn. Turn it down it just fills with black smoke, open it up and it burns white hot.