can you mix coal and wood in stove ?

grahamc2003

alanco15 wrote: »

Thank youi for your responses ,, i have found that i have to use wood knidling to get the coal going anyway , having trouble keeping fire going, but seems ok with the mixture of both, any tips on initial lighting of the fire ?

I seem to have a different way than others of getting my stove (little wenlock) going. Mine is the original type, with just the single air inlet, so take that into account.

I first empty the ash from the previous day. Then get a double sheet of newspaper and light that and throw it in. Quickly lightly scrunch up a couple more sheets and throw ontop, then cardboard (always keeping plenty of airflow), then several bits of kindling, some small some bigger - that takes about a minute, then close the door with input wide open. Then I roll up several sheets of newspaper tightly, bend then to hold them together, throw in a small (dry obviously) 'log' (more likely a quarter or half a 2inch diameter log), and lay the 'paper log' over it., close the door. After another minute, repeat last step, placed on top of burning logs to ensure plenty of airflow. The stove pipe thermometer is well into the 'normal' range 4 or 5 minutes after the start (but the stove externals are still cool of course). If it's not roaring away, I throw in more bits of kindling together with a bigger log.
At about ten/fifteen minutes, everything should be at normal temperatures and steady (or as steady as is possible with a stove), so then I just close the air input down to stop the roar until I just see smoke, then open half a turn. I aim for 480F/250C stove pipe temp, but all wood must be dry for that. When the temp drops to 400F/200C, I'll add a big log - the temp drops afterwards, but builds up again as the log warms and burns, and (heopefully) settles at 480F again, all without altering the input if it's set correctly, or making very minor adjustments if not (i.e. if i see smoke, or it starts heading too hot). I occasionally burn normal (cheap) housecoal too, but only add that once the stove is hot, and I'd personally never add coal at the start, simply because of the amount of smoke produced (from housecoal).

Also, you don't have to bother cleaning the glass if the stove gets to about 450F - any soot/tar is burnt off leaving clean glass (not that there should be anything deposited on the glass in the first place).

oldvicar

I can't see the point in using a mixture of fuels at the same time, since the stove is designed to burn them differently.

Solid fuel - coal etc - requires the grate to be in, and ventilation should be controlled from underneath.

Wood would normally have the grate removed and ideally sit on a base of ash. Ventilation to control the burn, once alight, should be from the top. To get it started, ventilate at the bottom, then once well alight close the bottom vents and regulate from the top.

My choice of fuel, from an evironmental perspective, is wood because it can be renewed millions of times quicker than coal.

smith121

I think one can fix coal and wood together in stove. I just recall when my mom used to mix it.

Mister_G

mervyn11 wrote: »

The gas poker fits on a small gas cylinder 13 kg I think it is butane or propane.

The one being sold by BES says that it is only for Natural Gas and not suitable for LPG - which is what Butane/Propane is.

spinningsheep

Blimey grahamc2003 that seems so long winded!! My little inset stove, I riddle the last fire's ashes,empty the ashpan, clean the glass with some Mr Muscle oven foam and some kitchen paper, I scrunch up 7 or 8 pages of the Yellow Pages or BT Phonebook ( I have no use for them, they're free and light very easily), I make a wee wigwam of about 10 pieces of kiln dried kindling (£1 a bag at Morrisons, I have found it to be the best by far) and light the paper with the top and bottom vents open full and the door propped open a jar with my brass horse on hearth. After about 10 mins I pop on a shovel of Blaze smokeless coal, close the door, and leave it about 30 mins. Once the coal is well alight I turn the vents on the bottom to a crack open, and leave the airwash vent fully open, and that's it for a good 5 hours until I refuel with more coal or a log or 2. I do burn housecoal sometimes too like I am today, but I have to leave the door open a crack otherwise the glass blacks up badly, so nowhere near as efficient to run but gives a nice flame and loads of heat

smcqis

why do people make it so complicated?? Piece of paper couple firelighters, few sticks, once going throw few more slightly bigger sticks on then cover in coal and half an hour later she is firing away

grahamc2003

smcqis wrote: »

why do people make it so complicated?? Piece of paper couple firelighters, few sticks, once going throw few more slightly bigger sticks on then cover in coal and half an hour later she is firing away

Not sure if that refers to me ... but it isn't complicated, just complicated trying to explain in detail what I do. The reason I do what I do is to avoid smoke and to get the temperature high a squickly as possible. For those not concerned with those things - then sure, scrunch up newspapers, put kindling on top, and put coal on top of that and light. Takes much longer to get up to heat, and deposits lots of soot (and possibly tar) all over the glass, the inside of your stove, stove pipe and chimney - that's why sweeps recomend having it swept every six months. Haven't had mine swept in four years - not bravado/stupidity (I'm sure others will disagree, as is their right), just that I know there hasn't been much soot or tar deposited in the chimney since there's hardly been any smoke going up there. (The chance of a chimney fire, in my opinion, is less for me than it is for those who have sooty glass yet have a sweep every six months, in my opinion).

I may get it swept this summer, just to be on the ultra safe side.

WhiteHorse

Why not ask the manufacturer?

shegar

grahamc2003 wrote: »

Not sure if that refers to me ... but it isn't complicated, just complicated trying to explain in detail what I do. The reason I do what I do is to avoid smoke and to get the temperature high a squickly as possible. For those not concerned with those things - then sure, scrunch up newspapers, put kindling on top, and put coal on top of that and light. Takes much longer to get up to heat, and deposits lots of soot (and possibly tar) all over the glass, the inside of your stove, stove pipe and chimney - that's why sweeps recomend having it swept every six months. Haven't had mine swept in four years - not bravado/stupidity (I'm sure others will disagree, as is their right), just that I know there hasn't been much soot or tar deposited in the chimney since there's hardly been any smoke going up there. (The chance of a chimney fire, in my opinion, is less for me than it is for those who have sooty glass yet have a sweep every six months, in my opinion).

I may get it swept this summer, just to be on the ultra safe side.

Id get mine swept every year , 4 yrs is too long without a sweep, you say you dont get soot but you cant see up the chimney to see whats going on up there, I dont think a fire officer would agree to leaving it 4 yrs at a time................But as you say its entirely up to you, in my area there has been 22 chimney fires from Jan 1 2012 to 13 Feb 2012.......
That report was on local radio, fire officer advise chimney needs it every year, the old tradition was to get the sweep out September time before you lit your fires, I remember my mother and grandmother doing it that way, they made a day of it by taking down all the ornaments and covering the sofa,chairs, and sideboards with old sheets before sweep come ,:D then spent all day putting it all back, oh those certaintly were the old days.:D...
I light my fire by putting 3 or 4 pieces of scrunched up paper, handful kindling, then couple shovels coal, job done........

greyteam1959

How complicated...........
Chuck some sticks in rhe grate light the gas poker bung in in for 5 minutes & Bobs your fathers brother !!!!!!