Ash pan and cleaning mess

A._Badger

GlynD wrote: »

I've read through this thread with a lot of interest. Personally I wouldn't find a 12 or 14 hour burn before emptying the ash pan a burden. I love the idea of a Tippy and if I had that type of ashpan I'd buy one.

Fortunately in our house we have a Baxi Burnall and I've never come across a more effective grate and boiler. The output is even better than our oil boiler on its current settings but the major this about it in relation to this thread is the ashpan - http://www.ashpanworld.co.uk/a002-lift-out-ashpan-loa-18-inch---24-inch-137-p.asp

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Thanks for that post - never having had one of these fires, nor having known anyone who had, it makes a sharp contrast with the modern (actually not so modern at all - more just fashionable) stoves.

This sort of product seemed to go out of fashion as central heating started to become more widespread and it appears it was actually quite sophisticated. Maybe we threw the baby out with the bathwater?

GlynD

A._Badger wrote: »

Thanks for that post - never having had one of these fires, nor having known anyone who had, it makes a sharp contrast with the modern (actually not so modern at all - more just fashionable) stoves.

This sort of product seemed to go out of fashion as central heating started to become more widespread and it appears it was actually quite sophisticated. Maybe we threw the baby out with the bathwater?

I think central heating, especially gas central heating is an absolute boon to people. The mess associated with coal fires alone is enough to put anyone off. Here in Northern Ireland though we didn't have mains gas for such a long time until quite recently so we evolved in a different way. Public housing was fitted with coal fired central heating options while private housing went for oil and in many cases kept coal fires on a duel system because they were still popular.

Mains gas is still confined to the cities and a select few large towns, although the infrastructure is set to expand.

I think if we had purchased a house which just had oil fired we wouldn't have complained because we came from GB and were used to having no coal fire. We very quickly adapted to the dual system though and really love having a coal fire at nights when relaxing. The added bonus of having the Baxi means we also heat our radiators to such an extent that we often have to switch the pump off as the house gets too warm. One of our cats has really taken to it as well and bakes herself stupid by lying in front of the open fire.

It also gives us the option to choose if one source of heating is cheaper than the other. At the moment though it's a comfort thing.

Kiran

Which Broseley fire are you using? My Evolution 5 burns oretty much all of the timber away so I have just got the nice ash bed left.

shegar

I must admit when I use to have woodburners I also couldnt believe how much ash and dust they made, ive got a open fire now and I only clean ash pan every week , and dont get nowhere near as much dust from it...........This fire heats the one room lovely and cost very little as I only light it around 4 pm to about 9 pm.........

I find I was forever putting wood on the burners , where this fire ticks over cheap enough on a couple large lumps house coal , plus this fire heats just the sitting room much like a woodburner , ive never had a woodburner which heats more than one room without radiators like some members say theres do......

Personal preference I suppose and what works for one person doesnt always work for another......

pinkmami

They are very dusty! I empty the ashpan every day (or after the last fire) before preparing the cold fire. I don't clean the stove, I leave the cooled down embers etc. But I wipe the glass, brush the hearth.

I realised how filthy they are when I blew my nose..........yuck;)

seven-day-weekend

We have a Firefox 5 multifuel stove and it has two lots of 'innards' - one with a grate and ashpan for burning smokeless fuel and one without for burning wood. We have set it up as a woodburner and always leave a bed of ash and ventilate from above, rathe than below as you do with smokeless.

We have tried other things and still prefer wood, however we wanted it partly to be slightly 'off-grid' so a renewable resource like wood is the way to go in this case. We have bought some, but have also been given some, scavenged some and got some off freecycle -have chainsaw, will travel! - and the scavenged/free wood is drying in two woodsheds at the top of the garden

I agree that solid fue, whether wood or otherwise, is always going to be a bit messy and we too have the trip with the metal bucket

wintergirl

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I agree that solid fue heat, whether wood or otherwise, is always going to be a bit messy and we too have the trip with the metal bucket

Always makes me smile when I see the glossy ads in magazines for stoves. All pristine and shiny with fire roaring, and not a spec of ash / dust in site. The reality is so different. What ever you burn, it gets messy. As soon as the stove door is open, you inevitably get some ash on the hearth. We burn wood, so have to carry it in from the outside store, and stack it next to the stove in a metal cage carrier, so you get bits drop around that as well. Best I had the other day was a very cold, dopey looking WASP, crawl out from the wood I'd just brought in!

Beckyy

We only need to empty our stove ash tray about once a week?

We burn wood and coal and it's well used.