What to burn next....

pambler

I am new to stove using this winter, and since November have been burning Taybrite in my little kitchen stove. I keep it going pretty much 24/7, just letting it go out every 10 days or so to give the stove a good clean.

I need to top up my bunker now and am wondering about trying something else, as I find the Taybrite produces an enormous quantity of ash (or according to the lady at the coal merchants - a fluffy white residue - makes it sound almost attractive!).

My father in law used to burn anthracite when he had a stove, and says I should give that a try as it produces almost no ash, but I am concerned because I have seen comments on this forum saying that it is really difficult to light. It took me a while to master even the Taybrite, so not sure how easily I would cope with something difficult.

Any suggestions/experiences gratefully received.

suki1964

Anthracite leaves clinkers as well as ash, not as much as smokeless , but you will still need to be emptying the ash pan daily

It's not really difficult to light A fire lighter and a handful of dry kindlers works for me

I use the anthracite mainly to keep the fire going when I'm away for a good few hours

If you don't want ash, then it's wood or the compressed briquettes you need to try.

pambler

I empty the ash can 4 or 5 times daily (to be fair it is a small ash pan!). The stove is multifuel and I did try wood initially but it does not seem to give out the heat that the smokeless fuel does, and burnt out fairly quickly so could not burn overnight or whilst I was out at work during the day - however that could be me doing something wrong - as I said, this is all new to me.

wrightk

ive been experimenting for a couple of years now and have settled for 'mixed boiler nuts'. its pretty much the cheapest out of the lot, but has a mixture of anthracite beans, broken up lignite/union briquettes and manufactured smokless ovoids. the lignite and ovoids make it a lot easier to light while the anthracite keeps the heat in for longer. i empty my ashpan every other day. i get a mixture of fine fluffy ash and clinkers but the ash is a lot easier to deal with compared to burning either one or the other on its own

wrightk

also if your thinking of woodburning make sure your buying hardwood logs that are properly seasoned and dry and it may be worth consulting your stoves manual because you may have to adjust the settings/air vents on your stove to suit.

on the odd occasion i burn wood for example i have to; lower the throatplate to its lower level, open the top vent above the door and give it less air from underneath. i find that woodburning takes a lot longer for my system to get up to temperature, but once up to temperature its not much different to coal. i just dont use it because i dont have a cheap supply of good quality wood which is a must!

Hope this helps, i think its just a bit of trial and error until you find something which suits you

A._Badger

pambler wrote: »

I am new to stove using this winter, and since November have been burning Taybrite in my little kitchen stove. I keep it going pretty much 24/7, just letting it go out every 10 days or so to give the stove a good clean.

I need to top up my bunker now and am wondering about trying something else, as I find the Taybrite produces an enormous quantity of ash (or according to the lady at the coal merchants - a fluffy white residue - makes it sound almost attractive!).

My father in law used to burn anthracite when he had a stove, and says I should give that a try as it produces almost no ash, but I am concerned because I have seen comments on this forum saying that it is really difficult to light. It took me a while to master even the Taybrite, so not sure how easily I would cope with something difficult.

Any suggestions/experiences gratefully received.

I really think all you can do is experiment. I have tried anthracite in the past and found it hard to light, not very eager to burn and variable from batch to batch. But, anthracite is a natural product (ie not man made) so it varies from batch to batch and I may have had bad samples. Also, what suits one stove may not suit another.

In terms of ash residue, in my experimentation (including with Taybrite) I really can't say I've noticed much difference between any of the manufactured smokeless fuels.

pambler

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Wrightk - where do you get mixed boiler nuts? I googled it, and just got loads of recipes for mixed nuts!! My local coal suppliers don't seem to do it.

alleycat`

pambler wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Wrightk - where do you get mixed boiler nuts? I googled it, and just got loads of recipes for mixed nuts!! My local coal suppliers don't seem to do it.

Be interested in that myself.

My google skills managed to get a little bit further than recipes but not down to an actual named product.

wrightk

google- 'superesse boiler nuts'

or http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/coal-direct-anthracite-boiler-nuts-20kg

but unless you live near a mole valley shop they only allow you to buy in bulk online. in the shop they work out at slightly over £6 a bag