New questions - 1, burning wood, 2, burning smokeless coal.....help please!

grumpyoldgal

Hello all again


I've been very good and followed lots of advice since I first wrote asking for help in getting my new Multi fuel stove going, and 6 weeks or so later I am having no problems with that!!


What I am having problems with are actually the warmth and also usage of both wood and smokeless coal. So a couple of new questions I hope you can help me with, I am getting to the point of really wishing I'd kept the old gas fire!!


1. Burning wood.
I have good seasoned logs delivered, and check with a moisture meter so know that they aren't damp. But altho the heat from them can be "OK" I'm not getting the vibes that everybody tells me.....you'll be toasty, you'd never have anything else....... I turn the primary vent down once the log is going well, but I still am chucking logs on every 30m or so. What do I do with the airwash vent? Do I bring that down too?


2. Smokeless coal
I have tried using this a few times as read that gives a better and longer heat......and I notice that as soon the log burns down the room is cold again.....so I have followed all advice I've read up on - cleared the grate out, made a kindle pyramid and then got the coal on. Takes ages but it does get going eventually. Questions are - a) what do I do with my vents once it is going? b) how often do I put more coal on? Again, the heat isn't great, so I want to make sure that I am getting the most out of my burner.


Any advice please?
Not sure about what I do with the vents once I've got wood or logs going, I love it, I look after it daily and clear it and clean it, I so want it to be a success but it is really getting me frustrated now!!


Many thanks in advance from a cold grumpyoldgal!!! x

SG27

I only burn wood. Currently it's 25c in here and too hot! I've been running the stove gently all day. Do you have a stove pipe thermometer? I would be lost without it. You should be able to get the temperature to pretty much where you want it by closing/opening vents.

I am having a slight problem that some my two year old wood I have is still not quite fully seasoned still at 25%+ so can't quite get it to the top end of the range.

Edit: if you burn just wood you don't need to clear it out daily. It's better to have a bed of ash covering the grate.

A._Badger

The vents question isn't always quite as straightforward as people like to suggest. However the basics are always:

1/ Wood. Burns best with air from the top. Close vents underneath. Leave airwash open. Control the air flow from above to regulate the burn.

2/ Smokeless. Never let ash build up deeply on the firebars. Riddle each time you add fuel. Control the flow of air from beneath. Adjust airwash to suit (usually a bit less than with wood).

30 minutes for replenishing logs seems too fast to me - though it does depend very much on the logs and the flow of air. It could be that you are burning too hard. You need to aim for a bed of glowing wood with a good lick of flame - not a roaring blast furnace - all that will do is send your expensive heat up the chimney.

Overall, I get the sense that you may not be building large enough fires. Assuming you have a stove that is powerful enough, once you have built a fire with smokeless wait till all the dark matter is red, riddle and then add fuel. You will have to experiment to get the right rate but don't be too timid.

I think the following is a useful source of 'how to do it' information if you are going to burn wood.

http://woodheat.org/build-maintain-fire.html

I hope that is at least some help.

System

Getting the most out of a wood burner is as much an art as it is a science. You can make the science easier by buying a Stovax stove pipe thermometer which will tell you when the stove is burning efficiently. The art of knowing when to put on wood and open vents comes with experience. I rarely have to open the bottom vent once the stove has a red bed of embers.

FWiW, I have just put a small log on after about an hour. I opened the upper vent slightly to about 2/3 open, and I will the close it to about 1/2 when the log has ignited. No need to touch the bottom vent. If the fire gets too low ( and the stove pipe temp has fallen), then when adding wood, I would first open the upper vent and, if the wood just smoulders, open the bottom vent until it ignites. Close the bottom vent and then close the top vent to about 1/2. I rarely go below the 1/2 position.

grumpyoldgal

Thank you all - it is quite confusing!! I like simplicity haha.....


We burned smokeless coal last night and it was better, we were nice and warm all evening (not as warm as I would have liked) but I realised I was putting less coal on and it maintainted better, but was a good hour and half before it really "took" enough to get going properly.


I don't have a stove pipe thermometer, so will put that on my list of things for when I get paid!


So, coal questions.


Is there any better way of getting warmth out of coal?


What do I do with my vents when I use coal for most warmth? My upper vent (airwash) and bottom vent (primary) both remained open last night but I kept looking at them thinking I don't think that is right!!


Sorry for all the questions, but your advice is hugely helpful to me to learn. I really want to master it because I don't want to think about having to get rid of it but currently it is causing frustration in the household!!


x

[Deleted User]

Is the coal wet? I find that a fresh delivery of coal is quite damp and until it dries out in the coal house it takes longer to get going...

grumpyoldgal

Hi Jeepjunkie


Thanks for your reply - when I get a delivery of the smokeless I keep it in the garage, open a bag up wide so the air gets to it and then use that - we only tend to burn it once a week so I expect it is reasonably dry.


Its just nice for a change - with the logs I am up and down like a yoyo so doesn't help towards a relaxing evening infront of the tv for example!! :mad:


x

A._Badger

grumpyoldgal wrote: »

So, coal questions.


Is there any better way of getting warmth out of coal?


What do I do with my vents when I use coal for most warmth? My upper vent (airwash) and bottom vent (primary) both remained open last night but I kept looking at them thinking I don't think that is right!!


Sorry for all the questions, but your advice is hugely helpful to me to learn. I really want to master it because I don't want to think about having to get rid of it but currently it is causing frustration in the household!!


x

I'm quite puzzled by this. As I said earlier, I'm assuming that your stove is big enough for the job at hand. What is it and were you professionally advised? Most people complain their stoves are too powerful and if you are running even a 4/5 kW stove it should be quite effective in an average sized room in a typical house, especially burning smokeless.

With smokeless you should run your stove with the bottom vents wide open to start with and then regulate the burn by closing them as required. Make sure you are building a decent sized fire in it - many new stove owners seem timid. They light a tiny fire with a few bits of coal and expect that to do the job. In reality, you need a substantial bed of brightly burning coals.

Back in steam locomotive days they used to tell the firemen 'little and often' and that applies to driving a stove, too! Don't heap a ton of coal on the fire and almost put it out. Get a good bed of glowing coals, as that starts to die down, riddle and add a fairly thin layer of new fuel over the surface. Drive the fire hard - it will keep the chimney cleaner and give out more heat.

If you can't get the hang of it despite following this advice and after having tried several times, I think, were it me, I would call back the installer and get his advice. If you can't, a chimney sweep should be able to check for your draughting and advise on how to get a decent fire going.

suki1964

I burn mostly smokeless and I've over the years got it to a fine art

You need a good bed of red hot coals with flame to get the stove hot. Until those fire bricks are glowing, your stove isn't hot enough.

With smokeless you need a clear grate as you need air to the fuel from below. I use a firelighter and a good handful of kindling to get started. Once they have caught I chuck on enough fuel to cover the grate, open top and bottom vents fully and sometimes if the fuel is a bit damp, leave the door ajar. Once all is burning bright and red, with hot firebricks I add a layer of anthracite, close the door, top vent completely, and the bottom vent nearly all the way.

To get to that stage takes between 20-30 mins and I now won't need to top up for at least 3 or four hours. I may have to open the vents a bit more as the time passes. I go by eye. I now know what the burn should look like

I lit the stove there at 12. Already by room temp has increased by 3 degrees. Later this evening as it gets cooler I will add more fuel and more air and raise the temp a bit more. A scuttle of fuel will last me the day till bedtime

Esteel

I have a multi fuel stove and use both smokeless coal and wood. Recently the coal burns away to leave concrete like lumps. Does anyone know how to avoid these or why it is happening?

alleycat`

Esteel wrote: »

I have a multi fuel stove and use both smokeless coal and wood. Recently the coal burns away to leave concrete like lumps. Does anyone know how to avoid these or why it is happening?

Briefly described here:-

http://www.ehow.com/info_12152358_causes-clinkers-coal-fired-boilers.html