Excel coal

[STIG]

We’ve been using oxbow excel , having already searched the forum for an answer, recently I can only seem to buy this in a yellow bag, no mention on the bag that it’s oxbow but I’m told it’s just the same but a different bag. Well my experience is telling me it’s not the same coal. Anyone else had a similar experience cos I’d love to get to the bottom of this, it’s bugging me

[blackrose]

Isn't it finally the blessed time to forget about coal for at least the next 5 months?

[Arthur Marshall]

If I remember another thread about this, Excel is a cheap mixture of what's available, so the quality is quite variable. 

On 23/05/2020 at 13:38, blackrose said:

Isn't it finally the blessed time to forget about coal for at least the next 5 months?

I've had the fire alight through June and July some years! 

[Dr Bob]

7 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

If I remember another thread about this, Excel is a cheap mixture of what's available, so the quality is quite variable. 

 

I'm not sure that's right.

We've used Excel as our main fuel for the last 2 winters and the last winter it has been not as good as the previous winter. It's very consistent...but far more ash content this year. Its the one in the yellow bag. So, I dont think it the variability, I think they have just made it cheaper.

We occasionally use Supertherm if no Excel available which has been considerably worse in ash generation.

[Tracy D'arth]

I gave up with "eggs" due to the crazy amount of ash which I suspect is cement used to make them.

Now I burn anthracite, takes a bit of getting going but its far better and hotter.

TD'

[tree monkey]

23 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I gave up with "eggs" due to the crazy amount of ash which I suspect is cement used to make them.

Now I burn anthracite, takes a bit of getting going but its far better and hotter.

TD'

I did some digging a while ago and I couldn't find and reference to cement, although lime can be used apparently which is a component of cement,  surprisingly various types of malt/sugar byproducts can be used, anyway if your interested 

http://briquettemachine.com/different-briquette-binder-for-coal-briquette-coke-briquettes/

[Tracy D'arth]

21 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

sugar byproducts can be used, anyway if your interested 

http://briquettemachine.com/different-briquette-binder-for-coal-briquette-coke-briquettes/

Is that why my grandmother sucks eggs?

[tree monkey]

14 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Is that why my grandmother sucks eggs?

I have no idea what talents your grandmother had or has 

[Richard10002]

On 23/05/2020 at 13:25, STIG said:

We’ve been using oxbow excel , having already searched the forum for an answer, recently I can only seem to buy this in a yellow bag, no mention on the bag that it’s oxbow but I’m told it’s just the same but a different bag. Well my experience is telling me it’s not the same coal. Anyone else had a similar experience cos I’d love to get to the bottom of this, it’s bugging me

My perception is that some suppliers of Excel in bags, other than the Excel branded bags, have been known to supply substandard coal, and call it Excel.

 

I've used Excel, supplied in branded bags, for about 9 years, with brief excursions into other types, and have always found it good and consistent.

[STIG]

17 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

My perception is that some suppliers of Excel in bags, other than the Excel branded bags, have been known to supply substandard coal, and call it Excel.

 

I've used Excel, supplied in branded bags, for about 9 years, with brief excursions into other types, and have always found it good and consistent.

We also have but locally to us recently we can only buy excel in the yellow bag with no mention of it being oxbow. Oxbow tell me they don’t bag into yellow bags. 
What bugs me is I can tell when we burn it that it’s different but consistently keep being told it’s just the same just bagged different 

[tree monkey]

6 minutes ago, STIG said:

We also have but locally to us recently we can only buy excel in the yellow bag with no mention of it being oxbow. Oxbow tell me they don’t bag into yellow bags. 
What bugs me is I can tell when we burn it that it’s different but consistently keep being told it’s just the same just bagged different 

I wonder if the issue is due to differences in the base raw coals it's made from, I know coal varies from pit to pit, so i could easily see how this would effect the end product even if the manufacturer does try to standardise 

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, STIG said:

We also have but locally to us recently we can only buy excel in the yellow bag with no mention of it being oxbow. Oxbow tell me they don’t bag into yellow bags. 
What bugs me is I can tell when we burn it that it’s different but consistently keep being told it’s just the same just bagged different 

All I can  say is that until this year (2019-20) Excel was bagged in yellow bags marke as Excel. This year we are using Oxbow Red at home and it seems marginally better than Excel for the stove at home.

[Sanddancer]

I've started using Red low ash and nice glow plus heat 

[STIG]

Yes we’ve used oxbow red and am thinking we’ll have to go back to it, the only downside is it’s not smokeless 

[Timx]

Glow is best stuff I have used, fire was on 24/7 in winter, fire stayed in all night, very little ash, had to empty Morso squirrel once a week.

[Richard10002]

56 minutes ago, Timx said:

Glow is best stuff I have used, fire was on 24/7 in winter, fire stayed in all night, very little ash, had to empty Morso squirrel once a week.

Is it a smokeless fuel? A quick google reveal one supplier who describes it as smokeless, and one who describes it as non-smokeless in the headline, but then as not approved by HEPAS for use in smoke controlled zones..

[David Mack]

6 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

Is it a smokeless fuel? A quick google reveal one supplier who describes it as smokeless, and one who describes it as non-smokeless in the headline, but then as not approved by HEPAS for use in smoke controlled zones..

Manufacturer says it is not authorised for use in smoke control areas.

http://www.oxbowcoal.com/products-and-services/30

[Richard10002]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Manufacturer says it is not authorised for use in smoke control areas.

http://www.oxbowcoal.com/products-and-services/30

Not a coal that I would use then. Shame... I got a bit excited at only having to empty the Boatman once or twice a week, rather than daily  

[LadyG]

11 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I gave up with "eggs" due to the crazy amount of ash which I suspect is cement used to make them.

Now I burn anthracite, takes a bit of getting going but its far better and hotter.

TD'

I find Excell to be hard to light unless dried out on top of stove  , I reckon it's cheaper to keep stove ticking over than to re-ignite with firelighters and kindling.

Ash is enough to require emptying every 24 hours, not excessive, not minimal.

Edited May 25, 2020 by LadyG

[Timx]

2 hours ago, Richard10002 said:

Is it a smokeless fuel? A quick google reveal one supplier who describes it as smokeless, and one who describes it as non-smokeless in the headline, but then as not approved by HEPAS for use in smoke controlled zones..

Well it doesn't smoke when it's properly going, it might do for ten minutes when starting off again though.

[Higgs]

 

Think I've used most of the common varieties of smokeless brands. Used to use Excel, it is easy to control and produces little ash, but in my Morso, it also creates this stuff that clogs the grate, so, I've stopped using it. Can't recall all the brand names, but the cheaper ones generally produce the least ash, but create the stuff that clogs. The more expensive ones seem to be free of the clogging stuff, but produce way more ash. 

 

 

[Dr Bob]

1 hour ago, Higgs said:

 

Think I've used most of the common varieties of smokeless brands. Used to use Excel, it is easy to control and produces little ash, but in my Morso, it also creates this stuff that clogs the grate, so, I've stopped using it. Can't recall all the brand names, but the cheaper ones generally produce the least ash, but create the stuff that clogs. The more expensive ones seem to be free of the clogging stuff, but produce way more ash. 

 

 

Can you describe the stuff that clogs the grate?

It the ash that clogs my grate! 

 

 

Eta...suppose it's better than grating your clogs?

Edited May 26, 2020 by Dr Bob

[tree monkey]

1 hour ago, Higgs said:

 

Think I've used most of the common varieties of smokeless brands. Used to use Excel, it is easy to control and produces little ash, but in my Morso, it also creates this stuff that clogs the grate, so, I've stopped using it. Can't recall all the brand names, but the cheaper ones generally produce the least ash, but create the stuff that clogs. The more expensive ones seem to be free of the clogging stuff, but produce way more ash. 

 

 

Do you mean clinker,  large lumps of fused together stuff?

 

I have burned excel almost exclusively for 3/4 yrs and only had that twice or 3 times, I do remember it being a regular thing in the fire we had as a young monkey at home, gurt big lumps of solid stuff

11 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Can you describe the stuff that clogs the grate?

It the ash that clogs my grate! 

 

 

Eta...suppose it's better than grating your clogs?

Clinker maybe, hard to describe but the excel stuff is a lot softer than the stuff I remember as a kid

[Dr Bob]

6 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

Do you mean clinker,  large lumps of fused together stuff?

 

I have burned excel almost exclusively for 3/4 yrs and only had that twice or 3 times, I do remember it being a regular thing in the fire we had as a young monkey at home, gurt big lumps of solid stuff

Clinker maybe, hard to describe but the excel stuff is a lot softer than the stuff I remember as a kid

No, we burn lots of excel and don't get clinker. That's why I am interested in Higgs is getting. 

[tree monkey]

33 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

No, we burn lots of excel and don't get clinker. That's why I am interested in Higgs is getting. 

I have had clinker from excel, rarely but I've had it, I suspect it's just occasional poorer quality base material