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Solid Fuel Not Getting Hot?

Jennarasion

By Jennarasion
in New to Boating?

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Jennarasion Explorer

Jennarasion

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Hi guys,

 

Its my first winter aboard! Im currently in a marina, and luckily they supply logs, coal, and kindling, straight to my deck. Only problem is, I'm still freezing. (The logs aren't too bad, but I'm struggling with the coal!)

 

At first, I thought it was because I didn't have those stovetop fans to circulate the hot air. I've now bought two, and they have the addition of a thermometer on them. Since getting them around two weeks ago, I was only able to get into the "optimal performance" range once - around 200C. I was burning both logs and coal. Otherwise, I'm stuck at a building range (around 100C).

 

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Could it be the type of coal? Am I building the fire incorrectly? (As mentioned, I havent been able to get to the optimal performance range again, and I'm pretty sure that I haven't changed anything about that set up.

 

A lot of my preboat research said that it was usually too hot due to the fires in winter, please let me in on the secret 🥶

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Tracy D'arth Veteran II

Tracy D'arthDonate to Canal World

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Is the stove big enough for the boat? A narrowboat around 58 feet long can be heated by a Squirrel stove which outputs around 5kw and will burn 4 to 7 kilos of smokeless fuel in 24 hours but it would not heat a widebeam well. Smaller stove, less heat output.

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Jennarasion Explorer

Jennarasion

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37 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Have you got a clean flue /chimney/baffle plate /back boiler? 

Im not sure about these actually! I'll check in the morning!

38 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

What stove are you burning this on, is the flue clean, is the air getting in under the grate?

 

Im not sure what kind of stove, or its wattage, but I would say it is average sized, not big, not small. I have a 48ft narrowboat.  if the heat doesnt get to the bedroom I could understand, the room i am trying to heat is about 30ft. Currently the only way I feel any heat is by sitting 2 feet in front of it with the door wide open.

41 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

What stove are you burning this on, is the flue clean, is the air getting in under the grate?

Not sure about the flue, but grate is clean

35 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Also, make sure you have enough fuel in the stove. Fully load it and supply it with air from below it should run for hours and hours 

Coal prefers air from below. Wood from above if your stove has two air vents and a grate. 

The coals do light for hours, they're just not hot 😭 I always cover the bottom with coal when I start it, and have a log on top. When the log is out I add more coal, but it feels like a waste as its not doing anything. I only have 1 air vent, but grate is clear. I also have a few firebricks in there, but that hasn't affected anything either (I got them the same time as the fans)

18 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Plenty of fuel and plenty of air, once the fire is roaring and hot then reduce the air to keep it ticking over.

How subjective is roaring? I usually keep the door open as its the only way to feel any heat at all. When I leave the room I close the door, and it might as well not be lit at all.

18 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Light winds at the moment so less draw. If so where you are open up bottom air control more.

If I have the door closed, the air control is totally open

17 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Make sure the ash tray isn't blocking the bottom of the grate too. 

This might be a bit if a concern, looking at it now the ashtray does cover the aircontrol quite a bit, but I usually have the door open and still feel barely anything 

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rusty69 Veteran II

rusty69

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14 minutes ago, Jennarasion said:

Im not sure about these actually! I'll check in the morning

The flue will likely need sweeping every 4 to 6 weeks if you are a full time liveaboard depending on what you are burning. Use a long brush (I use a cut off scaffold pole). Ideally the fire needs to be out when you do this. 

 

Sweep it from the outside. Make sure the stove doors and vents are closed when you do so. 

 

Laying a piece of newspaper on the grate can aid in the clean up process. 

 

If you have a baffle plate or backboiler, the crap from the flue will end up on top of it. You need to remove the crap from the top by either removing the baffle plate (if you have one) or reaching inside and scraping it off with tool/hand. Make sure the stove is not hot. 

Edited by rusty69
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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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10 minutes ago, Jennarasion said:

Im not sure about these actually! I'll check in the morning!

 

Im not sure what kind of stove, or its wattage, but I would say it is average sized, not big, not small. I have a 48ft narrowboat.  if the heat doesnt get to the bedroom I could understand, the room i am trying to heat is about 30ft. Currently the only way I feel any heat is by sitting 2 feet in front of it with the door wide open.

Not sure about the flue, but grate is clean

The coals do light for hours, they're just not hot 😭 I always cover the bottom with coal when I start it, and have a log on top. When the log is out I add more coal, but it feels like a waste as its not doing anything. I only have 1 air vent, but grate is clear. I also have a few firebricks in there, but that hasn't affected anything either (I got them the same time as the fans)

How subjective is roaring? I usually keep the door open as its the only way to feel any heat at all. When I leave the room I close the door, and it might as well not be lit at all.

If I have the door closed, the air control is totally open

If everything others have said ie flue swept, ashpan not fullup, grate cleared of ash with the poker, then you probably need to put a lot more coal on, gaps in the coal in a mean thin fire bed allow the bottom air draught to whistle through the gaps in the coals and the fire will burn very low or more likely go out.

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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6 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

The flue will likely need sweeping every 4 to 6 weeks if you are a full time liveaboard depending on what you are burning. Use a long brush (I use a cut off scaffold pole). Ideally the fire needs to be out when you do this. 

 

Sweep it from the outside. Make sure the stove doors and vents are closed when you do so. 

bald

Laying a piece of newspaper on the grate can aid in the clean up process. 

 

If you have a baffle plate or backboiler, the crap from the flue will end up on top of it. You need to remove the crap from the top by either removing the baffle plate (if you have one) or reaching inside and scraping it off with tool/hand. Make sure the stove is not hot. 

And sweep it when the fires out and cold or as you withdraw the flue brush you'll find it's gone bald, the bristles have all been burnt away.

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TheBiscuits Veteran II

TheBiscuits

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What brand is the "coal"?  Different stoves and installations seem to prefer different types of smokeless fuel.  Mine likes Excel, others can't burn it at all.

 

Is it dry or wet?  If it's wet out of the bag you're having to use the heat to evaporate the water instead of heat the boat.

 

Do you store the next load inside the boat near the fire or outside?  If the dry "coals" are at 20 degrees or more they burn much hotter than if they're at -5 degrees because they don't need heating up as much first.  This is also especially relevant if they are stored wet - which they usually are when bagged to reduce the dust.

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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

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A lot of fires work better when really hot. 

 

IMG_20231201_215218.thumb.jpg.3cf3e986073d9f5d7b967099cf1e431d.jpg

 

I'm getting some secondary burn on the wood. 

Being miserly with fuel is not always sensible but also be careful not to get it too hot. 

 

It is quite cold tonight outside. 

Flues are also a critical component. If the flue is unwilling to heat up properly then the fire is unlikely to get going well. 

 

Excessively long external flue terminals can cause issues in this regard. 

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dmr Veteran II

dmr

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Is the boat well insulated? Our insulation is not that good and with these low temperatures its a struggle to get the boat really warm, but it is a big boat 🙂

A small wooden log on top of the coal will give a bit of extra heat.

Can you post a good photo of the coal burning in your stove?  I would expect a good orange glow under all the coal, and with full air a few little flames.

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rusty69 Veteran II

rusty69

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27 minutes ago, Jennarasion said:

This might be a bit if a concern, looking at it now the ashtray does cover the aircontrol quite a bit, but I usually have the door open and still feel barely anything 

Another thought is that if there is a build up of ash below and behind the ash pan, it may move the ashpan further forward and block the vent. Remove the pan and clean out ash with a coal shovel. Replace pan. 

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