Best type or brand of coal?

[Chrissyboy]

Hi everyone

 

Does anyone know the best brand of coal to use? I'm on a liveaboard with a small wood/coal burning pot bellied stove in the living room and a wood/coal burning stove in the kitchen.

 

Regards

 

Chris

[jenlyn]

Hi everyone

 

Does anyone know the best brand of coal to use? I'm on a liveaboard with a small wood/coal burning pot bellied stove in the living room and a wood/coal burning stove in the kitchen.

 

Regards

 

Chris

 

supertherm gets my vote

[County4x4]

I have several narrowboat customers who have "converted" to firewood briquettes from coal. Cleaner to store, cleaner to burn and cleaner for the planet too! Much more efficient than traditional logs too - up to four times the energy weight for weight. I burn them in the stove and on the open fire at home too - had some free coal last winter and was glad to see the back of it to be honest!

 

Andy

[Chrissyboy]

I have several narrowboat customers who have "converted" to firewood briquettes from coal. Cleaner to store, cleaner to burn and cleaner for the planet too! Much more efficient than traditional logs too - up to four times the energy weight for weight. I burn them in the stove and on the open fire at home too - had some free coal last winter and was glad to see the back of it to be honest!

 

Andy

 

Hi Andy.

 

When you say firewood briquettes do you mean the compacted sawdust pellets?

 

Chris

[classicstove]

Certain types of caol will burn more easily with little air than others

 

Those that are types used in boiler fuel require a lot of air to make them burn well and dont easily do 'tickover' or stay in at night

 

You could use house coal but would think about Taybright, Ancit and if you are feeling rich, Coalite all of which will burn for many hours without much air

[deletedaccount]

Anyone had any experience of those compressed wood log thingamies?

 

I use taybright, but mainly cos that's all I can get hold of most of the time.

[Chrissyboy]

Certain types of caol will burn more easily with little air than others

 

Those that are types used in boiler fuel require a lot of air to make them burn well and dont easily do 'tickover' or stay in at night

 

You could use house coal but would think about Taybright, Ancit and if you are feeling rich, Coalite all of which will burn for many hours without much air

 

Yeah, this is the problem I have. The coal I currently use (not sure of the name to be honest), if I leave the boat for a couple of hours, it tends to go out and I come back to a cold boat.

 

I also use sawdust briquettes but these give off a lot of heat but don's smoulder like good coal would and hence goes out relatively quickly.

 

I could do with finding a coal that's happy to go on slowly burning through, if a shove a load on the stove before leaving it to its own devices for a couple of hours while I leave the boat or am I asking too much?

[County4x4]

Hi Chris,

 

Yep they're made from wood waste mate - but there are a few different types and you should really be aware of the differences between them if you're considering buying - some are a lot better than others!

 

I won't bore you with all the details here, but if you fancy a little light reading, there's a section on my website all about the briquettes, and one about wood fuels in general - there's a link in my sig.

 

Any questions I've not covered on there - just shout up!!

 

Cheers for now,

 

Andy

[mykaskin]

I think Homefire Ovals work really well, but then that's because I've got a tonne of it to sell, and want to keep the Supertherm to burn on my own stove

 

Mike

[deletedaccount]

I could do with finding a coal that's happy to go on slowly burning through, if a shove a load on the stove before leaving it to its own devices for a couple of hours while I leave the boat or am I asking too much?

 

Taybright does this easily. 12 hours or so.

 

Hi Chris,

 

Yep they're made from wood waste mate - but there are a few different types and you should really be aware of the differences between them if you're considering buying - some are a lot better than others!

 

I won't bore you with all the details here, but if you fancy a little light reading, there's a section on my website all about the briquettes, and one about wood fuels in general - there's a link in my sig.

 

Any questions I've not covered on there - just shout up!!

 

Cheers for now,

 

Andy

 

That's some great info, cheers

[Smudge]

I have several narrowboat customers who have "converted" to firewood briquettes from coal. Cleaner to store, cleaner to burn and cleaner for the planet too! Much more efficient than traditional logs too - up to four times the energy weight for weight. I burn them in the stove and on the open fire at home too - had some free coal last winter and was glad to see the back of it to be honest!

 

Andy

Didnt know there was different types of wood briquets,i might try some different ones as the ones i tryed burnt like wood gave the same amount of heat but cost about twice as much.You have rekindled my faith.

At the mo we use stuff called Burnwell 5 times out of 10 it will stay in for 24 hrs(found that out when i couldnt be bothered to mend the fire at 5.30am).

[Proper Job]

Taybrite gets my vote.

 

I can get the fire to stay in for 36 hours - no problem. It did 48 once!

[GeoffS]

Taybright does this easily. 12 hours or so.

 

Once I got the knack of the air settings I can manage to kep Taybrite in for 12 hours. I mix it with normal logs (that didnt cost me anything)and make sure its well banked up at night with the Taybrite. However I'm sure there are other good coals but its just as someone else said normally this is the most common one around.

 

Taybrite gets my vote.

 

I can get the fire to stay in for 36 hours - no problem. It did 48 once!

 

Without any topping up?

[Chrissyboy]

Hi Chris,

 

Yep they're made from wood waste mate - but there are a few different types and you should really be aware of the differences between them if you're considering buying - some are a lot better than others!

 

I won't bore you with all the details here, but if you fancy a little light reading, there's a section on my website all about the briquettes, and one about wood fuels in general - there's a link in my sig.

 

Any questions I've not covered on there - just shout up!!

 

Cheers for now,

 

Andy

 

Hi Andy

 

Thanks for the advice on your web site. Much appreciated.

 

Regards

 

Chris

[Nightwatch]

I believe, though not used them. 4x4's woody brick thingys are good.

 

There is a member of the forum who has had/has them. Can't remember who at the mo.

 

Depending where you are he may deliver as well. I guess he doesn't want to push a sale on here.

 

Martyn

[Proper Job]

Once I got the knack of the air settings I can manage to kep Taybrite in for 12 hours. I mix it with normal logs (that didnt cost me anything)and make sure its well banked up at night with the Taybrite. However I'm sure there are other good coals but its just as someone else said normally this is the most common one around.

 

 

 

Without any topping up?

No topping, up because I'm not there.

 

Start with a good bed of a couple of inches of hot coals (no more, because you waste space for new coal), fill the grate with coals, shut everything in and walk away.

 

When you get back - don't shake the grate to get rid off ash. Put an inch or so of coals on top of the ash, open up the bottom full and within half an hour, a lovely roaring fire.

 

I've often done this in a morning, out all day and night, then returned back the following evening.

[GeoffS]

No topping, up because I'm not there.

 

Start with a good bed of a couple of inches of hot coals (no more, because you waste space for new coal), fill the grate with coals, shut everything in and walk away.

 

When you get back - don't shake the grate to get rid off ash. Put an inch or so of coals on top of the ash, open up the bottom full and within half an hour, a lovely roaring fire.

 

I've often done this in a morning, out all day and night, then returned back the following evening.

 

Excellent good to know. Now you say it I heard someone say not to shake the grate but to even pour some ash over the top. I will give it a go.

 

My trouble is I like to shake and fiddle and poke!

[County4x4]

"woody brick thingys" - tsk tsk - let's use the correct terminology please Nightwatch!!

 

The very small briquettes that I refer to as "garden centre specials" are often made using adapted machinery that won't give enough pressure - and while they will form briquettes of a sort, they're rather soft and short lived. Most briquettes will have more energy weight for weight than any logs, as they are much drier by necessity - if the feedstock is too wet then the briquettes blow when they come out of the die that forms them, due to steam pockets expanding. Less energy required to drive off moisture means more energy available as heat output. Air dried logs are unlikely to get below 20% moisture in the UK - our briquettes in comparison average just 8% - and that's every time - you don't get good ones and bad ones like with logs.

 

A few forum members use them instead of coal - Ange and ian west amongst others. I'm sure they'd be happy to let you know their opinion if they don't pick up on this thread.

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

[Chagall]

I believe, though not used them. 4x4's woody brick thingys are good.

 

There is a member of the forum who has had/has them. Can't remember who at the mo.

 

Depending where you are he may deliver as well. I guess he doesn't want to push a sale on here.

 

Martyn

Yep, I can vouch, they are good, but don't get them damp, store inside the boat. £4 for a 10kg pack, which is 10 bricks. They burn just like logs but very hot, at the moment I use a combination of them with Excel coal to bank up during the day, Excel is smokeless cobs but quite large.

[County4x4]

If any of you out there can get a group order together and take a tonne at a time (100 x 10 kilo packs) I can arrange delivery for a total of £305 all up, including delivery - so a saving of £95 on the small order price. This little lot will replace around 4 tonnes of air dried traditional logs. I can offer tis service nationwide as long as there is access for a wagon to offload a pallet.

 

As Chagall said, it is important that the briquettes remain dry - there's no glue as such in them, or anything else apart from wood, so getting them wet isn't good - this goes for all wood briquettes.

 

One other thing to mention is that it's possible to keep a stove in overnight with these - they will stay alight even with the air controls turned almost off. I'm not a big fan of overnighting stoves as it doesn't do chimneys much good and makes my job harder (on land) but I guess that boat chimneys are not going to be such a problem!

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

Edited November 3, 2010 by County4x4

[ian west]

I can confirm that they can stay in overnight (as well as being very pleased with them overall) - last week I put a few more briquettes in the stove in the morning after I had turned it off the night before. I was pretty surprised to find several hours later that they were gently (very gently) smouldering away, even with the vent fully closed.

If I had the room the bulk buy price is an excellent deal.

ian

[Doorman]

I have several narrowboat customers who have "converted" to firewood briquettes from coal. Cleaner to store, cleaner to burn and cleaner for the planet too! Much more efficient than traditional logs too - up to four times the energy weight for weight. I burn them in the stove and on the open fire at home too - had some free coal last winter and was glad to see the back of it to be honest!

 

Andy

 

Hi Andy,

 

you may recall that we had a similar thread last year and I read with interest about the firewood briquettes. I meant to contact you then, with a view to trying them out, but time constraints and a certain boat project got in the way.

 

We use mainly coal now, 'Excel' purebrite, which I was advised by a local boat based coal merchant to be a superior brand. Ironically, we bought two bags of lesser quality 'Stoveglow' coal from the merchant and this gives a superior heat and endurance output. I found that the Excel was difficult to ignite and would not last through to the next morning.

 

Sadly, we now moor near Audlem, so, traveling to Lancaster to try your briquettes is a bit too far. We still use firelogs from Home & Bargain stores to initially get the fire burning. For 99p and sawn into three segments, these represent good value for money. If you place whole logs in the fire without any coal, the heat output is excellent, together with the low ash deposits.

 

Mike

[Doorman]

 

 

My trouble is I like to shake and fiddle and poke!

 

So is mine. Sad really, but I get loads of fun from tweaking the fire on cold winter evenings, I think it stems from my childhood days when mum had a black old range in the kitchen and an open fire in the living room. The old coal would give little bursts of flames that fascinated me as a kid.

 

There's little to compete with a real fire, either on board or in a house, even more so in a Pub!

 

Mike

[DJR]

Anyone had any experience of those compressed wood log thingamies?

 

I use taybright, but mainly cos that's all I can get hold of most of the time.

The compressed sawdust logs are good for instant heating the boat as get going quickly and let you feel smug for saving the planet, but, make me lazy and the miser in me appalled when so much free wood needs collecting. Best coal so far is in plain white bags from wentworth fuels,black horse road,hinkley nr.coventry. Taybrite stays in well during sleep or absence. have lived on for 5 years and yet to find a coal or wood substitute that really outstrips the rest..except...NEVER buy housecoal or when really stuck we used garage forecourt stuff and truely dreadful. Stay warm!

[Byeckerslike]

supertherm gets my vote

I totally agree, plenty of heat, with very little ash!

1 fire stoke full lasts easily 32 hours!