Types of coal

[boathunter]

Coconut shells - Google is your friend.

[davidc]

Although not a coal I don't think this is has anyone else come across "Outback Multifuel"?

They look like charcoal briquettes but the box says "not fossil fuel" and "No trees cut down"

They don't smell of cow sh*t and they seem to burn quite well in my woodburner

My local chandler is flogging it at £4.50 a box (10Kg)

1/2 a box lasted about 12 hrs at tickover so I have stocked up with a dozen boxes as an emergency fuel supply (being boxes they stack away easily)

Can't work out what they are made of unless it's scrap wood and the no trees cut down is just flannel

 

 

are these them and are there any good

 

http://www.outbackdirect.co.uk/bbq/info_O_BACK4496MULT.html

[John V]

Yes! those are them! After trying a box I went back to the chandler to get some more and he said "they're great aren't they"

when I said that I wouldn't put it that strongly he said "Must be good Robbie ****'s buying loads of it" my reply was that Robbie **** has a small stove and he's a tight bastard.

 

I think that says it all, they burn slowly and cleanly but the calorific value is not that high. At the price he's flogging them for (I certainly wouldn't pay the price in the advert) they are a good emergency supply in case of problems with my normal supplies.

 

must brush up my internet skills I couldn't find them when I was looking!

[kremmen]

Interesting reading. Wish I had read before buying a load of taybrite .. Not happy as I cant make it last the night in my squirrel . Last 2 nights I used some supertherm I got to try in summer and it just lasted. Thinking of mixing remaining taybrite with anthracite.Does anyone know a supplier that I can collect some from around Newbury ? Can't buy in bulk due to lack of storage so just want to buy couple at a time.

Paul

[Grace and Favour]

Interesting reading. Wish I had read before buying a load of taybrite .. Not happy as I cant make it last the night in my squirrel . Last 2 nights I used some supertherm I got to try in summer and it just lasted. Thinking of mixing remaining taybrite with anthracite.Does anyone know a supplier that I can collect some from around Newbury ? Can't buy in bulk due to lack of storage so just want to buy couple at a time.

Paul

 

Trying to be constructive here - - - - -

 

May I politely suggest you must be 'doing something wrong here' - - we can get Supertherm to not only last through the night easily - but often through 24 hours (if we have to) in our Squirrel

[kremmen]

Sorry if my previous post isn't clear. Supertherm not the problem.its taybrite .

 

Paul

[bizzard]

Sorry if my previous post isn't clear. Supertherm not the problem.its taybrite .

 

Paul

You should be able to keep any coal alight all night long without going out, Taybright or any other, even wood if your lucky. If its out in the morning with unburnt coals still in it it usually means not quite enough bottom air due to the control not quite unscrewed enough or the grate wasn't cleaned properly before loading on coal for the night or the ashpan was full of ash and partially blocking the firebars.

If there's just burn't out ash and cinders in the grate in the morning either too much bottom air or not enough coal was put on.

I wouldn't just rely on the grate riddler to clear the grate for an overnight burn but give it a good old rake with a poker too and make sure the fires burning ok before banking it up for the night.

Small size coal nuts will need a little more bottom air than larger sizes. A little bit of experimenting is needed to get it right.

[John V]

Just to add to Bizzards post...if you are only using wood, try letting the ash build up - the thicker the better!

[kremmen]

Thanks to all especially Bizzard . My problem is unburnt coal so I know where to look. Also info about different size coal nuts is useful .....its probably why supertherm lasts as its larger . More experimenting coming up. :-)

 

Paul

[BargeeSpud]

Sorry if my previous post isn't clear. Supertherm not the problem.its taybrite .

 

Paul

We don't have any problem keeping Taybrite in overnight. Maybe you're leaving the bottom vent open a little too much? We leave ours open about a 1/4 turn off closed. We also bank it up quite a bit too.

[bowten]

Now then whats the difference between having fire bricks and the cast type in the stove,are fire bricks better?

[kremmen]

You should be able to keep any coal alight all night long without going out, Taybright or any other, even wood if your lucky. If its out in the morning with unburnt coals still in it it usually means not quite enough bottom air due to the control not quite unscrewed enough or the grate wasn't cleaned properly before loading on coal for the night or the ashpan was full of ash and partially blocking the firebars.

If there's just burn't out ash and cinders in the grate in the morning either too much bottom air or not enough coal was put on.

I wouldn't just rely on the grate riddler to clear the grate for an overnight burn but give it a good old rake with a poker too and make sure the fires burning ok before banking it up for the night.

Small size coal nuts will need a little more bottom air than larger sizes. A little bit of experimenting is needed to get it right.

Just popped back in to say thanks. In my case I needed to open vents up to make coal burn all night. I was so fixated with damping down that I was starving the fire .

 

Thanks.

 

Paul (cosy )

[Psycloud]

It does seem to be good stuff - after trying a bag of Excel, instead of clearing the pan twice a day, I'm only do it once a day again. I believe it's a WJ Hills and Sons mix, and in the south will be available from Archimedes and Ara, and on the River Lee by Indus amongst others.

 

Seems to burn well in my Classic (http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/Products/Heating/SolidFuelStovesRanges/Ranges/HS002.aspx) anyways.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

We bought 50kg of Purelglow based on the info in this thread but have found it nowhere near as hot burning as Homefire Ovals that were bought as a gift and this we found stayed in overnight without any issues. Our neighbour swears by Taybrite so think we might try that next. Stove is a Villager Chelsea Duo.

 

I'm still finding the heat logs give the most amount of heat although it's more short sharp bursts (and excellent for getting the fire started) . We want steady heat as the stove is our main heat source and I'm here all day We do have one of those oil filled heaters and a halogen heater, neither of which I find are very good in getting the temperature up unless you're sat right on top of them.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Psycloud

[mykaskin]

We bought 50kg of Purelglow based on the info in this thread but have found it nowhere near as hot burning as Homefire Ovals that were bought as a gift and this we found stayed in overnight without any issues. Our neighbour swears by Taybrite so think we might try that next. Stove is a Villager Chelsea Duo.

 

 

Interesting, as the most comments I've had from people think it burns too hot and melts the grate... it does seem that horses for courses when it comes to coal and stoves. I'm sure there is rhyme and reason for it all, but at the end of the day, you need to find the fuel that best burns in your fire. I know that doesn't help, but try a bag of each type. Homefire Ovals are good, but then they are also the most expensive.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[sociable_hermit]

There are too many variables to simply say "brand xxx is best".

 

Which stove is it?

 

What diameter and shape is the flue? [affects the draughting]

 

How thin or thick do you bank the fire up? And slowly in stages or all in one go?

 

How wide are the slots in the grate?

 

Do you rake the fire through and empty the ashpan before bed, or leave it alone?

 

How big is the boat and how much heat do you need?

 

How much fire is safe?

 

How long do you need it to stay in for? Do you sleep for 4 hours or 12 or somewhere inbetween?

 

Etc. etc..

 

 

It's not just one of these questions that'll be vital, it's all of them combined, and probably a few more too. All you've really got to go on are the fundamental characteristics of the different fuels. So, for example, Taybrite burns relatively quickly and produces a lot of ash, so there's a fine line between the fire choking itself up with ash or burning away too fast if you open the damper more. Excel is clean burning and produces a lot of heat but can be a bit too good for some stoves - it's very hot. Supertherm is a good all-rounder but the lumps are big and need quite a lot of heat to catch in the first place, so building a "green" fire with the damper closed up just before bed doesn't always work.

 

Personally I've had the most success by mixing small, easy-to-light stuff with larger, longer lasting lumps. Get the fire going with the small stuff and then use that to get the bigger lumps burning. By the morning the "rocket fuel" small bits are long gone but the main fuel is still going. If it's being difficult then building the fire up in stages can help, particularly as the initial effect of putting cold fuel on seems to be to force the flames across the grate in search of an easier burn. So if half the grate isn't burning, but more coal on the bit that is.

 

The only sure-fire (sorry!) way of doing it is to keep experimenting. Sometimes only little changes are required - maybe a 2mm shift of a sliding damper grating is enough to keep a fire in where once it went cold. Clubbing together with friends to swap different coals around can be good, as it avoids anyone getting stuck with a whole bag of something duff. Even the worst coals can normally be used up by blending with something better.

 

Good luck!!

[Grace and Favour]

There are too many variables to simply say "brand xxx is best".

<<>>

The only sure-fire (sorry!) way of doing it is to keep experimenting. Sometimes only little changes are required - maybe a 2mm shift of a sliding damper grating is enough to keep a fire in where once it went cold. Clubbing together with friends to swap different coals around can be good, as it avoids anyone getting stuck with a whole bag of something duff. Even the worst coals can normally be used up by blending with something better.

 

Good luck!!

 

Most helpful S-H

 

We're in the middle of experimenting too!

 

We use Supertherm for our overnight burn, (12 - 18 hours without a problem) and are currently trying different sizes of Anthracite for the day (Anthracite burns wonderfully hot)

and the sizes of anthracite that are on this weeks testing are Anthracite 'Smalls' (approx 4~5cm) and Anthracite 'Peas' (approx 2cm)

 

- - It's fun playing innit?

[Psycloud]

Interesting, as the most comments I've had from people think it burns too hot and melts the grate... it does seem that horses for courses when it comes to coal and stoves. I'm sure there is rhyme and reason for it all, but at the end of the day, you need to find the fuel that best burns in your fire. I know that doesn't help, but try a bag of each type. Homefire Ovals are good, but then they are also the most expensive.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

So now we've also tried Taybrite and have observed that:

 

A: the stove kettle boils (it did not with Pureglow or Homefire ovals, only with the Homefire Heatlogs)

B: the room temperature is noticeably warmer and the room thermometer agrees

C: stays in even when we're not trying

D: nearly £2 a bag cheaper than HF Ovals.

 

No wonder our neighbour raised an eyebrow when we bought the ovals instead of the Taybrite. I think we will now stop experimenting as are happy with Taybrite as the main fuel but also using heatlogs when we need an initial raging inferno or a booster if we've let the fire almost die.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Psycloud

[FidoDido]

just for people's information, I'm currently burning Coalite Maxheat. Bought 20 bags. However, its not a brand I'll be buying again. needs too much air to burn - so doesnt keep in as long as others. (Usually only get about 6-7 hours - needs 1 and a quater turn on the bottom vent on my morso squirrel, or it goes out half way through the night).

[matty40s]

just for people's information, I'm currently burning Coalite Maxheat. Bought 20 bags. However, its not a brand I'll be buying again. needs too much air to burn - so doesnt keep in as long as others. (Usually only get about 6-7 hours - needs 1 and a quater turn on the bottom vent on my morso squirrel, or it goes out half way through the night).

see if your seller will swap it for something different.

 

I use Coopers of Mountsorrel at the mo, and when he saw me turn green at the price of the fuel I had stuck in my car (Homefire Ecoal50 - £11.50 25kg in Sept) he said, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for your stove, bring it back and i will change it for something else.

 

I have used it ever since, lasts twice as long as taybrite/excel.

[Grace and Favour]

I use Coopers of Mountsorrel at the mo, and when he saw me turn green at the price of the fuel I had stuck in my car (Homefire Ecoal50 - £11.50 25kg in Sept) he said, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for your stove, bring it back and i will change it for something else.

 

 

Does it have an high copper content?

[Nickhlx]

I have been using Wildfire on our home Baxi open fire (with under-grate adjustable ventilation) and in the last batch of a few bags it seemed way less good than previous batches...

 

So this time I bought some "Anthracite" - same price ( £7 for 25 kgs bag - collected) and have been greatly impressed.. I started it as usual and got a layer of red coals and covered it with a layer of

the Anthracite - It burns with a pleasing grey / brown whispy flame and then settled down to a hot glow for a long time - far better than the Wildfire....

 

The only thing I was a bit surprised about was that the knobs of the Anthracite were quite a uniform size of about 3 cms cubed or smaller, as if the coal had been crushed between rollers with that separation, where

I had thought it would have come in a greater variance of size

 

Definitely will be buying more though

 

Nick

[DHutch]

Its all about steam coal...

 

We often have a bag of smokeless onboard for the stove, but if we dont, it gets fed on steam coal as its what we have lots of onboard and it works well, although I do like a bit of housecoal as well, very easy to light, and makes a better fog for rallies! You can always light with housecoal and move onto your steamcoal or anthracite.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Richard10002]

Its all about steam coal...

 

We often have a bag of smokeless onboard for the stove, but if we dont, it gets fed on steam coal as its what we have lots of onboard and it works well, although I do like a bit of housecoal as well, very easy to light, and makes a better fog for rallies! You can always light with housecoal and move onto your steamcoal or anthracite.

 

 

 

Daniel

 

What is steam coal?

[DHutch]

What is steam coal?

Halfway between bituminous house coal and anthracite.

 

But its sold as just that 'steam coal' and is typically registered as a smokeless fuel.

 

 

Daniel.

[FidoDido]

see if your seller will swap it for something different.

 

I use Coopers of Mountsorrel at the mo, and when he saw me turn green at the price of the fuel I had stuck in my car (Homefire Ecoal50 - £11.50 25kg in Sept) he said, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for your stove, bring it back and i will change it for something else.

 

I have used it ever since, lasts twice as long as taybrite/excel.

 

To be fair, she did say if you dont like it, I'll swap it, maybe I'll take her up on that. They dont do Ecoal, but do phurnacite, taybrite, anthracite etc. I've gone through 7 bags - maybe I'll stick it out - It isnt that terrible considering it was £8.50 a bag, but its annoying that it won't stay in overnight unless I go to bed really late or get up early.

 

Will investigate Coopers next time