Upside Down fire

[grey wolf]

My link Thought this may be of interest it applies equally to contained fires apparently

[Caprifool]

That's a very nice site.

[Chop!]

Hmm, it says it's suitable for 'slow burn log-burners' presumably the draw on our chimneys would draw the heat upwards and so not work in our logburners and ranges.

Nice site, food for thought.

[BEngo]

My link Thought this may be of interest it applies equally to contained fires apparently

 

 

Graham, of Alnwick, explained the technique a little while ago. I think he said it was how Victorian and Edwardian parlour maids were taught start steam locomotive fires without getting their hands dirty, or something.

 

It does work, but a good dollop of dirty diesel and a firelighter is much more fun.

 

N

[BargeeSpud]

Very interesting.

 

Can the technique work with coals in place of the logs in a SF stove?

[grey wolf]

yes i like the site alot and i think if you can farm in that sort of heat and drought then you can almost farm anywhere.Not that Britain has had that trouble this year.

[Proper Job]

I always put a layer of coal/wood on the grate of the fire when lighting it. It always gets going a lot quicker for the very reason explained in the link.

[bizzard]

I think most people with stoves have already done this, I know I have when the bloomin fires 'gawn an gawn aart' with unburnt coals still in it and you couldn't be bothered to clear out and relay it but done the upside down thing and hoped for the best, and with enough kindling it should recover when all the red hot kindling embers falls and surrounds the ready and waiting coals.

[jonathanA]

I think most people with stoves have already done this, I know I have when the bloomin fires 'gawn an gawn aart' with unburnt coals still in it and you couldn't be bothered to clear out and relay it but done the upside down thing and hoped for the best, and with enough kindling it should recover when all the red hot kindling embers falls and surrounds the ready and waiting coals.

 

Agreed - i've done the same loads of times both on the boat and at home in various fires/stoves - just never considered the science behind it.

 

will have to try it on a proper from scratch campfire or BBQ, as in front of an audience you'd look like a magician ...or a complete numpty if it didn't work...

 

thing is the usual rules apply you need plenty of good kindling (or firelighter) building up the size of the fuel gradually and a good air supply..

[Theo]

Hmm, it says it's suitable for 'slow burn log-burners' presumably the draw on our chimneys would draw the heat upwards and so not work in our logburners and ranges.

Nice site, food for thought.

 

I think that you might have missed the point that it is the radiated heat that ignites the lower layers, not the convected heat.

Nick

 

 

[Bee]

Nice fire, not sure about `butterflied etc. ` pig thing on top of it, looks a lot like the badger I drove past last night.

[Theo]

I am trying the idea now.

 

Using a 5kW Stovax in the living room with a flat floor ie no multifuel conversion.

 

Top and bottom draft fully open.

 

Two lumps (4" x 3") planed softwood at the bottom.

Two large lump split oak above

Six pieces of kindling with half a fire lighter in the the middle.

 

Lit it 10mins ago.

 

Kindling mostly burned away now and the oak sort of burning at the upper surface.

 

Waiting patiently

 

I'll be back

 

N

 

I am trying the idea now.

 

Using a 5kW Stovax in the living room with a flat floor ie no multifuel conversion.

 

Top and bottom draft fully open.

 

Two lumps (4" x 3") planed softwood at the bottom.

Two large lump split oak above

Six pieces of kindling with half a fire lighter in the the middle.

 

Lit it 10mins ago.

 

Kindling mostly burned away now and the oak sort of burning at the upper surface.

 

Waiting patiently

 

I'll be back

 

N

 

Hm...

 

Not out but not blazing either. Lit the normal way it would have been burning merrily by now.

 

N

[Chris Pink]

When Graham Alnwick suggested this I tried it a few times with little success. Although it is true that when the fire gets going it doesn't take long to light the cinders below.

[Arthur Marshall]

Sounded good, tried it... have now built the fire the right way up... maybe my house is upside down.

[bizzard]

Its about loads of kindling on top to fire up smokeless coal, more economical and quicker to lay the fire in the conventional way.

[nb Innisfree]

I would have thought that an enclosed fire with only bottom ventilation the bottom layer is likely to cool due to inrush of air, unlike an open fire where the ventilation can come from higher up at the sides. On that basis on a stove with top and bottom ventilation the bottom one should be closed?

[BlueStringPudding]

What a fab website!

[Theo]

I am trying the idea now.

 

Using a 5kW Stovax in the living room with a flat floor ie no multifuel conversion.

 

Top and bottom draft fully open.

 

Two lumps (4" x 3") planed softwood at the bottom.

Two large lump split oak above

Six pieces of kindling with half a fire lighter in the the middle.

 

Lit it 10mins ago.

 

Kindling mostly burned away now and the oak sort of burning at the upper surface.

 

Waiting patiently

 

I'll be back

 

N

 

 

 

Hm...

 

Not out but not blazing either. Lit the normal way it would have been burning merrily by now.

 

N

 

Had to go and do other things. Left the fire smouldering inan uninteresting sort of way. Came back 25mins later and it was going a treat.

 

AFAICT the advantage is that I got nice bright flames much earlier and much less smoke. The disadvantage is that it burned right down and only came up later.

 

Next time I shall try it with the bottom draft closed.

 

N

 

N

[Theo]

What a fab website!

 

Just read a good bit of the rest of it. I do agree!

 

Nick