Stove burning all night

[Lmcgrath87]

ahaha what a knob! I meant Wood in fuel burners, not coal. Sorry guys. Need more coffee.

[Higgs]

 

:-) I've only ever used fire in fuel burners, is coal difficult to get going?

 

 

It only takes a few minutes - A couple of fire-lighter pieces, throw over some kindle, add enough smokeless on top (small heap), open draught door (not the main door). Once it gets going, close the draught door and open vent full, for a while. When the fuel has caught, close the vent down, but not fully.

 

I've recently changed to Excel. The fuel I was using (signal) was ok except regarding the amount of stuff that collected in the grate as claggy stuff, choking the fire. Excel is doing well, but needs less open vent. Some fuels create a lot of ash. Excel is ok, on that score.

 

My stove is a Squirrel. It's about 18years old. The only thing that peeves me is the rate at which the riddling grate fails. They're not cheap and well over priced. The present one is 2 years old, but it won't do another winter.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Higgs

[Mac of Cygnet]

Convincingly put. However...

* Large amounts of wood can be found free of charge on and around the towpaths.

 

Thank you Athy. I could counter all his other points too, and add that coal is horribly dirty, but there is little point in the argument. I will carry on with wood and Alan will carry on with coal.

[bottle]

Am I being lucky?

 

Squirrel 1430 now five and a half years old, constant use November to March, never goes out and up till now no replacements required.

[bizzard]

House coal is not that dirty if its burnt fiercely enough and all the time and coal added little and often. But who wants to burn it fiercely all the time, it would be too hot and use a lot of coal and deny its cheaper cost.

[FidoDido]

Pennie.. Close the windows.. After a few days of heat, the boat will have dried out.

 

If your air thingy won't control the burn, check the rope seal on the door. Might be leaking.

 

Smokeless needs to be glowing before you can turn down the air.

Ecoal50 burns much slower even in lots of air, so try that.. Available at b+q cheapest.

 

You probably aren't banking it up enough.. Post pics ..

 

Within a few days you'll have figured it out I'm sure.. Just use good quality smokeless coal.. Crap stuff goes out.

[bizzard]

It won't dry out without ventilation, no matter how hot the stove is, it'll just get humid, cause precipitation, and more condensation.

[Athy]

Pennie, here you have the unique CWF style of consensus, in which two experienced and knowledgeable boating people give directly opposing advice.

Got a coin that you can toss?

[FidoDido]

I presumed that there would be the usual amount of ventilation from roof vents and low level vents in front and back doors etc... The extra ventilation from opening windows is probably unnecessary after a the stove has been on a day or two, as moisture built up when left for a prolonged period without heat will have gone.

 

Of course, if you cook with the hob (boiling veg etc), put a kettle on the stove all day long, dry your washing, have a shower, etc, then opening the windows for a while will very much improve the rate of drying out.

 

Methinks we are both saying the same thing, just I wasn't explicit enough... Not many people go to bed with the stove rammed and the windows open, as like the PO found out, you'll be cold in the morning when the stove is low, and all your heat has buggered off out the windows..

 

 

Athy has a good point ! All advice to be taken with a pinch of salt.. in the end, you'll figure it out yourself.

Edited March 17, 2015 by FidoDido

[Athy]

.

 

 

All advice to be taken with a pinch of salt.. in the end, you'll figure it out yourself.

That's what I was getting at: there's often more than one way to skin a cat, and trying out the various suggestions will enable Pennie to find out which works for her.

[Naughty Cal]

I presumed that there would be the usual amount of ventilation from roof vents and low level vents in front and back doors etc... The extra ventilation from opening windows is probably unnecessary after a the stove has been on a day or two, as moisture built up when left for a prolonged period without heat will have gone.

 

Of course, if you cook with the hob (boiling veg etc), put a kettle on the stove all day long, dry your washing, have a shower, etc, then opening the windows for a while will very much improve the rate of drying out.

 

Methinks we are both saying the same thing, just I wasn't explicit enough... Not many people go to bed with the stove rammed and the windows open, as like the PO found out, you'll be cold in the morning when the stove is low, and all your heat has buggered off out the windows..

 

 

Athy has a good point ! All advice to be taken with a pinch of salt.. in the end, you'll figure it out yourself.

We always have our windows open and the hatches cracked open when we are on board.

 

We still wake up to a toasty warm boat and it is lovely and dry with no condensation on the windows or mirrors.

 

The joys of diesel heating

[Pennie]

I think my plan RE drying the boat out is to have the windows and doors open all day with the stove going and just the windows at night just to dry the boat out (this is when I get back to the boat as I'm spending a week back at the house to get coursework finished and stuff sold) Hopefully once Rose has been lived on for a week or so I can start closing the windows at night. The first couple of nights I slept on her when moving her there was condensation on the wood on the seating area, that one surprised me.

 

As you have all said I've got to learn about my stove and its quirks (however I d have my squirrel ready to replace the current one when my boat handyman has time to refit it for me). My main reason ask what I should do is I've never had a solid fuel stove before and all my know how of fires and keeping them going is from bbq and camp fires so I need to learn how to use a stove.

 

All advice even from both schools of thinking is greatly appreciated.

[Naughty Cal]

Is there water in the bilges by any chance?

 

Sounds like you are getting a lot of condensation.

[Pennie]

surprisingly no, everyone who has seen down there has been very impressed with how dry it is. All the condensation is in the living area, its very soggy with three bodies breathing and just using the hob for hot drinks (haven't had a hot meal or shower yet)

[DeanS]

surprisingly no, everyone who has seen down there has been very impressed with how dry it is. All the condensation is in the living area, its very soggy with three bodies breathing and just using the hob for hot drinks (haven't had a hot meal or shower yet)

 

The word soggy worries me.....

 

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say their boat is soggy inside.

 

Condensation inside is normally because the interior is much hotter than the exterior.

 

Are you in a very cold place?

Are you running your fire very hot?

 

It shouldn't be soggy....

 

Are you using the word soggy, because it IS soggy...or exaggerating a little? To confirm...my understanding of soggy...is..."a soggy sponge".....which when squeezed, will pour water from it. ;-)

[Pennie]

its more of an exaggeration. I have lived in a real soggy place once, the ceiling acted as a sponge and used to drip on me. On the boat the water condensates on the walls and creates a small puddle on the floor by morning which I've been mopping up.

 

I'm just hoping its because she has been empty for a few weeks whilst it has been so cold, being lived in with the fire going should dry her out hopefully. I've found I have to keep the windows open at night for now or else condensation forms on the mushroom vents and drips on me in the night, though with the windows open, despite it being freezing in the morning, there is no condensation anywhere.

[GoodGurl]

Am I being lucky?

 

Squirrel 1430 now five and a half years old, constant use November to March, never goes out and up till now no replacements required.

yes you are lucky, our 1430 has had a new riddle grate every year because it broke and 2 new door glasses

[Boredrider]

Before you start experimenting with running the stove with a full fuel load and the air vents turned down, may I suggest that you should ensure the flue and stove are swept and free of soot and tar, and that your CO alarm(s) are tested and properly positioned.

 

If you are on a shoreside mains connection, then a dehumidifier will sort out your sogginess pretty swiftly.

[Pennie]

The first thing I did before lighting the fire was to sweep the chimney. After being in a house where there was a chimney fire as a child I'm overly cautious as well as making sure the CO alarm was in working order as another home I lived in nearly killed my mum and I. I should have mains electricity when I get back to my boat next week so I shall see about hiring a dehumidifier if ventilation alone doesn't work.

[Water Nomad]

Hello Everyone. I all ways let my fire die out over night and I do not relight till the next evening. At the moment I'm using seasoned semi split logs from a very good friend. As already said these do not last long and you go through plenty, but they were free. I normally add about three or four pieces of smoke less fuel a night, just to help keep a nice and red base to the fire.

 

I have one window hopper half open, mainly because it has the wires from the solar panels coming through it and in the morning the windows are only slightly condensed. When I first got the boat last August it had not being lived on for a while and it felt damp. Mainly because of the rotten floor, but most of that in the front of the boat has now being ripped up.

 

John.

[MtB]

I must say, I'm concerned about the condensation too. Neither of my boats suffers from it in the slightest when revisited, even after being left for weeks on end to get thoroughly cold.

 

Puzzling.

 

Mind you, given the mention of three bodies in there, the whole situation makes me nervous. Are you SURE they are all breathing?

 

 

MtB

[alan_fincher]

We always have our windows open and the hatches cracked open when we are on board.

 

We still wake up to a toasty warm boat and it is lovely and dry with no condensation on the windows or mirrors.

 

The joys of diesel heating

 

I don't know about that.

 

We almost invariably have all the drop back top vents of "Chalice's" windows open, irrespective of season, and are using a Villager Heron solid fuel stove.

 

We have little trouble keeping toasty warm, (though do have problems with getting too hot!), and get just small amounts condensation on the windows occasionally, (frames mostly, rather than glass). No other condensation at all, other than mushroom vent tops.

 

We have been on the boat for 4 or 5 days up until yesterday, and at the end I checked the cabin bilge which was absolutely bone dry. People often report condensation, at least, on the baseplate in such conditions, but we have never experienced that. No idea why we don't when others claim it is a problem.

[Phil Ambrose]

It's all a mystery to me, never had a problem with our stove, once lit in say October it stays in 24/7 till the warmer weather, whenever that is .

We have a 60ft boat with 2 of us onboard all the time (liveabosrd, retired) plus 2 dogs. Condensation is minimal, all port holes fixed so the only ventilation is low level in the doors and the mushrooms. Slight issue with the mushroom over the bed but a neat drip catcher fixed that. Ports are secondary D/G and also the Houdini hatches. Never cold, we only ever wear T shirts and on our bed a 4 Tog duvet is plenty warm enough.

Don't know what the secret is, it's all a bit puzzling just glad we don't have these cold weather issues.

Phil

Edited March 18, 2015 by Phil Ambrose

[Naughty Cal]

 

I don't know about that.

 

We almost invariably have all the drop back top vents of "Chalice's" windows open, irrespective of season, and are using a Villager Heron solid fuel stove.

 

We have little trouble keeping toasty warm, (though do have problems with getting too hot!), and get just small amounts condensation on the windows occasionally, (frames mostly, rather than glass). No other condensation at all, other than mushroom vent tops.

 

We have been on the boat for 4 or 5 days up until yesterday, and at the end I checked the cabin bilge which was absolutely bone dry. People often report condensation, at least, on the baseplate in such conditions, but we have never experienced that. No idea why we don't when others claim it is a problem.

I couldn't tell you what the secret is either.

 

I can only assume that the people who think it is "normal" to have condensation streaming down the windows have never been on a dry, condensation free boat. But certainly for us it wouldn't be normal and if we did wake up with the boat soggy we would be investigating why.

 

To the OP I do think that the suggestion of a dehumidifier is a good one when you can get shore power. It should help to dry the boat out.

[FidoDido]

judging by the pics of Rose of York on the duck, there is no low-level ventilation. Perhaps this is the issue? Suggest putting some vents in the front and back doors to allow airflow when all locked up.

 

In fact surprised BSS was issued without any low level ventilation (might be one low level vent by front door - tough to tell on the pics)