Own up, who has their fire lit?

[Emerald Fox]

Only northerners steal wood!

 

Southerners steal everything else!

[GreyLady]

I tried to light my dads stovax multi-stove wood and coal burner today, I Failed miserably. Because it went out.

 

I guess I need to watch some youtube video's before I do my first winter onboard.

[Emerald Fox]

John, where on earth do you store that much coal?

(so that we can come and steal borrow some....?)

[GreyLady]

I have found an unusual way to light my fire, I know someone who works in a snacks wharehouse, and he brings round bin bags full of out of date crisps. The ones I don't like I use as fire lighters, the amount of oil in them lights the fire every time. Cheese puffs are particually good !

I have some ready salted walkers will they work. Lol

[Naughty Cal]

Our heating at home will turn on in five minutes and ensure that the house is lovely and warm by the time we get home.

 

On the other hand on Friday evening when we arrive at the boat the heating is turned off so the boat won't be lovely and warm. Won't take it long to heat up though when we get there.

[dogless]

Weakened yesterday and lit it.

Absolutely razzing during the evening and could barely sleep last night !

It's burnt out now and staying out.

I'll put a jumper on

Rog

 

Being a northener, it's the waste of a match that bothers me

Edited September 16, 2015 by dogless

[Emerald Fox]

Well, we had our boat stove on nearly every day throughout June & July. Got through about 4 bags of coal. And many logs. And a lot of kindling. And a few bottles of meths (my starter of choice).

[Athy]

I tried to light my dads stovax multi-stove wood and coal burner today, I Failed miserably. Because it went out.

 

I guess I need to watch some youtube video's before I do my first winter onboard.

I would guess that you were not used to open/ living fires at home when you were a kid. To those of us who were, it comes naturally - I am not saying that a fire NEVER goes out when I light it, but if it does I understand why. From the age of about seven I was riddling and mending our fire in the morning, getting the coal from the coal house etc., so I suppose that working with fires comes naturally. Apart from a year living in a French school, I have never lived in a house which didn't have a fireplace.

 

We had a thread about firelighting a few months ago and found that - surely not, on CWF - members had diametrically opposed ideas on how to light one. My method is, lightly crumpled paper (newsprint is best) in the grate, very thin kindling twigs on top of that, then slightly thicker sticks on top of that, then logs (split so that a greater area is exposed to the flames), and finally coal if you use it. Light the paper, which in turn should light the kindling twigs, which should in turn....well, you get the idea.

 

You don't say whether this stove is in a house or on a boat. In a house, I always closed the room door before lighting the fire, something learned from my Dad many years ago. It affects the draught, apparently.

 

Stand by for a heatwave of different opinions.

 

Smart new avatar by the way.

[Lady Muck]

Everyone has their own way of making a fire, even me and him indoors do it differently and we still argue about whose way is the correct way. It's like when I learned shoemaking - when cutting a pattern for a leather high boot with a one piece shaft, you have to cut the pattern in a way so that you end up with no creases up the front when it is made. Every tutor I had had a diifferent way of doing it and now, so do I.

 

Can light the fire now, easily without thinking too much about it (coal first, kindling ontop). Yes, I've just put it on. Blimmin horrible out there.

[GreyLady]

I would guess that you were not used to open/ living fires at home when you were a kid. To those of us who were, it comes naturally - I am not saying that a fire NEVER goes out when I light it, but if it does I understand why. From the age of about seven I was riddling and mending our fire in the morning, getting the coal from the coal house etc., so I suppose that working with fires comes naturally. Apart from a year living in a French school, I have never lived in a house which didn't have a fireplace.

 

We had a thread about firelighting a few months ago and found that - surely not, on CWF - members had diametrically opposed ideas on how to light one. My method is, lightly crumpled paper (newsprint is best) in the grate, very thin kindling twigs on top of that, then slightly thicker sticks on top of that, then logs (split so that a greater area is exposed to the flames), and finally coal if you use it. Light the paper, which in turn should light the kindling twigs, which should in turn....well, you get the idea.

 

You don't say whether this stove is in a house or on a boat. In a house, I always closed the room door before lighting the fire, something learned from my Dad many years ago. It affects the draught, apparently.

 

Stand by for a heatwave of different opinions.

 

Smart new avatar by the way.

Hia, yer I was brought up with Central Heating as a way to warm our bottoms.

 

Thanks for the tips on how to light a Stove Athy, I did clean the stove out on my second attempt and then placed some newspaper/loo roll on the bottom and then some wood on top but sadly I realised I had no more matches left to light it because I threw half a box into the fire on my first attempt in hope it would suddenly roar into flames. Lol

 

hahaha, thanks I like my new avatar too its more serious about boating than the previous one.

[magnetman]

I do it like Athy does with the addition of a drop of cooking oil sometimes once its flaming well to help it along a bit.

 

Just lit my second stove as I feel very unmacho today.

And it is shockingly wet

Outside

[GreyLady]

I do it like Athy does with the addition of a drop of cooking oil sometimes once its flaming well to help it along a bit.

Just lit my second stove as I feel very unmacho today.And it is shockingly wetOutside

Great thanks for the cooking oil tip.

[Naughty Cal]

I do it like Athy does with the addition of a drop of cooking oil sometimes once its flaming well to help it along a bit.

 

Just lit my second stove as I feel very unmacho today.

And it is shockingly wet

Outside

Oh no it isn't................yet!

[craftycarper]

Hia, yer I was brought up with Central Heating as a way to warm our bottoms.

Thanks for the tips on how to light a Stove Athy, I did clean the stove out on my second attempt and then placed some newspaper/loo roll on the bottom and then some wood on top but sadly I realised I had no more matches left to light it because I threw half a box into the fire on my first attempt in hope it would suddenly roar into flames. Lol

hahaha, thanks I like my new avatar too its more serious about boating than the previous one.

every winter when we get storms and peoples wooden fence panels blow down, I pick a few up to use as kindling, they are wafer thin and can be broken up by hand, and light with a few sheets of paper underneath,the battens that hold the fence together make up the next layer then logs on top, I seldom use coal unless I get it free, as I see my woodburner as a free source of heat unlike gas or coal, I just pick up my wood through the summer from skips building sites and fallen trees that I encounter on my travels

[Athy]

 

Thanks for the tips on how to light a Stove Athy,

My pleasure -but you will note that Lady Muck, a very experienced liveaboard boater, does it completely differently from me! I told you that would happen.

 

Mr. Carper's tip about those thin fence panels is a good one - each time we have a section of garden fence replaced, I strip off all the thin, flexible laths (or whatever they're called) and render them down into stove-sized pieces ready for the winter. In MY method a layer of these would go on the fire third, after the paper and the small kindling twigs.

[tidal]

There's as many ways to light a fire/stove as there are people who light them.

 

I vary mine depending (largely) on how fast I need heat
And almost as often by how lazy I feel

[Rufford]

For an instant file use half a heat log. 50p for an instant fire ain't bad

[tree monkey]

For an instant file use half a heat log. 50p for an instant fire ain't bad

Pine cones are excellent firelighters/kindling

[Rufford]

Shall have to try them ☺

[magnetman]

Can you get a heat log going without firelighters ? I had some from Tesco half price but never thought to start the fire with them - just chucked them on once it was burning.

[craftycarper]

Pine cones are excellent firelighters/kindling

silver birch bark also if we're going proper outdoorsy, and those hard black fungus balls that grow on dead trees, think they might be called horse shoe mushrooms?

[magnetman]

 

Oh and don't let heatlogs get wet as they turn into porridge !

Cramp balls

[system 4-50]

Much as I like the smell of wood smoke from adjacent boats (I use smokeless), I do hope they are not burning anything treated with nasty preservatives.

[tree monkey]

Can you get a heat log going without firelighters ? I had some from Tesco half price but never thought to start the fire with them - just chucked them on once it was burning.

Yeah but it's fiddly, brake them down into little bits, easy to light with a small piece of normal firelighters and fast heat too.

I normaly buy a bag and store for those emergency brass monkey days

[craftycarper]

Much as I like the smell of wood smoke from adjacent boats (I use smokeless), I do hope they are not burning anything treated with nasty preservatives.

hope your not next door to me then I have about a ton of decking to get through