What is the best brand of solid fuel for a boat stove?

[bizzard]

11 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

We've been using Stoveglow which burns well in our stove giving a good heat and not too much ash. Our marina only sells Supertherm so just started a bag of that and the stove doesn't seem to burn as hot and it went out overnight leaving lots of unburnt coal. Will give it another try when next on the boat but may have to go and pick up some Stoveglow in the car.

Different fuels usually need slightly different control settings. Try giving it a touch more bottom air, probably won't need much more. And make sure the grate is clean, a good old poke before loading it for the night. 

[john6767]

30 minutes ago, Wrinkley said:

We used to use Stoveglow and loved it. Only stopped when they changed the mix or some thing and it was no longer smokeless.

The most common one that we use is Stoveglow, usually from Midland Chandlers in Braunston, as the stuff that they sell at the marina is a bit expensive and has a lot of ash.  Whilst Stoveglow is no longer marked as being smokeless, I have found it makes no more smoke than others that are marked as smokeless, so in practice I don't see that as an issue.

[Dr Bob]

18 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

We've been using Stoveglow which burns well in our stove giving a good heat and not too much ash. Our marina only sells Supertherm so just started a bag of that and the stove doesn't seem to burn as hot and it went out overnight leaving lots of unburnt coal. Will give it another try when next on the boat but may have to go and pick up some Stoveglow in the car.

We have only been using Supertherm and found it surprisingly easy to keep in overnight and it always reduces to very powdery ash with no clinker or anything unlike say Anthracite.

Thanks again to everyone for their inputs, I will make a list based on the comments and see what I can get from the fuel boat and try a few out.

[pearley]

Our preferred fuel for our Boat an is Excel. Hot, low Ash,  keeps in well overnight and responds quickly when the air control is opened. However, burnt our last bag 3 days ago and are now burning Supertherm as that was all the nearest marina had. Needs more air for the same heat output but the real problem is the Ash, which looks like sand. From emptying once a day with the Excel it is now 3 times a day. 

[Dr Bob]

3 hours ago, pearley said:

Our preferred fuel for our Boat an is Excel. Hot, low Ash,  keeps in well overnight and responds quickly when the air control is opened. However, burnt our last bag 3 days ago and are now burning Supertherm as that was all the nearest marina had. Needs more air for the same heat output but the real problem is the Ash, which looks like sand. From emptying once a day with the Excel it is now 3 times a day. 

Yes, that's what we find with Supertherm. Lots of ash which I find I empty 3 times a day.

[Lily Rose]

On 27/11/2017 at 10:35, Dr Bob said:

We have only been using Supertherm and found it surprisingly easy to keep in overnight and it always reduces to very powdery ash with no clinker or anything unlike say Anthracite.

Thanks again to everyone for their inputs, I will make a list based on the comments and see what I can get from the fuel boat and try a few out.

I've stuck with Supertherm mainly because I find it very easy to keep in overnight.

I see Homefire Ovals have had a few mentions. I'm pretty sure that was what I bought from coal boat Rusty a year or so ago as they had no Supertherm and said this was similar.

I found it was much more difficult to keep going overnight and have used nothing but Supertherm since.

[Dr Bob]

Just an update on where we got to with choice of coal. We saw Ryan on the fuel boat last week and I got 3 bags of Homefire ovals (Ryan's recommendation) and 3 bags of Excel.

Started using the Homefire on Thursday and been very impressed over those very two sub zero cold nights. Less ash than the supertherm (but still quite a bit - but it seems more 'granular' rather than 'powdery' so doesnt get blown around by the superpowerful Ecofan). Certainly more heat in the Homefire and much easier to get some real heat out of the villager which has been needed the last 2 days. It was £13/bag vs £10+bit/bag for the supertherm but a load seems to last longer. Two other observations are (1) that there are a lot less noxious fumes when it is first put on the fire. With the supertherm for the first hour, the smoke was awful on the throat if you opened the stove door or the smoke coming out the chimney was bad - really smelly if in a Lock. With the homefire there is much much less smoke and seems much less noxious. (2), the stove glass is clean!! Maybe because it is burning hotter or when left overnight it is burning more, the air wash on the front glass is really working. Seems easy to keep in overnight - maybe a little more air needed than supertherm, but not tried lighting the fire with it as it is on 24/7. So, more expensive but certainly an improvement over supertherm and maybe work out more economical over a long time period. I wont be buying Supertherm again for a while - and still got 2 bags of it left which we will burn in the spring when it has warmed up a bit (when we dont need the heat as much).

I will try the Excel once we have finished a couple of bags of the homefire.

[RichM]

Someone recommended I try Taybrite but what a load of rubbish I found it to be. It was not easy to get going, it did not get very hot but come the following morning my stove had a mountain full of ash, not impressed. I've had better luck with Aldi's cheap smokeless coal and being bagged in 10kg bags, it's easier to handle too. At £3.99 a bag I can't complain.

RichM

[Rob-M]

On 27/11/2017 at 10:29, bizzard said:

Different fuels usually need slightly different control settings. Try giving it a touch more bottom air, probably won't need much more. And make sure the grate is clean, a good old poke before loading it for the night. 

I found opening the bottom vent a couple of turns kept it in all night, certainly needs more bottom air and emptying the ash tray more often.

[Lily Rose]

1 hour ago, Dr Bob said:

Just an update on where we got to with choice of coal. We saw Ryan on the fuel boat last week and I got 3 bags of Homefire ovals (Ryan's recommendation) and 3 bags of Excel.

Started using the Homefire on Thursday and been very impressed over those very two sub zero cold nights. Less ash than the supertherm (but still quite a bit - but it seems more 'granular' rather than 'powdery' so doesnt get blown around by the superpowerful Ecofan). Certainly more heat in the Homefire and much easier to get some real heat out of the villager which has been needed the last 2 days. It was £13/bag vs £10+bit/bag for the supertherm but a load seems to last longer. Two other observations are (1) that there are a lot less noxious fumes when it is first put on the fire. With the supertherm for the first hour, the smoke was awful on the throat if you opened the stove door or the smoke coming out the chimney was bad - really smelly if in a Lock. With the homefire there is much much less smoke and seems much less noxious. (2), the stove glass is clean!! Maybe because it is burning hotter or when left overnight it is burning more, the air wash on the front glass is really working. Seems easy to keep in overnight - maybe a little more air needed than supertherm, but not tried lighting the fire with it as it is on 24/7. So, more expensive but certainly an improvement over supertherm and maybe work out more economical over a long time period. I wont be buying Supertherm again for a while - and still got 2 bags of it left which we will burn in the spring when it has warmed up a bit (when we dont need the heat as much).

I will try the Excel once we have finished a couple of bags of the homefire.

 

Interesting. The one time I tried Homefire Ovals the fire went out two nights in succession, even though I allowed a little more air in on the 2nd night. After that I just used it by day and then banked the fire up with Supertherm last thing at night.

Perhaps I'll try another bag next time I see Ryan or Dusty. BTW, Supertherm was £33 for 3 bags from Ryan.

[BEngo]

We burn Pureglow (mixed ovals) from Hills. Fairly ashy, not smelly,  but keeps in OK and a bag lasts a week for £9-25 delivered.  Tried excel but the dust sets like concrete in the corners if it gets dampwhen we are not aboard. Homefire and Homefire Ovals are good but pricey.

Have used Extracite but that stank.

N

 

[Steilsteven]

17 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

Interesting. The one time I tried Homefire Ovals the fire went out two nights in succession, even though I allowed a little more air in on the 2nd night. After that I just used it by day and then banked the fire up with Supertherm last thing at night.

Perhaps I'll try another bag next time I see Ryan or Dusty. BTW, Supertherm was £33 for 3 bags from Ryan.

Seems to me that there is no ''one size fits all'' and results differ from stove to stove and their installations. We've been using Homefire Ovals for years and it's main benefit has been that it stays in overnight with the bottom vent closed. Got up this morning and gave it a riddle, opened the vent and I away it went and has been going now for over an hour and I'm just about to add some coal.

Keith 

[Lily Rose]

10 minutes ago, Steilsteven said:

Seems to me that there is no ''one size fits all'' and results differ from stove to stove and their installations. We've been using Homefire Ovals for years and it's main benefit has been that it stays in overnight with the bottom vent closed. Got up this morning and gave it a riddle, opened the vent and I away it went and has been going now for over an hour and I'm just about to add some coal.

Keith 

That sounds pretty much how I would describe a typical night/morning for my stove (Becton Bunny). But with Supertherm!

The same procedure with Homefire Ovals resulted in the fire going out overnight. The 2nd night I opened the bottom vent a bit but got the same result.

I will probably give it another go at some point if only to confirm that it's not the fuel for me.

 

[Dave_P]

A couple of years ago I posted my findings of a winter-long fuel experiment.  

 

This was what I wrote:

Back in the autumn a short cold snap caused me to pick up a bag of Taybrite on my way home from work. It was ok and stayed in pretty well. Average heat output but the big downer was the amount of ash it produced. Masses of it. Price was medium, I'd say. 7/10 coz I'm generous.

 

Then I got a delivery of 10 bags of Supertherm from coalboat Roach. I've quite liked this stuff in the past but I have to agree with the recent long running thread on this. It's not what it used to be. Leaves some suspicious looking residues and also creates a lot more ash than I'd like. Overall it's very similar to Taybrite in my opinion but slightly cheaper. 7/10.

 

I then got through 3 bags of an un-named 'smokeless fuel' bought locally and a definite improvement over the previous two fuels. Burns longer and hotter with less ash but a bit pricier. 8/10.

 

Then I tried 1 small 10kg bag of 'Brazier' bought from Home Bargains. It was suprisingly good and cheap. Similar burning characteristics to supertherm but less ash and cheaper. If I didn't have to transport it myself, I'd consider using it regulary. A good back up when the coal boat isn't due for a while. 8/10.

 

I then bought 5 bags of Homefire Ovals. Expensive at around £12 a bag but by gawd is it worth it! Stays in almost endlessly and gives a lovely constant heat. Medium ash content. I found I was getting through around two thirds of the amount of coal using this compared to other brands. 9.5/10.

 

I then gave Stoveglow a try, buying 5 bags. This was noticeably cheaper than Taybrite / Supertherm. Tends to burn quite hot and fast so needs careful control of the air-vent to keep in well. Lowest ash so far. A great fuel at the price. Heats up quick so a good choice for spring/ autumn when you might not want to keep your stove on 24/7. 9/10.

 

Recently, I've also been burning compressed fire-logs from Home Bargains which they were selling for £2.49 for a pack of 6. They burn hot and don't last ages but are handy for an evening fire at this time of year. Suprisingly hard to light properly though, I tend to mix with a few bits of Stoveglow.

 

 

Last winter (2012/2013) I was mostly burning a fab fuel called Long Beach. I've only ever seen it for sale in one place and this is what I found out about it:

"As its name suggests, this is a by-product of the petrol refining industry. Most of the

fuel is imported into this country from the United States. Long Beach Nuts and

Lumps are authorised for use in smoke control areas because they are low in

sulphur. Other Pet

Cokes are not authorised.

 

The product burns very hot and is often sold as a blend with other fuels to enhance the

burning characteristics. However, because of the heat and the low ash content of the

product, it can cause damage to appliances if the concentration of petroleum coke to

other fuels is too high."

 

Well, I didn't generally blend it and I simply kept the air supply very low and I found it brilliant. Almost no ash at all and with careful control can be kept in for a long time. If any one knows of a supplier near Birmingham, let me know! It was very cheap too. 10/10.

 

 

I hope some of this was useful. I may continue to experiment next year.

 

Since then I've discovered a fuel called Calco which is very much like Long Beach but more widely available.  They are both petro-coke fuels so need treating very differently to other smokeless fuels.  If you use them in the same way they will burn very hot and fast.  You need to keep the bottom vent barely open or there could be a fire hazard.  Some people mix them in with other more regular fuels.

 

This year I'm burning Excel (proper branded bags) and it's ok.  Not brilliant, a good all rounder.  Certainly cheaper then Homefire but nothing stays in anywhere near as long so paying the extra for Homefire is probalby cheaper in the long run.  For my next delivery i will get 50% calco and 50% homefire, which seems like it covers all the bases.

[Lily Rose]

After reading the above I'm now starting to wonder if it was Homefire Ovals I tried!

I still think it was though. Whatever it was, it was recommended to my by fuel boat Dusty as being "similar to Supertherm" as they were not selling that.

I'm all the more likely to try Homefire Ovals again. If I still don't get on with it I'll just have to assume that it doesn't agree with Becton Bunnies (or at least my Becton Bunny).

[bizzard]

Homefire used to be large, sort of 50p shaped.

[Dave_P]

6 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Homefire used to be large, sort of 50p shaped.

Homefire and Homefire Ovals are (confusingly) two different things.

http://www.coalboat.co.uk/fuels-available.html

[pearley]

1 hour ago, bizzard said:

Homefire used to be large, sort of 50p shaped.

We've tried this twice. The first lot was about 3 years ago from Little Ouse Moorings on the Anglian Waterways. It was horrible stuff, difficult to light and keep in. But it was at least 9 months old when we bought it, if that makes a difference. 

Then last year bought one bag from Turners at Wheaton Aston. Completely different. 

[smileypete]

6 hours ago, bizzard said:

Homefire used to be large, sort of 50p shaped.

I could swear that long ago it came in huge hexagon shapes which looked like they were extruded, and it seems it did:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=b2W5S3Lb4fwC&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=Homefire+smokeless+extruded+hexagonal#v=onepage&q=Homefire smokeless extruded hexagonal&f=false

[Nightwatch]

We are inn our first bag of Excel. Ash is good, not too much. However, not sure I like it. Looks good in the mornings,some coals still black, and easy to flash up again. Seems harsh, not sure what I mean by that, think I may revert to stoveglow or supertherm when the other three bags have gone.

Does anyone really,really like Excel?

[Sea Dog]

6 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Does anyone really,really like Excel?

Not I. It works OK: lights easily, stays in, produces heat. I don't like it because of the 'chesty' fumes when you open the door to refuel - is that perhaps the 'harsh' you refer too?

[Nightwatch]

5 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Not I. It works OK: lights easily, stays in, produces heat. I don't like it because of the 'chesty' fumes when you open the door to refuel - is that perhaps the 'harsh' you refer too?

Might well be. Hard to explain. Some coals you are at rest with. Excel ain't one of them. And yes they do Honk a bit.

[Dr Bob]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Not I. It works OK: lights easily, stays in, produces heat. I don't like it because of the 'chesty' fumes when you open the door to refuel - is that perhaps the 'harsh' you refer too?

That's what I like about the Homefire ovals compared to Supertherm. I do have 3 bags of excel to burn yet!

[Sea Dog]

Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs. Today we bought some Excel, as previously stated not a favourite due primarily to the fumes when refuelling. It's in new packaging but still the same name, etc. Only this batch doesn't seem to have anything like the fume issue, in fact it's not at all unpleasant. Makes you wonder whether they don't all consist of whatever nearest blend is available or something. Too early to comment on usage rate, but so far today it's as good as anything I've used. 

On 04/12/2017 at 20:57, Dr Bob said:

That's what I like about the Homefire ovals compared to Supertherm. I do have 3 bags of excel to burn yet!

I'd be interested to see how you find those 3 bags, Dr Bob.

Edited December 6, 2017 by Sea Dog
Too many dues.

[Dr Bob]

31 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs. Today we bought some Excel, as previously stated not a favourite due primarily to the fumes when refuelling. It's in new packaging but still the same name, etc. Only this batch doesn't seem to have anything like the fume issue, in fact it's not at all unpleasant. Makes you wonder whether they don't all consist of whatever nearest blend is available or something. Too early to comment on usage rate, but so far today it's as good as anything I've used. 

I'd be interested to see how you find those 3 bags, Dr Bob.

We are off the boat for a week but will try one of the Excel bags when we get back next week. I'll post the comments here.