The Wood Burning Stove and Open Coal Fire Thread

Not really just different variations of it being too hot.

I guess it depends on what you consider hard to light really. I've lit bituminous coal fires in the past with just newspaper and coal - it's a pain, but you can do it if needs must, as bituminous coal doesn't need to get that hot before it ignites.

Anthracite however wants to be nice and hot before igniting, so lots of kindling and firelighters, and make sure to start with you're using small bits of coal (as they heat up quicker). On very cold days i'd often use 3 fire lighters, just to make sure - the old fashioned white paraffin ones as they burn longer and hotter than any of the 'eco' ones you see around these days. But once those small chunks of anthracite are alight, you just keep adding more and more and before you know it you've got a roaring fire.

But there certainly have been times where I've smothered the fire with too much coal too soon and had to start again - they are more temperamental to start with. But the trade off is that once established they burn long and hot.

Buy a bag and give it a go, what have you got to lose? Worst case scenario - you give up trying to light an anthracite fire and use what you normally do, then just chuck on the anthracite once it's going.

Beginning to wonder about you

It felt pretty warm today putting my hand a meter or so above the stove on the mantel piece. Btw.

Just wanted to post a quick PSA in here, as I recently solved an annoying and persistent problem with my log burner that others may have.

I moved into a place a year ago which has a log burner attached to an external flue. I really enjoyed using the thing, but the biggest issue was always filling the room with smoke when lighting it, as the heavy cold air in the flue puts downward pressure on the airflow. Only after 1-2 minutes does enough heat manage to accumulate to get the air/smoke flowing in the right direction and not directly into my room.

I tried a few things over the last year:
- lighting a couple of bits of newspaper first (as recommended by the previous owner) to preheat flue - didn't generate much heat and still lead to smoke coming into the room
- preheating the flue with a blowtorch - no dice
- build the fire "upside down" so it lights from the top. This is good practice anyway, and I still do it, but doesn't fix the problem
- open the door to the burner 30 mins before lighting to let the cold air fall into the room and equalise the temperature a bit (this is a faff, and only has a chance of working if the weather is mild)

I finally found a solution, which in hindsight was obvious and I feel stupid for not identifying it sooner. It takes about 20 seconds, doesn't create any mess, results in zero smoke, and is 100% effective/reliable.

Simply blow a hot hairdryer up the flue for 20 seconds.

As you were.

Paging Innunedobot!

Question to all stove owners... Does your stove make any kind of air-related noise when in use, whether it be a rumble or rushing sound?

Part of the reason I got a new stove installed recently was because my old stove made a loud rushing noise, and I wanted to rule out the stove as the problem.

My new stove is quieter, but the rushing noise is still audible, even when completely shut down. There's also a "buffeting" effect to the noise, as if there's a pressure imbalance constantly trying to resolve itself.

I have 2 friends who say their stoves make no noise, and it doesn't seem to be a common issue reported online.

The last week or so, I've also been having a constant issue with logs initially burning fine, as usual, but then failing to burn through completely, and ending up in a smouldering state, with patches of black rather than white all over. This is despite the stove being red hot and with the secondary air half open. It's also been a struggle to quickly get the stove up to temp.

My logs seem dry, but it's possible I could be going through a batch of firewood that hasn't been kiln dried correctly.

It's also been quite windy recently, so my conclusion is I must have hugely excessive flue draw (I live in a fairly tall Victorian terrace) which may also be contributing to poor burning conditions, if heat is immediately being pulled straight up the flue, instead of being allowed to heat the stove.

Does your stove make a noise, or have you ever experienced any of the symptoms I described?

Although internet says this:

Whistling
Whistling is a result of the air needed for combustion entering the stove through restricted airways and across sharp or angular edges. It is usually caused by high flue draughts above 20 pa (pascals). With a flue draw above 30 pa the whistling (if it occurs) can be quite loud, this can be resolved with the installation of a flue dampener or flue stabiliser. Whistling is also more common on stoves with tertiary air inlets. Increased flue draught (above 20 pa) can also reduce the overall efficiency of the stove by around 3-4%, and result in a more rapid consumption of fuel together with a decrease in the heat output to the room.

Yes this is what I was suggesting. It's counterintuitive, but excessive flue draw can cause less heat in the room (and more in the flue, I presume).

Interesting, yeah, maybe the wind direction has changed and you're getting an increased draw through the chimney, but the fact your logs are not burning through strongly suggests the opposite - that the fire isn't getting enough oxygen.

In my experience, the amount I can shut the air intakes down varies based on weather conditions, but also wood type - some woods burn very sulkily without enough air, while others burn away merrily at the same setting. And the amount I change the controls can be by tiny amounts - little bit to the left, sulky fire, tiny adjustment to the right, lovely big slow flames...

If your logs are damp then the fire will output less heat - as some of the existing heat goes into drying out the logs before they'll burn - I think it's unlikely they're damp through the middle though, takes a long time for damp to soak into the middle of a log! But they could well be damp on the outside that'll take some time to dry out before they catch.

Yeah unfortunately my wood is a complete mix of hardwood this year. I'm not actually sure of the wood type, possibly ash or beech. None of it seems dense enough to be oak though, which is a pain to burn.

My usual supplier didn't get any stock this year, but they can normally provide bulk bags of pure birch, which is perfect.

Different woods burn differently (flame and length of burn), but I never change my air intake settings. It's always max during lighting (I must say my flue temps take a lot longer than 5-10 minutes to get to "green" on the thermometer attached to the flue), and then I bring it down to the middle, about 66% (which is the same as the max allowed when it is properly set up for a smoke controlled area ).

It depends on log size but if it isn't a big log then 30-40 minutes doesn't sound crazy.

My burner makes all sorts of noises too. At the moment, it's not lit and I can hear the wind. Later on when it's going and I open the doors for a bit ill hear it creaking and ticking as the doors cool down a bit. Then probably the old noise here and there. I just ignore it.

I don't change my air intakes either. I've got them about bang on so I don't fuck with them

I am somewhat more of a laxidasical person though, I admit

Just before Xmas I had a new stove pipe fitted, a new register plate, and my liner swept, so my chimney is definitely in perfect working order.

I think my issue is almost certainly excessive draw. Air is audibly rushing at all times, and you can see the fire being sucked upwards in time with wind gusts. With the stove opened up, the fire is never allowed to settle, and I genuinely think a lot of heat is going up the chimney, rather than into the stove.

Had a bit more success this evening anyway, and got the stove nice and hot and burning nicely, despite a fair bit of wind noise initially.

After lighting the stove and burning it down into a good bed of coals, I put a single log on (start small) and left the secondary air control almost fully open. However, the log ended up smouldering after 30 mins and the stove wasn't particularly hot.

So I lobbed a log and a half on to give it plenty of fuel, let it get going, then shut the air control about 3/4 of the way. Believe it or not, shutting it down massively increased the heat output... I think because the flames were allowed to better establish, and the hot air remained in the stove longer. The log and a half burned for nearly 2 hours at a good heat.

So yeah, definitely excess draw methinks, in this windy weather.