which smokeless coal is best

[Dan Maynard]

Surely if you have a grate and want to burn wood then just stop emptying it, let the ash build up over the grate?  Ash melts down much much smaller, there's no need to keep taking the fluffy ash out. I only empty ours every few weeks and that's burning every evening.

[coppice cutter]

There's eff all wrong with the wood and having used the same stove for 35 odd years there's not much I don't know about how it works. I can have a blazing wood only fire in it anytime I want, but sometimes, under certain circumstances, coal can be useful.

 

There's a difference between "wood burning" and "multi-fuel" for a reason!

 

Maybe if you paid heed to what others are doing and saying instead of having your feckin "know it all" hat on, you might find out something beneficial, even after 50yrs!

[coppice cutter]

15 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

Surely if you have a grate and want to burn wood then just stop emptying it, let the ash build up over the grate?  Ash melts down much much smaller, there's no need to keep taking the fluffy ash out. I only empty ours every few weeks and that's burning every evening.

The ash falls through the grate in to the ashpan and never builds up.

 

That's why bespoke woodburners have no grate.

 

Like I said above, there's a difference between "wood burning" and multi-fuel" for a reason.

Edited August 26, 2022 by coppice cutter

[Dan Maynard]

21 minutes ago, coppice cutter said:

The ash falls through the grate in to the ashpan and never builds up

Keep going, won't the ashpan fill up?

[coppice cutter]

33 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

Keep going, won't the ashpan fill up?

Of-course it does, if it's not building up on the grate it has to go somewhere.

[slim reaper]

If its easier in pictures, no coal involved

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by slim reaper

[Steven P]

Multifuel... the hottest fires I tend to have are a mix, get a base fire going with coal and then add logs on top, hotter than that are the coal with chainsaw dust on top, that tends to get things a little bit glowing and rattling. 

 

For general all day long fire I'll stick to logs.

 

Did I read somewhere that with the hot ashes built up around the grate it is in slight danger of getting too hot and shorter lifespan (ash has some insulation properties). With a wood grate / base there is cold on the bottom to keep it cool, with ash taken out there is an air flow going past it keeping it cool, cover it all with ashes and all you have is heat... and before you say it doesn't get that hot in there, look at the state of any nails you pull out (certainly I've had a couple with weak welds) and with a good hot fire the edges of the firebox glowing (see above... coal + saw dust does that nicely)