Coal fires in Sheffield

[wicko_boy 10]

One of the great joys in life (well, maybe an exaggeration...) is going out in the snow to refill the scuttle with coal....

Time to do it soon - down to a bit of coal dust and small bits.

[muddycoffee 10]

Originally posted by Bilge

So if you are in a smokeless zone, how are you supposed to start your smokeless fuel fire in the first place?

You are supposed to use a gas burner sometimes called a gas poker, which heats up the coke until it is red and keeps going on it's own. We had one of these when I was a boy, and you needed the burner for about 10 minutes, and that was enough.

 

It really was hell in the middle of winter filling up the scuttle from the coal house outside brrrrr.

And the house was extreemely dusty on top of the cupboards etc. with all the dust from the coal.

 

And sometimes in the middle of the night, the back boiler would really start gurgling and boiling, it would keep me awake and I had to go and turn down the old Parkray66 and run all the hot water off, then I'd go back to bed and wait 10 minutes for the head tank to stop hissing when it was full again.

[Guest poppins]

Dosen't a hot fire in one room make the rest of the rooms cold ? our's did with the central heating system, someone once said i should put a cold damp cloth over the thermostat to keep up with the heat in other rooms, never did try it, anyhow have no fireplace now, if i did i would go with the gas fire, gives you the flame but not much heat.

[fnkysknky 10]

Originally posted by poppins

Dosen't a hot fire in one room make the rest of the rooms cold ? our's did with the central heating system, someone once said i should put a cold damp cloth over the thermostat to keep up with the heat in other rooms, never did try it, anyhow have no fireplace now, if i did i would go with the gas fire, gives you the flame but not much heat.

 

A room thermostat for a central heating system shouldn't be in a room with another heat source (e.g. fire) and it should be out of direct sunlight and not above a radiator, it should also be around 1500mm off the floor. If it is in a room with another heat source as in your case then it will shut off prematurely and the rest of the house will be cooler as you found. Chucking a damp cloth over it would work but it's not advisable chucking water on something connected to an electrical circuit That's why room thermostats are usually sited in a hall or such.

[dudu 10]

As Sheffield is in a smokeless zone how do bonfires fit into this or is it for inside fires only?

[Strix 11]

Originally posted by dudu

As Sheffield is in a smokeless zone how do bonfires fit into this or is it for inside fires only?

No. Bonfires are covered too. Only light one after (i think) 7pm. That gives your neighbour a chance to get their washing in

 

If you light one before, the firebrigade can come and put it out

 

And I think you're supposed to notify them of 'controlled burning' before you light it - just in case aomebody sees the smoke and reports your house as on fire!

[dudu 10]

right then, so we're all a bunch of crims in November then!

[Strix 11]

Originally posted by fnkysknky

A room thermostat for a central heating system shouldn't be in a room with another heat source (e.g. fire) and it should be out of direct sunlight and not above a radiator, it should also be around 1500mm off the floor. If it is in a room with another heat source as in your case then it will shut off prematurely and the rest of the house will be cooler as you found. Chucking a damp cloth over it would work but it's not advisable chucking water on something connected to an electrical circuit That's why room thermostats are usually sited in a hall or such.

Our thermostat was on a redundant chimneybreast in the middle room. The whole house would get chilly of a night.

 

It took us some time to realise that our neighbour had a real fire going just behind our thermostat!! A quick tweak by about four degrees at 5pm was all that was needed (and down again at 10!)

[Draggletail 60]

Originally posted by alchresearch

You can also buy logs and packs of kindling from petrol stations.

True Alch, but at a Premium Price!

[WallBuilder 10]

I lived for a time in a farm house with an open fire and never had a problem with bringing coal in to keep it going during the evening, I merely had the biggest coal scuttle of all time and then had a swing bin in the kitchen with a reserve supply.

The only thing that I wasn't keen on was when I was burning cheap coal it used to explode a bit and so red hot lumps would leap out of the fire place onto my tatty hearth rug. My dog back then a black german shepherd was fascinated by the fire and would through the course of the evening creep closer and closer, then a piece of coal would bang and he'd leap back to the furthest corner of the room before spending half an hour creeping closer again. Fire guards..... wonderful invention

[lazyfish 10]

We're thinking of getting an open fire... so is there anything very important that we'd need to know about burning coke instead of coal? Does it not throw off as much heat or flame? And is it hideously expensive or smelly or anything?

 

Also, where's good to buy a fireplace? We've had a look in a couple of those places off Broadfield Road but wondered if anyone had any other recommendations. It's the cast iron style with the single columns of floral tiles either side that we're after.

[Greybeard 10]

lazyfish

 

The Solid Fuels Association web site has a few downloadable guides you might find useful. Use the 'Literature' link in the left hand frame.

 

Coke isn't the only smokeless fuel, - there are several other types.