About 20 years ago a friend built me a stone fireplace and I installed a Morso multi fuel job. Great piece of kit.
Then recently along came this smokeless fuel legislation...I’ve always burnt a 50/50 mix, but can no longer buy my normal coal in 25kg bags. Bought some expensive Newburn smokeless ovals...rubbish, more than double the price and doesn’t burn anywhere near as hot as the original cobs in a blue bag.
I believe I can buy the old stuff in one tonne bulk loads so I’ll get it tipped and share amongst friends who are of the same opinion.
Progress eh...smokeless is a bit of a joke around here with farmers burning off any old rubbish they see fit.
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50/50 mix of what?
Have you tried wood, or wood briquettes?
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>> 50/50 mix of what ?
Logs and coal. Normally wood to start then add coal onto the fire, then once going throw on larger logs. I burn logs which I’ve had in my outdoor stores for at least 2 years...fortunately I have the space for four large log stores, all of which are currently almost full.
Must be at least 5 years since I had need to buy any logs.
During Covid lockdown my daily exercise regime was an 8/10 mile walk with a large rucsac and bow saw, returning with 15kg of seasoned storm damaged timber from local woods.
One of the plus points of living out in the sticks ( groan).
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Sounds as if you've conducted the experiment but I've been told not to mix wood with solid fuel. Moisture from the wood combines with sulphur from the coal and sulphuric acid attacks steel stove pipes and especially stainless steel liners.
As it happens I have a pumice chimney but I'm sticking with wood.
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'my daily exercise regime was an 8/10 mile walk with a large rucsac and bow saw, returning ... from local woods'
Red flag. Serial killer.
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Google coal merchants in your area.
Around here there are still 2/3 coal merchants - 5 x 50Kg seems to be a minimum order.
There are bans on 25Kg supermarket/garage poly bag sales but coal merchants still exist!
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You won’t be able to buy domestic coal at all after 1 May 2023
www.gov.uk/guidance/selling-coal-for-domestic-use-in-england
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>> You won’t be able to buy domestic coal at all after 1 May 2023
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>> www.gov.uk/guidance/selling-coal-for-domestic-use-in-england
That's about England. IIRC Falkirk Bairn is in Scotland.
Also interesting to note that there's an exception to the ban on traditional coal covering the Forest of Dean.
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I was thining of LL - he's the one who wants to buy it. The Forest of Dean thing is actually very interesting and goes back to rights granted to "Freeminers" by Edward I
www.visitdeanwye.co.uk/explore/history-and-heritage/freemining
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Several coal merchants in my area...Settle Coal, who have a large builders yard and excellent shop, sell just about everything you could want and are less than a mile away.
They sell Coalite Newburn and Thermalite in 25kg bags. Next time I’ll order 500kg of the old type loose coal once I’ve used my 5 bags of Newburn.
I burn my logs at around 10-15% moisture, according to my moisture meter. I’m not an advocate of letting them dry out too much in proximity to my stove. Any less and they burn too quickly, sucking in larger volumes of air and increasing particulate emissions.
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Multi fuel stoves - Manatee
