Seems like a good deal on coal....

my3cents

DubInTheWest wrote: »

Just wondering for anyone of you guys who have used ovoids from both the coalwarehouse and kosy king, which of them 2 are the best for long burn and heat ect... ?

For the past 3+ years I've been burning turf and timber in the range, and yes it's fine just have to keep topping up is the problem. But after reading this thread I bought a bag of magic glow ovoids I think the name of them are a few days back and I have to say I'm very impressed. Got about 5 hours + from half a fill and the house was roasting. The magic glow was 18.50 locally but after using them I'm going to get a pallet from either the coalwarehouse or Kosy king.

Unfortunately I don't think the requirements of long burning and heat go together. There is only so much heat in a certain quantity of fuel so even if its got a high heat output you either have the choice of heat or long burning.

That said some fuels burn for longer and give their heat out more evenly. As I said before good coal will normally give you more heat over a shorter period than any of the ovoids however it won't burn for as long.

One of the best long burners is Union Nuggets but that has the least heat in it and for that reason can be poor value.

If you are experimenting then may I suggest you try what is normally the most expensive fuel, anthracite. It has the highest heat output of all fuel (hence the price) and once burning can be closed off in a good stove and kept going for a long time. Anthracite is also know for being relatively clean burning and for being a pain to light - anyone used to stoves can light it but it needs a good method to get it going quickly.

Cantona's Collars

my3cents wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't think the requirements of long burning and heat go together. There is only so much heat in a certain quantity of fuel so even if its got a high heat output you either have the choice of heat or long burning.

That said some fuels burn for longer and give their heat out more evenly. As I said before good coal will normally give you more heat over a shorter period than any of the ovoids however it won't burn for as long.

One of the best long burners is Union Nuggets but that has the least heat in it and for that reason can be poor value.

If you are experimenting then may I suggest you try what is normally the most expensive fuel, anthracite. It has the highest heat output of all fuel (hence the price) and once burning can be closed off in a good stove and kept going for a long time. Anthracite is also know for being relatively clean burning and for being a pain to light - anyone used to stoves can light it but it needs a good method to get it going quickly.

Be very careful burning anthracite in a stove. It can get too hot and warp the metal. It might be better in a boiler stove but as I said be careful with it.

sgarvan

Bought a couple of bags of these in north county Dublin for 12.50 a bag. Seems to burn decent enough. Similar to the coal warehouse polish coal. Leaves cinders and ashes also.

Kristopherus

Drove through Bridgend in Co.Donegal this evening. There's an outlet there selling coal. Price per 40kg bag is €10 and premium is €12.50. It was getting dark & with heavy traffic I could not get across the road to inspect. Antone know anything about them.

septicsac

Bought 1 tonne of ovals from easyglow.ie, via donedeal, dealt with guy called Pat. Cost 298E delivered to the door, with Liam Connolly as courier. Happy with them so far, burn to powder ash, no clinker and good heat. He has it in two different sizes, I bought the bigger nugget, about size of a tennis ball, very easy to handle. Came in 50 X 20kg bags.

my3cents

septicsac wrote: »

Bought 1 tonne of ovals from easyglow.ie, via donedeal, dealt with guy called Pat. Cost 298E delivered to the door, with Liam Connolly as courier. Happy with them so far, burn to powder ash, no clinker and good heat. He has it in two different sizes, I bought the bigger nugget, about size of a tennis ball, very easy to handle. Came in 50 X 20kg bags.

What colour nuggets and does it say anything on them?

taytobreath

ive bought several types of smokeless coal for my stanely osin and the stuff u get from coal warehouse is the best in my opinion.

DubInTheWest

my3cents wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't think the requirements of long burning and heat go together. There is only so much heat in a certain quantity of fuel so even if its got a high heat output you either have the choice of heat or long burning.

That said some fuels burn for longer and give their heat out more evenly. As I said before good coal will normally give you more heat over a shorter period than any of the ovoids however it won't burn for as long.

One of the best long burners is Union Nuggets but that has the least heat in it and for that reason can be poor value.

If you are experimenting then may I suggest you try what is normally the most expensive fuel, anthracite. It has the highest heat output of all fuel (hence the price) and once burning can be closed off in a good stove and kept going for a long time. Anthracite is also know for being relatively clean burning and for being a pain to light - anyone used to stoves can light it but it needs a good method to get it going quickly.

Can't seem to get any anthracite. I did get some polish coal from the coalwarehouse about 3 years ago and they had none and can't seem to find it in any fuel merchants in the vicinity. I would have loved to give it a go.

I do understand what you are saying about the long burning and best heat, but I was very impressed with the magic glow ovoids I got at my local fuel merchants, the house was piping hot and didn't have to refuel for about 5 hours or more. So I'm guess both the coalwarehouse and Kosy king ovoids are pretty good. If either of them are on a par with the magic glow ovoids I'd be very happy.

Just my opinion on the coalwarehouse polish coal. It was about 3 years ago when I got a ton. I didn't like it to be honest. There were huge chunks, and then tiny pieces. And in the morning lots, and I mean lots of cinders. I could re-burn some of them, but I was clearing out a lot of them on a daily basis.
Thats the only coal I tried and then I went back to turf and timber.

mrtom

my3cents wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't think the requirements of long burning and heat go together. There is only so much heat in a certain quantity of fuel so even if its got a high heat output you either have the choice of heat or long burning..

Seeing how a couple of Kw goes straight up the chimney, I imagine mastering the art of air control is the best way to optimise the heat output. So my3cents, any advice on getting the best combination of the main air vent and airwash ? The sweet spot between glow and flame.

reni10

So reading the threads on here is it safe to say that if you have a standard room heating stove which does not also heat radiators etc. that OVOIDS are the best type of coal for the heat to price ratio?

my3cents

mrtom wrote: »

Seeing how a couple of Kw goes straight up the chimney, I imagine mastering the art of air control is the best way to optimise the heat output. So my3cents, any advice on getting the best combination of the main air vent and airwash ? The sweet spot between glow and flame.

Sorry I've never had a stove with airwash. Currently neither my range nor stove have glass in them so its something I don't worry about but even if I did have glass I wouldn't worry about the glass getting dirty.

my3cents

reni10 wrote: »

So reading the threads on here is it safe to say that if you have a standard room heating stove which does not also heat radiators etc. that OVOIDS are the best type of coal for the heat to price ratio?

Heat and price are part of it, but there is also convenience to take into account. I'm sure you could get more heat for less money but you'd be spending more time messing with the stove and more time cleaning it.

But basically yes I'd recommend the ovoids that coalwarehouse sell for use in a stove.

If you are trying out different fuels its not been mentioned in a while that any of the mixes with petroleum coke (pet coke) are to be avoided in a stove as they burn hotter than ordinary coal or ovoids. You often notice the cast iron bars of the grate burn out much quicker with pet coke.

septicsac

my3cents wrote: »

What colour nuggets and does it say anything on them?

Just a black nugget, oval in shape, about size of a big duck egg, nothing written on it. Went out to check bag, but all dumped in the bunker and bags gone. Cleaned stove out this morning, no clinker again, just pure ash and stove still warm at 10am after being left to go out at 01.00 the night before

my3cents

septicsac wrote: »

Just a black nugget, oval in shape, about size of a big duck egg, nothing written on it. Went out to check bag, but all dumped in the bunker and bags gone. Cleaned stove out this morning, no clinker again, just pure ash and stove still warm at 10am after being left to go out at 01.00 the night before

I asked as Union Nuggets are much bigger than normal Ovoids and burn a bit longer so just wondered if thats what you had. Union Nuggets are brown and very obvious so not much chance of you mistaking them really.

I think a large nugget is a good idea for long burning as I guess it just takes longer to burn through a larger nugget?

screamer

my3cents wrote: »

I asked as Union Nuggets are much bigger than normal Ovoids and burn a bit longer so just wondered if thats what you had. Union Nuggets are brown and very obvious so not much chance of you mistaking them really.

I think a large nugget is a good idea for long burning as I guess it just takes longer to burn through a larger nugget?

I burn ovoids in my stove all year long. In my experience, the larger ones take a bit longer to get going but burn longer. Last night, I put half a bucket in at around 9PM and there's still cinders in there giving off heat. The smaller ovoids would be long gone out at this stage. The large ones I use are supertherm and I've no idea if the cheaper ones up north are comparible as I've never used them.

blindside88

I've recently bought a mixed ton of polish coal and ovoids in 25kg bags. I've burnt a bag of each in my stove and found them both excellent. I'm just looking at the price list and I see Union Nuggets on the list. Can anyone tell me what these are or what they are like to burn. Just curious more than anything.

Thanks

my3cents

blindside88 wrote: »

I've recently bought a mixed ton of polish coal and ovoids in 25kg bags. I've burnt a bag of each in my stove and found them both excellent. I'm just looking at the price list and I see Union Nuggets on the list. Can anyone tell me what these are or what they are like to burn. Just curious more than anything.

Thanks

Union Nuggets are great IF you can get them cheap enough however they are always priced as a premium product.

The problem that most people will tell you is that they have the lowest heat output for weight of any fuel. Thats true so from a cost point of view you are getting the lowest heat output to cost ratio of any "coal".

Think of Union Nuggets as a cross between peat briquettes and coal.

The upside is they are long burning, relatively clean and produce a clean fine ash.

crabbypaddy

blindside88 wrote: »

'm just looking at the price list and I see Union Nuggets on the list. Can anyone tell me what these are or what they are like to burn. Just curious more than anything.
Thanks

In comparing coal for heating look at the price per kwh, union nuggets and briquettes need to be 40+% cheaper than ovids /premium coal to make them worthwhile for heating.

Ovids - 8.8kwh/kg
Premium Coal - 8.2kwh/kg
Standard Coal - 7.8kwh/kg
Union nuggets - 5.5kwh/kg
Peat briquettes - 5.4kwh/kg

nebraska132

Does the above analysis work for open fires as well - are ovoids also the best option in an open fire?

my3cents

crabbypaddy wrote: »

In comparing coal for heating look at the price per kwh, union nuggets and briquettes need to be 40+% cheaper than ovids /premium coal to make them worthwhile for heating.

Ovids - 8.8kwh/kg
Premium Coal - 8.2kwh/kg
Standard Coal - 7.8kwh/kg
Union nuggets - 5.5kwh/kg
Peat briquettes - 5.4kwh/kg

At coalwarehouses current price of €260 a tonne I'd buy Union Nuggets over Ovoids at €280 because they suit the way we use our range much better. However when I bought Ovoids they didn't have Union Nuggets advertised.

Its not just about the amount of heat you get out there are other factors to take into account. We are only heating water and space heating not heating rads and find if we keep a fire going with Ovoids as we are currently the water gets too hot. Reducing the amount of fuel right down means constant messing with the range to check its not gone out so as a result we are just wasting heat. I'll know at the end of the season but I think we would use less Union Nuggets than Ovoids even though we get 40% less heat simply because UN provide our system with the right amount of heat over a long period.

If we had a larger boiler and a few rads then Ovoids would be the better fuel. If we just wanted space heating for the evening again Ovoids would be the better fuel. For space heating 24/7 when you just want to keep the stove ticking over then Union Nuggets would again be a possible option.

Its not going to be the same for everyone but I'd still recommend trying different fuels even ones that on paper seem expensive to see if they fit in with the way you use your stove or range.

nebraska132

Does the above analysis work for open fires as well - are ovoids also the best option in an open fire?

my3cents

nebraska132 wrote: »

Does the above analysis work for open fires as well - are ovoids also the best option in an open fire?

Yep on pure heat output yes, but when you take the cost into account coal or some of the coal blends give you the most heat for your money. With an open fire you can use mixes with pet coke which I think brings the cost per unit of heat down a bit.

deisedav

my3cents wrote: »

nebraska132 wrote: »

Does the above analysis work for open fires as well - are ovoids also the best option in an open fire?

Yep on pure heat output yes, but when you take the cost into account coal or some of the coal blends give you the most heat for your money. With an open fire you can use mixes with pet coke which I think brings the cost per unit of heat down a bit.

Wouldn't use pet coke in an open fire speaking from experience. It burns way too hot and you will be buying a new grate in no time.

taytobreath

*Current Price list as follows for coal warehouse
Slack - €130 per tonne
Singles - €155 per tonne
Polish - €180 per tonne
Black diamond €210 per tonne
Doubles - €180 per tonne
Columbian - €250 per tonne
Union Nuggets - €250 per tonne
smokeless ovoids - €280 per tonne
Country blend - €280 per tonne
Clearflame - €280 per tonne
Please note these prices are special offer and will be reviewed at the end of the month.
00442887740911
Thank you

clfy39tzve8njq

Could anyone tell me what I could buy locally that would be a similar product to the coal warehouses smokeless ovoids. I want to try them out before committing to a big order. Thanks

my3cents

Lukas Red Mortal wrote: »

Could anyone tell me what I could buy locally that would be a similar product to the coal warehouses smokeless ovoids. I want to try them out before committing to a big order. Thanks

We have used Smokeless Ovoids from Glambia (Country Life) and I'd say they were very similar or the same.

clfy39tzve8njq

my3cents wrote:

We have used Smokeless Ovoids from Glambia (Country Life) and I'd say they were very similar or the same.

Thanks for that

clfy39tzve8njq

my3cents wrote:

We have used Smokeless Ovoids from Glambia (Country Life) and I'd say they were very similar or the same.

Thanks for that

clfy39tzve8njq

It's a stanley range we have and coal works fine in it for rads and hot water but the trouble is its impossible to get clean coal and because of the narrow airways around the oven it gets furred up every couple of days.
I'm hoping the smokeless ovoids will be cleaner and still able to produce the heat needed for rads and hot water.
I've been told some of the smokeless don't produce a lot of heat. I'm going to try get my hands on some of the glanbia stuff and see how that works.

my3cents

Lukas Red Mortal wrote: »

It's a stanley range we have and coal works fine in it for rads and hot water but the trouble is its impossible to get clean coal and because of the narrow airways around the oven it gets furred up every couple of days.
I'm hoping the smokeless ovoids will be cleaner and still able to produce the heat needed for rads and hot water.
I've been told some of the smokeless don't produce a lot of heat. I'm going to try get my hands on some of the glanbia stuff and see how that works.

You mean you get upside down Christmas trees growing off all the hot plates and similar "growth" blocking everything up when you burn Polish Coal?

Then you'll find Smokeless Ovoids of any king a major revelation

You won't be using the Glambia stuff for long its bl00dy expensive but it will give you a good idea of what the coal warehouse stuff will be like in comparison to Polish Coal.

The smokeless that doesn't produce much heat is Union Nuggets.