A rise in people using the fire at home?

LighterGuy · 07-12-2011 12:52am #1

Noticed this more and more actually.
Even places such as Lidl are know selling more fire related products such as wooden logs & compressed saw dust pellets.

I see a few more houses with the chimney blowing smoke each night. Has anyone here started to burn fires more?

*basks in the heat from the fireplace*

oppenheimer1 · 07-12-2011 12:56am

Even though I have a fireplace and occasionally light a fire for company, open fires are very inefficient and cool rooms. The draw is always on the chimney, and can't be turned off.

Ficheall · 07-12-2011 12:59am

It's winter-time.
It's ****ing freezing out.
What do you expect?

maxfresh · 07-12-2011 1:00am

nothin like sittin in front of a nice big fire on a chilly night ,pain in the ass gettin coal then cleanin out ashes after

For Forks Sake · 07-12-2011 1:01am

Ficheall wrote: »

It's winter-time.
It's ****ing freezing out.
What do you expect?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJznTAwLSY

Where To · 07-12-2011 1:01am

And what may I ask is wrong with a solid fuel fire??

Are you making fun of us poor people??

*well you did ask for a rise out of me?:P

LighterGuy · 07-12-2011 1:02am

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Even though I have a fireplace and occasionally light a fire for company, open fires are very inefficient and cool rooms. The draw is always on the chimney, and can't be turned off.

I've been in a few places that had the fire going. In my experience it tends to be something as simple as is the door of the room opened or closed as to how toasty the room gets.

But you say the draw of the chimney. In fires you've lit it might be that your dampner (cant spell it) is opened to much.

johnr1 · 07-12-2011 1:03am

Charnwood 14B Woodburner, best mad investment of the boom, @ €2600. Heats the whole house, - dont really use the oil at all thank f**k.

HazDanz · 07-12-2011 1:03am

LighterGuy wrote: »

Noticed this more and more actually.
Even places such as Lidl are know selling more fire related products such as wooden logs & compressed saw dust pellets.

I see a few more houses with the chimney blowing smoke each night. Has anyone here started to burn fires more?

*basks in the heat from the fireplace*

It's winter. Not that much of a mystery!

hondasam · 07-12-2011 1:03am

All that cleaning and starting the fire, no thanks, flick a switch for me.
Open fire is lovely.

LighterGuy · 07-12-2011 1:05am

HazDanz wrote: »

It's winter. Not that much of a mystery!

Ficheall wrote: »

It's winter-time.
It's ****ing freezing out.
What do you expect?

... The thread is about as opposed to other more common forms of heating. Gas, oil etc. Which since the early to mid 90s are the most common ways of heating.

Both you guys didnt quite think that through right? :pac: you just both thought it was a dumb silly "why are those people lighting fires?" thing right?

HazDanz · 07-12-2011 1:06am

hondasam wrote: »

All that cleaning and starting the fire, no thanks, flick a switch for me.
Open fire is lovely.

Starting the fire is great fun. Something primal about those firelighters :pac:

Ficheall · 07-12-2011 1:06am

I should add that there's no fire in my house and I'm really cold and I need some nice hot (yet legal) lady to snuggle into.
To avoid derailing the thread, interested parties should contact me via PM.
I'll just go clear out my inbox in preparation for the inundation of offers.

Princess Peach · 07-12-2011 1:06am

I live in a super old house so we have lots of fireplaces. Have always lit the one in the living room. I just love it, so warm and lovely. Can't beat it

oppenheimer1 · 07-12-2011 1:08am

LighterGuy wrote: »

I've been in a few places that had the fire going. In my experience it tends to be something as simple as is the door of the room opened or closed as to how toasty the room gets.

But you say the draw of the chimney. In fires you've lit it might be that your dampner (cant spell it) is opened to much.

Oh the room will just about eat with the fire lit. However heating the room with just the central heating is difficult because it all goes up the chimney. There is no damper in our fireplace... ****ing cheap landlord.

Ficheall · 07-12-2011 1:08am

LighterGuy wrote: »

... The thread is about as opposed to other more common forms of heating. Gas, oil etc.

REALLY? :eek:

hondasam · 07-12-2011 1:11am

HazDanz wrote: »

Starting the fire is great fun. Something primal about those firelighters :pac:

I know people who cannot start a fire even with firelighters.

LighterGuy · 07-12-2011 1:12am

Ficheall wrote: »

REALLY? :eek:

Nice try on the come back. Give it a 4/10.

Where To · 07-12-2011 1:13am

hondasam wrote: »

I know people who cannot start a fire even with firelighters.

People who don't have matches?

LighterGuy · 07-12-2011 1:13am

hondasam wrote: »

I know people who cannot start a fire even with firelighters.

I hate firelighters! :P
Wood or even a firelog is the best man for the job (for lighting coal that is)

hondasam · 07-12-2011 1:14am

where do i go from here wrote: »

People who don't have matches?

I don't have matches but I do have a cigarette lighter.

El Weirdo · 07-12-2011 1:19am

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Oh the room will just about eat with the fire lit. However heating the room with just the central heating is difficult because it all goes up the chimney. There is no damper in our fireplace... ****ing cheap landlord.

Get a chimney balloon for when you don't put down a fire.

K-9 · 07-12-2011 1:29am

Back boilers are a great thing, kind of just got outdated with the bubble though, people didn't see the need.

the_syco · 07-12-2011 1:35am

People may think that they'd save money by not having the heating on, and use a log to heat only one room.

People may have had their gas cut off due to not being able to pay the bills, and have a self-lighting briquette to warm them with?

Or maybe they just like the smell of turf?

marvsins · 07-12-2011 1:43am

Back Boilers got out dated long before the bubble. Don't know any houses down my way built from 1980's on with one. Would have loved to put it in my own house i built 6 years ago.

JONJO THE MISER · 07-12-2011 1:46am

Have a lovely stove on at full blast, im actually sweating here in my t-shirt.

dee. · 07-12-2011 1:48am

The house (if you could call it that) I'm currently renting is very old and has no insulation and generally very hard to heat. We ran out of oil in late October so have been lighting the two fires (kitchen and living room) from morning to night. It costs a fortune and it's a waste of money tbh because the only time you can feel the heat is if you are sitting up to 3 feet beside the fire.
Today we had both fires lit from about 1pm and are currently still burning at almost 2am. I have had a heater plugged into my room from 8pm until about 1.30am, and am wearing layers in bed...it's horrible!

Moving before Xmas and very excited that the new place is easy to heat

marvsins · 07-12-2011 2:00am

Can't beat the stove. Going to pack in a bit of coal and come down to a toasty living room in the morning :-)

Tayla · 07-12-2011 2:00am

hondasam wrote: »

I know people who cannot start a fire even with firelighters.

Me

For people who mostly use fires, how much would you estimate your heating costs to be in a year?

CrazyRabbit · 07-12-2011 2:08am

I printed out this thread and used it to start a fire. Never did that before, so yes...I agree with you.

Cú Giobach · 07-12-2011 10:15am

I lit a fire in october and it's still going, a shovel of ashes on top every night and next morning all it takes is a broken up briquette to get roaring again, ahh the luxury.

Dyr · 07-12-2011 10:25am

I have no fire and me heatings being broke all year. I go to work to bask in the central heating, if I could find a way of stealing heat I would :mad:

louise5754 · 07-12-2011 10:42am

Jaysus you can't beat the open fire.Throw a load of coal on it and you're set for the night.Glass of wine and a roaring fire awwww. Have a stove in the kitchen too but you just cant beat the heat out of the open fire.

foxyboxer · 07-12-2011 10:45am

*shudders at the memory of having to go out back in the wind and rain to shovel up 'slack'*

jackie1974 · 07-12-2011 11:47am

marvsins wrote: »

Back Boilers got out dated long before the bubble. Don't know any houses down my way built from 1980's on with one. Would have loved to put it in my own house i built 6 years ago.

My house was built 3 yrs ago and has a back boiler, it's a godsend. I light the fire at around 5 and whole house is toasty in 20 mins. The fire easily heats 9 rads and the tank in the hotpress. During the summer months solar panels heat the water so I never have any need for any fuel other than what I put in the open fire.

Sky King · 07-12-2011 11:52am

Briquettes are fkin sh!t... no heat and loads of ash. Just putting that out there.

Oh begoddin I wish I had a back boiler. Great yokes they are, begoddin.

Love an open fire I do. Logs are yer only man.

Begoddin.

jester77 · 07-12-2011 11:57am

What's the best fuel for keeping a steady temperature coming from the open fire?

At my parents, it is either too hot or too cold. It gets cold and they throw on some briquettes or turf but shortly after it gets too hot and you have to open a window or door and the place is very quickly like a fridge.

While very cosy and nice to look at, it's a real pita, especially when you take the ashes and chimney cleaning into account.

Sky King · 07-12-2011 12:00pm

They need to manage the size of the fire.

Remmy · 07-12-2011 12:04pm

I love building a good fire. From the process of chopping the wood , preparing it into kindling and logs and then building the structure to starting the fire. It's very relaxing. Not going ray mears on it but if you have it constructed right it only should take one match and no firelighters etc etc.

mike65 · 07-12-2011 12:07pm

I'd love an open fire place, fecking gas fire

Noreen1 · 07-12-2011 12:14pm

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Oh the room will just about eat with the fire lit. However heating the room with just the central heating is difficult because it all goes up the chimney. There is no damper in our fireplace... ****ing cheap landlord.

If you're planning to stay there for a while, you might find that an inset stove (non-boiler) might save you a few euro. 70% heat loss up the chimney is expensive.
If you get an inset stove, you can just take it with you when you leave!:D

Ledger · 07-12-2011 12:19pm

You just can't bate the open fire. I'll be home today at about 6.
Cut some kindling (free - old bed frame and pallets from work)
Fill the grates (Kitchen and Sitting Room) up with newspaper (recycling

) kindling on top
bit of coal on top
Light the paper.

Don't come near me with them feckin' firelighters, useless things.

Keep both going for the night on a bucket of coal and half a bucket of turf.

We used to have a backburner in the kitchen, but my parents, in their infinite wisdom, got it took out when we got in the oil heating.

Shiner11 · 07-12-2011 12:32pm

By a stove. They're the way to go really. With a fire, all the heat goes up the chimney and you can't regulate how fast it burns fuel. With a stove, you can light it using coal and small sticks. Once its going strong you can close the valves to regulate the amount of oxygen inside the stove causing the fuel to burn slower. Through in a few sticks over the course of the night to keep it lighting. And all the heat stays in the room!!

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 07-12-2011 12:36pm

Nothing beats the smell of a turf fire.

cabot · 07-12-2011 12:46pm

Yes I think more people are putting in woodburners, over here in the UK they are. Difficult to find sweeps and stove installers who arent flat out for the next few months. We just got our old fireplace up and running, cant afford a stove at the moment but currently burning free wood. It meant we didnt use the central heating until recently, so definitely saved on gas. When we had the big freeze last year CH struggled to cope so decided to have an additional form of heating this year, hence the fireplace.

kylith · 07-12-2011 12:46pm

I'd love an open fire. There's loads of old pallets around for free wood. I have a gas fire but it's so expensive to use.

My parents have a fire with a back boiler. It's an amazing thing; the house stays at a tropical temperature, even through the snows. I'd murder for it; they heat their entire house for free. Lucky old people and their old fires. I'd definitely get a back boiler put in if I were building a house.

johngalway · 07-12-2011 12:59pm

Agree with the stove people

Open fires look nice, but compared to a stove they're costly and the vast majority of the actual heat goes up your chimney and out into the night, which is both expensive and pointless.

Stove will heat up itself and even if the fire goes out inside it, the stove retains a lot of heat and the room will still be toasty warm right up to the next morning. You don't get that with open fires, and as said they're always open letting any heat in the room out, fire or not.

stovelid · 07-12-2011 1:01pm

johngalway wrote: »

Agree with the stove people

Thanks.

Paddy Samurai · 07-12-2011 1:38pm

LighterGuy wrote: »

Has anyone here started to burn fires more?

*basks in the heat from the fireplace*

Not as efficient as Oil or Gas but IMO nothing like it ....basking in the glow of a coal fire with a beer/glass of wine,the rain bouncing off the windows,the wind howling:D

Its great ,over the years I have burned everything coal,turf,logs,pallets,furniture,xmas trees,neighbours,junk mail,bills.
Saves you buying a shredder

Duggy747 · 07-12-2011 1:53pm

The house I live in doesn't have a fireplace, oh no, just an electric heater in it's place which is never turned on because it drinks electricity.

Last house I lived in had a glorious fireplace where I had my seat right up beside it facing the TV with me legs up on the coffee table. Sheer bliss while you stared out the window at the poor sods caught in the misery outside.

Next place I move to is definitely going to have a fireplace. I'm one of those people who like to stand in front of the fire while it heats up the back of my legs and arse :pac:

meoklmrk91 · 07-12-2011 2:01pm

We have central heating and a beautiful, wonderful back boiler, I will never understand why anyone would build a house without one. We spare the oil as much as we can as we can't afford any more, and shop around for coal and blocks, good coal and the house is toasty for the night.

The oil only goes on for a while in the morning and about a half an hour in the evening to heat the rads while waiting for the fire to redden.

A rise in people using the fire at home?

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