Best fuel for getting the most heat from the fire?

DoYouEvenLift · 28-02-2015 11:09AM #1

Been wondering about this lately since the fire's used most nights. I use coal and wood, couldn't get turf this year, and seem to find wood doesn't give as good heat as the coal, especially not when the coal has burned in to that orange glow state, that seems to be when the fire's the hottest?

What's the most effective/efficient fuel to use for fires?

nullzero · 28-02-2015 11:10AM

Kittens

Banjo String · 28-02-2015 11:14AM

Coal.

I burn briquettes, turf, logs and coal, but without doubt it's coal that gets the living room heated up more than any of the others.

Proper coal though, big fcuk off lumps of stuff.

Sheep Lover · 28-02-2015 11:15AM

Victims

DainBramage · 28-02-2015 11:16AM

amputated limbs, failing that coal

DoYouEvenLift · 28-02-2015 11:20AM

Banjo String wrote: »

Coal.

I burn briquettes, turf, logs and coal, but without doubt it's coal that gets the living room heated up more than any of the others.

Proper coal though, big fcuk off lumps of stuff.

Yeah seems so. The sizes of the coal I get vary a lot in each bag, some are tiny and not worth using and others are almost the size of a small football. The glow of and heat from burned in coal is unreal

_Brian · 28-02-2015 11:20AM

In an open fire Polish coal wil produce the best heat.
If it's a cooker or stove you could try Anthracyte or Furnacyte, little more expensive than coal but more heat and if the draught is properly controlled then it lasts longer. You need to be careful though as they can produce enough heat to badly warp the castings in stoves.

Sir Osis of Liver. · 28-02-2015 11:23AM

Vodka.

Digital Solitude · 28-02-2015 11:26AM

Coal, covered with fine, damp slack. Burns hotter than coal and only needs to be redone every 6-8 hours if done right

OwaynOTT · 28-02-2015 11:27AM

Argentinian coal was all the rage there for a while, bleedin' hipsters coal.

DoYouEvenLift · 28-02-2015 11:28AM

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Coal, covered with fine, damp slack. Burns hotter than coal and only needs to be redone every 6-8 hours if done right

How does one do it right?

Also, I've really started trying to build the fires up using as few fire lighters as possible (yes, I know some people can do it all without them), not sure why but it feels better doing this, it's like being bear grylls in your living room. Starting with real dry small bits of wood then getting it going enough to put some logs on and then coal on top and then once that burns in I only add on coal

Ghost Train · 28-02-2015 11:29AM

Quark-gluon soup

_Brian · 28-02-2015 11:29AM

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

Yeah seems so. The sizes of the coal I get vary a lot in each bag, some are tiny and not worth using and others are almost the size of a small football. The glow of and heat from burned in coal is unreal

This purely a cost thing.
To seperate each grade out the coal needs to be handled through a screener, more passes is more cost.
What your buying just has slack screened out in one pass and then bagged.

wendell borton · 28-02-2015 11:32AM

Methane

Mesrine65 · 28-02-2015 11:35AM

Thermite-TH3

Riamfada · 28-02-2015 11:42AM

Uranium

DoYouEvenLift · 28-02-2015 11:46AM

Puns/desperate attempts at humour for 'thanks' are always expected on AH but the ones ITT are dreadful. Disappointed in you AH!

OwaynOTT · 28-02-2015 12:03PM

Give a man the best heating fuel and he's warm for a few hours. Set a man on fire and he's roasting for the rest of his life.

Mint Aero · 28-02-2015 12:38PM

I burn penguins on my fire to cook whale.

The Backwards Man · 28-02-2015 12:44PM

Anyone who puts dirty foreign coal in their fire deserves to be fcuked down the nearest shaft. We have the cleanest, warmest, cheapest, healthiest, most environmentally friendly way of heating our homes right under our feet.

If schools spent more time taking kids to the bog to save turf and less time teaching redundant things such as algebra and art, the country would be in a much better place.

allthedoyles · 28-02-2015 12:48PM

A dash of sugar in a shot of poitin .normally sets off the sparks for us

oppenheimer1 · 28-02-2015 12:56PM

Anthracite coal is the most energy dense solid fuel and burns the hottest AFAIK.

You'll be changing the grate fairly frequently with it though

DoYouEvenLift · 28-02-2015 12:57PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Anyone who puts dirty foreign coal in their fire deserves to be fcuked down the nearest shaft. We have the cleanest, warmest, cheapest, healthiest, most environmentally friendly way of heating our homes right under our feet.

If schools spent more time taking kids to the bog to save turf and less time teaching redundant things such as algebra and art, the country would be in a much better place.

Too bad turf is weather dependent

Digital Solitude · 28-02-2015 02:53PM

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

How does one do it right?

I'm ****e at lighting the fire, but when it works, use a good few kindlers, and a small block of firelighter. When they catch, add 3-4 pieces of turf, and when they've burned a little, add coal as usual. As soon as you've added the coal, cover it with your slack, need 5-8 shovels of it usually.

Then close the fire up, and bam. Hours of heat, very little coal used

Adamantium · 28-02-2015 03:05PM

The Homeless.

mass_debater · 28-02-2015 03:07PM

Fifties, great heat off them

Rabbo · 28-02-2015 03:20PM

When I was a kid, I used to think that polish coal meant the coal had been polished which somehow improved it's performance

NachoBusiness · 28-02-2015 03:20PM

Halogen heater keeping me toasty.

I had a 3000w one that was expensive to run and yet put out little heat but then bought one which was only 1000w and it heats the room more. Sometimes the design of something is just as important as it's advertised output. I think peoople assume that the higher kw, the warmer it will keep their room which is not necessarily the case.

28-02-2015 07:32PM

I can't light a fire to save my life

I buy a fire pack, then top it up with coal, and even at that it ends up failing miserably.

I'd love to be able to have a big fire on the go all day but doesn't happen.

telecaster · 28-02-2015 07:35PM

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

What's the most effective/efficient fuel to use for fires?

http://www.seai.ie/Publications/Statistics_Publications/Fuel_Cost_Comparison/Domestic-Fuel-Cost-Comparisons.pdf

It's all there.

Cantona's Collars · 28-02-2015 08:16PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I can't light a fire to save my life

I buy a fire pack, then top it up with coal, and even at that it ends up failing miserably.

I'd love to be able to have a big fire on the go all day but doesn't happen.

Are you related to my missus,she'd put the fires of hell out.

Best fuel for getting the most heat from the fire?

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