what is the burning passion for having an open fire?

Muahahaha · 19-12-2019 7:48pm

Had a power cut last night for a few hours during the storm and was very glad of the fire for both heat and light. Had no internet as the local mobile mast was unpowered too but it was absolute bliss to just sit there in silence and watch the fire crackle away. When the lights came back on at 10.30 I just switched them off and enjoyed it some more.

air · 19-12-2019 7:58pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Had a power cut last night for a few hours during the storm and was very glad of the fire for both heat and light. Had no internet as the local mobile mast was unpowered too but it was absolute bliss to just sit there in silence and watch the fire crackle away. When the lights came back on at 10.30 I just switched them off and enjoyed it some more.

Had a dose of sneezing on the M7 myself this week on Tuesday morning as I drove through the heavy smog South of junction 14.

I wouldn't fancy living amongst that homely ambience.

An Ri rua · 19-12-2019 11:27pm

air wrote: »

Had a dose of sneezing on the M7 myself this week on Tuesday morning as I drove through the heavy smog South of junction 14.

I wouldn't fancy living amongst that homely ambience.

You need to change the cabin filter on your car. It's easily done and will solve your temporary problem.
There is no way you should be sneezing, because of smog, driving near Junction 14.

An Ri rua · 19-12-2019 11:30pm

2lazytogetup wrote: »

i love when the neighbours burn wood, means i get to choke on their fumes. But sure they are warm in cosy inside. an analogy can be drawn with sellafield nuclear powerplant. its closer to Dublin than London so any harm is suffered by someone else.

Do you heat your house with electric only? If oil, there's plenty of emissions from oil burners as most are infrequently serviced.
Try putting some dipetane in your tank and give your neighbours s break also.

Andy From Sligo · 19-12-2019 11:45pm

An Ri rua wrote: »

Do you heat your house with electric only? If oil, there's plenty of emissions from oil burners as most are infrequently serviced.
Try putting some dipetane in your tank and give your neighbours s break also.

is this true? - can you really put this cráp in your kerosene heating oil tank and it will clean your burner/boiler?

Beau Bennett · 19-12-2019 11:50pm

air wrote: »

Had a dose of sneezing on the M7 myself this week on Tuesday morning as I drove through the heavy smog South of junction 14.

I wouldn't fancy living amongst that homely ambience.

In your electric car I presume?

buried · 19-12-2019 11:54pm

If Air was a passenger up on a airplane that hit another airplane at 30,000 feet, some poor lad burning a bit of turf in his open fire down below would be getting the blame

An Ri rua · 20-12-2019 1:05am

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

is this true? - can you really put this cráp in your kerosene heating oil tank and it will clean your burner/boiler?

Why would you call it crap without doing your research first??
Do some research. Yes, dipetane provides more complete combustion. Of course, a professional service,/tuning is best.
I assume you're disparaging it as 'crap' because it's an additive??
Watch YouTube sometime and how Redex was praised by Fifth Gear.
It's unacceptable to refer to a proven product as crap. Educate yourself a lot more before pontificating so much.

air · 20-12-2019 6:41am

An Ri rua wrote: »

You need to change the cabin filter on your car. It's easily done and will solve your temporary problem.
There is no way you should be sneezing, because of smog, driving near Junction 14.

You're right, it's the cabin filter at issue, nothing at all to do wirh the pall of smoke visibly emanating from the houses to the left drifting across the road.

air · 20-12-2019 6:44am

Beau Bennett wrote: »

In your electric car I presume?

buried wrote: »

If Air was a passenger up on a airplane that hit another airplane at 30,000 feet, some poor lad burning a bit of turf in his open fire down below would be getting the blame

So no reasoned argument to support the burning of solid fuels then?
Thought as much.

Andy From Sligo · 21-12-2019 12:24am

An Ri rua wrote: »

Why would you call it crap without doing your research first??
Do some research. Yes, dipetane provides more complete combustion. Of course, a professional service,/tuning is best.
I assume you're disparaging it as 'crap' because it's an additive??
Watch YouTube sometime and how Redex was praised by Fifth Gear.
It's unacceptable to refer to a proven product as crap. Educate yourself a lot more before pontificating so much.

sorry - chose my words wrong .. I meant 'stuff' ...

many a time I have used Redex in a car.

i was just asking if that dipetane stuff in your kerosene tank will work on the oil boiler and if it works? - thanks for taking it up the wrong way though :rolleyes:

An Ri rua · 22-12-2019 1:31pm

air wrote: »

You're right, it's the cabin filter at issue, nothing at all to do wirh the pall of smoke visibly emanating from the houses to the left drifting across the road.

Of course I'm right. Are you driving with your windows down on a motorway? Your observation is invalid.
Incidentally, there are no houses left or right at junction 14. Maybe a few miles back, but not around that junction.

Edit: you did say south of that junction. Perhaps a line of houses South of Monasterevin.

Second incidentally, check your cabin filter yourself. Mechanics invariable NEVER change them.

If you are sneezing because of solid fuel emissions from a batch of houses located off a motorway, and you're displacing AIR at high speed (health and safety issues if you're driving with windows down at speed?) then you'd be ill-advised to progress on into the city gridlock. I hope you don't?? If your cabin filter is below par, you might as well have your windows down fully in Dublin traffic. Head on to Micksgarage or elsewhere and replace your cabin filter yourself. Usually via or under glovebox.
Don't trust main dealers with your air quality.

blackbox · 22-12-2019 3:16pm

Does nobody remember the smog in West Dublin I the early eighties. The ban on smoky coal (by Mary Harney) made a huge improvement. It should be banned everywhere.
The smoke from modern defra approved stoves is negligible.
We need to focus attention on main offenders, not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Indigenous forestry should be a major source of carbon neutral energy and also benefit the national balance of payments.

Andy From Sligo · 22-12-2019 3:58pm

An Ri rua wrote: »

Of course I'm right. Are you driving with your windows down on a motorway? Your observation is invalid.
Incidentally, there are no houses left or right at junction 14. Maybe a few miles back, but not around that junction.

Edit: you did say south of that junction. Perhaps a line of houses South of Monasterevin.

Second incidentally, check your cabin filter yourself. Mechanics invariable NEVER change them.

If you are sneezing because of solid fuel emissions from a batch of houses located off a motorway, and you're displacing AIR at high speed (health and safety issues if you're driving with windows down at speed?) then you'd be ill-advised to progress on into the city gridlock. I hope you don't?? If your cabin filter is below par, you might as well have your windows down fully in Dublin traffic. Head on to Micksgarage or elsewhere and replace your cabin filter yourself. Usually via or under glovebox.
Don't trust main dealers with your air quality.

could also do the windows up and put the car cabin heating system to 're-circulation mode' (normally next to hot/cold knob) but then after a while its re-used air and gets stale because no fresh air is getting into the car, and can make you tired and fog up the inside of windows

Andy From Sligo · 22-12-2019 11:36pm

https://www.todayfm.com/news/smoky-coal-ban-extended-13-new-towns-939543

22-12-2019 11:48pm

We've a fire on now it's so nice

Snow Garden · 23-12-2019 12:00am

Christmas fires are the best. I got a load of logs in last week and they are perfect.

Andy From Sligo · 20-01-2020 11:21pm

our local council posted this up on their facebook page today:
Looks like they are trying to appeal to the goodwill side of the public seing as they cannot actually ban it or enforce a ban:

http://ow.ly/IFYG50xZOFx

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ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 20-01-2020 11:42pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

our local council posted this up on their facebook page today:
Looks like they are trying to appeal to the goodwill side of the public seing as they cannot actually ban it or enforce a ban:
]

They can ban and enforce it & do in many areas. Today I got a delivery of coal (not in the town where only smokeless is allowed) and the coalman told me his loads had been checked twice in the past two weeks and he had to show a manifest for the smokey coal showing where the delivery was planned for. Two bags were unaccounted for and he got a warning letter about it.

This map shows the ban area in Sligo for instance.

https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/SCB%20Sligo%20Map.pdf

Andy From Sligo · 21-01-2020 12:04am

Dorian Square Hamper wrote: »

They can ban and enforce it & do in many areas. Today I got a delivery of coal (not in the town where only smokeless is allowed) and the coalman told me his loads had been checked twice in the past two weeks and he had to show a manifest for the smokey coal showing where the delivery was planned for. Two bags were unaccounted for and he got a warning letter about it.

This map shows the ban area in Sligo for instance.

https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/SCB%20Sligo%20Map.pdf

thanks , I have never seen that map. - imagine as well they are starting to enforce it properly as well.

Of course though there would be nothing stopping a coal man delivering smokey coal to a non banned area and picking up the bags of smokey coal from the non banned area, taking it back home and burning it in the banned area - most probably goes on like that anyway.

If there was an outright nationwide ban on smoky coal/fuel then it would be much better to enforce

deezell · 21-01-2020 12:41am

Nothing to stop you buying it in a store in a non ban area and driving home with it. Hardware store here on the edge of town can only sell smokeless to collect, smokey is delivery only to no ban rural homes. 3 miles away the agri store in the no ban area sells all types to collect.
Im in rurak area, but I stopped using smoky as I had a pita cleaning the flues, so much soot. Has anyone in a smokey ban area been done for using smokey coal? It wouldn't take a genius to cop which houses were at it.

Andy From Sligo · 21-01-2020 2:24am

deezell wrote: »

Nothing to stop you buying it in a store in a non ban area and driving home with it. Hardware store here on the edge of town can only sell smokeless to collect, smokey is delivery only to no ban rural homes. 3 miles away the agri store in the no ban area sells all types to collect.
Im in rurak area, but I stopped using smoky as I had a pita cleaning the flues, so much soot. Has anyone in a smokey ban area been done for using smokey coal? It wouldn't take a genius to cop which houses were at it.

i never really thought about the soot aspect of it. - so if you were burning smokeless coal then would that mean your chimney doesnt need cleaning as much then as if you are burning smokey coal?

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 5:44am

Hyperbole and guilt tripping :eek:

If smoke affects you, wear a mask? A few cents at any pharmacy..

2lazytogetup wrote: »

i love when the neighbours burn wood, means i get to choke on their fumes. But sure they are warm in cosy inside. an analogy can be drawn with sellafield nuclear powerplant. its closer to Dublin than London so any harm is suffered by someone else.

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 6:16am

I can now only buy smokeless coal as it comes in on the community bus and the driver refuses to carry the smoky stuff and only one 20 kg bag of smokeless, which has to last the week. Wouldn't get much esb for E9

Hated it at first but with experience grand. Harder to light, but lasts a long time and gives a great heat. If I load it last thing it burns well into the night. Far more economical and efficient then smokey coal.

Mix it with island turf; a wondrous combination. Solid fuel stove that heats water excellently. Has radiators but small property so never use them.

s7ryf3925pivug · 21-01-2020 9:32am

Graces7 wrote: »

I can now only buy smokeless coal as it comes in on the community bus and the driver refuses to carry the smoky stuff and only one 20 kg bag of smokeless, which has to last the week. Wouldn't get much esb for E9

Hated it at first but with experience grand. Harder to light, but lasts a long time and gives a great heat. If I load it last thing it burns well into the night. Far more economical and efficient then smokey coal.

Mix it with island turf; a wondrous combination. Solid fuel stove that heats water excellently. Has radiators but small property so never use them.

Fair play to the driver.
Even better would be not mixing it with turf. It's a major health hazard especially for kids.

deezell · 21-01-2020 10:19am

Smokeless fuel at the base of a closed stove burns at much higher temperature than smokey in an open fire. This high temperature ensures a better and cleaner burn of added fuels such as seasoned timber, dry turf, briquettes etc. Flue is much cleaner. Low temperature open fire burning is the main culprit for smoke and soot, and that's before you account for the increased consumption due to inefficiency. I'm not saying a stove is perfect, but just consider that it can be 4 times more efficient, especially with a boiler, so in theory for the same amount of domestic heat you will use one quarter the fuel and burn it far more cleanly.

s7ryf3925pivug · 21-01-2020 10:50am

I've never seen dry turf, unless you count peat briquettes. The bags of cut turf you get around here are always full of moisture and extremely smoky.

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 11:53am

lol.. he is worried re his bus not the fumes! real coal is in porous sacking whereas the smokeless comes in thick plastic; more disposal problems but clean to handle

Turf is part of our island way of life. My neighbour heats his house and earns money to feed his family by the turf he cuts and sells. This is not going to change.

Jonathan Dazzling Heat wrote: »

Fair play to the driver.
Even better would be not mixing it with turf. It's a major health hazard especially for kids.

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 11:57am

We dry it of course. Leave it out by the fire.. Mine is stacked in bags outside and i always bring in for the next day early and let it dry out then. A lovely heat and little smoke

Jonathan Dazzling Heat wrote: »

I've never seen dry turf, unless you count peat briquettes. The bags of cut turf you get around here are always full of moisture and extremely smoky.

An Ri rua · 21-01-2020 12:14pm

Jonathan Dazzling Heat wrote: »

I've never seen dry turf, unless you count peat briquettes. The bags of cut turf you get around here are always full of moisture and extremely smoky.

You've been sourcing it incorrectly. Turf is cut brown or slightly blacker, depending on the bog of course and also then the weather expected/hoped for. Too black and it will break up into nothing even before it's turned, never mind rowed /footed /heaped.

Turf would traditionally be left to dry on bogs, then put into sheds where it would dry even further. Black turf, dry, would, and does, blow the tops off ranges. I've seen it with Boora /Pullough turf (Pullough turf was the world's first commercial peat operation). Turf is now stored in concrete sheds, perfectly blockwork, no air, so that's why some turf doesn't dry out fully.
Well saved turf is as hard as a brick.

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 12:22pm

Now there is someone who knows his turf!

Ours is field-dried then stacked and covered. he bags it when I order it.

Before I came to Ireland i lived on a North Sea island that was all but made of peats as they call it there. I would buy a lorryload each year for £100 and they would tip it behind the shed, to last all year. Never bought coal the whole decade

An Ri rua wrote: »

You've been sourcing it incorrectly. Turf is cut brown or slightly blacker, depending on the bog of course (the man filling the hopper may mix from the top and bottom of the bog) and also then the weather expected/hoped for. Too black and it will break up into nothing even before it's turned, never mind rowed /footed /heaped.

Turf would traditionally be left to dry on bogs, then put into sheds where it would dry even further. Black turf, dry, would, and does, blow the tops off ranges. I've seen it with Boora /Pullough turf (Pullough turf was the world's first commercial peat operation). Turf is now stored in concrete sheds, perfectly blockwork, no air, so that's why some turf doesn't dry out fully.
Well saved turf is as hard as a brick.

An Ri rua · 21-01-2020 12:27pm

Graces7 wrote: »

We dry it of course. Leave it out by the fire.. Mine is stacked in bags outside and i always bring in for the next day early and let it dry out then. A lovely heat and little smoke

Edit: Apologies Grace, I see that you have a solid fuel stove. Still worth noting that you can use the concept of 'cob' to build s seating area around your stove. Or use storage heater bricks (unless sourced on the island, far too heavy to transport out. They work a charm though.
Grace, with your style of living and heating, you should research rocket mass heaters. I am sure that if you get in touch with more eco types in Galway hinterland that you should find someone who's willing to advise or construct it for you. This is essentially how fuel is (was) used efficiently in Eastern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia in places. A masonry heater, though much more expensive, is similar technology. It's essentially heat transfer. Burning hot fires for brief periods, capturing all of that energy in a thermal mass called cob, or masonry tiles in the case of a masonry heater.

I have rocket stoves as backup for external cooking (experimentation) but for my living room I use a Galway-made Eco Grate in an open fire, I burn locally sourced Ruf briquettes made from waste hardwood offcuts, and I capture much of that 5kw output in 2 stacks of storage heater bricks that act as a thermal mass battery and keep radiated heat outputted for a good deal longer as a result.
As a result, I only use oil to heat water and upstairs first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 12:59pm

Thank you

The stove is in a tiny alcove; the entire dwelling is small. It works fine; I only light the fire late morning, then make it up well later afternoon( I have health problems that limit my day) and it keeps the place warm all night. The stove keeps the heat in wondrously and in a rental there is little I could do better. There is the "kitchen" then a short corridor then the bedroom so heat travels well. It is aluminium walls etc so well insulated.
If it were an old cottage?

The back boiler here is brilliant. No need to heat any water.

Your ideas would have been great on the North Sea island. An old stone cottage extended lengthwise and I ended up abandoning two of the rooms as it was too hard to heat. My last year the fire burned 24/7 with the back boiler.

I see you will be a person to know if the SHTF!

An Ri rua wrote: »

Edit: Apologies Grace, I see that you have a solid fuel stove. Still worth noting that you can use the concept of 'cob' to build s seating area around your stove. Or use storage heater bricks (unless sourced on the island, far too heavy to transport out. They work a charm though.
Grace, with your style of living and heating, you should research rocket mass heaters. I am sure that if you get in touch with more eco types in Galway hinterland that you should find someone who's willing to advise or construct it for you. This is essentially how fuel is (was) used efficiently in Eastern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia in places. A masonry heater, though much more expensive, is similar technology. It's essentially heat transfer. Burning hot fires for brief periods, capturing all of that energy in a thermal mass called cob, or masonry tiles in the case of a masonry heater.

I have rocket stoves as backup for external cooking (experimentation) but for my living room I use a Galway-made Eco Grate in an open fire, I burn locally sourced Ruf briquettes made from waste hardwood offcuts, and I capture much of that 5kw output in 2 stacks of storage heater bricks that act as a thermal mass battery and keep radiated heat outputted for a good deal longer as a result.
As a result, I only use oil to heat water and upstairs first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

s7ryf3925pivug · 21-01-2020 2:34pm

Graces7 wrote: »

lol.. he is worried re his bus not the fumes! real coal is in porous sacking whereas the smokeless comes in thick plastic; more disposal problems but clean to handle

Turf is part of our island way of life. My neighbour heats his house and earns money to feed his family by the turf he cuts and sells. This is not going to change.

My view is that it should be compelled to change by law.

If they would have problems with heating as a result then that would need to be addressed by the state at the same time.

They are already violating EU directives. The climate emergency isn't a hoax and it's not another y2k thing. In the context tradition needs to be set aside. Traditional doesn't equate to good.

Graces7 · 21-01-2020 3:48pm

Interesting post; thank you.

Maybe posters should list and itemise their offences?

I have no car. I do not eat red meat … Very little plastic here, and recycle
all I can.

I burn one bag of smokeless coal ( 20k) a week and a few chunks of turf, maybe a bag a week. In summer only of course. Burn no oil. No washing machine..Grow what food I can and plant bee friendly plants.

The govt give many of us old folk etc a Solid Fuel allowance,

Antares35 wrote: »

We need to stop people lighting fires in their homes... but it's ok for them to chow down on red meat 7 days a week, dump tonnes of plastic and drive SUVs. I agree with your point to a large extent OP - fires are a complete pain in the áss, but banning them when there are so many other things people do which damage the environment? Quite a narrow and selected target. Plus, don't most people burn smokeless fuel now?

jimgoose · 21-01-2020 3:53pm

I have a beautiful wrought-iron fireplace with a mighty oaken railway sleeper along the top, and a tidy little grate. When I bought the place back in 2005 there was one of those crappy gas fires in it, so of course that got the bin very fast. The actual heating of the place is automated via mains gas, three-zone 'stat-control and a modern condenser boiler. For a couple of nights over Christmas I put down a block and a few lumps of real coal in the fireplace, and anyone who doesn't like it is quite free to suck my hefty garden hose.

fineso.mom · 21-01-2020 9:26pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Interesting post; thank you.

Maybe posters should list and itemise their offences?

I have no car. I do not eat red meat … Very little plastic here, and recycle
all I can.

I burn one bag of smokeless coal ( 20k) a week and a few chunks of turf, maybe a bag a week. In summer only of course. Burn no oil. No washing machine..Grow what food I can and plant bee friendly plants.

The govt give many of us old folk etc a Solid Fuel allowance,

It's not a 'solid' fuel allowance, it's simply 'fuel' allowance. My neighbour gets in in two lump sums of about 30O euro and buys oil with it.

Graces7 · 22-01-2020 10:11am

The place actually got too hot last night,,,,I loaded the stove with a huge chunk of solid turf, then coal eggs around it. Retreated to bed and had to take almost all the covers off. Wonderful to have this. very good usage rate.
And not an iota of damp or mould. Which given the situation is really good.
A lot relies on the wind direction. Does not like a full south or a south west...

An Ri rua wrote: »

Edit: Apologies Grace, I see that you have a solid fuel stove. Still worth noting that you can use the concept of 'cob' to build s seating area around your stove. Or use storage heater bricks (unless sourced on the island, far too heavy to transport out. They work a charm though.
Grace, with your style of living and heating, you should research rocket mass heaters. I am sure that if you get in touch with more eco types in Galway hinterland that you should find someone who's willing to advise or construct it for you. This is essentially how fuel is (was) used efficiently in Eastern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia in places. A masonry heater, though much more expensive, is similar technology. It's essentially heat transfer. Burning hot fires for brief periods, capturing all of that energy in a thermal mass called cob, or masonry tiles in the case of a masonry heater.

I have rocket stoves as backup for external cooking (experimentation) but for my living room I use a Galway-made Eco Grate in an open fire, I burn locally sourced Ruf briquettes made from waste hardwood offcuts, and I capture much of that 5kw output in 2 stacks of storage heater bricks that act as a thermal mass battery and keep radiated heat outputted for a good deal longer as a result.
As a result, I only use oil to heat water and upstairs first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

deezell · 22-01-2020 10:17am

jimgoose wrote: »

I have a beautiful wrought-iron fireplace with a mighty oaken railway sleeper along the top, and a tidy little grate. When I bought the place back in 2005 there was one of those crappy gas fires in it, so of course that got the bin very fast. The actual heating of the place is automated via mains gas, three-zone 'stat-control and a modern condenser boiler. For a couple of nights over Christmas I put down a block and a few lumps of real coal in the fireplace, and anyone who doesn't like it is quite free to suck my hefty garden hose.

Careful now. Plenty of enviro lettuce types who would take up that offer, regardless of your smokelsss nuts.

no.8 · 22-01-2020 8:16pm

deezell wrote:

Careful now. Plenty of enviro lettuce types who would take up that offer, regardless of your smokelsss nuts.

Or those 'enviro lettice types' who care about the health of their children and children's children? Is that the same type of person?
Drove through Youghal the other evening around sunset. F.me, the air quality was the worst ive seen / experienced in many a year. Times are changing Donald, the truth is out there. Smokeless may be the only option in years ahead

what is the burning passion for having an open fire?

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