Taming the Squirrel

[bottle]

Hi Les

 

Thanks for the different idea

 

We will have to experiment a little more, at the moment we do not want it stay in all night it just does, with very little Taybright.

 

We are sat here at the moment, with the back vent fully open and the front wheel open about ⅛, yes ⅛ and it is still very warm.

 

Room thermometer reading about 70º F.

 

We also found that there was incomplete burn without them.

[MoominPapa]

I bought some of these sloping inserts (named coal inserts) this summer and they are excellent in reducing volume in the fire as well as providing a "funnel" for riddling ash. Cost £25 which is a lot for 2 lumps of metal but benefits well worth it- I'll probably leave them in all winter as still loads of heat and burns all night easily (top vent shut and bottom open quarter turn)

 

I'm interested in this: are they specific to one make of stove, or can they be used in any stove where they physically fit? Where do you get them from?

 

MP.

[bottle]

Got mine from Midland Chandlers.

 

They are Morsø branded.

[matty40s]

I used to pull that little cast iron knob that sticks out of the front right hand side of the stove and burned me fingers for about three months until I realised that the Morso 2820 tool i had to lift and empty the ashcan had a insert fitted at the other end which goes into a hole in the cast ironknob so you can twiddle it without getting burnt.

[rgreg]

I'm interested in this: are they specific to one make of stove, or can they be used in any stove where they physically fit? Where do you get them from?

 

MP.

 

Midland Chandlers do them. They are made for Morso but can see no reason why they wouldn't do same job in other stoves if dimensions right.: think any gaps would create problems with getting coal/ ash stuck.

[Smelly]

Midland Chandlers do them. They are made for Morso but can see no reason why they wouldn't do same job in other stoves if dimensions right.: think any gaps would create problems with getting coal/ ash stuck.

 

I'll bet some extra fire bricks are a LOT less money

[rgreg]

I'll bet some extra fire bricks are a LOT less money

 

One of the benefits I find with the metal inserts is that as they are sloping they act as a kind of "funnel" to guide the ash into the riddling grate - so no ledges for unburnt coal and ash to sit on.

[arpeeuk]

I use 3 brick paviers used on fancy driveways. You can get them individually from B&Q and all 3 will be less than a quid.

 

My current set are well into their second season so value for money in my book. Yes they do crack, but they don't crumble away so they last a good long time.

 

 

At the price you could get some and test the benefits of a smaller fire before you decide if you want to invest in the fire bricks or the sloping metal wotsits.

 

I also make use of the ledges that the bricks create. I've a bit of grill from an old BBQ that is cut to sit on top of the bricks, then I place veg wrapped in foil on the ledges to bake. The grill stops them ending up in the fire but put the food over the ledge as it's not quite such a direct heat. I do spuds (of course), but also swede, parsnips, onions, squash etc. Takes about 15-20 mins less than in the oven, very tasty, very sweet!

[DHutch]

I'm interested in this: are they specific to one make of stove, or can they be used in any stove where they physically fit? Where do you get them from?

 

MP.

Wel also have the morse coal inserts from midland swindlers for simular money, although sadly they dont fit with the back boiler (i dont know if this is because we have the wrong ones, or because they dont do them for both) and have never got around to cutting them down so have been unable to try them. Although i did once measure them for people to be able to make there own.

 

Bricks can work fairly well, and the trick is to get some older ones and make sure there totally dry which can help prevent them cracking.

 

 

Daniel

[Night Hawk]

We kinda rely on our Morso to make the varnish melt....I hear a back boiler can reduce the output.....We have used dried cow-pats to bank our fire up and keep it going throughout the night....I wouldn't leave dry cowpats outside though...sort of discovered they..erm...melt!

[owenk]

Just spotted this thread and thought this link (which oddly I found on a Welsh Rugy chat forum I frequent ) might be useful:

 

http://www.aie.org.uk/aie_data/aie_firewood.html

[bottle]

We kinda rely on our Morso to make the varnish melt....I hear a back boiler can reduce the output.....We have used dried cow-pats to bank our fire up and keep it going throughout the night....I wouldn't leave dry cowpats outside though...sort of discovered they..erm...melt!

 

Possibly if the back boiler is larger than the bricks it replaces. (fuel space smaller)

 

More likely the output stays the same but is 'spread' a little thinner.

[Byeckerslike]

My mothod is, once the fuel has caught fire i shut the top vent then open it half a turn I then do the same to the bottom vent but open it three quarters of a turn,

 

less wood or coal in the fire will mean less heat

to keep in overnight, add more coal and adopt the above vent positions.

 

to increase heat just open the bottom vent more

After much faffing about, experimentation, I would endorse these settings as optimum! We use the same when burning Supertherm, but if the fire is to last for a chilly day, or night, then I close the bottom vent and then open one half a turn.

 

Merry Christmas,

 

Rob

[bizzard]

Keep the grate covered with coals. If holes appear and the grate is exposed the bottom air will just whistle through it avoiding the coals and so go out.This is the main reason why some folk can't keep their stove in. Don't let the ash build up in the ash pan so that it touches the fire bars as this will overheat them and will possibly melt them bizzard.

[Ianey]

Hi there,

Has anyone any experience of burning eco logs i.e. 40% paper pulp and 60% sawdust compressed? I'm going for these as I've made my own log press and I've so much excess paper / cardboard from my business it'll be good for it to provide heat. Also, I believe these type of logs don't have the same levels of tar as burning timber, thus cleaner glass?

 

Any thoughts would be great??

 

Ianey

[Matthew Dowson]

I hear that burning housecoal from petrol stations, and some types made with a mixture of coal and oil fuel products burn really hot can burn away the internal bolts that hold the structure together. Has anyone had this happening?

[bizzard]

I hear that burning housecoal from petrol stations, and some types made with a mixture of coal and oil fuel products burn really hot can burn away the internal bolts that hold the structure together. Has anyone had this happening?

My coal merchant told me that varying degrees of petroleum is added to the nut type smokeless stuff. Pureheat is one of the hotter burning kind,personally i wouldn't use it in a cast iron stove,perhaps maybe a low not to hot fire. As it can easily crack parts of a cast iron stove,mainly by bringing it up to heat from cold too quickly.

Morso Squirrel stoves of which i have had to replace many cracked fronts,top plates,and the odd side.Made of pretty thin cast iron in my opinion. I think the quality of cast iron is doubtful these days too. I have always favoured mild steel bodied stoves for the won't crack reason. bizzard.

[County4x4]

Hi there,

Has anyone any experience of burning eco logs i.e. 40% paper pulp and 60% sawdust compressed? I'm going for these as I've made my own log press and I've so much excess paper / cardboard from my business it'll be good for it to provide heat. Also, I believe these type of logs don't have the same levels of tar as burning timber, thus cleaner glass?

 

Any thoughts would be great??

 

Ianey

 

You'll probably find they give a low heat output and produce a great deal of ash in comparison with wood. Lots of people have a go at making these and usually one batch of them is enough to convince them it was a waste of time! "Proper" wood briquettes are a completely different animal - but to make decent ones you'll need a machine costing up to around £100k. These however will produce briquettes that will stay in all night in a stove - quite a few of our customers use them for this very reason. They are also very low ash - we only take an inch or so out of our stove every fortnight or so.

 

Regarding all the other posts about using a stove - with wood the best thing is to burn on a bed of ash so don't be clearing the whole thing out every day. The lower air control should be shut completely once the fire is going properly - though it's probably fair to say that some people on boats will need a bit of bottom air due to the much reduced draught available from a short boat chimney. Wood will burn cleanly if it's properly dry - if there's crap running down your chimney you're burning wet wood or not using the stove properly! Wet wood causes me (and my customers) more problems as a chimney sweep than any other fuel, and you're wasting most of the energy it contains if you burn it wet. Dry wood on the other hand is an excellent fuel both for the stove and for the planet!

 

Avoid stuff like petcoke - burns very hot but will burn your stove out - and invalidate any warranty if it's a new stove.

 

Andy