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Lighting your fire


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  • 2 weeks later...
Lumme!

 

Don't try this at home, girls and boys!

 

Petrol for explosions and diesel for keeping burning clothes going nicely.

 

N

 

However some palmolive oil, detergent or sawdust to stabilize it would work nicely.

 

On a different note, considering the PC debate, might the faq thread be trimmed to the knowledge, as opposed to getting mired in invective? The same happened in the alt paralleling thread and folk have to wade through aeons of waffle before finding Snib's perfectly elegant solution.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Roger

 

Many thanks for the info - I`m a `newbe` and very grateful for any advice I can get. Have been putting loadz of firelighters on just to avoid it going out. Will try it this way to cut a few costs and save on fuel!

 

Sue

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Hi Roger

 

Many thanks for the info - I`m a `newbe` and very grateful for any advice I can get. Have been putting loadz of firelighters on just to avoid it going out. Will try it this way to cut a few costs and save on fuel!

 

Sue

 

Hi Sue,

 

There is lots of advice on here and hopefully after wading through it all, you will be able to keep your fire alight :lol:

 

Roger

Edited by Roger Gunkel
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A slightly tongue in cheek alternative from one who's stove lighting activities are restricted to a pair of shared working boats:

 

Arrive after dark. Unlock butty cabin. Find that mini-maglite has been on in your pocket all day so is useless. Feel way through butty cabin falling over 'ellum and buckby cans to rear door of the not-at-all-traditional kitchen extension. Undo the top two bolts, spend 5 minutes kicking the obviously jammed door then undo the third bolt at the bottom and feel way to battery box in hold. With luck battery has some charge so lights come on. Return to cabin door and stove. Locate damp newspaper under rear deck. Find kindling left by last crew is about 2 feet long and 3 inches thick - the ideal size for the stove being about 4 inches by half an inch. Look for saw / axe etc. Remember they live at the very front of the hold at the back of an obstacle course of coal bags, wheelbarrows, ballast drums, miscellaneous bits of scrap iron that allegedly have huge histioric value, a broken bicycle and a sharp pointed keb fork that always ends up with the splines pointing up even if you know for certain you didn't leave it that way. Scrape small of back going under first cross beam, smack teeth ducking just to late for second one. Find saw by sheer accident. Return to cabin. On route back remember you spent two days cutting an old trellis into three inch lengths and you're bloody sure there's some left somewhere. Go back. Fall over bicycle, find kindling eventually. Get back to cabin. Find firelighters by feel in bottom cupboard. Feel how damp newspaper is and debate either using that or the whole pack of firelighters to be on the safe side. Compromise with a lot of both plus wood and solid fuel from whatever bag we split accidentally last season. Find match box in kitchen drawer, also wet through. Try about ten matches, none of which light. Examine closely under failing light to see that some twot has been putting spent matches back in the box. Why do people do that? Try other end of box and find good match, carefully striking it on the last bit of the box side that hasn't disintegrated by being attacked with dead match heads. Light paper. Light paper again. Poke about with fire iron to locate the edge of a firelighter. Find it's too far away for the matches. Go back to car, return with one of the index pages from a 2009 map book, and use that to light as much of the paper etc. as you can get at through the underside of the grate. Become concerned that chimney is not drawing properly, adjust dampers, flue etc until so much smoke has filled the cabin you are forced outside. When the tears clear and you can see remove upturned tin can from chimney, take deep breath and go back in for the chimney. Fit same. Look at fire, seems to be glowing a bit in the middle. Go to pub. Three hours later return, get hit by wave of searing heat as you open cabin slide. Stoke up with solid fuel, cut off as much air as possible from stove, then despite it being below freezing spend all night on top of the bedclothes with cabin doors wide open.

  • Greenie 1
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Usually whistling, and occasionally listening to The Doors (or Jose Feliciano if you want Light my Fire - lite).

 

Use 'noughts and crosses' of kindling plus some larger pieces of wood. One lit 'firematch' in the centre (one of those small firelighters with a match head attached).

Keep door slightly open.

Wait till decent fire going (I hardl;y dare mention it... but the Ecofan is a good guide!) then add some coal.

Hasn't failed yet.

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A slightly tongue in cheek alternative from one who's stove lighting activities are restricted to a pair of shared working boats:

 

Arrive after dark. Unlock butty cabin. Find that mini-maglite has been on in your pocket all day so is useless. Feel way through butty cabin falling over 'ellum and buckby cans to rear door of the not-at-all-traditional kitchen extension. Undo the top two bolts, spend 5 minutes kicking the obviously jammed door then undo the third bolt at the bottom and feel way to battery box in hold. With luck battery has some charge so lights come on. Return to cabin door and stove. Locate damp newspaper under rear deck. Find kindling left by last crew is about 2 feet long and 3 inches thick - the ideal size for the stove being about 4 inches by half an inch. Look for saw / axe etc. Remember they live at the very front of the hold at the back of an obstacle course of coal bags, wheelbarrows, ballast drums, miscellaneous bits of scrap iron that allegedly have huge histioric value, a broken bicycle and a sharp pointed keb fork that always ends up with the splines pointing up even if you know for certain you didn't leave it that way. Scrape small of back going under first cross beam, smack teeth ducking just to late for second one. Find saw by sheer accident. Return to cabin. On route back remember you spent two days cutting an old trellis into three inch lengths and you're bloody sure there's some left somewhere. Go back. Fall over bicycle, find kindling eventually. Get back to cabin. Find firelighters by feel in bottom cupboard. Feel how damp newspaper is and debate either using that or the whole pack of firelighters to be on the safe side. Compromise with a lot of both plus wood and solid fuel from whatever bag we split accidentally last season. Find match box in kitchen drawer, also wet through. Try about ten matches, none of which light. Examine closely under failing light to see that some twot has been putting spent matches back in the box. Why do people do that? Try other end of box and find good match, carefully striking it on the last bit of the box side that hasn't disintegrated by being attacked with dead match heads. Light paper. Light paper again. Poke about with fire iron to locate the edge of a firelighter. Find it's too far away for the matches. Go back to car, return with one of the index pages from a 2009 map book, and use that to light as much of the paper etc. as you can get at through the underside of the grate. Become concerned that chimney is not drawing properly, adjust dampers, flue etc until so much smoke has filled the cabin you are forced outside. When the tears clear and you can see remove upturned tin can from chimney, take deep breath and go back in for the chimney. Fit same. Look at fire, seems to be glowing a bit in the middle. Go to pub. Three hours later return, get hit by wave of searing heat as you open cabin slide. Stoke up with solid fuel, cut off as much air as possible from stove, then despite it being below freezing spend all night on top of the bedclothes with cabin doors wide open.

 

:lol::lol: :lol:

 

so true :lol:

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  • 6 months later...

I use tea lights (cut in half - two fires per tea light) wrap the wax loosly with newspaper.

Place homemade firelighter, in the centre, on top of kindling (to catch any escaping wax) more kindling on top making a wax bomb sandwich; add in some decent sized wood at the top and light the paper.

 

tealights are 100 for £1 in ikea.

 

Not bothered with coal yet but i'm sure the system can be adapted.

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We don't have a boat fire but at home to light up we use a bit of papper with some morning sticks (dry twiggs) wrapped round a quarter fire lighter. On top of this is a few bits of fine chopped wood. Lighting the trick is to get the chimney hot to draw up the smoke as quickly as possible. When we light the fire we then feed on bigger sticks until its roaring up then add just a little coal and bigger bits of wood. It seems to work for us. I knew one bloke who blowlamped his chimney to get it drawing before lighting the morning sticks. Each to his own.

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  • 3 weeks later...

weeble, that's almost how I light mine, however, substitute balls of newspaper for firelighters. There are so many freeby newspapers down in London now, I could take piles home every day.

 

My fire has now been in since Oct 3rd, without having to relight. Morso squirrel. i riddle before going to bed, add some new taybrite on top and empty ash tray. next morning, add a few new nuggets and riddle, not emptying tray. I tend to watch the weather a lot, if it's windy, the bottom vent is less than 1/4 turn from closed, if stil 1/2 or 3/4 turn from closed.

If it looks a bit like it's gone out, chuck some balls of newspaper on top, riddle and open bottom door.

 

The ecofan is a good indicator of how effective the stove regime is, and lets me know what I've got to do to keep it going.

 

The epping is easy, a few twigs in the base, and then I take some coals from the morso and drop them in the hole. :lol: That gives me warm feet and jacket spuds whilst winter cruising.

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  • 10 months later...

Can stoves keep a narrow boat warm in the winter or are they only useful for a small area of it? Also has anyone ever used a back-boiler with one to heat water?

 

Our stove keeps the whole 57 foot boat warm all winter. We don't have any other form of heating.

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Can stoves keep a narrow boat warm in the winter or are they only useful for a small area of it? Also has anyone ever used a back-boiler with one to heat water?

 

Our boat is 60ft and the main heat is in the lounge area as you would expect and it gets progressively cooler as you get towards the rear. It obviously helps to leave internal doors open.

 

We sometimes supplement it with the diesel powered central heating particularly for the bathroom which has a heated towel rail in it.

 

and yes you can get boat stoves with a back boiler - though ours doesn't have one.

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Have you tried this technique,

 

We save our plastic trays that most meat comes in, like chicken breast, mince, and other containers.. etc etc,

 

Helps cut down on rubbish too, we put in a firelighter, then about 5-6 pieces of kindle, then fill the plastic tray with coal and sit it on the top of the kindle and light, works wonders and gets rid of your rubbish at the same time lol...

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A flame seems to be the best way of lighting mine.

Keep a packet of salt handy for if the fire gets out of control,as fire extinquisher's are expensive.Don't use water.

 

Agreed dont use water, you just get steam and ash clouds but salt? How does that help Bizz?

 

Best way of moderating a solid fuel stove running away with itself in my experience is to take the ash pan out from underneath and tip the contents over the top of the burning coals, then put it back and shut the fire down as hard as possible. If the pan is empty a couple of spadefuls of earth does just as good a job.

 

Anyway have you seen the price of salt recently? Nearly as expensive as fire extinguishers. Actually don't ever use a fire extinguisher to try to slow a runaway stove. We did once when young and naïve. It made no difference and the mess inside the boat was PHENOMENAL. Huge clouds of ash billowed out and settled EVERYWHERE. Even worse than the jug of water we poured down the chimney. The stove continued to rage unabated until we thought of the earth and mud idea. I think we came close to losing the boat, it was that hot. (A timber boat by the way.)

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Agreed dont use water, you just get steam and ash clouds but salt? How does that help Bizz?

 

Best way of moderating a solid fuel stove running away with itself in my experience is to take the ash pan out from underneath and tip the contents over the top of the burning coals, then put it back and shut the fire down as hard as possible. If the pan is empty a couple of spadefuls of earth does just as good a job.

 

Anyway have you seen the price of salt recently? Nearly as expensive as fire extinguishers. Actually don't ever use a fire extinguisher to try to slow a runaway stove. We did once when young and naïve. It made no difference and the mess inside the boat was PHENOMENAL. Huge clouds of ash billowed out and settled EVERYWHERE. Even worse than the jug of water we poured down the chimney. The stove continued to rage unabated until we thought of the earth and mud idea. I think we came close to losing the boat, it was that hot. (A timber boat by the way.)

Salt or Sodium Chloride,was quite a well known and distinguished extinguisher of fires.Haven't you seen the fire brigade sprinkling it on car fires when they've run out of other stuff,they're not keen on attending car fires after the shops shut.Sugar does the opposite and is a good way of reviving a fire.Salt was often used in the old days for taming kitchen stoves and ranges,most housewives kept it handy for this purpose,my mum did too. You can also smoke salt for an extra tasty seasoning.You can buy it in bulk quite cheaply. bizzard.

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Have you tried this technique,

 

We save our plastic trays that most meat comes in, like chicken breast, mince, and other containers.. etc etc,

 

Helps cut down on rubbish too, we put in a firelighter, then about 5-6 pieces of kindle, then fill the plastic tray with coal and sit it on the top of the kindle and light, works wonders and gets rid of your rubbish at the same time lol...

 

And sends clouds of unpleasant and probably toxin laden smoke down the way for the neighbours to breathe in too...

 

One of our neighbours burns all his plastic milk bottles every week - in spite of the fact we have a recycling collection for them. Just what you need on a pleasant weekend morning - the stench of burning plastic all around the place...

 

It should be fine though as you probably won't be affected in the boat!

 

Andy

  • Greenie 1
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And sends clouds of unpleasant and probably toxin laden smoke down the way for the neighbours to breathe in too...

 

One of our neighbours burns all his plastic milk bottles every week - in spite of the fact we have a recycling collection for them. Just what you need on a pleasant weekend morning - the stench of burning plastic all around the place...

 

It should be fine though as you probably won't be affected in the boat!

 

Andy

Here here! :angry:

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Please do me a favour. Tell my uncle you keep the door closed as he's never given up insisting the door should be left open. I told him till I was blue in the face the door being closed allows air to draw up the chimney which strengthens the fire. Thus, the vent below is what needs to be opened at first and the main door closed.

Even so my uncle won't listen. Even the sales guy at the boatyard told me my uncle would only succeed in filling the boat with smoke so agrees with me.

I actually have a very small stove. You can't put large blocks of wood in it. I have to cut wood down. I start by placing a small square of wood on the grille, place a firelighter on that, light the firelighter and slowly place small strips of wood around. Then bigger pieces and then I close the door and let the fire draw.

 

Having seen a few posts recently about lighting fires, keeping them in and fuels, I thought it might be useful to find out the different methods people use.

 

We never have a problem lighting the fire, heating the boat quickly and keeping it in, although when we first fitted the stove it was a bit of a learning curve. We use Taybrite, although the same technique seems to work with any fuel we use and our stove is a budget Evergreen.

 

We start by laying a thin bed of coal (Taybrite etc) across the whole grid, but leave a small uncovered piece of grid for a firelighter. We then loosely lay 6 or seven strips of dry kindling over the top of the firelighter, supported by the bed of coal. Ideally the kindling would be about half to one inch thich and about six to eight inches long. We then light the fire lighter and once the kindling has caught, place a small dry log or block of wood on top of the kindling, then put more coal around the log/block without over banking it. The door is then closed and the bottom air vent opened right up. The fire would normally be burning very healthily within a few minutes, when we would finish banking up and leave it to heat up properly. After about 30 minutes the stove is very hot and we would start to reduce the airflow through the bottom vents. Within an hour the whole boat is getting warm air and the stove would be closed down to all day running settings. For us, that would be two bottom vents almost completely closed and top vents barely opened to allow enough air to keep the glass clean.

 

At night, we will poke the loose ash through, bank up very high, close the top vents completely and leave one bottom vent open the smallest ammount possible. We don't empty the ashtray at night as it keeps the airflow under the coal slower. Using these techniques, we keep our stove going continuously throughout the Winter months.

 

Roger

Edited by FORTUNATA
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Have you tried this technique,

 

We save our plastic trays that most meat comes in, like chicken breast, mince, and other containers.. etc etc,

 

Helps cut down on rubbish too, we put in a firelighter, then about 5-6 pieces of kindle, then fill the plastic tray with coal and sit it on the top of the kindle and light, works wonders and gets rid of your rubbish at the same time lol...

 

No, I certainly won't burn plastic waste in my stove! I can light the stove with kindling and coal and don't need to burn plastic trays.

 

A neighbour of mine used to use plastic bottles as firelighters. It used to stink if you were downwind even inside the boat and I'm sure burning rubbish leaves residues in your flue. Also burning certain plastic at low temperatures can release dioxins. All in all it's anti-social.

 

http://plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/dioxins-why-you-dont-want-to-be-burning-plastic/

Edited by blackrose
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Omg, 1 small plastic tray can do all that, thats amazing lol...nope your wrong there isnt clouds of smoke at all cos its burning so fierce there is none at all...try it, and give me your results...then you will know.

 

I can light the fire with firelighters and kindling and coal but sometimes takes ages to get going, the plastic tray just gives it a boost to get going, i just light it and walk away knowing its lit.

Edited by Scooby
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