Carryfast:
We mainly burnt anthracite on the old Parkray solid fuel central heating system all through the 1960s and 70’s and early 80’s.
Whatever it is they are flogging you Harry it ain’t anthracite.
It burns and lights up more like a gas fire with a deep blue flame because the stuff is full of natural gas.It literally blew the heavy grate cover off and opened the door latch when it ignited with rolled up newspaper and some fire wood lighters not usually even any need for the parrafin soaked type.
Your experience with anthracite seems to be at variance with mine and everybody else’s on the internet, including the people who sell it.
As I said by your description ‘the people who sell it’ seem to be flogging anything but anthracite which is definitely first and foremost a domestic fire fuel.It generally lights and burns in a similar way to a gas firebecause of its …gas content.
It also wasn’t ever cheap enough for power stations to be burning it by the train load in their boilers.
As for the internet I found and posted videos showing exactly my ‘experience’ of using the stuff to run a domestic coal fired central heating system consisting of a coal fire and back boiler for more than 20 years.
It clearly doesn’t match yours.
Carryfast:
We mainly burnt anthracite on the old Parkray solid fuel central heating system all through the 1960s and 70’s and early 80’s.
Whatever it is they are flogging you Harry it ain’t anthracite.
It burns and lights up more like a gas fire with a deep blue flame because the stuff is full of natural gas.It literally blew the heavy grate cover off and opened the door latch when it ignited with rolled up newspaper and some fire wood lighters not usually even any need for the parrafin soaked type.
Your experience with anthracite seems to be at variance with mine and everybody else’s on the internet, including the people who sell it.
I`m with Harry.
Did the “wooden firelighters” come out of a box from the Acme company, meant for a Mr Wile E Coyote?
Anyone who lights a coal fire would generally know that you need a pack of kindling wood to light it.
Harry’s experience seems to be trying to light some dodgy cheap coal being described as and sold at an anthracite price.
Maybe like you without even the help of a bit of fire wood to start it.
But I wouldn’t expect anyone, who’s idea of an energy policy, is to tie us to all electric nuke fuelled heating at £1 per kwh, so that France can nick our gas, to know anything about running a coal fired heating system.
Carryfast:
Anyone who lights a coal fire would generally know that you need a pack of kindling wood to light it.
Harry’s experience seems to be trying to light some dodgy cheap coal being described as and sold at an anthracite price.
You need about three pieces of kindling to start a coal fire, not a pack of it. I wonder if there could possibly be some reason why absolutely nobody who lives on a narrowboat uses anthracite as their primary coal?
Carryfast:
Anyone who lights a coal fire would generally know that you need a pack of kindling wood to light it.
Harry’s experience seems to be trying to light some dodgy cheap coal being described as and sold at an anthracite price.
You need about three pieces of kindling to start a coal fire, not a pack of it. I wonder if there could possibly be some reason why absolutely nobody who lives on a narrowboat uses anthracite as their primary coal?
You need enough wood kindling ( obviously bought in a pack for Franglais’ information, not all of the pack ) to cook off and ignite the gas.
Then as I said the gas not the coal generally ignites first and forms as much if not more of the fuel content than the coal.Then, just as shown, you’ve got a nice blue flame fire which will stay alight from October until May unless you accidentally let it go out.Or want to deliberately, let it go out to save some cash in mild weather.Bearing in mind that coal fired electricity was also cheap enough to provide hot water when the fire was out.
I was taught how to light an anthracite fuelled fire from around the age of 10.We lived in a smokeless fuel area designated in the 1950’s so it was the default solid fuel choice for us.
On that note I’d guess that it would probably have blown up a power station or steam train boiler because of that high gas content even if they could have afforded a train load of the stuff to burn in a day.
By your description I doubt if they are flogging proper anthracite.
Also bearing in mind that as part of the plan for coal there were documented plans to just use anthracite gas extraction technology by pressurising the Welsh anthracite mines with compressed air.There was no need to actually mine the stuff it’s natural gas content being that good.
High natural gas content coal obviously makes anything but good commercial boiler or furnace fuel.
But equally obviously it makes excellent domestic fuel.Generally known as the Rolls Royce of coal by domestic coal merchants and priced accordingly.
If I had chimney here I’d go back to coal fired heating and maybe just use the gas boiler for hot water because using an electric immersion heater when the fire is out is now impossibly expensive.
While some say that back boilers are no longer legal while some stove manufacturers say they are.
Although getting hold of decent coal for it is obviously now a problem.I think America is now the best/only reliable supplier of proper Anthracite.
Of course, given a large ready supply, and enough space to store it, wood certainly is a viable heat source. And sustainable . But economies of scale, mean that it’s not feasible for most people here.
How long will that pile last, for full time heating?
Carryfast:
Anyone who lights a coal fire would generally know that you need a pack of kindling wood to light it.
Harry’s experience seems to be trying to light some dodgy cheap coal being described as and sold at an anthracite price.
You need about three pieces of kindling to start a coal fire, not a pack of it. I wonder if there could possibly be some reason why absolutely nobody who lives on a narrowboat uses anthracite as their primary coal?
That’s because they foolishly never asked our rezident narrow boat heating expert to show them how to turn on and light anthracite with a match.
I only ever bought one small batch of anthracite, because a customer asked for it (they had an aga with a back boiler, on a wide beam), and I tried a bag of it in my own boat. It would not burn well in a small fire, because it needs a lot of heat to self sustain. I burnt it on top of a bed of Homefire, if I wanted a hotter fire, without banking up the stove, say for an hour of two in the evening. I didnt bother buying it again.
the nodding donkey:
That’s because they foolishly never asked our rezident narrow boat heating expert to show them how to turn on and light anthracite with a match.
But but but… anthracite lights like a gas fire, just wave a box of matches at it and it blows the stove door off.
Carryfast:
But equally obviously it makes excellent domestic fuel. Generally known as the Rolls Royce of coal by domestic coal merchants and priced accordingly.
Anthracite is cheaper than coal briquettes. You can Google this for yourself.
I’ve never, ever heard anyone describe anthracite as “the Rolls Royce of coal”. Are you sure you didn’t make that up?
Carryfast:
But equally obviously it makes excellent domestic fuel. Generally known as the Rolls Royce of coal by domestic coal merchants and priced accordingly.
Anthracite is cheaper than coal briquettes. You can Google this for yourself.
I’ve never, ever heard anyone describe anthracite as “the Rolls Royce of coal”. Are you sure you didn’t make that up?
Really ■■.
As I said whatever they are trying to flog to you anthracite it ain’t.I grew up in an anthracite heated home.Just as described here. thoughtco.com/what-is-anthra … al-1182544
ND,that should last about 3 winters,keeping in mind that the stove is used from about October through till the end of April,more or less,on a daily basis.Temps at the moment are between -10c & -30c.
Quote from your link: “While harder to ignite, anthracite does burn for a longer period”
Carryfast:
It burns and lights up more like a gas fire with a deep blue flame because the stuff is full of natural gas.It literally blew the heavy grate cover off and opened the door latch when it ignited with rolled up newspaper and some fire wood lighters
Carryfast:
But equally obviously it makes excellent domestic fuel. Generally known as the Rolls Royce of coal by domestic coal merchants and priced accordingly.
Anthracite is cheaper than coal briquettes. You can Google this for yourself.
I’ve never, ever heard anyone describe anthracite as “the Rolls Royce of coal”. Are you sure you didn’t make that up?
Really ■■.
As I said whatever they are trying to flog to you anthracite it ain’t.I grew up in an anthracite heated home.Just as described here. thoughtco.com/what-is-anthra … al-1182544
Did you miss this bit?
" The coal is slow-burning and difficult to ignite because of its high density,"
Obviously one of us doesn’t have a clue what anthracite is.
Quote from your link: “While harder to ignite, anthracite does burn for a longer period”
Yes. Ridicules my statement that anthricaite is difficult to light and then posts link to two websites which agree that anthracite is difficult to light. Ridicules my statement that I have never heard anthracite described as “the Rolls Royce of coal” and yet a Google search returns 16 results for “the Rolls Royce of coal” , not one of which refers to anthracite.
Quote from your link: “While harder to ignite, anthracite does burn for a longer period”
Yes. Ridicules my statement that anthricaite is difficult to light and then posts link to two websites which agree that anthracite is difficult to light. Ridicules my statement that I have never heard anthracite described as “the Rolls Royce of coal” and yet a Google search returns 16 results for “the Rolls Royce of coal” , not one of which refers to anthracite.
Coal is black, and I`ve seen a black Rolls-Royce…Logic.
Carryfast:
But equally obviously it makes excellent domestic fuel. Generally known as the Rolls Royce of coal by domestic coal merchants and priced accordingly
Did you miss this bit?
" The coal is slow-burning and difficult to ignite because of its high density,"
Obviously one of us doesn’t have a clue what anthracite is.
You seem to have selectively missed all the rest of what it said.The best quality, hottest and cleanest burning, more expensive, domestic fire fuel.
So it takes a bit more paper and wood kindling and a bit longer to light an otherwise and in all other respects, better quality fuel.
Which is no problem if that’s mainly all the coal you’ve ever known and used ironically with the exception of the rubbish ovoids, in the event of anthracite non availability, proving the superiority of anthracite.
hutpik:
ND,that should last about 3 winters,keeping in mind that the stove is used from about October through till the end of April,more or less,on a daily basis.Temps at the moment are between -10c & -30c.
That’s not bad, an equivalent pile of coal would not quite be as large, but certainly more of an eyesore.
I do agree, I much prefer to burn wood, but here, coal has many convenience advantages.
As an aside, I have been contemplating my ever faster approaching retirement days, and living in an isolated smallish home, is very much on the wish list. You are making a tempting case for Finland.
ND,as it happens I live in ‘Swedish’ Lappland.Lappland covers Sweden,Finland and Norway,but it doesn’t matter.For anyone who is contemplating moving up to the Northern parts of Scandinavia there are a few points to be aware of.When I done my research before moving here I spent a lot of time going around the northern parts of N,SE,&Fin.Northern Finland is very insular & outside of the tourist areas very few speak English.Also there is not so much work if one wants a bit of part time the language is quite hard.Norway is good but is more bureaucratic due to not being in the EU.Northern Sweden has all the plus points,its EU,many people speak English &if you speak English,Dutch& maybe German you already have a good basic Swedish.The people are fantastic,a little old fashioned[which is only good].There is a fantastic amount of work,if you want it,full,part,weekends,etc.They really like and welcome English Dutch &Germans here as they seem to have the right mentality & work ethic.They are the major immigrant groups here.Thats not to say its overrun with them as there are few people anyway but the ones here really like it.
. But economies of scale, mean that it’s not feasible for most people here.