Log Fires - the future?

[Morris]

There is sea coal a foot deep on our local beach.........Free for the taking. Works great in my allday and onions coal forge and just as good on the open fire in the front room.
We had a big sea with that recent storm so there'll be a bonanza in a day or two. Carrying it off the beach is savage amusement mind

Wifey remembers the sea coal lorries on the beach at Easington. She said it was horrible stuff to burn (as you would expect).
She wasn't aware there was any beaches with sea coal left, thought they were all cleaned up now.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

We used to collect it at the beach in Limekilns, probably most of it fell off the ships delivering coal to the kilins.

 

[fizzy]

Wifey remembers the sea coal lorries on the beach at Easington. She said it was horrible stuff to burn (as you would expect).
She wasn't aware there was any beaches with sea coal left, thought they were all cleaned up now.

I always thought sea coal was the best - people around here used to swear by it.

 

[minimutly]

Tenby used to have some iirc? Part of the South Wales seam?

 

[roofman]

I am currently burning 18 month old ash, have enough to get me through till next february hopefully. best wood i have had with almost zero smoke to keep the penguins happy

 

[magnet]

Wifey remembers the sea coal lorries on the beach at Easington. She said it was horrible stuff to burn (as you would expect).
She wasn't aware there was any beaches with sea coal left, thought they were all cleaned up now.

Still loads around here (Northumberland). Some of it is pit waste but others say there are exposed seams out at sea and a heavy sea breaks them up.
Your wife might like this

 

[Shox Dr]

So coming on line in 2050 or so? 10 years after the pulp plant closes?

I think they will supply the Bog roll factory much faster than that. The planed size of bog roll factory is huge, I imagine it will take moosive amounts of leccy. Pity they aren't anywhere near the largest power station in europe

 

[fizzy]

I think they will supply the Bog roll factory much faster than that. The planed size of bog roll factory is huge, I imagine it will take moosive amounts of leccy. Pity they aren't anywhere near the largest power station in europe

There is a huge tissue factory in Port Talbot. Was vital during the lockdown. They got cheap energy from a state of the art gas fired powerstation next door. The powerstation nded up going bust because they expected it to run intermittently due to wind. The industrial estate there didn't have a grid connection. Caused havoc. Dirty big gennies brought in for nearly a year until the Welsh Assembly sorted out the fiasco.

 

[addjunkie]

Still loads around here (Northumberland). Some of it is pit waste but others say there are exposed seams out at sea and a heavy sea breaks them up.
Your wife might like this

Quite a bit of it up your way will be smallish exposed seems, hence why theres been so much open cast round there.

 

[Erie Fred]

There is a huge tissue factory in Port Talbot. Was vital during the lockdown. They got cheap energy from a state of the art gas fired powerstation next door. The powerstation nded up going bust because they expected it to run intermittently due to wind. The industrial estate there didn't have a grid connection. Caused havoc. Dirty big gennies brought in for nearly a year until the Welsh Assembly sorted out the fiasco.

Sounds like a co-gen station, they burn gas in a turbine to generate electricity, and then exhaust heat
is collected by a boiler, steam is sent next door to the paper mill.

Been done a few times around here.
Even with....gasp....Coal firing, sending the waste heat to a industrial user nearby raises the plant efficiency.

 

[keithski122]

Noooo. Think of the heat going up the chimney - hope you've covered it over?

Big balloon up the chimney.

 

[Jack Ryan]

There is a push here to ban combustion (wood/gas/oil) type heating. Some jurisdictions have already set a date after which gas (natural/LPG etc) will not be supplied to households.

Electricity only, and that from renewables only.

Jack

 

[AVI_8]

There is a push here to ban combustion (wood/gas/oil) type heating. Some jurisdictions have already set a date after which gas (natural/LPG etc) will not be supplied to households.

Electricity only, and that from renewables only.

Jack

Here gas is somewhere around 1/3 of the price of electricity per KW/hr and compared to where you are the climate is significantly colder, I can’t see similar happening here with our old housing stock, I’m sure there will be a push for it but it’s not realistic unless electricity becomes really cheap and I can’t see that happening.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Here gas is somewhere around 1/3 of the price of electricity per KW/hr and compared to where you are the climate is significantly colder, I can’t see similar happening here with our old housing stock, I’m sure there will be a push for it but it’s not realistic unless electricity becomes really cheap and I can’t see that happening.

Electricity is really expensive here and gas is only expensive because policy dictates word parity pricing. We export gas but, domestically, we pay world prices. There is currently no domestic reserve.

Policy also prevents the use of nuclear power so the landscape is littered with propellers.

Interesting times.

Jack

 

[chrismac]

In my old farm house above the tree line in the Brecon Beacons I burned 52 tons of logs in 1 winter
The house I am in now is in a valley - we never see the sun but it is pretty sheltered.
There are 23 radiators here but I hardly ever use the central heating. Oil fired AGA one end - big woodburner the other. A 1 tonne dumpy bag full lasts me about 5 days. Probably about 500kg a time. Good job my wood is free

How do you find the oiled fired aga, recommend or not?

 

[Gareth J]

How do you find the oiled fired aga, recommend or not?

One thing to consider, our plumber is dashing here, there and everywhere at the moment, servicing old wick burner agas and Rayburns. He says the number of people willing/able to do it are dwindling.

It's very DIYable but if you want an annually serviced machine, by someone else, make sure it's a pressure jet blower type. You should save a bit on fuel too - maybe enough to recoup the service costs.

 

[fizzy]

One thing to consider, our plumber is dashing here, there and everywhere at the moment, servicing old wick burner agas and Rayburns. He says the number of people willing/able to do it are dwindling.

It's very DIYable but if you want an annually serviced machine, by someone else, make sure it's a pressure jet blower type. You should save a bit on fuel too - maybe enough to recoup the service costs.

The old wick ones are better. No moving parts will last forever literally!
Needs a service once a year. I do it myself. Dead simple. Takes less than an hour.
The old manual thermostat is the best. Mine has the electric one which is OK. In a powercut the aga still runs but drops to minimum but you can over ride to max.

 

[fizzy]

How do you find the oiled fired aga, recommend or not?

Definitely but don't use it in summer. Ours is on for 9 months of the year. We use a combination microwave oven and a cheap tefal induction hotplate when the aga is off.
Waste heat from the aga just stays in the house so none wasted. You can dry all your clothes around it so no tumble drier needed.
Oven always on never needs cleaning. Cooking smells and smoke go up the chimney.
Uses about 35L of oil a week. That is £28 a week but remember the heat isn't lost. The flue runs very cool and by the time the heat leaves the chimney probably 20C.
Only wasteful in summer which isn't long in the UK.

 

[addjunkie]

How do you find the oiled fired aga, recommend or not?

There quite dear to run as a cooker. When we were in the Aga shop looking at them……Aga s are now cookers think one does hot water too. Tis the Rayburn that does both. Same thing but different brand, though now owned by a yank outfit. Woman who owns the shop when discussing our options (no gas here). Rayburn will do what you want, but a modern oil fired condensing boiler will be far cheaper to run!

We have an oil fired boiler, and an over priced electric Aga as it looks the part and My Mrs like it.

 

[fizzy]

There quite dear to run as a cooker. When we were in the Aga shop looking at them……Aga s are now cookers think one does hot water too. Tis the Rayburn that does both. Same thing but different brand, though now owned by a yank outfit. Woman who owns the shop when discussing our options (no gas here). Rayburn will do what you want, but a modern oil fired condensing boiler will be far cheaper to run!

We have an oil fired boiler, and an over priced electric Aga as it looks the part and My Mrs like it.

The heat stays in the house. Think of it as a cooker and a heater at the same time. More efficient on an inside wall.
I have an aga in the kitchen. It heats the 30x20 kitchen and the bedrooms above it. Woodburner the other end of the house. As a result I hardly ever put the oil boiler on and use 1000L a year. Not bad in a 5 bedroom house with 23 radiators.
And remember oil is 1/4 the price of electricity although I suspect you have a cheaper night tariff?