I burn what is called eggs in my multi fuel stove and never had any problems but I’ve just had a new delivery and it’s low sulphur but just smoldering with no flames and very little heat. Has anyone else got the same or is it just me
Eggs are probably what we used to call nuts.They are moulded from compressed coal dust and chippings etc.They were always rubbish.We only used them if there were coal supply problems like during the early 1970’s.
Usually with a complaint to the coal merchant and him telling us it’s that or nothing.
Anthracite was always the only decent option especially after the clean air act was introduced.It’s the gas contained in the coal which provides most of the heat output and anthracite contains lots of it and burns with a nice dark blue flame in an enclosed type stove.
mac12:
I burn what is called eggs in my multi fuel stove and never had any problems but I’ve just had a new delivery and it’s low sulphur but just smoldering with no flames and very little heat. Has anyone else got the same or is it just me
Are your supplies delivered “loose” in 50kgs bags or do you get pre packs from a garage or garden centre. If the you use a proper coalman have a word to see if he has changed his supplier and had other complaints. Is plenty of air getting in and have you had the chimney swept recently.
Tyneside
I get my coal from the coal man and according to him its because they have had to clean up the coal to please the greens but instead of having a nice hot fire with flames it just smoldering leaving very fine Ash that blocks the air off
mac12:
I get my coal from the coal man and according to him its because they have had to clean up the coal to please the greens but instead of having a nice hot fire with flames it just smoldering leaving very fine Ash that blocks the air off
Anthracite is compliant with the clean air act which we had in force here since the early 1960’s.Unless he’s saying that they’ve cooked the gas out of it which then means it’s coke not coal.Might as well burn wood or maybe wood and some charcoal.
THat could be where your problem lies.
As CF mentions, the best fuel is antharcite based, but it always used to be the most expensive. See if you can go to a garage or garden centre and get a bag of Homefire and try that. I think it comes in eggs now. It is basically compressed antharcite dust and smokeless.
Tyneside
tyneside:
THat could be where your problem lies.As CF mentions, the best fuel is antharcite based, but it always used to be the most expensive. See if you can go to a garage or garden centre and get a small bag of Homefire and try that. I think it comes as ovoids now. It is basically compressed antharcite dust and smokeless.
Tyneside
Another fuel to try is Phunacite, also an ovoid and designed specifically for enclosed fires. Used to be brilliant on the old Rayburns, Parkrays and AGA stoves.
Tyneside
tyneside:
tyneside:
THat could be where your problem lies.As CF mentions, the best fuel is antharcite based, but it always used to be the most expensive. See if you can go to a garage or garden centre and get a small bag of Homefire and try that. I think it comes as ovoids now. It is basically compressed antharcite dust and smokeless.
Tyneside
Another fuel to try is Phunacite, also an ovoid and designed specifically for enclosed fires. Used to be brilliant on the old Rayburns, Parkrays and AGA stoves.
Tyneside
All the ‘ovoids’ are an artificial product made from compressed dust and fragments.
They don’t contain the levels of gas contained in ‘proper’ coal.
Proper Anthracite looks like small pieces of gloss surface coal and I’ve seen the gas from it ignite with sufficient force to blow open the latched door or blow off the heavy lower grate cover on our old Parkray and back boiler.It also burnt hot enough to regularly break the pyro glass segments in the door.Top quality stuff and nuts were/are just false economy and usually only a fall back used by the coal merchants because of supply problems.
So Carryfast can you make some constructive advice as to what the OP can do or buy that is readily available to get over his problem ?
Tyneside
I’ve had 2 tonne of smokeless briquettes this yr bloody £300 a tonne
Anyway they boil the water easily and stay in plenty long enough.
I did try some coke breeze direct via the back door from port of Tyne unless you can blow it like in a furnace it’s no good 
Get one of these delivered,and buy a good saw.
tyneside:
So Carryfast can you make some constructive advice as to what the OP can do or buy that is readily available to get over his problem ?Tyneside
Thanks for your suggestions I’ll try the bagged stuff but I think it will be too expensive to burn continuously. Hutpik your idea might be something to consider as wood burns perfect just depends on the cost
Franglais,Its a bit different up here.We work a little on the ‘‘old boy’’ system,borrow a truck off a mate,see another mate who owns vast tracts of forest and buy from him.Then you have wood for 3-4 years.Or you can buy ready cut to size,[same system]sometimes do a few days work for a load of wood as wages.
Punchy Dan:
I’ve had 2 tonne of smokeless briquettes this yr bloody £300 a tonne
Anyway they boil the water easily and stay in plenty long enough.
I did try some coke breeze direct via the back door from port of Tyne unless you can blow it like in a furnace it’s no good
From memory I think we had two coal bunkers that took around 5 or 6 1 hundred weight sacks of anthracite each to fill and were filled around twice to get through the winter.
That was both heating and hot water and was usually alight 24/7 those months.But it did go out occasionally during the day and I re lit it when I got home from school.We had a good chimney and was a like a furnace when I left the bottom grate cover off the old Parkray to get it going.
Cost was never an issue then even using the electric immersion heater during the Summer.
But do remember the propaganda campaign telling everyone to switch their domestic heating to the new infinite supply of cheap North Sea gas which we eventually did.They couldn’t make it up.But at least that allowed for seperate hot water and heating systems.
We seem to be heading for some sort of post apocalyptic world in which food and heating are about to be ecoconomically weaponised.To the point where no amount of cash will pay for it in whatever form.It’s now uneconomic to even burn methylated spirit.
As for burning coke in a domestic fire that’s more of a laugh than ‘ovoids’.
( I’ve now cut my heating down to 3 hours per day ) at least until they take out the option of gas.Then I’ll go and join the hill billies in Finland and just hope they don’t run out of trees before I snuff it.