I have a couple of Victorian fire places in the house, which I've never used and know nothing about coal fires..

So, how much coal do they use eg how long would a 25 kg bag last?

What's the best way to buy coal, bags from garage or get it delivered on a pallet? Does it need to be kept dry?

Is there much difference between smokeless and normal coal other than price (I'm not in a controlled area, so can use either).

I did get my Chimneys swept about 5 years ago but never got round to using the fires, so do they need sweeping again or are they ok?

One of the fireplaces

TIA – any pointers appreciated…

Better to burn wood than coal. Its free if you can be arsed to collect it and its better for the environment- carbon neutral apparently

bags from the garage is usually easiest and you can usually get kindling as well. Not sure how long a bag lasts for as we tend to use a mix of coal and wood.

You do need to keep it dry. If its damp its hard to get going and smokes alot more.

When you light the fire if the smoke is drawn up the chimney well then thats a good sign that the chimney is clear.

From what I understand you can't burn wood in a coal fireplace as the chimney isn't straight and you need a straight chimney for wood…

how long does bag last – depends if your in yorkshire (1 lump per night)

coal fires can consume at a high rate, I think they were really popular right up until we gave up mining for running call centres/tanning salons and nail bars!!

Honestly though my folks had one and swapped it out for logs as it was more efficent.

Coal is not delivered by pallet normally a man will empty his sacks into your bunker (if you pardon the expression) you pay by the sack load. Dryish will help a pack of good firelighters will make life easier if not start subscibing to to 3 newspapers (sundays too) to get it lit

Good luck

I was looking at these people for pallets of coal…

As a terraced house, access to any bunker means carrying it around the back of a few houses to get to my shed…

From what I understand you can't burn wood in a coal fireplace as the chimney isn't straight and you need a straight chimney for wood…

Not sure about that, but we don't have any problems mixing the two. Coal is usually easier to get going, but it can burn quickly (depends on the type you get though) where as a good wood will burn for a while.

footflaps – Member
From what I understand you can't burn wood in a coal fireplace as the chimney isn't straight and you need a straight chimney for wood…

never heard that before. I burn wood all the time without any probs other than regular sweeping (once a year). My chimney has a kink in it…. It will be fine

The one I had burnt everything, coal, wood, the lot, & it had a kink in it.

The guy who swept it advised against burning wood saying tar would condense on the bend and be a potential fire risk.

i know a few people who guarded against fires by regularly cleaning their chimneys with very over enthusiastic fires sparks and big lows on the skyline type stuff

Go for it . Coal burns well once lit depending on how good quality it is .
Wood is the same But …. you need wood dry . Wet wood throws little heat and buggers your Chimny with the stuff that sticks to smokers lungs .
A mixture of both is probably your best bet . wet coal makes no difference once lit .
So to start the fire use dry kindling+newspapers 3 pages at a time ( not page 3)Twisted and tied in a knot
Running it takes a litle time to get used to .Burn hard at first then close dampers to build up an internal heat and open up when you need a hot blast .Does it heat your radiators ?
Dont bother sweeping Chimny till yu have run it for a few months . Coal fire once burning is Lovely .and a few DRY logs on top makes all the difference. If you continue with it sweep once or twice a year depending on how high Chimny .
if yoy like it then think of a log Burner down the line .
JIm

OK – Thanks all, I'll try and get some coal tomorrow and have a go…..

Go for it . Coal burns well once lit depending on how good quality it is .
Wood is the same But …. you need wood dry . Wet wood throws little heat and buggers your Chimny with the stuff that sticks to smokers lungs .
A mixture of both is probably your best bet . wet coal makes no difference once lit .
So to start the fire use dry kindling+newspapers 3 pages at a time ( not page 3)Twisted and tied in a knot
Running it takes a litle time to get used to .Burn hard at first then close dampers to build up an internal heat and open up when you need a hot blast .Does it heat your radiators ?
Dont bother sweeping Chimny till yu have run it for a few months . Coal fire once burning is Lovely .and a few DRY logs on top makes all the difference. If you continue with it sweep once or twice a year depending on how high Chimny .
if yoy like it then think of a log Burner down the line .
you may be surprised how quickly the coal burns away.
JIm

We used to burn coal in Stirling – onto wood now post move. The wee fire we had would not take that much coal (it was a small bedroom type castiron fireplace). I used to order a couple of bags of coal at a time from the coal merchant (who took it down the back lane to the garage no problem) and they would last me for an age!

Best bet may be to pick up a sack at your local garage or coal yard and just see how you get on and work it out from there 🙂

Woodburners are better all round though – more efficient and much more hippy friendly 😉 Just installed a second one in the new house so we are using very, very little gas to heat the place now 🙂

Coal merchant for coal and get good stuff burns longer, cleaner and hotter.

Another advantage to an 'open fire'is you can chuck allsorts of rubbish on it. 😉

Have you checked the chimney for leaks too? It is all well and good cleaning it but that won't show up any leaks which can be dangerous (fire risk) or fatal (like, dying from suffocation).

We bought our house from a fireman who assured us the chimney was fine. We had it checked and it had leaks all over and we had to concrete line it before using our new log burner. 👿

As above smoke test it , get it swept [about £50 per chimney)
Non seasoned logs have residues that can lead to fires in your chimney.
Coal from a petrol station… name anytrhing they are cheap for ? Get it form a coal merchant they will have varieties and just see what suits your needs.
Smokles s is more expensive generally.
Most coal merchants are cheaper if you collect it
i burn mainly wood but it is not that warm in an open fire comapred to coal but fine in a wood burner.

As a terraced house, access to any bunker means carrying it around the back of a few houses to get to my shed..

my dad was a coalman for years, as people moved to gas in the 70s his business dwindled but I still got the chance to go out with him for a few deliveries in the late 80s before he packed in for good. Delivering down narrow alleyways, round the back of terraces or down the garden path into the back garden of semi-detached houses was the norm – moving a 25kg bag of coal isn't that hard as long as you have it well placed on your back

getting it all in some of the oddly placed bunkers was a bit harder, it's a skill that needs work to shrug the bag from your back and hit a small opening with the open mouth of the bag without losing half the coal across the yard!

My mum and dad's coalman (or his assistant anyway) had one arm when I was wee, I remember being in awe watching him lugging the sacks into the shed.

That's a special kind of hard.

moving a 25kg bag of coal

Is that all they are???? That is the same as a big bag of potatoes which is nothing really – 56lb or so. It must be more. Surely?????

You'll get climate protesters breaking in to your house and putting out your fire with a bucket of water 😉

Just a word of warning, make sure you have plenty of ventilation. Having worked in the mining industry myself in the foot steps of both sides of my family. We have always lived in a mining village, the houses have air bricks or vents of in all the rooms which inevitably get filled in or covered up to prevent draughts as the fires become disused. These were essential to provide air for the oxygen hungry fires, and no longer have a place in our double glazed insulated home. So if yours is covered find it and open it up