Open Fireplace/Log Burning

[PollyPhfiller]

Helllo folks I am in need of some advice.........

I have an open fire place which I have no idea about how I go about getting it ready to burn wood and save a little cash from the rip off utililities companys who grab my balls and squeeze until I puke.

Being an unused chimney/fireplace [3 years from previous owners] I understand that I need a chimney sweep which Is booked next week with a smoke test for 40 bucks

Happy Days...............Now this is where i am stumped does it matter what wood I can use as I am in building trade and can pick "wood" up all day long[4x2.pallets,scaffold boards etc]

DOES it matter what wood you burn?????????

I have no Idea what the crack is with open fires hence the pic,Do I need to make my poxy fireplace bigger or is it just right for the room[Average size]

Any advice Good or Bad welcome :Clap:

 

[thebigyin]

it doesent matter what wood you burn mate as long as you get a chirmey sweep as all the smoke will go up it ,but you would go through a lot of wood a night you would get a bag of coal for £10 of the coal man and that would last you a week

 

[thecelticfan]

A lot more ash with wood as well

 

[digidude]

get a few bags of coal in, dont get the pellets, get the big lumpy crap, and as much wood as you can lay your hands on. break the wood into bits about a foot long, or however wide the actual fire is to fit them in, if you can get dry logs as well then even better cos theyll burn for longer, get the fire going with wood first, small bits, wiat till you got loads of embers then start putting some of the big coal in, this crap will burn for ages once it gets going

the next evening, put more small wood in, and the coal from the night before should light it after a short while, you may need some dry shattered wood to get it going from the last nights embers though

a bucket of wood a night and a few lumps of coal a night will keep you toasty warm

wood and coal can and DOES spit though, take precautions to not burn the house down m8, a mesh fireguard to stop any bits flying into the room will keep them on the hearth, especially if the wood isnt totally dry

if you got an outside shed, fill it with wood, floor to roof, if you can fit in another tiwg, squeeze it in there, people where i live start collecting wood for the winter around april/may, and fill sheds with it, keep it under tarpaulins, split logs from the roadside where trees are being felled in the summer and lay them in the gardens to dry out ready for the winter, collect bags of chippings where trees have been pruned and shredded and dry them out, 2 handfulls of this when dry onto hot embers is soon a roaring fire to light more wood, and the nuts thing is, none of them are short of a few bob, a penny saved is a penny earned and all that lol

 

[digidude]

speaking of ash (posted at same time) put it into a metal bucket (or corner of the garden) to cool, if theres any allotements near you, theyll be happy to take it if its really fine, a few bits wont matter as theyll seive it out, its good for spuds, if you have buddleja growing nearby, mix some with water and tip it on the ground near it, the flowers will turn purple instead of white, if youre really stuck, mix a bit of washing powder with water, pour into the bucket with the ash, keep mixing and adding ash, and youll end up with a sort of putty, leave it to dry, and put it in the bin, it wont blow everywhere when the bin gets emptied, and will still break down and decompose when it gets wet again

 

[Munkey]

You can't burn any wood, stuff like fence panels, shed wood or scaffold boards have all been treated with chemicals and will let off harmful gases into the air if you burn them.

It's time you made good friends with you local park keeper, that's the best way to get free wood.

 

[langland]

You need to be careful if you have nosey neighbours because if you are in a smokeless zone (and you probably are) someone is bound to shop you, and you are likely to get a visit from environmental health.

 

[K]

@ Langland.. The chimney sweep will sound the chimney and normaly give you a reciept which says the chimney is that. You are allowed 20 minutes smoke time.. after that its no smoke.. they cant do shyte about it.. im in a smokless zone but you can smell smoke on cold days.. neighbours will only complain if they are paying to keep warm..


@ origional poster..

Beware when burning wood. idealy your chimney should be flu lined.. Wood when burns releases tar which sticks to the inner chimney.. over time this becomes dangerous.. Chimney sweeps cannot remove it with a brush as its tar.. The only reason it sticks is because wood doesnt burn as hot as coal.. which is where flu linners come into it..

If the tar builds up to much you have a chance of a chimney fire..

 

[PollyPhfiller]

@ origional poster..

Beware when burning wood. idealy your chimney should be flu lined.. Wood when burns releases tar which sticks to the inner chimney.. over time this becomes dangerous.. Chimney sweeps cannot remove it with a brush as its tar.. The only reason it sticks is because wood doesnt burn as hot as coal.. which is where flu linners come into it..

If the tar builds up to much you have a chance of a chimney fire..

Very Interesting read Thanks for that it puts another angle on the situation

 

[nyck]

I burn wood from a horse chestnut tree i had cut down and burns really nice,as soon as i put the odd bit of 4"x2" it spits/pops every where.

nyck

 

[PollyPhfiller]

You need to be careful if you have nosey neighbours because if you are in a smokeless zone (and you probably are) someone is bound to shop you, and you are likely to get a visit from environmental health.

Thats why I,m going to use smokeless coal at dawn and wood when dark,Hopefully this will keep me out of mischief

 

[manutd4life]

if you open a window in the same room as the fire when your starting the fire and for around 10-20 mins after the fire has started, this will help the chimney draw all the smoke up it rather than all the smoke stay in the room and choke the lot of you.

 

[Seedy_r0m]

It's coming into winter m8.

'Tis a great time of year to roast your nuts in front of an open fire.

Wish I had a coal fire sometimes, I could watch it for hours.
Good luck with yours.

 

[digidude]

if roasting nuts in fornt of an open fire, you dont want anything that spits

 

[gasman]

If the fire hasn't been used in a good while and your unsure of the chimney (flue) condition then it's a good idea to have the chimney swept. More importantly do a flue flow test which involves closing all doors and windows to the room heating up the fireplace (i use a blow torch) and placing a smoke pellet in the fireplace itself. I suppose for arguments sake you could start a small fire in the grate and use this to both heat up the fireplace and to produce the smoke. As it burns check the interior structure of the chimney for any signs of smoke spillage and that includes popping your head in the loft space (best way to do the loft is leave any light off and shine a torch, any signs of smoke spillage will become apparent in the torch beam). Also check the termination outside is working correctly and that smoke is exiting the flue (chimney). This is where you peg it around looking for any signs of spillage and can take a few smoke pellets to ascertain it's soundness. If you see any signs of spillage (smoke exiting the fireplace to the room not chimney) around the fireplace then make sure that the room has adequate ventilation by checking the vent (airbrick) as people have a tendency to block them up. If you still get smoke entering the room then the flue may have become blocked/partially blocked. In most cases you should be fine but it's well worth a check as wood/coal burning fires produce noxious gases. Lol im quoting most of this from the gas safe register handbook and although you wont be using gas the same rules apply to the flue. Be safe fella.
Regards