Right, im wanting to go back to lighting the fire in the winter evenings. Sticks, turf and coal mainly.
I'm going to need a grate and fire front obviously. Not sure what's the best types to buy. So hoping for some advice.
Anything else I'd need to consider?
Would you consider a stove? Glass front, set into the recess where the open fire would be? We got one in a few years ago and it is the business, it throws out some heat, and if you load it right you don't even burn that much fuel.
Might consider a stove in future. have a few things needing doing first, so the fire grate will have to do for now.
Know people with stoves and they do throw out some heat.
Get grate to fit your fireplace, nothing too low as you need air below to keep fire going on these long cold nights allowing for room for ashes, especially if burning high ash producing turf, timber etc. Don't allow new grate to protrude out too far which will smoke you out. Get matching front to match height of grate.
I leave a gap between grate and fire front to allow more air in, works a treat for our setup.
Be sure to have fireguard and fire companion set.
Quote from: spuds on February 05, 2019, 01:48:06 PM
Get grate to fit your fireplace, nothing too low as you need air below to keep fire going on these long cold nights allowing for room for ashes, especially if burning high ash producing turf, timber etc. Don't allow new grate to protrude out too far which will smoke you out. Get matching front to match height of grate.
I leave a gap between grate and fire front to allow more air in, works a treat for our setup.
Be sure to have fireguard and fire companion set.
You'll need to measure your fire back, i.e the concrete thing at the back as they're different width's and depths.
(https://shop.vitcas.com/media/product/266adb0/heat-resistant-concrete-fireback.jpg)
Once you know that you can buy a suitable grate or fire basket
Quote from: johnnycool on February 05, 2019, 02:35:20 PM
Once you know that you can buy a suitable grate or fire basket
Always stand upright for this.
The grate can appear great because you are on your knees.
Quote from: BennyCake on February 05, 2019, 01:16:50 PM
Right, im wanting to go back to lighting the fire in the winter evenings. Sticks, turf and coal mainly.
I'm going to need a grate and fire front obviously. Not sure what's the best types to buy. So hoping for some advice.
Anything else I'd need to consider?
https://www.cappertrading.com/
Spent about £500 here getting all the gear, coal bunker, bags of coal, sticks, ash bucket, grate, coal scuttle.
Love an open fire. Some job of an evening, TV and a nice glass of vino beside a tight fire.
Before any of that please get your chimney cleaned. Brother down the same as yourself and started lighting the fire after a few years of not doing it and nearly wiped the family out.
Ignore all that advice. 8 rolled up papers. 8 sticks. A lock of firelighters. A lock of coal. Light it.
Ignore the fire lighter too, bad fumes. If it won't light, get a broadsheet (cover of newspaper like Irish Times) and cover the full mouth of the fireplace. Hold firmly on each side. The resultant suction will get the fire going but try not to let the paper get sucked in too much of it too will catch fire.
Quote from: oakleafgael on February 05, 2019, 07:32:04 PM
Before any of that please get your chimney cleaned. Brother down the same as yourself and started lighting the fire after a few years of not doing it and nearly wiped the family out.
Yeah get a carbon monoxide alarm as well.
make sure you have a chimney other know hole in the celing and toof to let the smoke our or just leave the door slightly ajar
Any advice, recently moved into a new rental property and behind the grate of the fire the previous occupants have bits of block/brick in there. When going to clear the fire out the Ashes are still smoldering hot as well as the bricks.
I was thinking of removing the blocks to allow the Ashes to cool down a bit quicker but wanted to ask was this a bad idea or are the bricks serving another purpose?
Any help would be appreciated if
Quote from: ONeill on February 05, 2019, 11:41:49 PM
Ignore all that advice. 8 rolled up papers. 8 sticks. A lock of firelighters. A lock of coal. Light it.
Haha brings back aul memories. Fold 2 sheets of newspaper over and over then criss cross them and almost tie them at the end. Perfect blocks. Set them on a bed of crumpled up newspaper and then a few bits of coal from the previous nights fire. As it catches add more coal. If it doesn't put the poker up in front and cover the fireplace with a newspaper. Watch it go but watch it doesn't ca5ch fire as a while panic then. Them were the days
Quote from: Ghost on December 27, 2022, 12:07:55 PM
Any advice, recently moved into a new rental property and behind the grate of the fire the previous occupants have bits of block/brick in there. When going to clear the fire out the Ashes are still smoldering hot as well as the bricks.
I was thinking of removing the blocks to allow the Ashes to cool down a bit quicker but wanted to ask was this a bad idea or are the bricks serving another purpose?
Any help would be appreciated if
Bricks keep heat but I'd be amazed if someone used this method to keep heat? Make sure they aren't hiding any holes.
Quote from: Jeepers Creepers on December 27, 2022, 01:24:31 PM
Quote from: Ghost on December 27, 2022, 12:07:55 PM
Any advice, recently moved into a new rental property and behind the grate of the fire the previous occupants have bits of block/brick in there. When going to clear the fire out the Ashes are still smoldering hot as well as the bricks.
I was thinking of removing the blocks to allow the Ashes to cool down a bit quicker but wanted to ask was this a bad idea or are the bricks serving another purpose?
Any help would be appreciated if
A lot of older fireplaces are shaped different than new ones (older ones go further back so are deeper) and it can hard to get grates to fit so sometimes you have to use fire bricks to make the new type grates fit, that's what I have to do anyway
Bricks keep heat but I'd be amazed if someone used this method to keep heat? Make sure they aren't hiding any holes.
Quote from: oakleafgael on February 05, 2019, 07:32:04 PM
Before any of that please get your chimney cleaned. Brother down the same as yourself and started lighting the fire after a few years of not doing it and nearly wiped the family out.
Can't stress this enough!! We rented a property and thought it was 100% for a fire so lit it on the 2nd night and it was going great guns until I went to our bedroom above and it was full of smoke!!!
Got the chimney cleaner in only for him to tell us the chimney was closed!!