Has anybody got a fire or logburner lit at home today?

[TheTecknician]

I haven't as there's no provision for one in my modest home but it's certainly the right weather. Could we please see pictures? Thankyou.

Unless the coal is Forest of Dean freeminers' coal, there is no exemption for selling it for home use. And I can't see any other use for it because the custodians of heritage steam-powered objects won't put that crap in their fireboxes.

Had ours on all day with no heating on to save money . All hunkered down together watching Christmas films . Lovely day for us here

absolutely true- the cheap nasty ''Garage coal'' soots up terribly.
Parents used to use really high grade anthracite in a stove- that anthracite was ok for use in smokeless zones- it was so clean to handle, silvery and burns very hot.

Loving all the cosy pictures!

Heres ours, the fire stayed in last night and has been lit all day.

It has a huge back boiler which feeds all the radiators in the house too, toasty warm all through the house 🔥

All the pictures are lovely.

I would have loved to have one. I live in a modern new build. Want to buy one that looks like a log burner but runs on electricity. But haven't figured the placement and where to store it.

Haven't lit ours today because I've been out but left the heating on low all day as it was 1°C here.

We did light it yesterday though and I moved all the washing in here from the utility room last night and it was all dry by this morning as it was so warm in the living room.

It's the only source of heating for the house - the village has no gas.

I'll take selfish over freezing to death thanks.

I have one and it's lit but I loathe them. I have no gas and a big draughty house. My stove heats the water and can, at a push, run the central heating if I'm low on oil.
Filthy horrible things, I would love a gas fire. Dirty to light, clean, carting logs in none stop.

Yesterday and today we've had ours on

Honestly couldn't wait to get home and light mine when I was on a cold and wet return from work/school run. I lit it asap and we had tea sitting in front of it and watching Coco. Heaven!

Beautiful big dog, what breed?

Ours has been on all day it heats our house our heating struggles when it's this cold to get above 15 degrees despite lots of insulation as we live in a cottage built in 1850 which were designed to have fires.
We live in North Scotland it was -5 this morning with snow on the ground.

We use 3 year dried hard wood burns better and hotter with less smoke. But we also get prolonged power cuts through winter and we can go multiple days without power. The wood burner becomes the only source to heat and cook.

No gas here either out in the sticks. I burn my own wood or sawdust pellets from the local joinery

Perfection in one photograph 🥰🥰🥰

Start off with getting it checked before use and swept properly. This reduces the kick out but will also check its safe to use etc. Check the rules for your area of what fuel you can use (so is it a smokeless zone etc).

Find your local wood supplier you want good very dry hardwood (kicks more heat out and you go through less logs). So 2 years minimum or kiln dried. Wet wood kicks out a lot smoke and barely any heat you will end up putting loads of logs on for little benefit

Get kindling (from the wood supplier) and natural fire lighters.
Start with the vents fully open and get yourself a fan for the top to distribute the heat. General rule when the fan starts spinning you can reduce the bottom vent (again this stops you just burning through wood quickly).

To clean the glass some old newspaper dipped in a bit of water then into the Ash rubbed on the glass then wipe away with kitchen towel quickest and simplest way to clean it.

Cold day here but no snow. I never need an excuse to light it though.

Thank you.

@AutumnLeaves24 we are running the emergency immersion heater for hot water. Last time we did this, the electricity company thought it was our regular electricity consumption and put our bill up by £200 per month. It’s not an ideal situation. 😬

I’m not arguing. I’m giving a different example of how some people live to a ripe old age despite living in close proximity to open fires. As life expectancy is increasing - and has increased by over 15 years since 1950, I think its safe to say that the use of highly regulated wood burning stoves isn't the death toll some MNs would believe.

Mines been on, near enough every day since 1st November

On most of today. I would never not have one in a house now that we have it. The cat wouldnt let me go without one anyway. She would be furious.

Lovely pictures! Ours has been going all day too, and I managed to pack it enough that it was still going this morning from the night before.

I am amazed at how many of you seem to already be in Christmas mode!

Agree. And for those calling you rude - I think it's pretty fucking rude to waft smoke all over neighbours who are forced to breathe it in.

But hey, it keeps their cats and dogs cozy.

That's why I refuse to go onto a direct debit for my electricity. I'd be furious if they put up a DD on a random occurrence.

If the Scottish govt have their way then air source heat pumps apparently......except they seem to completely ignore the age or type of build on old houses and you can't block every single ventilation or insulate it all without causing other issues. Or the fact that they struggle with the regular cold temperatures and winter power cuts in rural areas.

Some of us have no neighbours or in my case all my neighbours also have stoves/wood burners as they are very old houses and it's how we heat our homes especially when we get a 5 or 6 day winter power cut!