Help I hate my Multi Fuel Stove - alternatives and would I be mad to rip it out

[Monica101]

I've had my multi fuel stove for a year now, this is the second winter and I just don't get on with it.

It's just not what I had hoped for, mainly it is so dirty, coal dust and ash on the floor when loading it. The window and surfaces when wiped make the cloths black! I can't help but feel it can't be healthy to be breathing in all this dirt.

I actually am lucky to get free kindling but coal is £60 a month which is cheaper than gas which used to be £200 a month in the coldest months.

I'm mad aren't I to rip it out? It cost nearly 3k to install.
What are the alternatives? Is it to go back to a gas fire, is there any ultra efficient ones available that I could have, I did partly install for cost reasons

[Monica101]

It does sound like it's producing a lot more ash than some of yours! Something must be wrong.

Maybe it's the pine. I sometimes mix pine and coal in together to burn to get it really hot. I might try just one or the other. I have so much pine it is tempting to just throw lots on.

I will have to experiment as I'm obviously doing it wrong. I will ask the sweep back if I can't fix it but he is a bit of a stove nerd and thought it was ok.

I could get the coal cheaper I know in 25kg bags but I'm a weakling and can't lift them

Thanks for the advice everyone, much appreciated.

[AutumnshadesofGold]

We have multi fuel and burn anything
Burning coal is dirty, have used mainly coal this year as free wood supply dried up (DH no longer a joiner).
Definitely noticed a difference between coal & wood - coal hotter but dirtier.
Have recently been buying verdo logs (6i in a pack). Home bargains sell them for £2.50 a pack - they're brilliant!

[AutumnshadesofGold]

If we burn coal there is always lots of ash, negligible amount with wood & verdo though

[exLtEveDallas]

I hate ours too. Slightly less now we've given up on the coal (we had exactly the same problem as you - in one year I had to wash our net curtains every 2 weeks and our curtains monthly - I had to wet wipe down every surface daily and once a week I had to hoover the ceiling because the cobwebs go black!)

I finally told DH that we had to ditch the coal or rip the fucking thing out - so instead we buy wood (£210 for 8 X 1 tonne bags of Ash). It's not as dirty, but still not as clean as the fucking ugly beautiful gas fire we took out to get the thing.

[PigletJohn]

How old is your vacuum cleaner? Does it have bags?

Modern cleaners with the white or silver bags, and an exhaust filter that you can wash, will trap even fine particles. Older or faulty vacs may blow some out into the room.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Have to say ive never vacuumed my stove.

[RingUpRingRingDown]

My first thought was that the quality if what you're burning must be very poor (and your coal costs are twice ours ).

We use ours for at least 8 hours a day, burning a mix of coal and wood, and still only create a small amount of ash. I do empty it most days but could easily leave the ash tray for several days before it filled up.

[Monica101]

When I say vacuum it's with a stove vacuum. More like a wet and dry vacuum I think.

I'm going to change to wood, not the pine exclusively but one of the cheaper logs from home bargains etc to start with.

I'll see what happens and hopefully that will cut down on ash/dirt.

[Monica101]

Ringup do you mean the coal quality must be poor. I good definitely try another brand?

[Monica101]

Actually PigletJohn I do have an ancient old Samsung vacuum. About ten years old. I was thinking of getting a Miele this year.

I don't use it to actually vacuum the stove out but I do use it on the hearth. So that could definitely be part of the issue.

[lavendersun]

Wood does make a huge difference ime. When we have had bitterly cold winters in the past I have kept mine in for 3 months without it going out by using something called taybrite (I think it is furnacite from memory).

This year I have hardly used any taybrite and used more well seasoned wood instead. The dust difference is vast.

Have you got an ash pan with a lid? I use the thing to make the ash drop in the pan with the door closed and then let it settle for a few seconds before emptying it into one of these, the lid closing quickly eliminates the 'dust cloud' that can occur.

But wood only reduces the dust massively.

www.thefiresideshop.co.uk/ash-pans/ash-tidys/wide-open-fire-3-model-ash-tidy.html#.VpDThIT0GgM

[RingUpRingRingDown]

Coal and wood quality IMHO.

Poor quality wood and damp wood will do a lot of damage. Have you tested yours with a moisture meter?

[RingUpRingRingDown]

Fwiw I wouldn't touch home bargains wood (or anything from a garage, DIY store, garden centre) with a barge pole. You need to get wood from a decent supplier. Ditto kindling.

[Monica101]

An ash pan with a lid sounds worth buying, I've just got an ordinary one.

Ok I think maybe I should get a moisture meter too, I will check the pine I'm using to start with.

I may try a better quality coal but it sounds like I need to find a trustworthy wood supplier. I have limited places to store it though so that I think has put me off wood so far.

[PigletJohn]

if your Samsung vac does take bags, upgrade to synthetic ones. Until then, you could try damp-mopping the hearth and see if that helps.

[Monica101]

The Samsung is a washable filter one PigletJohn. If I get a Miele will any do or should I look for one with certain bags?

I've seen some wood locally for 1.3 cubic metres at £135. Anyone know if that seems reasonable. It is hard wood kiln dried.

Thanks for all the advice. Really helping me sort out what action to take to solve this mess!

[lavendersun]

Sounds fine Monica - I buy 2 cubic metres at a time, delivered for £200 ...... my log man's surname is Woods .

Hardwood kiln dried is good.

Have to say that I don't think my solid fuel creates the sort of ash you are talking about so perhaps buying a bag of furnacite or anthracite might be worth doing.

[zombiesarecoming]

If you are buying 1.3 cube of kiln dried wood but don't have undercover storage space to keep good airflow around it and the rain off then it is a waste of money paying the premium for kiln dried as it will take moisture back in from the conditions it is stored in

Seasoned wood generally is a moisture content of 20% or less

Have a look on arbtalk

www.arbtalk.co.uk as they have a firewood directory and you should by browsing the forum be able to get an idea of fair prices for your area and who is good to deal with

[Monica101]

Thanks zombies for that link. I will check where is good locally.

I have decided to store it in my utility room which just has cupboards in it as I have no out door place to store it.

I hope it does not attract mice indoors as for the first time in years I have no cat.

[lavendersun]

Not pretty but you can keep it dry by stacking it against a wall, putting a tarp behind the top two/three layers and bringing it over the top/down the front, pull the front out a bit so there is a bit of airflow and weigh the corners down with a brick or stone .... or log. It will be fine, I had to do that when I ordered 4 cubic metres because I can only store 3 - no ill effects whatsoever.

[Monica101]

So I will need a tarp even indoors! I was just planning to stack them all against the wall in the utility room.

Thanks for advice by the way, I am obviously clueless about all of this.

[lavendersun]

No, no tarp indoors - just to keep rain off .

[PigletJohn]

there is lots of talk about Miele, but the cylinder ones are much the same within each of the three sizes, except they come with different filters (e.g. the cat and dog has a deodorising filter, and one of the others has an extra-fine filter for asthmatics, and some come with a turbo head which adds to the price. Different models are different colours. Mine is the black C3. I have had Mieles for years and like to keep spare filters ready with the spare bags. The new synthetic bags catch more dust that the old brown paper bags. You can change filter types, but some of them come with a plastic frame included, and on some it is separate.

Occasionally there is a good special offer on one model, so compare JL, Debenhams and (vom) Currys.

[Monica101]

Thanks PigletJohn for the advice, an allergy filter sounds the best bet.

Phew lavendersun, glad no tarp inside. Bad enough a room filled with wood