Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Rural living

Looking to relocate to the countryside? Find advice in our Rural Living forum.

Rayburn multi-fuel for heating

6 replies

CreepingCrone · 17/12/2025 08:37

Hi all,
I've been a city/urban dweller my whole life and am now moving to a rural house without mains gas.
It has a Rayburn multi-fuel range for heating and hot water. There is bottled LPG, but the seller told me that's just for warmer weather when the Rayburn isn't going.
I don't have funds to fit a heat pump or solar, as the house purchase has tapped me out.
Please could some kind soul give me an idiot's guide to this kind of heating?
I work from home and have a very bald greyhound, so being warm is important to us!

OP posts:
danglethedingle · 17/12/2025 14:47

No advice for an actual Rayburn, but I used to have hot water and heating from a log burner.

To light it, you need a bed of newspaper scrunched up, some thin bits of wood called kindling, and maybe a firelighter. Put a match to the newspaper, the long ones are the best because you can direct the flame underneath the kindling.
Once the kindling is well alight you can add bigger bits of wood or logs, and or coal.

When you have a good hot fire, you then have to adjust the flue/air intake to regulate the speed of burning. This will be a matter of trial and error, because burners tend to be individuals, and it will depend on things like the wind direction and outside temperature.

You are aiming for a burn that is slow enough to conserve fuel and not need topping up too often, and hot enough to keep going and to actually heat the water and radiators.

At night you will want to bank it up, I used to add a few logs and then almost cover them with ash from the ash pan, and slow the burn right down, almost close the regulators so there is not much air getting through. Hopefully this will keep things warm overnight without burning all the fuel.

In the morning, if your fire is still going underneath the ashes, you have to give it a riddle, or maybe poke the poker in to let in more air and wake it up. This is when you add more fuel.

And so on throughout the winter.

You will probably have to empty the ash pan at least once a day.

This all sounds a bit daunting written down, but you will get the hang of it. Its like having an extra child or pet. You will soon know when you can get away with things like only using half a firelighter, or when it needs extra fuel to get through the night.

Things can go wrong, if the water boils in the pipes, which will sounds like a rushing, bubbling with maybe knocking from the heating. Turn on the hot water taps to get rid of the overly hot water and rake some of the fire out into the ash pan to help it cool. I've only had this happen twice, and both times it was me over fuelling the fire before going to bed that caused it.

If you have a chimney fire, this sounds like a waterfall in the chimney, with maybe flames coming out of the top or burning embers coming out, you can sometimes put out a small one by putting hot water on the fire. The steam will go up the chimney and put it out. Hopefully. If you try this you must use hot water, cold could crack the firebox and completely bugger the whole system. This is not really recommended btw, the official advice is to get out and call the fire service. But I have dealt with small chimney fires in this way.

Any way, best of luck.

Edited to add, best to get the dog and yourself some nice warm jumpers, hot water bottles and wool socks ect until you know what you are doing. I grew up with this type of arrangement, but it will be a culture shock to you. An emergency electric heater wouldn't be amiss either.

CreepingCrone · 17/12/2025 15:10

Thanks, Dangle!
That's great advice, bookmarked for future reference. I do have a log burner here, so can light a stove. The banking-up advice is just what I need.
I've got heated throws and there's a smaller log burner in the living room, so I'll work in there with my dogs. Very worst case scenario until I get the hang of it, I've a 6m campervan with a diesel heater 🖤

OP posts:
danglethedingle · 17/12/2025 15:13

You are very welcome, i forgot to add that fir cones make good, and free, kindling. Sorry I patronised you about laying the fire, but you did say an idiots guide!

climbintheback · 17/12/2025 15:57

Save up for something like electric aga or oil is good - you only live once you will be a slave to this thing - sourcing decent logs - coal - chopping kindling - storing everything! Air source won’t work in an old property!

cinquanta · 17/12/2025 16:04

An AGA won’t run central heating. Only cooking and hot water.

CreepingCrone · 17/12/2025 21:52

cinquanta · 17/12/2025 16:04

An AGA won’t run central heating. Only cooking and hot water.

Yes, it's this is a Rayburn which also runs the heating, not an Aga.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread