Woodburning stoves - help needed

Buttonjugs

Woodburners are very polluting and there has been a lot of talk in the media about banning them. Not sure why anyone would get a new one installed when we’re in a climate crisis.

As long as there are humans there will be a need for heat, fuel, food and "stuff". It's all polluting. My entire house is warmed by one multifuel stove. It heats the kettle and cooks food. It dries my laundry. It uses a small amount of fuel to do all this. I am electric ready for when the government makes it possible (financially) to use electricity for all those tasks, I have to use my stove. I have solar panels. I am ready when they are. In the meantime I have to do my best. I have a low carbon footprint. I do not travel abroad. I do not drive long distances. I grow my own food. I compost and recycle. My garden is a haven for wildlife. I do my best.

Woodburners are very polluting and there has been a lot of talk in the media about banning them. Not sure why anyone would get a new one installed when we’re in a climate crisis.

ExDancer

MaisieD thank you - thats what I was looking for!

It's a pleasure, ExDancer

I innocently used house coal in my multifuel burner when we first had it, but then I came across that warning and it scared me silly... I gave the remaining few bags to an elderly neighbour who had an open coal fire!

MaisieD thank you - thats what I was looking for!

Another reason could well be the flue and there are different grades of metal. The lower, cheaper grade is thinner and suitable for a wood stove, provided that the wood is dry and well seasoned. If attempting to burn a fuel with higher sulphur such as solid fuel ,or logs with a higher moisture content, then the acid formed will corrode the `new` flue in three years

Often when a stove is added, a metal flue is inserted down an existing old chimney

If it’s a wood burner, it’s for wood, not other fuels. Mine is a woodburner. My friend’s is a multi burner.

a mixture of coal and wood is a perfect blend for causing acid gases which then combine with moisture in the flue, forming sulphuric acid, which will very quicky corrode a metal flue.

I had my wood-burning stove changed for a multi fuel stove before I moved into my new build. I use either logs or smokeless ovals, never both together. The same acid formation can also happen if fires are allowed to smoulder eg overnight. New builds do not have metal flues btw.

We use both. Coal burns for longer. Wood and logs burn away too quickly. A mixture is perfect for us.

Just endorsing your statementJ52

JamesandJon33

You can get a special grate fitted to enable you to use fuel other than wood.

As I said

You can get a special grate fitted to enable you to use fuel other than wood.

As others have said, if it's a woodburner only don't use any other fuel in it.

Even in a multifuel stove you should never use ordinary household coal. Here's why:

Well, even with a multi-fuel stove, burning household coal is not a good idea. If you check your manual, we would expect it to warn against the use of household coal. It might not tell you why you shouldn’t use it.

The main reason is that, when coal is added to a fire it doesn’t start to burn immediately. Before it catches light, large quantities of smoke are released. This thick yellow-grey smoke is highly volatile. It will will fill your stove and flue system and, once up to temperature can create an explosive flash.

The force of this will often crack the glass in your stove door or cause damage to your flue. Even if you’re fortunate enough to avoid an explosive flash, the volatiles released by the coal will still catch fire. They will burn intensely for around 30 minutes until the coal settles into a more controlled burn.

This extreme initial burn will start to damage the inside of your stove. Examples of premature wear you will see include twisted baffles, misshaped grates, pitted and cracked liners and warped fuel retainers.

blog.gr8fires.co.uk/2013/04/24/can-you-use-household-coal-in-wood-burning-or-multi-fuel-stoves/

Unless it is a multifuel burner, you should only use wood in it. And I'm not sure what welbeck's answer has to do with the OP's question. Any time the question of wood burning stoves arises, there's always someone who has a negative view of them.

Do not use coal in a wood burning stove. You may well do serious damage to it. My sister, visiting our home in France put coal on our wood burner, the grated softend and distorted and we had to pay several hundred Euros to get new one.

We have two wood burners, one burns only wood, the other multi fuel. Both are DEFRA approved.
The difference would seem to be in the grating and air flow ability. Some stoves can be altered with the additions.
The solid fuel for the multi fuel is specially formulated to burn efficiently, it’s egg shaped. I think one name is Homefire.
Baggs is correct on the cleaning method.

We have a multifuel stove. The glass does tar up a bit when we use smokless coal sometimes but it cleans off no bother with scrumpled up damp newspaper dipped in some of the ash.

It is probably not wise to burn coal in yours unless it has an airflow from below.

As welbeck says, check your manual.

I’ve got a Clearview stove and I burn both - no problems at all with it. I clean the window with damp newspaper and it comes up very well, no stains. As long as your instructions say yours is multi fuel, I’m sure it will be fine.
They aren’t banned welbeck, as long as they are compliant with the regulations.

Recently the London mayor set an air quality limit that means large home and office developments can no longer use wood or solid fuels. The new Air Quality Neutral (AQN) guidance states that all new developments in London must not contribute to net air pollution.28 Feb 2023
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64261624

Don't burn coal in your wood burning stove!
Coal needs air from below, wood needs air from above. Also coal burns at a much higher temperature and will damage your stove.
Only burn kiln dried logs.

what does the user manual say.
or look up make /model online and check.
or ring fitter.
(i thought they were not allowed any more, due to pollution, but i am a townie so admit i don't know).