Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

I don't mind cleaning and setting the fire. Only takes a couple of minutes.
As an added bonus, Mrs.Grumble likes chopping logs...

We've just had the chimney sweep in to do the chimney. He didn't have a small enough child to go 'up the lumb', so he just used brushes and a big vacuum cleaner.
Very neat - no mess at all.

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

Lucky you!

We haven't had our lum swept in God knows how long, we really should soon - it must be getting very sooty.

There is a person who does it locally called "A Clean Lum" so I'll give him a ring.

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

We have a log burner in our little office/snug area which I installed about four years ago and it's the best thing I ever did, although it can get too hot sometimes and we have to open the window until the room cools back down again...

We had a brick copper in the scullery as well Jan, and it was used, amongst other things, to fill the tin bath in front of the sitting room fire on Saturday nights....

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

I love the open live fire, we use coal and logs and it makes the room very cosy in the Winter time and what would Christmas night be without Dolly Parton singing 'Put another log on the fire'. I don't mind cleaning it out, I look on it as a labour of love, to be done with a song in your heart and a smile on your face, ain't it grate.

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

We have a woodburner. It only takes about 5 mins to clean. It's very warm and cheap. OH gets the wood for free.
We also have central heating.
I remember having a coal fire when I was young. It was my job to clean it out. Used to like making toast by the fire, with lots of butter. Used to buy butter loose in those days.

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

No central heating here I just have a big log burner. I only ight it in the evenings at the mo but i'll light it earlier when it gets very cold. I use mostly logs with a sprinkling of coal when its roaring.

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

I can beat that - when I was a child I used to have lard on toast for breakfast.

Looking back, it's no wonder I've had three heart attacks!

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

I used to love sitting in front of a coal fire as a child. We'd make shapes out of the coals and the different colours of flame but when we moved mum bought a gas fire for the living room.

It was my job at work to light the fires in the different offices each morning, getting coal into the scuttles from the cellar and hoiking it up two flights of stairs.

I was only little back then, but I was quite strong. Couldn't do that now though.

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

[QUOTE=Grumblewagon;218241]I don't mind cleaning and setting the fire. Only takes a couple of minutes.
As an added bonus, Mrs.Grumble likes chopping logs...


I wonder if there's a reason for that, like, maybe she pictures something else

Re: Does anybody else have a coal fire?

Unfortunately we live in a smoke free zone and can not have a coal fire.
As a kid my sisters and I use to see who could make the best picture out of the flames and burning coals.