I have not figured out of RU-vid thinks I own a Diesel or if I am On Heroin? Because all that is in my Feed is, "Coal Fires"...... Why not "If I were a Rich Girl".........?
@@CharnwoodSouthAfrica You too huh? Never before have I seen, such Videos, then suddenly... All that is in my Feed is "Coal Fires, Thailand Paradise, Filipino Lover, and about 1/10 or less, Video Topics I have actually watched before? I cannot figure out if it an Algorithm or some Negative Feedback about Exploitation and Illicit Behaviors I made on some Cop Chase Videos I watched? Which is what I think it is about? Cannot know for sure? Guess they think I am "Living in the White Palace or a Brownstone " somewhere?
Not using the anthracite correctly, you should have a good wide spread of hot coal’s across the bed. When hot and burning correctly there should be little to no flame without any unburnt coal visible
Yep hard coal takes practice to burn correctly its a good heat but does do better with a good pulling draft chimney and clean klinker free grates. Great vedio man thanks👌
Hi robotech81. The independent efficiency test results are achieved with the heat shields fitted. The shields act as convection panels so do not inhibit the heat produced by the stove but just re-direct the heat using a convection movement of air from the bottom of the stove. The efficiency rating is not reduced with the shields fitted. Hope tis answers your question.
Dad used them in his solid fuel boiler/central heating system from 1952-1967 when a house extension made him turn to a gas system. Worked well and there was always lots of hot water.
@@scoopzuk If you want to see a pic of a longer flue with the patina effect, drop us an email at info@charnwoodsa.com and we can send you one. We think it looks great.
Question; excellent demo here by the way, thank you. Can I ask you what type of polish one would use to buffer up the surface of a Charnwood similar to this one?
Hi Paul. Thanks for your comment. On the standard "black" stoves from Charnwood you can try using the standard black graphite polish you would use on a black cast iron stove. Over here we get a product produced by Godin so you may be able to get the same product in the UK or at least a similar one. One thing to consider is that any polish will burn off after a couple of fires (in our experience). This means that the polish is great as a spring/summer solution to beautify your stove but you will find that you need to re-apply at least once a year. The alternative is to purchase a can of touch-up spray from Charnwood (or your local dealer). Hope this helps!
Well, the good news is that Charnwood are starting to export to the US soon. The challenge for the UK factory is that the US EPA have their own system and standards for testing. This means that any products that come over to the US have to go through a fresh set of tests and comply with different regulations. That being said, Charnwood won an award last year in the US for the "Skye E700". Check our Charnwood US here: instagram.com/charnwoodus/
My Charnwood glass on one side has a film of burnt in sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) that I used with vinegar to clean with. Nothing I have tried will clean it away now - so looks like new glass replacement for trying to make my glass clean.
Oh dear! Sorry to hear that. We cant comment on specific chemicals or compounds but you definitely need to be cautious which is why either a very non-chemical mix like water and ash (as per the video) or a purpose designed ceramic glass cleaner that is specific for stoves. There are also sponges that work "dry". See video on our channel - "Accessories for your... stove". Hope you get some joy without needing to buy new glass!
@@CharnwoodSouthAfrica The stain was about as annoying as a spill of red wine on a cream coloured carpet, so just had to the right thing and replace the glass. Looks great again. From now on will only take expert advice like yourself. Many thanks.
A piece of newspaper rather than tissue is better. You can get a decent sized pad to work with. Take a full sheet or even a double sheet of newspaper and scrunch it up into a fist-sized wad. Just dip it into a bucket with a couple of inches of water (warm water is best) and don't get the newspaper soaking wet so that it begins to disintegrate. Just wet enough on the business side to pick up some wood ash. Get to work on the glass. A circular motion works ok for me. You will get very dirty smears at first, but maybe dip the paper again and pick up some more ash and keep going. Use a second or 3rd piece with more ash. The initial water/ash compound will have sat on the glass for a minute or two at this point and worked its way into the grime somewhat. The second and third wad of paper and ash will begin to remove the muck at this point. When you can see that the grime is more or less removed, use another wad or two of newspaper, just dampened with warm water only. Clean away the smears. Finally go over the area with one or two dry newspaper pads, and the job should be done. In some heavy staining situations, I might use up to 6 newspaper pads with water/ash to get virtually all the muck off, then a couple of plain damp pads and finally a dry off. Leave the glass with the door open for 10 minutes or so to be sure it's properly dry or any remaining film of moisture will immediately condense when you light the fire and that starts to go brown straightaway. I often use a piece of dry cloth (a rag) at the very end to ensure the glass is properly dry. The chemistry behind it I believe is that wood ash and water makes a lye solution and it's this that dissolves and removes the grime. Lye is quite a strong alkali compound and so has caustic properties. Strong lye will burn the skin, but using the above method doesn't ever seem to cause me any skin problems. Obviously wash your hands when you're done anyway, or wear a glove on the working hand to be sure.
The instructions on my stove glass cleaner suggests spraying the cleaner on and give it a minute to soak before using the paper towel to remove the staining. My method is to spray on the cleaner wait the minute then starting at the top move the paper towel in vertical direction rather than the circular motion as shown in the video, this way there is less chance of getting the staining on the paper towel spread over an area already cleaned.
I tried all kinds of fuel on my Coalbrookdale Little Wenlock here in UK. Bituminous coal and wood were fine, but they don't last that long. I used anthracite for a while but I found it difficult to light and keep going. If I turned the air off, or even down it would go out. Also, I wasn't impressed with the heat out put either. Maybe I was doing something wrong??? I finally realised that the best fuel for my stove was the manufactured smokeless eggs, called Supertherm, Phurnacite, Ancit here in UK. They burned well, even overnight with little smoke (once going) but leave a very dense ash, which must be emptied regularly to avoid too much build up. I even tried Petroleum coke once. It burned with a blue flame and melted my grate in no time. Lesson learned.
Thanks for this. Useful observations. Yes. We also found that anthracite was not as 'intense' a heat as wood and we have had similar reports from other users. For us over here, wood is ideal. True, you have to refuel more often but rather than go for 'over-night' burns, we prefer to get the ambient heat up in the room and then in the morning, we just 're-lite'. Even with our new 'Eco-Design' ready stove (Skye 7) we have had glowing embers in the morning after 9 or 10 hours. And yes, petroleum Coke is a no no in our stoves too. ;)
I also wasn't a fan of anthracite either best coal for me so far has been the oval shape coal great continues heat and almost no ash in the grate the next morning.
Hi Jay. There are couple of Country 8 'versions' so there are a couple of possibilities for your door rope size. Country 8 Wood-burner MK 1 & 2 take a 15mm diameter rope. The Country 8 Multi-Fuel MK 1 & 2 take a 10mm rope. If you are unsure which version you have, hopefully you can take a measurement of the door rope gully on either cast iron door and that will indicate whether you want 10 or 15mm. For more info, the Technical Dept at Charnwood UK are very helpful - 01983 537799. Hope this helps.
@@CharnwoodSouthAfrica it's a country 8b . I think b means boiler as it a wet system that powers the radiators. The stove is multifuel. There's a thick rope that goes around the outside of the doors and thin one that is up the middle where the doors meet.
@@Jay-ye1up Hi Jay. As far as I am aware, the Country 16B is the only integral boiler in the Country range. If you send me your email address, we can send you some specs so you can double check. our address is info@charnwoodsa.com. You can get 'retro-fit' flask boilers for Country 8 but I do not recall them ever referring to it as a 'Country 8B'. Can you locate the serial plate? That will tell you. Country 16B MK2 (if it is that one) has a combination of 15mm and 10mm in the configuration you mention so it sounds like the one. According to the specs we have, you would need 2.5m of 15mm and 1.1m of 10mm. Again, to play it safe, you can measure your door gullies or give the Technical team a bell on the Isle of White. Hope you come right.
@@Jay-ye1up As the South African importers, our info may be more limited than the UK factory so apologies up front. Again, a quick call to the UK factory could be your best option. Your Country 8 might be the 'flask boiler' version which is why it is not listed as an '8B' on our info. Best I can suggest is to give you a list of the rope sizes for all Country 8 models listed on the data sheet supplied by the factory. I will also give you dates of production (according to the factory website www.charnwood.com) of manufacture on all the Country 8 models. Yours is 2006 model Country 8 right? The data sheet we have has the following options: Country 8 Wood-burner MK1 (1997 - 2002) takes 1.75M of 15mm and 1M of 10mm. Country 8 Wood-burner MK2 (2002 - Present) takes 1M of 15mm, 1M of 18mm and 0.5M of 10mm. Country 8 Multi-fuel MK 1 and 2 (1992 - 2004) takes 3.5M of 10mm. I have rounded up the lengths to the nearest 0.25M. Let me know how you get on and if you want specs, drop us an email and we will send them to you. info@charnwoodsa.com. :)
The product featured in this video is the standard version which has a multi-fuel option. After 2022 the C7 will be available only in the 'Blu' version which is a wood-burner that meets the Eco-Design regulations.
The unit featured in this video is the multi-fuel standard version. The new 'Blu' technology version is now also available. The Blu version of the Island III is wood-burning only and meets the future Eco-Design 2022 regulations. The All New Island I and II are multi-fuel stoves and achieve the same regulations.
Is this true because Charnwood's own 'all new Island II' material says it can burn both wood and 'authorised' solid fuel using the converting grate? A number of retailers are saying it's wood only but Charnwood aren't?
@@MarthaMansbridge Hi Petrillo. We owe you an apology for not making our comments clear. We have adjusted our wording above. The Blu version of the Island III (3) specifically is presently wood-burning only. However, you are correct in your understanding that the All New Island I (1) and II (2) are multi-fuel and also compliant with the Eco-Design regs. Hope that helps to clear up the misunderstanding. Check out the 'Clear Skies' brochure available on the Charnwood UK website. This gives you a comprehensive list of all Charnwood stoves meeting the regulations and the fuel they burn. :)
Thanks Steven. Good point. The stove featured does come with gloves and we recommend using them for the reasons you mention. It also means one can take one's time in loading wood into the firebox is good for avoiding damage to the internal firebricks as a result of 'throwing' wood in due to the heat.
Everybody now can see why over-nigh burning is wrong. Full load and air intake closed to minimum - wood burns slowly, but cannot burn completely and efficiency is suprisingly low and pollution is high. Wood always has to burn brightly. Fortunately this is high quality stove and has always open "clean burning" canal - otherwise there would by a risk of explosion of gases from the wood. This stove should always have clean glass - if it's dirty you do it wrong (or wood is wet). Anyway Charnwood is a great burner :)
you don't have to go through all that bullshit to get a coal fired going. I grew up dicking with that shit. I can get a coal fire going in under 90 seconds with the fire being no larger that 4" wide. that's how the yanks do it, hard a fast!!!! remember we were building a B-24 4 engine bomber in under an hour... that's how we roll, or should I say that's how we once rolled. the dems today in this country have brought us down to a third world nation. lets put this another way. if the US were Santa Claus there would be a lot of disappointed children this year!!!!!!!!!!
Our Island 2 is 10yrs old. The stove is not drawing in air properly. I’ve tried opening the soot box at the centre rear of fire but I’m afraid to use excessive force to undo the 14mm(approx) nut in case it breaks. I’ve already cleaned the main tubular flue. What can I do to clean all air intakes? Thanks! Derrick Edge Dublin
Hi Thomas. Apologies for missing your comment. All the stoves featured on our channel are made by Charnwood in the UK. We are the distributors in South Africa so if you are over here. we can assist. However, Charnwood have distribution throughout Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. You can contact them at www.charnwood.com. :)
Hi Dean. Thanks for your questions. 1) Yes. The grate 'converts' for anthracite burning. Will post a video of it in the next comment. This system allows more air underneath the fuel and reduces ash build up. You still need to 'riddle' from time to time but it does the job nicely. 2) Charnwood make it quite easy as they have only one air control intake on most of their stoves. Fully out allows primary air underneath the anthracite. As I close it down, the primary air is closed first allowing secondary air over the top of the fuel only (particularly good for efficient wood burning). In the latest models (see Skye an Arc), they have an additional air lever that opens air underneath the fuel permanently. This system has enabled them to achieve the 2022 Eco-Design standards for super-clean burning of fuels which is quite impressive.
I am assuming from watching the video that you burned approximately 15 kg of anthracite in a 24 hour period? So that equates to approximately 66 times you could do that from a ton of anthracite which averages about £350-£400 a ton in the UK. Having the gas central heating on for a similar length of time would be cheaper from my calculations. Anyone made a more exact calculation?
Hi "fostex fan" (is that a reference to the awesome Fostex Four-trak recorder of the 80's?!). Thanks for your comment. By our reckoning, you may also heat a greater volume of your house with your gas central heating due to the set up of your rooms and radiators. Not sure on heating costs compared to the UK as we are in South Africa. However, we personally prefer wood and find it more cost effective than anthracite overall but we don't get your extreme winters where running a stove 24/7 is a preference for many. Thanks again!
@@CharnwoodSouthAfrica Greetings and thanks for your reply. I have had a multifuel stove for about 6 years and get free wood from foraging which includes pallets, hardwood trees and softwood waste. I've never had to buy it so I am lucky in having saved a few grand in heating over the years. Your video has convinced me to buy a ton of anthracite having seen how well it burns on your stove,( just to keep when wood becomes scarce as it seems to be getting) So well done....and yes your reference is correct. I have the fostex 160 and 260 4 track machines that I use and a rather nice 280 which I am putting new belts on. Wonderful pieces of kit from a bygone age.
@@fostexfan160 Aah! I spent most of my late teens (late 80s) in my bedroom with a pair of headphones on plugged in to a 'baby' Fostex X-26. Still have it tucked away somewhere. Should probably get it out and 'enlighten' the kids on the bygone age of analogue some time! On the subject of anthracite burning, the key is a fuel grate that allows for lots of air under the fuel and 'riddling' of the ash during burning. It is also necessary to have a stove that allows you to empty the ash while the fire is running. If yours does, then happy days. Charnwood have some neat functions that allow for this to be done relatively easily. Also, to manage your expectations, check out the flue temperatures as you may notice a drop in temperature compared to wood. Some of the other comments here are helpful on that score. All the best!
I can't help but question the minimal space from the stove to what appears to be a gyproc wall without any fireproof break. If correct that would not pass in Canada and home insurance would be void.
Hi S M. Thanks for your comment. We are pleased to confirm that this is a solid brick wall with cement plaster and paint. We agree regarding the proximity of flammables although there are regrettably no laws on this yet down here in South Africa. Good news is that Charnwood stoves also come with an optional rear heat shield (also available on the sides) which reduces our recommended 500mm distance to combustibles to 250mm or less dependent on the stove in question. This has been tested in the UK (where the stoves are manufactured). Thanks again for getting in touch and stay warm up their in the North!
A good video, however as "life in general" has commented plenty of air beneath to burn off gas from Anthracite, which is often a blue ish flame. Get that Anthracite glowing all over the fire bed. Not totally clear to see what size fuel you used, but the bigger the size the harder you need to "Fire it". Temperature should generally be between 300F/350F for a good 4+ hours. Always lightly riddle grate before topping off to achieve a good airflow, closing down too early will leave you with unburnt excess, so perhaps use less for overnight. One thing about Anthracite is the fact it is a pure coal, so no additives, and hence a clean glass
Try burning anthracite & petcoke 50/50, petcoke is a by product of the petrochemical industry which is no more harmful than any other coal but it is a by product so no manufacturing needed, about as green burning coal can get? And half the price. Carbon dioxide is bad but by far the worst chemical from coal is sulphur dioxide.
Sorry for the very late response. Thanks for your comment! Charnwood discourage the use of petcoke in their stoves. From memory (happy to ask Technical for you) this is because it can cause premature damage to the internal components of the stove.
Hi Matt. No, we don't get those over here in South Africa. We only have standard, straight out of the mine, anthracite. Not great quality as the good stuff is generally exported, so we are told.
@@mattseymour8637 We get the 'home grown' variety! South Africa exports a fair bit of the anthracite mined here and we have had feedback from customers that the poorer quality product that is not exported is what is sold locally. Not sure how accurate that is but we have heard more than one customer tell us that.
Use a Grenadier Electric Firelighter - no need for the paper, wood or chemical fire lighters and for the love of God, buy a coal shovel. Watching a real fire burn is better than watching TV.
When burning wood it heats up the flue hence the higher temperatures in the flu but coal doesn’t hence the drop in temperatures but the coal heats the firebox up more resulting in higher room temperatures, you need a thermometer on the side of your fire for true readings!!
Thanks Stephen. Our specific flue thermometer is designed to be mounted on the flue as the flue pipe offers a quicker reading on the internal temperatures compared to the body of the stove, as you rightly state. Other thermometer manufacturers may offer thermometers designed for the body of the stove. It is a question we have been asked before so, out of interest, we ran a test some years back mounting a thermometer on the flue pipe (as per manufacturers instructions) compared to mounting on the body of the stove. The time delay on readings was approx 30-45 mins. I guess this is helpful when monitoring your wood-fired flue temperatures to avoid over-firing. Have a great weekend and thanks for commenting!
The cold weather affects me adversely since I underwent a complete thyroidectomy - so the Charnwood stove would be a real boon and greatly beneficial!!!! (I would also put soup to cook on top on the wood burning stove! )
Great tip. We generally don't burn anthracite so this was a real 'experiment' for us. Can you elaborate a little on the expression 'burn off the gas' so we can get a handle on the timing of the 'banking' a little clearer? Other viewers may find it useful to know. Cheers.
anthracite is the only coal you should be using. burning off the coal gas is what keeps your family from not waking up in the morning. i was the one in the family dealing with the coal furnace in the 1950's in pennsylvania and you should keep the flu open until the coal cokes with a blue flame. the gas that must be burnt off is carbon monoxide. if your furnace has a crack in it you will not wake in the morning. when i was young it wasn't odd the listen to the radio and find out a neighbors whole family died the night before. the good ol days....@@CharnwoodSouthAfrica
@@lifeingeneral9111 Sorry it has been so long in replying! Very busy here right now. Thanks for the benefit of your experience. Indeed, there are some nightmare stories regarding carbon monoxide poisoning. Thanks for the tips!
