Narrowboat Fire Out Of Control As 550 Degrees Heat Wakes Us From Our Sleep. 

Crikey - that's a huge amount of kindling - I'd typically use 3 or 4 of those and then put the logs on

Should you not put up ADVERT ADVERT, if you are getting free goods, if they are free, I pay to not see adverts on u tube, but you appear to be a selling channel now. If this is something you bought and are reviewing it fair enough, if not please say Advert rather than click bait.

I make these briquettes. To get rid of my wood waste I’ve got a briquette press and it’s good for me to dispose of my waste but I wouldn’t want to buy them I’ve made 250 lb and I’m using them but I’m constantly making more wood waste

You two crack me up ! You both look so healthy and happy and few deserve it more. Now De - ba - ra , you've got to work on that too gentle nudge , if you just bend your elbow a little more ( jab ) you'll have much more luck getting his attention. Haha. Much love from Florida Laura 🍊🤗🧡

Interesting vid ty. I live in an old damp cottage and have a multifuel burner with a back boiler so no fire no heating. I've adopted the extra sweater way of life rather than having fire lit all the time, house is cool generally and only light the fire if it properly chills off. I have a box of lento overnight blocks which I use when it's cold as a way of making the coal go further. On mine they burn slow and leave enough heat to restart next day. Presently stopping in my parents well insulated bungalow , give me draughts any day . Think I've finally stopped being a Southern softy...and adapted to the E Mid climate. My fave wood this winter is aldi kiln dried, that with coal burns well. Do honestly think people heat their homes too much these days unlike when we were children and central heating was a new thing. Btw do you think those stove fans actually make a difference? I know several people who have them but I'm not convinced. Lovely to see you both smiling and well even if a little too warm. Hope you are having a lovely Christmas 🎄

I wonder if making smaller slices of the "heat log" would make it not as hot? I'm sure it would be a shorter burn time.

Great and helpful Vlog. Confirms what we have discovered. We tend to use smokeless coal mostly and only use an occasional heat log to get the fire going.

Hi Guys Good to see you back. Always good info on your vlogs My husband used to make similar blocks to those 30 years ago in a giant compactor like a sausage machine they are ideal for burning on an open fire at home as they expand with the heat being compressed woodshavings. Hoping to get our narrowboat very soon...👌😉. Would you still recommend a coal cage? Thanks to you both. 👍

I've had a multi fuel stove for 30 years, that bottom damper needs to be completely shut from the start and the top damper only slightly cracked open.

The square briquettes are made with a huge amount of wood barks, . It will burn slowly for 6-8 hours The 75-or 80 mm round briquettes which have a hole in, burns 🔥 quickly and a rises in temperature quicker, at 1 and a half to 3 or 4 hours. Means that the fire was dead during your sleep at about 2 or 3 in the morning. But, you have another round briquettes of 90 and 100mm in diameter without the hole inside, this, burns for 8 hours straight. The latter, is made with a machine only made in germany and Italy. Highly pressed at about 18,000 KJ

Dont forget, you really need a carbon monoxide alarm. Not a narrow boater but I use a multi fuel stove 5W as my main winter heating for 6 years: Never used heat logs but I have used smokeless anthracite coal for overnight heating. Unfortunately, the UK only has two such coal pits and both came across difficult geological conditions this year. So difficult to source and expensive. Over the years, I've found just a few pieces of decent quality coal and minimum venting top and bottom is the best for overnight. I keep warm rather than hot!

Yes, Mark and Debra it sounds like you should give them logs a miss. Unless you could get a nice young Butler to do the fire and help Debra out ( Christmas is coming Mark ) lets be honest Mark we lads are not getting any younger and she maybe glad of the help ? 😊. 😁😂🤣 Take care both😘 🙄😅

The heat logs had me thinking I'd try putting 1/6th on. Now, I think it'd be to hard to break them into sixths by hand, so what I was thinking I'd do is break 'em into thirds, then get a big knife and try to cut one of the thirds lengthwise. But then I realised, what's going to happen if I try to do this is the knife won't want to go in, so I'll press harder and harder until the log suddenly splits. At least one of the halves will go shooting off, ricochet off the boat wall, and go arcing over toward the kitchen where it will, of course, hit some hard edge, shatter, and scatter chunks of compressed sawdust all over my breakfast! XD I love watching your videos. Have a good one! :D

That was hot;could of cooked the christmas turkey.Glad nothing caught fire,happy christmas

Love your vlogs, especially the music you usually add. Would you share where you get the tracks? I have a hard time finding appropriate tunes for slideshows. Merry Christmas to you both and a healthy New Year.

We bought the night logs, and if you use 3 a night it turns out way too expensive, told the company I don't want to be using 3 a night and 2 don't do 8 hours. So can't say we were impressed. We have the Wide Beam Spring Mist and smokeless seems the only way we can keep the fire in all night and keep our mutts cosy LOL

I am hesitant to tease you as the last time I did, It was taken seriously. Please please don’t take me serious unless I post a disclaimer stating that I am being serious. I am capable, sure, but why when my contribution adds nothing to the discussion. So, in advance this ONE time, I am teasing you today. Don’t take me seriously. Laugh, don’t laugh but my hope is that you will bark out a brief laugh loud enough to frighten the passing walking group but without the kind of fright that results in a call to the authorities and or emergency responders. Just a brief but sufficiently loud bark of frivolity. I understand that the long burning bricks burned too high and too fast to be practical BUT the vents above and below the fire which you were fiddling with create and control what is called ‘draft’ which is typically and commonly used in long burning and enclosed environments like a wood burning stove. While opening windows and doors are often the knee jerk reaction and certainly immediately effective but that doesn’t really play a practical role in day to day use of burning fuel for heat. When you get something that burns really hot, even too hot, you want to decrease the amount of fuel added to the fire as well as decrease the amount of air exchange taking place to reduce the overall heat index exchange in hopes of having it burn longer and lower. Putting the same amount of wood in the fire a 2nd time hoping for different results borders on insanity. I would have lessened the draft to almost nil the 2nd time around but I would have also done a practice run earlier in time rather than at bedtime. This would offer you the opportunity to adjust the draft and by association adjust the temperature to see how low it can go and still burn. While it is possible to use a fuel source that you can just toss in and immediately leave, typically with a slow burning fuel you toss it in, give it 5-10 minutes to catch completely and THEN turn it way down (close the air off almost completely) and go to bed. I want to know what magic wood you have used all these years that can monitor the room temperature and self regulate without human interference. I want what YOU are using! Having said all of that, am I an expert or have I ever held the position of the keeper of the fire? No. I am the one who cannot start a fire being influenced by the tides. Or, as once occurred between my Great grandfather and great grandmother (I was in my 20’s when she died and was a mother myself by then), he was starting a fire and went out back to grab more firewood. He left the screen open and asked my great grandmother to watch the fire. He came back in to find one of the logs had rolled off of the fire and off the hearth and the log was laying on the rug which was up in flames. He yelled ‘Ma! I told you to watch the fire!’ to which she responded from her rocking chair a few feet from the fire ‘I am sitting here watching it, still!’. THAT is typically my involvement with the fire. I make a decent backseat driver, as well. But am the better driver, to be frank. But to be honest (back to the fire), I learned to cook on a wood burning stove and still prefer the taste of bread that came out of a wood fire. You cannot replicate that crust with gas and forget an electric oven. And when I was young, I could build the fire in a cold stove and fix a decent meal. Something ruined my hands and made them wet. The fire just sputters out. This response is much too long. Don’t tell Fran! She will publicly shame me.

So wonderful to see you both! Love these videos, they are so honest, useful and informative! Alfie was so darn cute helping out @2:38. You both are looking happy and healthy, always enjoy you guys! Thank you so much for sharing, take really good care, stay well & safe! Huge Hugs...Much love Kathy x 💖

Hi, so I have a stove similar to yours, its a clear view. This is just my experience, with the smokeless coal, we use a small amount of bottom vent and just enough top vent to get the double burn, ie you can see the gasses coming off the coal, burning above it, with the wood or anything similar, after kindling, bottom vent closed. Open to top vet to get the double burn again, is very minimal. There is a point where you close the top vent and temp on the stove goes up, with less oxygen, but you can see the double burn above the fuel start to appear The smokeless coal is awesome, put a small load in the bottom and it burns for ages, like 8 hours, min lower vent and control with min upper vent. (You can add some old firebricks, to make the hearth smaller in the summer) Wood, say timber from the house we are renovating, its dry, so get about 2 kgs an hour, at lower end of heat output, still good, estimate 4kw, but with the double burn. I think the idea with wood, is to get the stove to a temperature that burns the wood, not from below, but its hot enough in the stove to ignite with the overall heat in the stove, if you can keep that going, there is a setting with the top vent that will keep this going for an appreciable time, not as good as smokeless coal, but you can get to the 2kg of wood (good dry wood) an hour with about 4 kw output. That heat log looks like, compressed it would be very good, but, as you saw, it just expanded in your stove and the surface area increased dramatically, its not solid fuel any more, I would surprised if there was an efficient setting that you could get the double burn. I would agree with you that it will just flare or go out, depending on the vent setting. Its great see to guys doing something mundane, like a "what fuel video" , after the tribulations you have been thru, and debs hair is coming along a treat. 🙂 Keep at it. xxx LOL, re the booze, I have a bottle of wine while I am watching. Lamb biryani, wish I was there.

Wonderful there is such a thing as burn rate the object is to control how fast or slow you want thhose logs to burn if you want a lot of heat fast the way your loading will do the trick (if you want lower heat all night keep your logs tighter togther with just a trickle of draft below almost choking the fire.) In Central Milo Maine USA we can get 12-15 hrs with just a tiny draft below or no draft AT ALL. we also use a chimny damper just about fully closed.

No comment about who looks better wearing the NICE shirts because i don't want hurt anyone's rotten feelings. 😁😁

Unfortunately most smaller stoves do not have thermostatically controlled airflow. Unless you can babysit the fire constantly you're bound to get instances of heat 'overrun'. Less of a problem with smokeless briquettes but those lumps of sawdust roar away in no time. Our AGA Multifuel stove has a top airwash for wood products which is not thermostatically controlled and you have to constantly fine tune the draw when burning wood. The bottom air intake, primarily for coal/fossil based products is thermostatically controlled and works well for all fuels overnight although the glass does tar up as soon as the stat shuts down the draw. It would seem the ideal solution would be a stove with stats on both airflow regulators, if there are any out there I'm not aware of them. I'm a hobby woodturner so all my waste goes on the fire, as well as the failures on the lathe!

Sorry Mark but you two blokes don't look as good as beautiful Debs in the new T shirt, it's great to see you're both doing well (and the pups). Take care and all the best. Stevie

Have you thought about a Dickinson (Newport) Diesel Heater...?

Just commenting from afar .. but those 'heat logs' may be perfect to load with "wet" foraged branches for an economic blend. - enjoying your vlog from the Hurunui NZ.

I was so excited when I saw you were doing advertising again , then I looked at the comments and all the haters must have left last time. Nobody to wind up , very disappointing 😊😉

Hello well we have a conbustion heater in our house ans we use Brickettes and I love them, I also love being nice and warm at home, but I can understamd being on a narrowboat a small compartment would be very hot. also can you message me with a postal address, have some special from OZ for you, also hope the xmas tshirts from last year fits ok.

If you do burn wet wood. Please please please make sure you have a CO monitor near the firebox. Unseasoned wood releases a lot of Carbon Monoxide.

No contest as to who looks the best in the Tee shirt…..Deb obviously.

great vlog , love the tshirts , instead of using 3 bricks , could'nt you use just 2 & some coal with it ? .

Your fan should be facing accross you’re flu for maximum heat transport :)

Your absolutely wonderful!! You have no idea what joy it brings me to watch you guys on youtube. So unlikely I will ever be tending a fire on a narrowboat, but I could watch it again and again. Good people shine, and you shine shine shine. Thank you so much.

A mix of Smokeless & wood? Nothing beats a Real Fire.

Like you I have a morso squirrel but just use smokeless brickets and foraged wood seems to work fine, keeps nice and toasty

OMG!!!!!! You pair have made Darren’s year! Thank you so much. We both nearly fell off our chairs. Thank you and also thank you for being such lovely folk with a brilliant channel. Hope you pair have a wonderful xmas and new year. Wendy & Darren xxx

It's not just you. I'm British but live in Mongolia with my Mongolian wife in a yurt camp in the mountains. It's an extremely cold climate - probably one of the most severe habitable places on earth. Our winter night low temps average -30C but dip to -45C on a few nights. Day highs average -16C. We use smokeless briquettes for night and firewood for the day. Wood is horrible for the night but it's nice for a quick heat up in the day when we can tend to the fire. For an all night burn, we've found wood to fail completely. We simply can't burn for more than 1 hour without topping it up. We don't have access to wood briquettes. So, we burn about 20kg of smokeless briquettes and we can get 16 hours from that which is just about enough. We've got a coal boiler (located in a shipping container next to the yurts) connected to 5 radiators running anti-freeze. It'll be our first winter with this heating method because before we used electricity to heat underfloor heating and space heaters last year. However, it cost us a fortune (about £400 last January) and the electric company uses coal anyway so we're cutting out the middle man and burning smokeless coal. We call them semi-coke briquettes. The big advantage is an all night burn. The next big advantage is cost. A 25kg bag is £1 so we hope to save about 90% of the cost of heating with electricity. Firewood costs 4x more and has half the thermal efficiency, therefore 8x as expensive for the same heat generation ability. An easy choice for us. I really like your lifestyle. Very cool.

Thanks guys catch you on the next video o and mark not too bad this week with your talking over debs lol 😂 keep the good work up

I do like that type of fire lighter no smell of paraffin/kerosene. Would interesting on our open fire with the heat logs.

Love the videos keep up the good work James from ireland 🇮🇪

I too bought the overnight bricks, and didn't find them good at all. I found that they had gone out after only 5 hours. As I get up early most days, make a coffee, and go back to bed with it, I'm going to try putting another brick on when I get up, assuming there are embers still left, balance 2 or 3 lumps of coal on top of that, and open up the vents, see if that works any better.

ps potato peelings ontop of the night bricks they will burn longer and cooler.

Hello from Christmas michigan love the vlog . Lots of people burn lots of wood here natual gass and propane to .pellet stoves are becoming popular they are like you're heat log but about the size of a pistachio. Cool that's it's made from sawdust and bark.

Just like ourselves you never want to be cold in your own home. Love the heat!! I have to laugh at the two of you both always wanting to speak. There’s one thing for sure you would never get a single penny in a sponsored silence LOL. On a positive note you both rock the T shirts. Keep well and Happy Xmas.

I’m on a boat with a 4kw wood stove (not multi-fuel as no lower air intake). I use compressed logs only and you can only burn one at a time. They do get hot but once you have the knack you get used to them we keep a slow steady burn.

Great review! I'm looking at options for my home wood stove and find Lekto wood fuel is available in the USA, but I won't be buying them. Especially the overnight bricks that don't work in a narrowboat ... how could they work in even just a slightly larger room? Thank you!

The comment I get a lot from friends is... Is it cold on a narrow boat in winter .... NO 😂... Far from it. The opposite. Doors open, windows open, while freezing outside... Love it ❣️

Gin hitting home 😀. Should say your vlogs not you !!

I only used a slice of a log to light my wood stove. They burn to hot to fast.

I'll just set my stove to its constant temperature and settle down and watch 😎 #DieselWins 😂😉

What's hot, is Deb's hair coming back so beautifully! God bless you, dear lady!

LOL, when we’re going for a walk, we have to spell it out. I walk everyday on the treadmill now that it’s cold, and I still have to spell it out when telling the wife. ❤️🇺🇸

Your headline gave me a Heart attack ! On fire, -- What ? ? Oh you're reviewing some fire logs, thank goodness, phew ! I think that these logs burn away completely to ash, whereas with natural logs, or coal, you always seem to be left with a central core of glowing ember, which I think gives some respite to the heat, and gives a wider tolerance for topping up the fire. I think the tarry film on the glass is a no-no ! But anyway, I'm glad the Fire Brigade were not called out ! Glad you are safe and snug ! Glad to see you are still your bubbly selves ! Take care, Stu xx

It's good to see you laughing, Deb's Hun. Take care and stay safe both of you.

We have a control to turn our fire down so it doesn’t burn so fierce

You should put the fan on a battery to make electric

Love T shirts. Also your hair is beautiful

Flue needs a damper fitting easy job for you morso u need coal plates for coal and they don’t recomend the compressed wood burns to hot

Sounds like feast or famine. I couldn't take the really low heat or the extremely high heat either. Comfort is having a steady temp. Waking up in the cold is terrible so I guess I'd prefer too warm.

Where do you keep your fire extinguisher?

Love your videos merry Christmas 🎅

I have had the same problem with heat logs, they burn far too hot and have a short burn time.

It’s lovely to see you both looking so well and happy and the hair on your heads match, beautiful color, and I love the tee-shirts. A very interesting and delightful vlog, many thanks for letting us take a peek into your lives. Keep well and happy.❤️🌻 x x

Hi...that temp meter should be around 12 inches up the chimney/ flue . It the flue temp you need to monitor 😀

Very useful vlog. Getting it right with correct mix of wood and/or coal seems to be a right conundrum on any narrowboat!

If I just want a low consistent heat, I just use smokeless coal. Not trying to tell you how to suck eggs. We all have our little ways xx

Deb took the shoe, in her pink well deck shirt

Oh my goodness.... how hot!!! Scary...... thanks for trialing these... by the look of your welldeck you have a supply that will last you until the Spring!! Useful ballast ??!! Ha ha... xx

Can I as a gas installer please beg every one to have their burners checked and cleaned at least once a year as per the products instructions

To achieve absolutely spotless glass on your stove, take damp sponge or rag and dip into cooled *white* ash. Rub on glass until clean, rinse with water and let dry. Rinse again, if needed, to eliminate haze. P. S. Only use WOOD OR PAPER ASH. Coal contains earth products that can scratch glass. Wood does not.

Darren is the sexiest man on RU-vid. And so is his wife. xx

I am very happy to see a new video.

Bloody interesting,,, Thanks guys,,, Certainly got me thinking 👍👍👍

Do you still use your coal cage?

Loved the video, crack up over shhhing made me laugh. Scarey about the heat. I liked the T’s on you both. Your both looking so well. Love from downunder 💜💜🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

Love seeing the WDD Tshirts! Great, honest review. Cheers!

What does that sudden burst of extreme heat do to hull and stove pipe? Back in the 80’s, I house sat for my girlfriends parents and the stove went white hot and I swear I could see through the stove pipe. Be safe and warm. Happy Holidays!

Lamb Birayami... Yum!!

Tried these heat logs in our cottage, like the boat, good to bring up the heat but way to hot. Work great outside in a fire pit. We now use large smoke less brunettes and work fantastic. Have a Merry Christmas Steve & Mel (Ex NB Dogs Allowed).

I had exactly the same results as you guys. It's a case of all or nothing as far as heat is concerned. It also works out to be very expensive too so I'll stick to my smokeless coal.

Hi Guys, Just catching up on you last couple of blogs while sitting here with a LARGE Raspberry Gin & lemonade after a manic day from hell in work ( any excuse 😀). Glad to see you both looking so well. Just wondering -- can I buy your Welldeck T shirts anywhere?. Love the pink one Debs is wearing xx

Thanks for a very helpful review. Considering how expensive the Lekto products are it’s surprising how quickly they burn off! ( yes I popped to your Amazon link). Stay safe, stay warm ( fancied some of that Biriani😉). Joan

I'm a chilly mortal but i dont think i could cope with the temperature variations, definitely smokeless coal, burns for ages, glad its not just us burning the Morso 24/7. Loving all your vlogs X

Enjoyed it as always, your both looking well and love the hair girl 😍 Stan Alison and Nutmeg 🐕

100 degrees wowser too hot glad to see you back and looking so well x

Great video you too! xx

The glass can be cleaned using the ash ,which is a mild abrasive,.

Awesome video. I now what you mean by how you do it, which is great. But here in the sub freezing north America most people shut the dampers right down and just barely crack bottom damper over night and it doesn't get to hot and coals left for the morning. Have you ever stopped while floating the canals and cut up any dead wood and use it to offset the expense of the heat bricks? A battery Sawzall would work great if you did. Thanks again for the video and wishing you both a Merry Christmas until next time, cheers.

Great seeing u two again!!! Looking good Deb!!

Thought you were playing Jenga with that kindling, Mark! We use the supermarket heat logs, we chuck one on about an hour before we get up along with half a dozen pieces of smokeless fuel and an hour later it’s warm enough to venture out of bed. Debs, your hair looks lovely, suits you like that 👍

It's great to see your vids and always look forward to the next....also nice to catch a glimpse of Darren & Wendy 👍

A Lamb Biriani washed down with some of my home brewed alcoholic ginger beer with chillies additive sounds just great, shame Ive only got corned beef hash leftovers. Great informative vid, but I havent got any heating on my catamaran (other than dead mans fingers spiced rum and brandy.) Great to see you both looking so well and still laughing at each other.

You two are too darn cute!

WOW, that is some serious heat those logs cranked out. i agree 100 degrees fahrenheit (i'm in the U.S.) would be unbearable at bedtime, although the dogs didn't seem to mind one bit lol. If you don't have any uploads before Christmas, i wish you both a Very Merry Christmas!

Good show! I almost passed out after I was on my way back to the couch! I slowly went to the floor. Dave called 911 and was going to have the ambulance come get me. After a few minutes I was feeling a lot better. I am back in my recliner, and watching the rest of you video. It was very informative. I would like to see your new Grandson one of these days. We bought a home in a 55t community. It is in Fredericksburg, Va. We will be 12.8 miles away from Erin and Josh. We are flying back on my birthday (Dec. 21st). We will be there until Dec. 28th. We will then go back to Nevada to continue getting ready to move. I have been waiting for this to happen for a very long time! Love, Pat and Dave ❤️🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄

So the fire lighters would be good then? I'm curious as to whether pushing a full log into the fire so its a tight fit would prevent it expanding, so it would burn slower? (Not something to try lightly in case it damages the fire.)

Hi guys good to see you both looking so smart. I was interested in comparing your stove with mine at the cottage.Mine is about 20 inches square on metal legs and sits on a 1 inch thick sheet metal insulated pad designed and required by insurance as its on a wooden floor,it sits about 8 inches from the wall at the rear which has a sheet metal shield with an air gap attached to the rear ,internally it is lined with fire brick,there is a sliding air intake on the top above the glass door and also a damper in the flue the lower part of the flue is uninsulated metal pipe 6 inches in diameter at the ceiling level it goes into a transition box and emerges into an insulated double wall pipe that goes through the roof and extends a few feet above the roof ridge,all approved by the insurance inspector. I burn only wood which is a mixture of oak birch maple cedar pine and spruce which we gather it all from our own property.Most of which are winter blow downs. We have cut the odd tree but forest density is the same now as it was 35 years ago when we bought the property We have done some thinning of softwoods as they grow quicker when given some space and light We did plant some Red pine 25 years ago and they are now about 40 feet tall.We have an electric fan which we use sometimes to spread the heat.The stove will stay in overnight once you've found the right air settings by trial and error.We cut split and stack our wood in a purpose built wood store and we keep about 2 cords of wood on hand and burn wood that has been stacked for about a year,we use twigs birch bark and chopped cedar as kindling.the only artificial thing we burn is once or twice a season is a patented log that eliminates any creosote buildup .The stove will heat the whole cottage which has an area of 1500sq ft on two levels, downstairs there is a Galley kitchen a bathroom with a shower toilet and vanity one bedroom and a large lounge diner,upstairs is a large sleeping loft with 2 double beds & 3 singles.We can actually sleep 10 as in the lounge the couch is a pullout double. Every post you make Debbie looks even better she really shines in this episode .Bit wintry here had to blow the drive this week nite time as low as-22 just north of us but on the coast =8c to 10c. Cheers take care XX

WOW. I cannot believe how hot it got on the boat - or how BIG those logs got when they were burning. Do you remember what the temperature was on the boat that morning that you said it was cold. After having been so hot - I wonder how much of the heat you were able to dissipate. Considering how cold I keep my house, I'm afraid I might boil in a narrowboat in winter - but who can resist the lure of a crackling fire...

OMG, I am so glad you are okay! From the tag line horrific thoughts went thru my mind. You both look good, hope daughter and baby are also doing well. That fire product definitely not for a narrowboat. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.. Take care and see you soon.

Merry Xmas and every good luck for 2022 you both deserve ❤ the very best life has to offer 😀 😊 xxxx

We have the exact same model in our home. We found the compressed fire logs can tar up the window. I use a baby wipe dipped into cold ash to clean the window.