'Adieu to Anthracite'; an ode to sitting round a coal fire at home.

[C126]

Having heard this on the news to-day:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56949426

 

I just wanted to post a pean to the now 'guilty pleasure' of a coal fire at home.  We were brought up with heating from a Parkray, which while enclosed and burning smokeless fuel (Phurnacite, I think), is, like the smell of creosote, something I miss dearly.  I hope I am not alone in having enjoyed this experience; I know it is bad for the environment, but I miss a coal fire at home.  I wish we had a coal-fired range to cook on now, despite its inefficiencies and mess, to connect me to the 19th-century.  There is something 'elemental' about enjoying the warmth generated thus.  Anyway, I thought the moment should be marked somewhere, and I hope I am not the only one to mourn the age's passing.

[Danemouth]

There was a Phurnacite plant in Abercwmboi at one time - this is it in production back in the 1970s - its manfacture is hardly smokeless!

 

 

 

 

Dave

[eastwestdivide]

I share your love of a creosoty smell (coal tar soap too), but as for the rest of the muck and palaver, goodbye and good riddance tbh.

I just about remember us having an open coal fire (mid-1960s, Kent), but I’m glad I was too young to have anything to do with it. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by eastwestdivide

[Mike 84C]

I remember waiting to be loaded at Abercwmboi, hgv not rail!, ten at night and still a queue of lorries.

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, Danemouth said:

There was a Phurnacite plant in Abercwmboi at one time - this is it in production back in the 1970s - its manfacture is hardly smokeless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave

A terrible place, there was a story (one of several) about someone in the vicinity of the plant happily pointing out that they never had flies in their house.  What they seemed not to realise was that what was in the local atmosphere killing the flies wasn't exactly doing their own longs etc any good.

http://www2.nphs.wales.nhs.uk:8080/WiderDeterminantsDocs.nsf/($all)/D93F10B3B791E4F48025708900302147/$file/RemediationHIA.pdf

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-20039041

[pH]

4 hours ago, C126 said:

Anyway, I thought the moment should be marked somewhere, and I hope I am not the only one to mourn the age's passing.

Did you ever experience a big-city winter smog?

[jonny777]

5 hours ago, C126 said:

Having heard this on the news to-day:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56949426

 

I just wanted to post a pean to the now 'guilty pleasure' of a coal fire at home.  We were brought up with heating from a Parkray, which while enclosed and burning smokeless fuel (Phurnacite, I think), is, like the smell of creosote, something I miss dearly.  I hope I am not alone in having enjoyed this experience; I know it is bad for the environment, but I miss a coal fire at home.  I wish we had a coal-fired range to cook on now, despite its inefficiencies and mess, to connect me to the 19th-century.  There is something 'elemental' about enjoying the warmth generated thus.  Anyway, I thought the moment should be marked somewhere, and I hope I am not the only one to mourn the age's passing.

 

That might be the BBC's take on the legalities of the situation, but I have just received an email from the coal merchants saying that they will continue to deliver sealed bagged house coal, but the drivers will cut the bags open before leaving the property. 

 

There are ways around the strict letter of the law, as speeding motorists and fox hunting farmers have shown everyone. 

[jonny777]

8 minutes ago, pH said:

Did you ever experience a big-city winter smog?

 

Yes thanks.

 

Do you live right by an 8-lane motorway? (Freeway, if you prefer). 

 

[melmerby]

28 minutes ago, pH said:

Did you ever experience a big-city winter smog?

I can remember coming home from school on the bus and the conductor having to walk alongside because the driver couldn't see the kerb

Fortunately the bus was one of these (on this very route!) and the conductor could speak to the driver through the front entrance or side window:

Edited May 1, 2021 by melmerby

[2750Papyrus]

I was brought up with coal fires and loved them.  Somehow the heat penetrated the body and made you feel warm inside.  They were also good for roasting chestnuts!

 

I can remember the London fogs of 1953.  The family had been to a social event on a Saturday night.  The fog was so thick, my mother and elder sister had to guide my father, driving the family Ford, by walking in the gutter and shining a torch on a paper held behind their backs.

[didcot]

We had a 1930s open fire in our old house. It's was the only source of heat when I bought it in 1997. Fortunately I was driving alot of traction engines at the time, so my coal shed was always full.

Even though I installed central heating, it was cheaper to have the fire lit. When the hearth finally gave up I fitted a multi fuel stove named after my favourite engineer, Brunel.

We moved and the bungalow had the chimney totally removed. But I put in a larger Brunel and insulated flue. We still rely on that over the central heating. It costs too much to run. I cut down trees for friends as long as I can get the wood. We burn smokeless coal, but I miss the smell of an open fire.

[Nearholmer]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

they will continue to deliver sealed bagged house coal, but the drivers will cut the bags open before leaving the property. 

 

I'd be fascinated to understand how that makes selling it compliant with the new law.

 

Ah, having read it, I can see. The guidance to merchants says:

 

"You can only supply traditional house coal loose or in open bags directly to a consumer. Coal must not be bagged."

 

What the law actually says is:

 

14.—(1) A person must not supply bituminous coal that is pre-packed, unless the coal is exempt coal.

(2) A person must not supply loose coal* directly to a consumer, unless the coal is exempt coal.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) or (2) is liable on summary conviction to a fine.

 

And: "“pre-packed” means packaged in a securely closed container intended for supply."

 

*This clause doesn't come into force until 2023.

 

I reckon there's a court case in this, to prove one way or another whether slitting the bag on delivery is a legal "get out", and I would bet on the coal merchant losing, because of the way "pre packed" is defined. 

 

Let's see which council has time/inclination to take a case.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Nearholmer

[jonny777]

That is what I thought, but their interpretation is obviously a bit lateral. 

 

This was part of the solid fuel email I received - "Please note, that the plastic bags will be cut open before we leave your premises in order to comply with the new legislation."

 

 

[APOLLO]

It's not the banning of coal that worries me - it's the assault starting on Natural Gas. What will we heat our homes with in the 2030's (not long off) ? Useless heat pumps, expensive electricity - or WHAT ?.

 

All this green this, green that is starting to really annoy.

 

Brit15

[tigerburnie]

Our cottage is heated by a multi fuel burning stove, we don't have mains gas in the village( or mains sewage either) and we have a coal fire burning just now, we also burn wood that I collect and dry myself along with peat on occasion, though we don't have our own digging here. A lot of small rural communities in Scotland are in the same boat, some larger house have installed diesel or gas tanks to run their heating, my daughters place burns oil. There will need to be some major new thinking if electric fires are to be our only means of heating the house, night storage heaters didn't work at all.

[Nearholmer]

36 minutes ago, APOLLO said:

What will we heat our homes with in the 2030's (not long off) ? Useless heat pumps, expensive electricity - or WHAT ?.

 

My prediction is "mostly expensive electricity", which will do two things:

 

- put the "hurry-up" on us all to make our homes better-insulated, to save money; and,

 

- unless something is done in a big way to help out, discriminate heavily against the least well-off, because they are least able to afford to better-insulate their homes.

 

There are some pretty good "help out" schemes around (my mother benefitted from one, which made an astounding difference to her house, at very little cost to her), but whether they are enough I have no idea.

 

See here, for instance, although the schemes seem to change subtly every year, and this particular one has now closed:   https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-green-homes-grant-scheme#how-much-you-can-get

 

Best thing to do is contact your local council, because I think they now administer the schemes again, as the did a few years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Nearholmer

[didcot]

The overheads required to install green options are out of the pocket for the average home owner. It's costly enough to replace a boiler, but heat pumps and solar panels are so expensive. We inherited solar panels when we moved into the bungalow. There was also a solar water heater as well. That was useless and leaking. The amount of piping, pumps and the like took up an awful amount of space. There was nearly £10k outstanding on the installation. The solicitors messed up and we got the bailiffs letter! We reckon we get about £700 per annum from the solar panels. So over 10 years to pay it back from power generated before you get the rewards. Just not doable!

[TheQ]

Another one here with no mains gas, no mains sewerage available. We have tanked gas central heating, ( 3 times the price of mains gas)  but it's the multifuel stove we rely on.  We've bought 4 tons of coal at a heavily discounted price.

I've just received a flyer from our coal supplier, they are now doing "compliant coals" which are 50% less smoky than the banned varieties.. roughly at the same price..

 

Oh, the house is detached single brick walls, the cost of insulation is vastly more than we would save over the next 30 years.

Edited May 1, 2021 by TheQ

[johnofwessex]

Two interesting takes - I would recommend both publications

 

https://www.thelandmagazine.org.uk/articles/firewood-firing-line

 

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2019/12/too-much-combustion-too-little-fire.html

 

Again it looks like an attempt to squeeze out small scale local activities.

 

There is all the symbolism of The Hearth which a radiator just doesn't have.

 

I like it when everyone else has gone to bed on a winters night and all I can hear is the rush of air through my log burner.  Also of course the relationship I have with the fuel, first stacking it away in the shed then bringing it in which tells me what the weathers like - if I have to bring two trugs in its a very cold day.  Then there is choosing which bits to put on and how to place them for the best resuts.

 

 

 

 

[EddieB]

1 hour ago, 2750Papyrus said:

I was brought up with coal fires and loved them.  Somehow the heat penetrated the body and made you feel warm inside.  They were also good for roasting chestnuts!

Yes, nothing as alive and welcoming as a real coal fire, not to forget the chestnuts and toasting forks.

 

But, having grown up with them there was the one warm patch in the whole house, draughts, waking up to frosted bedroom windows, cleaning and relaying the grate every morning, cleaning the chimney at least once annually (soot goes everywhere despite best efforts), going out to replenish the coal scuttle, indifferent coal quality (slack), etc., etc.

 

I wouldn’t go back!

[APOLLO]

As to insulation mentioned - yes, I fully agree. Our house built 1993 has plenty of loft insulation, topped up and roof insulated inside also (with natural ventilation considered), Cavity wall insulation was done when built and I recently replaced most windows with double glazed plastic which has helped a great deal. A new condensing A rated gas boiler was installed in November and my gas bills are virtually halved.

 

Only so much you can do with insulation to existing houses. Yes I could have gone down the triple glazed route but the cost was astronomical. I'm happy now with what I have, my gas usage has virtually halved and house a lot warmer this winter. Not a lot more I can do. But when (if) gas is outlawed THEN WHAT ? - A concern for the future.

 

Brit15

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, APOLLO said:

 

 

All this green this, green that is starting to really annoy.

 

Brit15

Carry on as you are.

Then when global warming really kicks in you wont need to heat your house but there probably wont be any food to eat anyway

Edited May 1, 2021 by melmerby

[APOLLO]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

Carry on as you are.

Then when global warming really kicks in you wont need to heat your house but there probably wont be any food to eat anyway

 

I certainly will carry on as I am. Giving the old Rover V8 a run tomorrow also, she has depleted a few oil fields in her time and caused a couple of deg C temp rise !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looking forward to warmer days. My house is at 57m above mean sea level, looking forward to nice warm sunny beaches nearby when all the polar ice has melted, palm trees etc - Tropical Wigan - Paradise !!!!!!!!!!!

 

As to food, for meat I'll turn cannibal and eat greenies, so look out for hungry Rover drivers with cleavers !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Brit15

[Nearholmer]

Could go the other way, of course, in that ‘global warming’ might not necessarily make everywhere warmer.

 

If it significantly alters the Gulf Stream or the Jet Stream, we could find ourselves with a climate rather like that of Labrador which, when it isn’t fetching sticks that you’ve thrown, is mostly sub-Arctic tundra, rather than palm-fringed beaches.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Nearholmer

[PatB]

5 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Could go the other way, of course, in that ‘global warming’ might not necessarily make everywhere warmer.

 

If it significantly alters the Gulf Stream or the Jet Stream, we could find ourselves with a climate rather like that of Labrador which, when it isn’t fetching sticks that you’ve thrown, is mostly sub-Arctic tundra, rather than palm-fringed beaches.

 

 

 

 

Which might explain why a labrador in front of a fire has heatsinking properties that exceed those of any other substance known to man. 

 

More seriously, I've recently seen it noted that Global Weirding is probably a better term than Global Warming, if only because it makes it harder for certain factions to claim that eg the recent Texas cold snap as proof that there's nothing seriously wrong.