Coal fire versus gas fire?

mrs.chappie | 01:22 Fri 26th Nov 2010 | Home & Garden

37 Answers

Anyone lived in a house with a coal fire, then moved to a house with a gas fire? Or vice-versa?

We had a coal fire then moved to a gas fire. My OH misses the coal fire and wants to get the gas fire removed and a fireplace built, to give us a coal fire again. We've got central heating so it would really only be for additional heat, he just likes to watch a real fire burning.

Anyone any views/opinion please? Thanks. x

My house is freezing but the heating is on full!

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Invictas

I used to live(when a child) in a house with an open fire.
My flat is in Central London where you are not allowed to burn an fuel that gives of smoke.
I do find the gas fire easier,but I miss the coal fire even with all it's drawbacks.
My fireplace works so I could light a fire in it.
(Oh dear that sounds rude!) LOL

mrs.chappie

Question Author

Thanks Invictas.

I'm not even sure whether we'd be allowed to do it, as the fire would be on a wall that's attached to a neighbour's property. Don't know if we'd need her approval ... I get the feeling she wouldn't be happy about it.

My OH thinks she wouldn't have a say in it.

Invictas

I think if you had your fireplace opened up again you would have to have a smoke test done on it.This ensures that the flue draws the smoke up the chimney,and (more importantly) that the fireplace has no leaks into your neighbours,,that is assuming their fireplace backs onto yours.
Apart from that I cannot see that you need their approval.

mrs.chappie

Question Author

Thanks Invictas. Part of me wonders if we are just getting carried away with the "cosiness" (is there such a word?) of it all, and forgetting the down sides to it.

We've just spent a couple of nights in a cottage on the moors, it had a lovely coal fire.

I do remember shovelling coal from the bunker in the cold years ago .... but in those days it was our only means of heat.

Invictas

Well,the biggest drawback I can remember is,having to clean the fireplace out and find somwhere for the ashes,and then relight the fire,you can "bank it up" overnight but this isn't very safe really.
Then (usually) you have to have a bunker or some place to store the coal.
Are there still coalmen who deilver?
Then of course(if you have a lit a lot) you will have to have the chimney swept,essential if you are re~instating a fireplace not used for some time.
However,I think these are all outweighed by the pleasure of sitting in front of an open fire,my Ma used to do the toast that way,it has never tasted the same in a toaster! LOL

mrs.chappie

Question Author

Lass, I think you've just convinced me. :o)

Invictas

Do me some toast then please,with lashings of butter!LOL

mrs.chappie

Question Author

Our mam used to throw some spuds on the fire. They tasted great but you'd end up with black hands and a black face. Hey, happy days. :o)

Quizmonster

The supposed 'drawbacks' of coal fires are greatly exaggerated. I can clean, reset and light mine in about eight minutes...and that's not trying to break any speed-records. The ash goes onto the garden, as does the soot from the annual sweeping. Where I live, there is no smokeless zone and local coalmen do deliver. A plastic bin with a lid is perfectly adequate for storing the fuel outside.
All-in-all, I'd say go for it, if you are in a similar situation, as there is nothing quite like the joy of sitting by an open fire.

boxtops

I love the fascination of staring into the coals and the dancing flames... we spent years as children being too hot at the front, and too cold at the back! You could always consider a good quality gas fire which has gas flames - the best one I have see is at our local hotel, you can't quickly tell the difference between the flame gas fire, and a real one. We are thinking about opening up our chimneys again, we still have the fireplaces in situ but sealed the chimneys because they were draughty (and the pigeons used to shout down at us).

B00

I had a coal fire in my very first house, after leaving home, and I grew to hate the bugger.

It was always dirty, involved lots of faffing, you were either sweating or freezing, endless rows over who was going down the celler to fetch the coal up and the cat used to sleep with one open infront of it as occasionaly a piece of burning coal would fly out of the fire like a fricking rocket and land on the cat. Singed fur does not smell nice!

Don't do it!

mrs.chappie

Question Author

Thanks for replies y'all!

We already have one of those gas fires that look a bit like a real fire - it's not a bad imitation, tbh, and it even has a pretend ash drawer. How cool is that? :o)

I wonder if anyone buys second-hand gas fires? 'Twould help towards the cost, if we do decide to go for the real fire.

I mentioned to OH that we should hang on until our wee cockatiel passes away. He is at least 15 and has a huge cage in our living room. His cage stands where we'd have to put the fuel for the fire, due to lack of space. Hubby replied, "Can we kill him now?"

He was joking, of course. He's as much an animal lover as I am.

whiskeryron

We have central heating,we have recently had a wood burning stove fitted in the fireplace & we are over the moon with it, it has a glass front & you can see the flames as it is burning. You have to have the chimney lined with a metal tube. You can buy a plentiful supply of wooden logs, which are supplied from sustainable sources, which means of course that for every tree taken for any reason,another one is planted.Ron.

horseshoes

We have a coal fire, but next week we're having a multi fuel burning stove installed; I hope I'm not going to be sorry. We had a gas fire in our last house, it had flames but they were behind glass - it belted out heat and we were very pleased with it - it also had a back boiler so we got our water from it too. Gas hasn't reached the village where I live now.

mrs.chappie

Question Author

That's something else to consider. Thanks Ron.

hammerman

We opened up out old fireplace last year replacing the existing gas fire. had a nice brick fireplace built and put my garden chimenea in the hole (minus the chimney) as it fitted a treat.

Now, i can't wait to get the fire lit....we only light it on very cold nights but it really makes a difference and it looks awesome.

mrs.chappie

Question Author

Thanks very much all.

I'm looking at pics of fireplaces on t'internet. There's such a lot to choose from. Might also see if I can find a showroom to have a look around.

Horseshoes, we used to live in a house with a back-boiler too, back in the days when there was no gas in the village.

BTW, does anyone burn ecoal?