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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2021 20:08:38 GMT
Forgive my penchant for flowery melodrama, but a thorny question has arisen in my mind, that must soon find an answer.
And it is this: when does one finally let the stove go out, and leave the hearth cold till October? (or September if you're a southern jessie, obvs)
The stove became my rock; my shore; and my comfort, in the dark and frozen days that are now receding into our past.
I'm now finding ways of toning it down a bit, and especially on the bright and sunny afternoons when the light through the windows seems to warm up the boat to a degree that the stove hardly seems needed. I dont really want to lose it, but its heat is becoming needed less, and needed less often.
I'm resigning myself to using the diesel CH for the chilly mornings, and maybe the evenings, at some point soon, but I dont think we are quite there yet- and if I'm honest, I'll miss the dry nature of the heat it creates as well.
So how do you folks deal with stove-withdrawal symptoms? Do you have a set time of year in mind, or do you just play it by ear and make the decision whenever, or do you keep a couple of bags of coal ready in the cratch just in case?
I can imagine in June and July the evenings are so warm that the struggle is to actually stay cool, but in April and May there are still the odd cool mornings, but then it warms up by 9 or 10 am, and within an hour of the stove starting to warm up properly, it probably seems a waste to have got it going.
What do you do on the 'in between' days?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2021 20:23:04 GMT
In practice everyone talks about how manly they are about now and how they haven't lit their stove for ages but really they've just stocked up on six bags of smokeless. How about a chest wig for show?
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Post by Telemachus on Mar 19, 2021 23:03:38 GMT
Forgive my penchant for flowery melodrama, but a thorny question has arisen in my mind, that must soon find an answer. And it is this: when does one finally let the stove go out, and leave the hearth cold till October? (or September if you're a southern jessie, obvs) The stove became my rock; my shore; and my comfort, in the dark and frozen days that are now receding into our past. I'm now finding ways of toning it down a bit, and especially on the bright and sunny afternoons when the light through the windows seems to warm up the boat to a degree that the stove hardly seems needed. I dont really want to lose it, but its heat is becoming needed less, and needed less often. I'm resigning myself to using the diesel CH for the chilly mornings, and maybe the evenings, at some point soon, but I dont think we are quite there yet- and if I'm honest, I'll miss the dry nature of the heat it creates as well. So how do you folks deal with stove-withdrawal symptoms? Do you have a set time of year in mind, or do you just play it by ear and make the decision whenever, or do you keep a couple of bags of coal ready in the cratch just in case? I can imagine in June and July the evenings are so warm that the struggle is to actually stay cool, but in April and May there are still the odd cool mornings, but then it warms up by 9 or 10 am, and within an hour of the stove starting to warm up properly, it probably seems a waste to have got it going. What do you do on the 'in between' days? Yes the diesel CH and if we are cruising, maybe the radiators heated by engine “waste” heat which is one of the more satisfying mods I’ve done to the boat. Well I may be english by birth, but having lived in Scotland for 40 years I get the “something for free” thing.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2021 23:20:00 GMT
I seem to remember (distant memories after the last year) we moved to evening wood fires ... lighting it if necessary as the day cools to just take the chill off, and then letting it burn out overnight. If it was particularly chilly, we'd put a little coal on before bed so the fire would stay in until morning but would burn out before midday. It really depends on any given days temperature. Just hope I can remember HOW to light a fire once I get back afloat Rog
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Post by ianali on Mar 19, 2021 23:32:47 GMT
Ali and me often light the stove for romance. It’s a lovely time, just cool enough to need a little extra warmth whilst huddled together.
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Post by patty on Mar 20, 2021 7:20:50 GMT
Forgive my penchant for flowery melodrama, but a thorny question has arisen in my mind, that must soon find an answer. And it is this: when does one finally let the stove go out, and leave the hearth cold till October? (or September if you're a southern jessie, obvs) The stove became my rock; my shore; and my comfort, in the dark and frozen days that are now receding into our past. I'm now finding ways of toning it down a bit, and especially on the bright and sunny afternoons when the light through the windows seems to warm up the boat to a degree that the stove hardly seems needed. I dont really want to lose it, but its heat is becoming needed less, and needed less often. I'm resigning myself to using the diesel CH for the chilly mornings, and maybe the evenings, at some point soon, but I dont think we are quite there yet- and if I'm honest, I'll miss the dry nature of the heat it creates as well. So how do you folks deal with stove-withdrawal symptoms? Do you have a set time of year in mind, or do you just play it by ear and make the decision whenever, or do you keep a couple of bags of coal ready in the cratch just in case? I can imagine in June and July the evenings are so warm that the struggle is to actually stay cool, but in April and May there are still the odd cool mornings, but then it warms up by 9 or 10 am, and within an hour of the stove starting to warm up properly, it probably seems a waste to have got it going. What do you do on the 'in between' days? I like a stove..there's something warming and comforting about an evening spent watching flickering flames. I admit i used to light mine when I moored up for the evening and let it go out overnight right up until summer. But then I'm not manly but a fragile flower that would wilt if exposed to chill night air........
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Post by phil70 on Mar 20, 2021 7:52:56 GMT
One thing we were grateful for was the gas C/H. It would provide heat whenever it got a bit chilly of an evening or first thing in the morning. Lighting the fire became a "thing" to be put off till we reached the point of no return in the autumn when it would be lit to stay on till the spring Phil
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Post by quaysider on Mar 20, 2021 7:53:35 GMT
To be totally frank, I often have a fire up until about June if needed... and beyond if it takes a turn for the worse. Admittedly, they are not the big winter warmers we've been used to... instead, litttle controlled 'take the chill off' ones.
This last week as it's been mild, I've been letting it go out overnight and then starting a fresh each morning... just ticking over with 10 coal starter - topped up at lunchtime with 8 and then another 9 or so about 9pm and repeat.
The heating is always set to come on at 6am to take the worse chill off the morning and when I'm up and about, if it's really chilly, I stick one of those 1quid instant log things on from poundland... leave that 3/4 of an hour to blast a bit of heat out and then chuck a few coals on to tick over again all day. It's this time of year I get through a lot of fire-lighters/kindling and fuel logs... much prefer to keep it going over night,
Another confession - I now use lighter fuel to start it off too... for an easier guaranteed light. my eye brows will soon grow back I'm sure!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2021 9:03:11 GMT
Cheers folks- now I won't feel quite such a wuss for getting the fire going in April or even May!
My pattern is roughly the same as yours Mr Q, in that I let it mostly die overnight, revive it in the morning, and maybe add a few coals in early afternoon. At the risk of calling your Northern credentials into question, I can say that I've only needed the CH on one or two mornings so far...
Its a balancing act in the afternoons though, especially if we get some sun. My boat is east-facing (and may remain so for some weeks yet), so what sun there is hits the south side of the boat all day, and tbh during those times I'm trying to find a way of keeping the stove on minimal 'tickover' mode, otherwise the saloon gets uncomfortably hot, which is a pain on the afternoons when I have to work and am stuck in there the whole time.
So a few times I've just let it more or less go out during the afternoon, and then restarted it at around 6pm. I like the sound of the lighter fluid idea though....
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Post by Mr Stabby on Mar 20, 2021 9:20:20 GMT
This year I've been lighting it when I get in from work, topping it up before bedtime then choking it when I prepare to go to work again in the morning. It's obviously cold when I get in from work but it only takes 20 minutes or so to warm up enough to take a jumper off.
Last year when I kept the stove in 24/7 I had burned through my usual one tonne of coal and probably another 300kg by mid-March, currently I still have 14 bags remaining of the 40 bags that Mark on the fuel boat delivered in August. At that rate if I buy another tonne this year I probably won't need to buy any in 2022.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2021 9:27:56 GMT
Revolutionary idea for @tonyc if it gets too warm during the day open the doors and windows 😱
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2021 9:51:51 GMT
Revolutionary idea for @tonyc if it gets too warm during the day open the doors and windows 😱 This is the kind of inspired lateral thinking that made our country great. Surprisingly, it has occurred to me to open doors and windows, and I certainly do that when the stove is getting too hot. My problem is that this is a very, very quiet marina, full of older people who are not at all keen on noise and general disturbance. And because I'm currently training my replacement staff, I find myself on Teams calls most of the time, with my voice rising in volume (and frustration) as the day wears on. I try to reduce the impact of this non-stop cacophony of jargon and technical detail upon the residents around me, by keeping the door and windows near the pontoon closed when I'm on a call. Unfortunately, this is also where the stove is. So when I've let it overheat because I'm distracted, I either cool down and annoy all of the neighbouring people, or just throttle it back put up with the heat until the stove has cooled down a bit. Being a public-spirited chap, I prefer to put up with some temporary discomfort rather than disturb the peace of those around me.
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Post by Jim on Mar 20, 2021 13:00:58 GMT
Look on the positive side, you'll not be putting particulates, assorted nasties and co2 into the atmosphere. Greta and her bestie fox 🦊 will be proud of you.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2021 15:09:57 GMT
Cheers folks- now I won't feel quite such a wuss for getting the fire going in April or even May! My pattern is roughly the same as yours Mr Q, in that I let it mostly die overnight, revive it in the morning, and maybe add a few coals in early afternoon. At the risk of calling your Northern credentials into question, I can say that I've only needed the CH on one or two mornings so far... Its a balancing act in the afternoons though, especially if we get some sun. My boat is east-facing (and may remain so for some weeks yet), so what sun there is hits the south side of the boat all day, and tbh during those times I'm trying to find a way of keeping the stove on minimal 'tickover' mode, otherwise the saloon gets uncomfortably hot, which is a pain on the afternoons when I have to work and am stuck in there the whole time. So a few times I've just let it more or less go out during the afternoon, and then restarted it at around 6pm. I like the sound of the lighter fluid idea though.... Just one thing... do NOT use accelerant if the stove metal is in any way warm...I speak from experience of an evening when, following a trip to the pub, my carefully pre-prepared but unlit fire failed to ignite...so I added a dollop of diesel and chucked a match in afterwards. The results were reminiscent of an old joke: Q: What's got four legs and goes woof? A: Piper Alpha.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2021 16:23:08 GMT
Just one thing... do NOT use accelerant if the stove metal is in any way warm...I speak from experience of an evening when, following a trip to the pub, my carefully pre-prepared but unlit fire failed to ignite...so I added a dollop of diesel and chucked a match in afterwards. The results were reminiscent of an old joke: Q: What's got four legs and goes woof? A: Piper Alpha. Yes, Mr Q did allude to an unfortunate stove incident which involved the removal of his eyebrows by means of directly applied flames. Clearly there are risks associated with speeding up a fire, and I am definitely looking to retain the services of my eyebrows, as they do sterling work in enhancing my general allure. Without them, I dont think the ladies would be flocking to me in the huge numbers that they currently do. So caution will be exercised at all times. I've spotted some barbecue-lighting fluid that looks a tad safer than the lighter fluid, so perhaps that's the way to go....
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