Solid Fuel Rayburn Sooty Kitchen

[suibhne]

Hi.

We've recently inherited a solid fuel Rayburn which we have burning a combination of wood and turf which works fairly well. The only problem however is the dirt that builds up throughout the kitchen and other rooms off of it very easily.

My wife is getting quite irate at the thought of having to clean the kitchen from top to bottom every single day because there is so much black soot/dust building up on counter tops and cupboards.

Is this normal for a solid fuel range or is it because Ive had to relight it maybe 4 times in the past 2 months due to not being in the house ? Ive not managed to conclusively determine whether cleaning it all really well while its lit and running will keep things clean, or whether its a natural feature of the range to cover everything in soot all the time.

Any thoughts or opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[Chris Bacon]

Riddle it, and open the flue damper/close the dilution flap a short time before you re-fuel. This will create a draught and tend to suck ash into the thing instead of lots flying out all over your kitchen. When you clean it, do it when it's alight, but not roaring. Use a second-hand vacuum like a Vax, connected via a long hose and wire, so that you can put the vacuum *outside* while you vacuum out the range (through the circular plug in the hotplate). Don't suck up hot coals, or your vacuum cleaner may quickly self-destruct. Be careful carrying ash outside, I'm sure you know this!

These things are a bit messy, but by being fairly careful you can minimise the fallout.

[Tony Williams]

Plus my perp when looking after a friend's Rayburn. Don't spill fuel dust on the top plates when refilling. :(

[The Natural Philosopher]

More or less yes.

Convert it to oil..or learn to live with the relighting, constant manual refuelling and perpetual grime.

[David W.E. Roberts]

A long time since we had a solid fuel Raeburn, but I don't recall the amount of mess you are describing.

Firstly, it sounds as though you don't have enough draft - when you open the door to refuel the smoke and dust should get carried up the flue.

Secondly I wonder if your flue (including the top of the cooker) is sealed

100% - is smoke getting out anywhere? This is more of a worry because if the house is filling with soot to the extent you describe it is possible that Carbon Monoxide is also getting out. As with all fires, the gasses (including partially combusted fuel and small solids) should go up the chimney, not come out into the room.

If in doubt, get a qualified solid fuel stove installer to come and check the installation. The installer should be able to check for leakage, adequate draught etc. I presume you have your flue swept regularly.

I have never tried to burn turf - our Raeburn was supposed to burn peat but we never tried - but perhaps you are not getting enough heat in the fire to get the flue to draw adequately? If this is so I would guess you are likely to 'clag up' your flue quite quickly.

Perhaps try burning just seasoned wood for a bit, and see if the stove performs better. I presume that using wood and turf is a commercial decision; they perform quite well with coke.

HTH Dave R

[owdman]

Sweeping the chimneys sounds most likely remedy. There should be enough updraft such that even if not sealed no gasses or dust should emerge into the room from the flue. Or get a proper cooker.

cheers

Jacob

[David W.E. Roberts]

Grrrr.....as ex-Raeburn owner let me tell you that a Raeburn IS a proper cooker.

Very versatile, heat the water as well, keeps the kitchen warm, boils a kettle in nothing flat and is also just right for mashing beer overnight on the top.

The 'Yuppies' who get gas Argas and Raeburns for the 'Country Kitchen' look are only playing.

Oh, you do have to have a small backup cooker and an immersion heater for August or you will fry :-)

Cheers

Dave R

[suibhne]

Thanks very much for all the pointers. The dodgy flue seems like the most likely candidate because we had a chimney sweep come around and tell us that we needed to have it fixed. The lining had come undone and it wasn't sucking up like it should do.

Its good to know though that its not normal for smoke and ash to come up the door when refuelling, so Im gonna get the chimney sorted out asap.

Thanks again.