hi i have just purchased my own home with does not have any gas central heating, there is a open front coal fire that warms the house and radiators. being only 25 i have never had any experience with a coal fire so am looking for advice. inside the fire above where the coal goes there is a latch that you can pull towards you or push away from you. it appears to open a gap above the fire going up the chimney. what is the purpose of this? also there is an electrical switch on the side of the wall next to the fire. what is this for? any help would be great. its gonna be a cold winter
2007-09-16 23:22:00 · 3 answers · asked by xxxLEGENDxxx 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
no its just a simple fire. hole in fire place, grate on bottom and ashpan underneath. thats all there is
2007-09-16 23:44:07 · update #1
somebody mentioned the electric switch on wall might be to pump the hot water to the radiators down stairs
2007-09-16 23:45:47 · update #2
That rod you push and pull opens the draft so when you open it, the smoke and fumes go out the chimney, when you close it after your done and, close the door, the fire is once again contained in the stove and it's heating. You have what may be an auger fed coal furnace. You'll have to check.
There must be a box that keeps the coal, you'll have to fill it, it holds enough for about a week and, it self feeds with the switch when it's on, like I said, check. That means you take auger coal, small marble sized chunks that are fed on demand.
You have a thermostat and will set it just like any furnace and then the auger takes over in the winter. Don't jump for joy, these behemoth's always went out when the coldest night of the year hit. I had to go down before work on these mornings and get a fire started. It's when they don't burn long enough.
They were smoky, they smelled and stank up the house, it was a job to get coal into the box and you always had to tend the fire.
My advise, Check with a local furnace people and see about getting a new boiler put in. Gas or oil.
2007-09-16 23:34:37 · answer #1 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you push the latch away from you it opens a damper in the chimney to let the smoke out. Before you use it you should have the chimney inspected. The switch on the wall may be for a built in fan.
2007-09-17 07:24:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the gap is so the smoke can escape. if you close this whilst the fire is lit, you will fill the room with smoke.
it can be closed when not in use to keep the weather out.
NEVER CLOSE WHEN FIRE IS LIT.....
2007-09-17 06:39:53 · answer #3 · answered by crazy_gang1843 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋