On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 16:46:31 +0000, Andy Hall wrote:

On 15 Jan 2006 08:23:56 -0800, wrote:

Anyway Andy, nobody would argue that you like your Aga and I'm sure you
can cook on it really well. But where you are p*ing into the wind is in
suggesting that they are in any way economical or practical. Don't let
that spoil your enjoyment.
Steam traction engines attract enthusiasts who spend many harmless
hours having innocent fun with them but nobody suggests that they are a
practical alternative to a modern vehicle.

I don't see it in that way.

Essentially, it's an energy store that I can heat cheaply and which
adds to the space heating. The cooking is effectively free.

In terms of practicality, again no real problems by any way of
measuring that I can think of. For example, if anything, I need to
spend less time standing at the Aga than I did at the hob.

Could be wrong here though - any minute now some bearded old chaps in
boiler suits could be angrily stabbing at their laptops with oily
fingers!

:-)

cheers
Jacob
PS Come to think when I had a solid fuel Rayburn a boiler suit was an
essential accessory - do they come with the kit if you buy a new one?

Interesting point. You do get a pack of cleaning materials and a
brush though :-)

Solid fuel is almost impossible to use and a hugely dirty and labour
intensive affair. I hpope I never see a coal fired anything ever again.

I've cooked on two coal fired agas, and had to manage a coal ffred central
heating system. and they are voracious consumer of filthy coal, and require
twice daily servicing to get the new stuff in and the old stuff out. Woer
betide you if you get it wrong - they are impssoble to control temperature
wise, and if they go out, require at least an hour to get going, and about
3-4 to be up to whatever temperature they decide to be at. If the temp
drops because te coal is running low, you have two choces. Let them get
cold, or add caol, when they cool down even faster.

To actually get a coal fired appliance working properly, requires a full
time fireman.

One of the major reasons, apart from the high maintenance, that steam
engines vanished so rapidly.

In the 50's when coal was cheap and husewives were HOUSE wives, and oil was
something you saw other pople putting on the axles of steam locmotives, the
daily round of lighting the coal fired appliances after de -ashing and de
clinkering was, simply, as good as it got.

Hby got up and befoire dersssing would put te kettle on take out the ash
and clinker and add a shot of coal...then go to work...

Once the aga was up to tempreature, you could make a cup of tea before
boilig up the solied nappies in a coffer on it, and spending a merry
afternoon with a hand mangle and clothes line.

Another quick shot of coal and then down the shops for todays vegetables
and bread and milk...walking carrying your string bag, or on a
bicycle...then a quick tea and cakes to replace the lost calories before
lighting the open fire for the evening, revving up the back boiler so that
one bath might be feasible (who's having a bath tonight?) and cooking from
todays fresh ingredients everyones dinner...

This was before womens lib dears, when women actually WORKED HARD. And so
did men, because if you didn't, you ended up cold, miserable and hungry
pretty damned quick.

No even I will not sing the praises of coal fired Agas. Better than nothing
in the days when central heating was a rarity, but a last resort only these
days.