wrote in message
ps.com...
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.

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