Jim K wrote:

On Jan 4, 11:54 am, Ronald Raygun
wrote:

If you want heat with less
fuss, the stuff to burn is one of the manufactured solid fuels, like
Homefire or Phurnacite, then the stove will keep going 24/7 while needing
attention only 2-3 times a day.

as you trot in and out with buckets of red hot ashes....

Your ashes should never be red hot except after riddling. You should
empty the ashpan *before* riddling, when it will have had 8-12 hours to
cool down from the last riddling.

My routine was to remove the full ashpan and put it down underneath or in
front of the stove, onto the (relatively) cool hearth plinth for 20 mins
or so while making breakfast. Then they were cool enough to be tipped into
a plastic bin. Then replace ashpan, riddle, top up fuel. Without this
cooling-down step, the ashes would have had to be tipped into a metal
bucket first, which generates quite a bit of dust.

and hoover the coal dust out of the carpets,

True, alas. Better not to have carpet near the stove.

and wash your hands every time you
touch it - horiible filthy dusty stuff!

Try gloves. :-)

IME we have to feed/tend it *more* when we burn coal based stuff.

That would have been the case if you used e.g. Coalite which is very light,
or even actual coal. You need the dense stuff like Ancit or Phurnacite.