need paraffin

[markb]

now the nights are getting colder,i am considering dragging the chimnea out to have a few fires, my timber is split logs (felled 06/2009) so there nice and dry i need to find somewhere i can buy paraffin to use in small quantities to aid lighting , anyone one know where i can get it in or around liverpool and how much i should be paying

[viscount]

Using any liquid petro-chemical accelerant seems dangerously extreme and a short cut to very long stay in a serious burns unit.

May take a while but there is nothing wrong with the traditional rolled paper, kindling, fire-lighters, a match and patience. Even the big supermarkets sell Zipp fire-lighters, although I've not purchased any in Liverpool recently, I have purchased them in Asda elsewhere. Firelighters are certainly way safer than a liquid accelerant, and with a controlled 'burn' released over several minutes probably more effective too. They provide nothing like the adrenalin rush of splashing flammable liquids around though.

As it is a chimera, a short cut could be using some barbeque charcoal laid on top of an impregnated barbeque 'starter' sheet, once you have a good hot charcoal base add your split logs.

I think that the last place I saw paraffin for sale was a camping shop for use in camping stoves and lanterns., or am I getting confused with metholated spirit? However that store in Widnes has since gone (bust, not up in flames). This forum needs to keep all the members we have, so I would strongly advise against the use of any liquid propellant, no matter how dramatic the fire raising!

[Deleted]

I would echo Viscount's thoughts, markb. My next door neighbour has one, and he uses old pallets, but he starts them off with firelighters (which have paraffin in them anyway) and/or kindling.
It seems to pick up very quickly and certainly knocks out some heat.

[Deleted]

Perhaps this site may help re lighting it...

www.ehow.com/how_4794908_light-a-chiminea.html

Cheers,

Dave

[markb]

thanks for the advice guys ,ive been away from the site for ages, its nice to see members still have advice readily available, the ways of lighting you have described are the way i used to light my garden fires,the fuel way was a newish method,pour a little accelerent on the logs,leave for an hour then light with the turboflame lighter,works everytime,think i will just go back to the old method,i went got more split logs today to build up supply's 3xlarge bags split logs 1xlarge bag kindling £11.50 all i have to do now is wait for this bloody rain to stop

[groundhugger]

plenty of Barbecue lighting stuff at B+Q which should work just as well , but best to use the old fashioned way with thin kindling and newspaper , less of a stink !

[superian]

I have a coal fire at home and to save messing about when I light it, I buy "Fire Logs" (usually about £2.00 at Morrisons or Wilkinsons). These I then chop into 3 pieces (this lights 3 fires) and add the wood and coal, smokeless of course, and away you go. BTW, 1 whole fire log will burn for about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Hope this is of some use.
Ian.

[markb]

superian

are these fire logs wrapped in black paper which you light (compressed sawdust/paraffin), if so there is a shop on the east lancs rd opposite carcraft called home&bargain that sell them for 99p, work out 2 for 1 at the price you pay currently,think they have branches around liverpool though

[superian]

Markb, yes they're the ones. they don't half save messing about when I light the fire, 1 match and they're away.
Ian.