Bonfire night

[Victor Churchill]

I think bonfires are more efficient. The local ones will have about 100 families stood around. Those families won't have their house fires going so one fire will heat 100 families. Surely one fire is better than 100?

I expect 95 of those 100 households will still have their central heating going while they are out.

 

[BarnBrian]

Isn't it just.
We have no central heating out here in the arctic wastes of Southern Brittany, but we have three wood burners, one in each of the main downstairs rooms (the heat flows up the stairs and warms the upper regions. We have our wood delivered and it's a mix of beech (one year old and naturally dried under shelter) and oak (two years old, one year out in the rain and one under shelter). This seems to be the norm out here in sticks apart from the peasants who'll burn any old shi'ite, but do tend to get it right. It's important to keep a stove running hot and not burn damp wood. There's nothing wrong with soft wood except that it burns very quickly and it'll also burn wet or damp. Birch is a great wood, but again, it will happily burn damp- kilned dried should be fine. We get a chimney sweep every two years (insurance says it should be every year) and last time he said there was very little to do - no tar and little soot because we'd used proper dry wood instead of trying to cut corners.
We're hot on eco, too. Very concerned, in fact.

I should add that it's important to have a proper chimney with a good updraft and a decent stove. If you're looking for a good one, I can recommend Jøtul. They have a vested interest in keeping warm in Norway.

I can also recommend Morso, I’ve had three Jotuls over the years which were good but I think the Morso, which I have two of are better.

 

[Leon103]

I expect 95 of those 100 households will still have their central heating going while they are out.

No, most don't have central heating.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Birch is a hardwood.
Softwood is conifers and is light and full of resins that burn quick and hot.

Ah - my wood is good then, great!

 

[Cwrw666]

I expect 95 of those 100 households will still have their central heating going while they are out.

I think you'd be surprised by the % of households that don't actually have central heating. I've never lived in a house with it.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I think you'd be surprised by the % of households that don't actually have central heating. I've never lived in a house with it.

I don't know anyone who doesn't have it, all the people i know live in quite old houses so that may be the reason i assume in more modern houses they don't install CH.

 

[DavieC]

never had CH until I got my own house,until then it was a coal fire in the livingroom and leave the stairs door open, and then when my parents split I went with my mother to a different house and she bought an old Rayburn stove but even then it was pretty cold everywhere else in the house, used to be great for toasting on though.

 

[An Ankoù]

Yippee! It's bonfire night and it's cold, drizzly miserable weather here in sunny Brittany. A great evening for lighting up a blaze in the old fire pit and incinerating a few effigies of my least favourite politicians, while necking back a few pints of weapons-grade mild ale, stripping off and lathering up with woad,. (Sorry, getting a bit overenthusiastic there) and baking some spuds and chestnuts. Anybody else up for it?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It's coming down like stair rods here with luck it'll be a little quieter and the pets won't suffer too much.

 

[Scrattajack]

Our local firework display has ditched the bonfire and replaced it with a laser light show, for environmental reasons. Wonder if that explains the 50% price rise.

 

[An Ankoù]

I see your point about the pets. For us, it's all about the fire and nothing to do with fireworks. In any case, our fearless mutt is terrified sihtless by the hunters' shots and I dread to think how he'd react to fireworks.

It's coming down like stair rods here with luck it'll be a little quieter and the pets won't suffer too much.

 

[MrJay83]

He must be burning soft wood, which is gone in no time. Hard wood is obviously better but it's more expensive. Hadn't considered my kiln dried wood might be soft, will definitely revise this, thanks CT.

Will watch the video now.

I use soft wood to get it up to temperature because it's cheaper and you're burning more to get it there. Then I put the hardwood on.

 

[Scrattajack]

For info, Classic FM is playing pet-calming music tonight. Proven to work, apparently.

 

[Clint]

I'll be doing a 12 hour calming night shift....

 

[Druncan]

I get most of my wood by special delivery from the sea. Then store for a year or two (to wash the salt and stinking Toledo worms. I have my stashes on different beaches. Nothing makes me seethe more than finding a heap of ashes when some fek'n tourist has torched all my collected flotsam in a nice beach fire,,,

Totally disregarding the beach combers code of piling stones on a stash to identify it as someones.

Our Dean baker 8 is brilliant for roast veggies that taste even better when cooked for free from the sea,,,,

 

[Slid]

WoW! This is just so off topic, but, when I was about 10 my family spent a holiday on Tiree. There were 6 of us - Mum Dad and 4 kids, me the eldest at 9 or 10. We flew from Glasgow (?) airport in a sort of canoe with wings that landed on a beach. We were 2-3 miles from Scarnish, the only actual town and stayed in an old-ish family house, owned by a very nice elderly lady, who rented out to tourists during the brief summer, living in a single room or such. A bus came around once a week to sell groceries and ice cream. Lovely beaches, bloody freezing, most of the time and no trees. In fact, no plant above about 2 inches tall. We walked a lot to stay warm - it must have been July / August, what it is like in Winter, I cannot imagine.

There was a hotel between where we were staying and Scarnish - perhaps this is yours now?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Thankfully it was quite quiet here last night a couple of noisy hours around 7 - 9pm and it died right off, the cats came out of hiding around 9:30.

 

[Druncan]

" airport in a sort of canoe with wings that landed on a beach. " We were 2-3 miles from Scarnish, the only actual town and stayed in an old-ish family house, owned by a very nice elderly lady, who rented out to tourists during the brief summer, living in a single room or such. A bus came around once a week to sell groceries and ice cream. Lovely beaches, bloody freezing, most of the time and no trees. In fact, no plant above about 2 inches tall. We walked a lot to stay warm - it must have been July / August, what it is like in Winter, I cannot imagine.

There was a hotel between where we were staying and Scarnish - perhaps this is yours now?

( Apols to the OP!!!) @Slid Winter - Aye it's "bracing" and character forming,,,, It's the windchill that get's you. But no frosts as we are warmed by the gulf stream. There are two hotels on the other side of Tiree. We live on the side facing Newfoundland. But - Did you not go to Barra sometime? The plane lands on the beach there. Ours would only do that if there was a serious problem (both engines failing,,,) -we do have an airport!

Back on topic. We did voluntary safety cover for our Firework display with our fire engine. Bored with the display, the kids had an even better time lighting the sticks after the marshmallows and had burning sword fights. Kids eh? thankfully no injuries,,,
Happy the price of fireworks makes them a stupid waste of money and most people don't bother.