Wood burners

[Leon103]

I am fully stocked on wood. Got a couple months worth of kindling cut so will need to do some more at some point.
Coal was mentioned above, I just been to my local coal yard to get co2 and I was just told that coal is increasing by £365 a tonne. Now over £750 a tonne. Not sure that £100 support from thr government is going to help much

 

[Nicks90]

I raided the local woods early this year for windfall and have what equates to 3 builders bags full of cut and seasoned oak + beech stacked in my 2 wood sheds and my garden bin full of trim for kindling.
It's an annual thing, collect and cut over winter, and season until autumn . Almost seems like the counterpoint to wine making. Pick in summer, bottle in spring.

Burn wood, keeps you warm 3 ways. Collecting it, cutting it, burning it! Although I have been lazy in recent years and not always collected enough to fill the woodsheds, and often have to buy a bag full to last. But luckily I've been very good this year and should have enough.

[Garden waste gets composted, leaving the council bin as waterproof kindling storage!]

 

[Clint]

Come on log burner!! Got two ton of seasoned wood coming Saturday. Fire is bought and at the suppliers ready to go,all my floor and wall tiles arrived yesterday and my tradesmen are booked in. One month to go then I'll be smoking it up!

Moved from the budget thread as i am sure members will be interested in the topic. C_T.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Is it a wood burner or multifuel Clint?

 

[Clint]

Is it a wood burner or multifuel Clint?

I opted for a wood burner.

 

[Cwrw666]

Come on log burner!! Got two ton of seasoned wood coming Saturday. Fire is bought and at the suppliers ready to go,all my floor and wall tiles arrived yesterday and my tradesmen are booked in. One month to go then I'll be smoking it up!

Is it 2 tons, or is it 2 one ton dumpy bags ? You know, the kind that holds one ton of sand.
You'll be amazed how quickly you get through it.

 

[Clint]

Yeah it's two of those big bags. It'll do for starters.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You'll be amazed how quickly you get through it

A guy at work has a wood burner and told me the same when he found out i was thinking of getting one.

I saw the second video when trying to decide between wood burner or multi fuel and smokeless coal wins the comparison but i have since found out you burn wood and coal in different ways *i think its coal from the bottom wood from the top so in a proper wood burner the wood may last as long as the smokeless coal in a multi fuel stove.

* i am sure owners will correct me if that is wrong.

 

[PerthRod]

The downside of smokeless fuel is that it doesn't grow on trees !

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The downside of smokeless fuel is that it doesn't grow on trees !

The upside is no trees have to be cut down to make it!

 

[PerthRod]

The upside is no trees have to be cut down to make it!

That's because they fell down by themselves millions of years ago

 

[Chippy_Tea]

That's because they fell down by themselves millions of years ago

Correct, so we could stop cutting trees down then kiln drying the wood so we can burn it on our fires.

Anthracite is a naturally occurring smokeless fuel - very shiny, hard and dense - extremely slow burning with high heat output. Most quality anthracite is produced by Celtic Energy Ltd in South Wales, but there are also several private anthracite producers who supply fuel for the domestic market. From time to time, anthracite from abroad is brought into the UK, but quality can vary greatly, so ask your Approved Coal Merchant for advice. Various sizes of anthracite are available, and the correct size should be selected for your appliance. A summary is provided below, but please check with your Approved Coal Merchant before ordering.

 

[An Ankoù]

The upside is no trees have to be cut down to make it!

I see your point and agree that trees, even saplings, have a dignity and some kind of woody life of their own. But this is to miss the point; trees are renewable (centuries old teaks and mahogonies and any ancient tree excepted) and the biomass is carbon neutral, unlike fossil fuel derivatives which increase net carbon dioxide.

 

[An Ankoù]

Correct, so we could stop cutting trees down then kiln drying the wood so we can burn it on our fires.

Anthracite is a naturally occurring smokeless fuel - very shiny, hard and dense - extremely slow burning with high heat output. Most quality anthracite is produced by Celtic Energy Ltd in South Wales, but there are also several private anthracite producers who supply fuel for the domestic market. From time to time, anthracite from abroad is brought into the UK, but quality can vary greatly, so ask your Approved Coal Merchant for advice. Various sizes of anthracite are available, and the correct size should be selected for your appliance. A summary is provided below, but please check with your Approved Coal Merchant before ordering.

Not the point, chippy. Anthracite comes from trees that took loads of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere millions of years ago. Burning it just puts that back. Burning fresh wood, yes, kilned and dried, only puts back what was taken out a few years ago, and that carbon dioxide will be fixed in new trees and plants quite quickly.
We really don't want to return to an atmosphere that was around before the dinosaurs.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

and that carbon dioxide will be fixed in new trees and plants quite quickly.

Are trees being planted at a rate that chopping them down to burn them makes no difference to the environment?

The majority of kilns use gas to dry the wood.

Wood smoke contains harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

WHY FORESTS MATTER
As well as being stunningly beautiful, forests are vital for the health of our planet. They provide food and shelter for so much of life on Earth – from fungi and insects to tigers and elephants.
More than half the world's land-based plants and animals, and three-quarters of all birds, live in and around forests.
Forests have a big influence on rainfall patterns, water and soil quality and flood prevention too. Millions of people rely directly on forests as their home or for making a living.
But the risks from deforestation go even wider. Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide. If forests are cleared, or even disturbed, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Forest loss and damage is the cause of around 10% of global warming. There’s simply no way we can fight the climate crisis if we don’t stop deforestation.  
We need to protect forests now more than ever.

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/effect...and store carbon,we don't stop deforestation.

 

[An Ankoù]

Are trees being planted at a rate that chopping them down to burn them makes no difference to the environment?

The majority of kilns use gas to dry the wood.

Wood smoke contains harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

WHY FORESTS MATTER
As well as being stunningly beautiful, forests are vital for the health of our planet. They provide food and shelter for so much of life on Earth – from fungi and insects to tigers and elephants.
More than half the world's land-based plants and animals, and three-quarters of all birds, live in and around forests.
Forests have a big influence on rainfall patterns, water and soil quality and flood prevention too. Millions of people rely directly on forests as their home or for making a living.
But the risks from deforestation go even wider. Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide. If forests are cleared, or even disturbed, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Forest loss and damage is the cause of around 10% of global warming. There’s simply no way we can fight the climate crisis if we don’t stop deforestation.  
We need to protect forests now more than ever.

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/effect...and store carbon,we don't stop deforestation.

I agree with all of that. But fossil fuels just add to the overall amount of CO2 with no hope of removing it.

My only room heating comes from wood burners. None of wood is kiln dried. Most woods are cut and seasoned for a year. Oak takes two years. A new tree takes 5 to 10 years to become productive. That seems to me to be sustainable. Cutting old forests down for timber or fuel is tragic but it happens. More often they're cleared to grow fodder for cattle. We should stop eating so. Much meat.

 

[Leon103]

The upside is no trees have to be cut down to make it!

That's why I have been going for just Ash the last few years. They are being cut down anyhow. Means you get paid to cut them down and keep the wood. Good result.

In terms of using loads of logs on thr fire. That depends on the wood and how well its seasoned. Last night the wife wanted the fire on. It was lit at 7pm we went to bed at 10.35 and I had only put 3 logs in and it was still going strong.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Burn wood, keeps you warm 3 ways. Collecting it, cutting it, burning it!

. A regular occurrence in our house is for me to go "it's chilly this evening, I'll light a fire", then realise the wood basket is empty... As is the log store. So I go outside and split a few logs (we had an oak taken down about 5 years ago and it's sitting in rounds behind the garage), then come back in all hot and sweaty and get a cold beer

 

[rocketman_k]

Reminds me of an old saying, wood warms you three times: once when you chop the tree down, once when you split and stack it and once when you burn it.......

 

[An Ankoù]

That's why I have been going for just Ash the last few years. They are being cut down anyhow. Means you get paid to cut them down and keep the wood. Good result.

Why is Ash cut down anyhow?
I've heard Ash is good, but it seems not to be available around here. It's all oak, beech and chestnut. Beech is the hottest. We have quite a big garden surrounded by oaks and chestnut and I'm forever strimmi g the crop of new oaks that come up from the sprouting acorns. We've allowed half a dozen to grow where they've fallen and some chestnut, too. Now in their third year, they're qu
Well established, but not "firewood" size yet. In fact, we're growing these for shade rather than wood. What has surprised me is, while these trees can reach venerable age, they seem to grow very easily and much more quickly than I had imagined when I was a "city boy".