Stoves for burning branch loggings

[Big J]

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a couple of stoves for burning branch loggings? 

 

Friends of ours are looking at getting two stoves. One for their house (5kw would be fine) and one for their cafe that they are in the process of setting up. 

 

This week I've been 'copparding' about 50 oversized salix viminalis stools, which once branch logged will produce about 50 odd cubic metres of firewood, if not more. They have a large polytunnel in which to dry it too. They are also taking thousands and thousands of whips from the felled material in order to plant a willow coppice, so that they can be reasonably self sustaining with firewood.

 

Branch logging is obviously a very rapid way of producing woodfuel, but the chunks are smaller. For the 5kw stove, that's not such an issue, but the stove in the cafe needs to be larger (20kw, or more maybe as it has 150 square metres to heat). Ideal would be a top loading stove so that the bags can simply be poured in. I've seen a few on eBay advertised as sawdust burners, but they have no window, which is something they'd like. Additionally, I've no idea if a stove like that would be approved for use in a cafe (external air feed?).

 

Any suggestions much appreciated

[Woodworks]

I would look for a top loader. Trying to shovel in branch loggings in from the front is not easy but if you could pour from a hopper from above it would make the whole loading process much better. Down side is I guess you will get a pile of ash dust rise up when lifting the top. Vermont casting do some top loading models.

[Stere]

How bout one of thoose hippy/permaculture rocket stoves.

 

Don't think it would be HETAS cert though.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1576&bih=909&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=ACcSXIypF-PmxgOu4pOYDg&q=rocket+stove+mass+heater&oq=rocket+stove+mass+heater&gs_l=img.3..35i39j0l6j0i5i30l3.14926.17009..17165...0.0..0.71.706.11......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i30.G2Stv1Gi6ok#imgrc=hPokQ6rERTdOSM:

 

[neiln]

I'd have thought a glass is at risk of pouring/tipping log chunks in from above.

[AHPP]

They don't shovel well and they don't pour out of net bags well. Either get a large appliance (gasifier, thermal store, radiators) that you can put full bags in or accept that it's going to be a lot of fucking on.

[richardwale]

prefer the large appliance I think

[david lawrence]

i decant my branch logs into buckets and tip/ throw them 1/2 a bucket at a time into the stove

 

bit of a technique required but works ok

 

100 % agree that top loading would be too dusty /smoky  esp in a cafe

 

 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, david lawrence said:

i decant my branch logs into buckets and tip/ throw them 1/2 a bucket at a time into the stove

Yes this is the technique we used for loading branch loggettes on the narrowboat and a Morso squirrel. In my childhood  we had a hod with phurnacite

 

The technique was a thrust into the rayburn with a sudden stop for the coals to eject into the fire.

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, AHPP said:

Either get a large appliance (gasifier, thermal store, radiators) that you can put full bags in or accept that it's going to be a lot of fucking on.

Yes I think so.

 

They would be well suited to the crossdraught gasifier batch loaded device like the Kob or Baxi (Tarm in US) but I have not seen any of these with a window, mainly because they are all wet systems.

 

 The firm I worked for fitted a couple of these in Petersfield.

 

They would also suit a masonry heater where about 60kg of wood is loaded, top lit and allowed to burn out intensely, the heat then emanating from the stone work till the next batch is loaded and fired. http://heatkit.com/

[AHPP]

23 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Yes this is the technique we used for loading branch loggettes on the narrowboat and a Morso squirrel. In my childhood  we had a hod with phurnacite



 

The technique was a thrust into the rayburn with a sudden stop for the coals to eject into the fire.

Exactly the same at mum and dad's. Phurnacite and chogs (branchwood logs) from the scuttle into the Rayburn. The chogs are even a problem flowing out of that. You have to thrust harder so miss, batter the stove front and spill them onto the floor more. They're even a pain to scoop or shovel into the scuttle.