unprocessed logs required

[pond]

hi all,

 

I am not a tree surgeon, or anything like, but I am planning to move to Lincolnshire (Sleaford area) this year and want to run all heating and cooking in my new house using wood.

 

I estimate I will need approximately 4-6 tons of firewood a year. Unless I can find a house with a copse of Ash trees, I need to source the wood.

 

I don't want to pay top end prices for seasoned and split logs by the pick-up load.

 

I am basically asking if there is anyone here from the area who would potentially be willing to sell unprocessed, ie unsplit and green, wood in bulk. I would collect, season and split the wood myself. The only potential problem I can see is not being able to collect or process long lengths.

 

I am thinking that if i can find a local arborist, it could be beneficial to us both.

 

Any info or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

PS I am toying with the idea of starting a new business selling and installing stoves and fires when I get up there, so there could be even more business for someone!!

[slasherscot]

4-6 tons think again.........try 16-20 tonnes mininum if heating and cooking

[Dean Lofthouse]

Hi Pond

 

Yes you'll need a hell of a lot more than 4 -6 tons, I'm only running a stove and I've gone through that in two months. I'd reckon on 2 bulk bags a week to be on the safe side

[johnty]

4-6 tons think again.........try 16-20 tonnes mininum if heating and cooking

 

Sh*t thats a lot of wood, i didn't think you would need that much. I dont know any one who runs their whole house off wood. Does it work out a hell of a lot cheaper than gas.

[Topcat]

we burn about 30 tons a year on the open fire and yes it is cheap when it comes off the job..luvvily jubbly..Saying that it's making more sense to sell the wood and buy oil at present. Log wood is becomming a viable commodity.

[pond]

I had two wood stoves in our last house. Admittedly they had no boilers, but heated ground floor all season, 24 hours a day. We used approximately 3 tons a year, so I doubled it as a guesstimate!

 

Average 'pick-up' load of mixed hardwood in our area (not the area we are moving to) is £55. This is, say, 1/2 ton. That's £110 a ton. If, as people say, I'll need 20 tons that's £2,200 a year, therefore not worth it.

 

This is why I want to find a cheaper way of sourcing wood! Otherwise I will buy a wood pellet boiler for heating, these are as easy as oil or gas and the pellets are cheaper (although the appliances are VERY expensive).

 

I also want a Rayburn!!!

[johnty]

I have more or less run out of wood to sell now. I have a large Oak plantation that the owner has given me permission to remove about 6 dead trees, good size aswell, but it will still need drying out over the summer, oh ye and i felled 3 Ash trees on Monday and the client didn't want any of it, so i took the lot off his hands. which was nice:sneaky2:

[pond]

we burn about 30 tons a year on the open fire and yes it is cheap when it comes off the job..luvvily jubbly..Saying that it's making more sense to sell the wood and buy oil at present. Log wood is becomming a viable commodity.

 

Yes, but open fires are very inefficient, only about 30% of the heat is utilised, rest goes up in smoke:001_tongue:

 

Modern double cleanburn stoves can give nearly 80% efficiency.

 

If I could knew the calorific value of, say ash, with average water content 15-20%? per ton, it would be easy to work out quite accurately! Anyone know?

[Charlieh]

im running 2 open fires and rayburn as the only sources of heat and hot water in our house, would say im burning about half a tonne per week (varies on the wood), but the open fires eat about 4times as much fuel as the rayburn, i do burn some coal as well otherwise i would constantly be lighting fires every morning, about 1tonne per winter.

 

by my reconning from nov to march (6months) you will need about 12 tonnes,

 

Johnty basically everyone thinks timber is free, i know lots of mates who have bought log burners and chainsaws and are suddenly finding that its not that easy to get hold of timber unless you pinch it from the roadside, If i didnt have access to the timber i need, i would pull it out and have an oilfired system in a flash, much more convient, not coming back from either work or a weekend away to a cold house that needs 48hrs to warm up again

[Dean Lofthouse]

I have a very efficient stove and I can make one small log last over an hour with good heat output, but I have to be more or less in full attendance feeding the stove hourly etc I can make half a bulk bag last a week burning 24/7

 

Mine is a smokeless double burn. A dunsley yorkshire.

 

As long as the wood is between 18 and 20% yes you could be very efficient.