Kiln dried logs?

[Alycidon]

One of my local competitors delivers kiln dried logs but I have supplied a few of his customers with my seasoned timber and they say mine lasts a lot longer, their stoves burn much better with my logs, they look nicer and are cheaper.

 

Personally, I dont see why something else should be burnt to power a kiln to dry wood that is then going to be burnt. Also, if you store kiln dried logs outside, it is my understanding they start taking moisture back in.

 

I think that CW are using waste from their processor to fire the kilns.

 

A

[WFWales]

Some clever sorts are installing boilers and getting the RHI to pay for the heat they produce to dry the logs...Result...!

 

btw kiln drying does not mean anything at all in terms of quality - it's not a standard - imho it's a gimmick. Moisture content is the only important factor....

 

however I do think solar kilns - Polytunnels - are a pretty good way to go if you have the space

[Logalog.net]

Hi Higwar

 

I agree with much of what has been said so-far! However no-one has asked what you intend to burn your logs on!

 

Very low moisture firewood i.e under 20% (whether kiln-dried or seasoned) is best used on wood burning stoves, it is easy to light, gives maximum heat and a clean burn. On an open fire, where you cannot control the burn rate, they will burn very quickly (giving a lot of heat) but over a shorter period of time.

 

Less dry firewood (approx 25% moisture) will not burn as quickly, and in an open fire with an unlined traditional chimney will not do too much damage.

 

So, to answer your question.... If you are feeding a good log burner, then, yes it is worth paying the extra for kiln-dried if you cannot buy other logs with the same moisture content!

 

Regards

Guy

Seasoned Hardwood Logs

[ianaitkensmith]

A netted back of ash kiln dried logs, I guess, costs £8.50 me a punt. I live on Jersey so not a huge amount of local wood suitable for logs, though it can be got and I have no idea whether it is dry enough to burn. How do you tell? 20% or 40% ?? People sell you anything they can fob off. I am loath paying £8.50 a bag but it seems to be fairly pukka wood. It is sold as ash, but they did have oak at one time. Which is best? I am just a newbie when it comes to multi fuel burning stoves. 

I like to have the front open and sit near to the fire, but this I am told is not the correct way to use a wood burner. It is wasteful of heat. I have been told by the installers. But, it is nice to have that feeling of heat going directly into your body. I wonder what I should do here, keep the front closed all the time? I use also smokeless fuel, but that requires a regular clean every day, whereas just log burning can involve less of a regular clean out. I use a vacuum cleaner to keep the dust down when cleaning the fire, this helps and have taken to wearing a protective mask. I was told not burn old wooden pallets as they contain arsenic, and all wood that has been treated is also bad to burn. That does not leave much that can used to cut down on costs. I would be lucky to get one bag to keep the stove lit for more than just a few hours. Two bags would be just about OK. But £17 night that's a lot of money. Where I live its electric heating only, I have no radiators installed to use oil, and there is no gas in my area. Multi fuel stoves are nice to have, but they come at a price pending on where you live.

[Big J]

8 hours ago, ianaitkensmith said:

A netted back of ash kiln dried logs, I guess, costs £8.50 me a punt. I live on Jersey so not a huge amount of local wood suitable for logs, though it can be got and I have no idea whether it is dry enough to burn. How do you tell? 20% or 40% ?? People sell you anything they can fob off. I am loath paying £8.50 a bag but it seems to be fairly pukka wood. It is sold as ash, but they did have oak at one time. Which is best? I am just a newbie when it comes to multi fuel burning stoves. 

I like to have the front open and sit near to the fire, but this I am told is not the correct way to use a wood burner. It is wasteful of heat. I have been told by the installers. But, it is nice to have that feeling of heat going directly into your body. I wonder what I should do here, keep the front closed all the time? I use also smokeless fuel, but that requires a regular clean every day, whereas just log burning can involve less of a regular clean out. I use a vacuum cleaner to keep the dust down when cleaning the fire, this helps and have taken to wearing a protective mask. I was told not burn old wooden pallets as they contain arsenic, and all wood that has been treated is also bad to burn. That does not leave much that can used to cut down on costs. I would be lucky to get one bag to keep the stove lit for more than just a few hours. Two bags would be just about OK. But £17 night that's a lot of money. Where I live its electric heating only, I have no radiators installed to use oil, and there is no gas in my area. Multi fuel stoves are nice to have, but they come at a price pending on where you live.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Your installer is indeed correct. Open door and you're wasting at least 2/3 of the heat. Open fires are at their very best 30% efficient whereas a modern stove is usually 80%, or more. 

 

Invest in a flue thermometer. This is the only way to tell if your fire is operating at the correct temperature, and is therefore most efficient. It's also the best way to reduce the polution. 

 

Rather than buying by the net, buy by the tipper load from someone like (and I only googled it, so this isn't a recommendation, rather a suggestion): 

 

Order Firewood Online | Jonathan Le Maistre Tree Surgery, Jersey CI

TREES.JE

 

It'll be much cheaper, but you will need a woodstore.

 

As regards timber species, there are small variations, but the best rule of thumb is: wet wood is bad and dry wood is good. What species it is is not as important.

[openspaceman]

9 hours ago, ianaitkensmith said:

I was told not burn old wooden pallets as they contain arsenic, and all wood that has been treated is also bad to burn.

Not all pallets are treated and because they only have a short life it is unlikely they would have arsenic in them as that was mostly in CCA treated fencing and building timbers.

 

All modern pallets have a logo on them and ones that have HT for heat treated, DB for debarked and KD for kiln dried should be safe to burn. Corner blocks not made of solid wood should not be burned nor ones stained or painted.

 

Dealing with the nails in the ash is a PITA

[nepia]

12 hours ago, Big J said:

Order Firewood Online | Jonathan Le Maistre Tree Surgery, Jersey CI

TREES.JE

 

 

He knows a thing or two about logs

[Dan Maynard]

Collect wood all year, on Jersey whatever you've got by Easter will dry over the summer and be good for the following winter. That's the old fashioned way, rather than worrying about percentage figures. It doesn't have to be too scientific otherwise our grandparents would never have got a fire going.

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Note: You can make a log store for next to nothing with a few pallets, nails, hammer and a sheet of some sort for the roof.  Don't get put off by the cost of them.