Alycidon

I would agree that having got your stove properly certified currently there is nothing in any legislation to prevent you burning wet wood unless you are causing a smoke issue for people living close to you, that is an offence for which you can be prosecuted. There are simply not enough people in local building control offices to enforce the regs currently in place. Personally I would like to see a legal maximum moisture content on firewood sold by vendors like me but not only is that highly unlikely again it cant be enforced. A

Some are far more prone to UV damage than others, don't put them in direct sunlight and they should last some years. I have some green Bag Supplies ones still going strong that I bought in 2011. Vented bags do help drying, they allow air to flow through the stack of bags, no air flow = mould. A

Looks like an old Fiat 80c or 100 C crawler, good old buses. A

They already have adequate regulations to enforce the emissions regs that are currently in place, but these are not policed or enforced normally. Anyone buying a stove without having it installed by the Hetas ( or similar) reg contractor needs their details formally notifying to their local building standards officer who can then ensure that its correctly and safely installed. Modern stoves are the solution to wood smoke pollution not the cause, that is people burning wood in open fires and old non smoke approved stoves within cities like London that have a blanket smoke control policy. A

Stacked crate which has an external vol of 1.17cu m , this contains about 1.5/1.6 cu m of logs if loose, sell at £185 last winter inc VAT delivered. Early indication on cost this year suggests about £10 a crate cheaper due to the exchange rate to buy, if that pulls through when I order then this seasons prices will be £170/£175 ish. This is 100% Ash, nice small logs dried to 5% MC or below in reasonably robust crates. I use a Teleporter to handle them. Birch is 10% or so cheaper. A

NFU covers all my processing gear., tractor and trailers. A

What people do not appreciate is that heating is a seasonal business, the season runs for mid/late August to the end of November, in that time we do most of our years turnover. So to get someone ringing in September or October saying can you repair service my stove when they know its been broken since the spring often gets NO as an answer as we are to busy selling and installing new stoves. But given a bit of guidance most people are able to replace firebricks/grates etc especially those with some sort of mechanical or DIY aptitude. A

In my experience 30-40% of customers have an annual sweep, most of the rest wait until something fails then want me to come out and service the stove, in Sept or Oct when I am flat out in the showroom. A

The issue with newspaper is that it smokes quite a lot so unless you have a good pull from the chimney from the off you may get some smoke back in the room, but it works and works well. Personally I use the small wood shaving/wax firelighter, kindling is usually processor waste. A

Technically the more contemporary stoves are of superior design with things like Terciery air to optimise combustion and emissions, stainless door handles that do not get hot enough to burn, etc. The tall thin models offer a superior fire as the terciery air comes on halfway up the rear thus you have in effect two fires one above then other. Its horses for courses but at the end of the what you prefer is academic, your other half will tell you which one you are having !!. Or at least that's what happens in 98% of sales in my experience where its her final decision. You all know how the world works !!. A

Would be interested to see that confirmed somewhere as I am thinking about replacing one of my IFWs and with the terrible reputations of Land Rover Discovery 4 and 5 may well end up pulling them with a Ford or Isuzu pick up when the Defender dies. A

Top quality product so it commands a price premium but many are put off by the crate price so buy a lesser quantity as a lower price. I do also have cheaper air dried products but am finding the premium stuff outsells the air dried 3 to 1. But I dont try to compete in the budget end of the market, people come into the industry, murder the prices, get some sales then bitch to me that they are not making any money, I tell them to lift their prices to my levels, they usually dont and pack up a year or two later. A

Just be carefull, if you hitch a 3500 trailer to a tow vechicle that has a max tow weight of less that 3500 you will be prosecuted for being overweight even if the trailer is empty. A 2700 trailer is far more versatile as many 4x4 pick ups are limited to 2700. Personally using a Defender I find 5 foot wide trailers are ideal as I can see the outside edges of the trailer mudwings in the mirrors, so for tight jobs its excellent. A

It was about £110 ( plus VAT) for a stacked crate of Ash last year, if loose the contents equate to around 1.5 cu m. Dont know what this years prices are yet, A

Nice, an island will help swans and geese to nest safely. A

Yes they do, Arada and Morso both make excellent boiler stoves. However if you have a Combi Boiler for you current hot water you will need to build in a facility to automatically dump excess heat in the event of a power cut. ( that means the water is still being heated but not being pumped around the system, pressure then builds up in the stove due to steam) Usually this is vented to a cold water tank but combi boilers dont have CW tanks so plumbing costs may be significant. A

Technically I have no idea as to the internal performance, but many boiler stove manufacturers have already discontinued boiler stoves ( Esse for example) and at least one other major player will do so shortly unless they find a way to clean up the emissions and get improved efficiency. A

This is a 6 year old thread !!!. ( from 2012) Under the proposed EcoDesign emissions requirements most if not all boiler stoves will be discontinued as they are currently unable to hit the emissions requirements. A

I cant understand why the Esse ones very rarely warp or need replacement, you would have thought they would. A

Most baffle plates if cast or mild steel will buckle over time. My home Morso Panther only ever burns wood, but I go through a baffle plate every 4 or 5 years. Ironically the ones that dont seem to for some reason are stainless steel as fitted by Esse. A

I have now been out of the motor trade for 10 years, but even then that was illegal. A

I am not aware of any stove manufacturer doing that, I suppose some of the cheapy brands might try and use it as a cop out when their chinese castings crack or twist. Black glass is caused by shutting the secondary air right down usually to try and slumber the stove. Stoves need to be burnt flat out all the time pretty well for minimum emissions and maximum efficiency. Once they come into law ( probably 2020) the new EcoDesign regs will mean that stoves will not be able to be closed right down, many (most) older design traditional stoves will go out of production. I have 4 or 5 in the showroom to clear as they have been discontinued on that basis,

Yes.

The sunlight will kill the bags if left in the open. I put some brand new bags outside for a year to see how things went, some broke when I picked them up. Under an open dutch barn they seem fine, some of mine have done 7 or 8 seasons. A

Yes, most of mine comes from Lithuania. There are sharks out there so seek recommendations re suppliers. You will now have to register with the Forestry Commission and report every container you bring in as soon as its shipped. Its fairly simple process, only just registered myself as was not aware of that requirement until very recently. You will need to buy a 40 foot container at a time, cost with be around 6k depending on the exchange rate. You have 2 hours usually to unload the container, so will need a pump truck and a teleporter or similar. You dont pay VAT if registered but then declare it in your next VAT return as import from within EU. There are several UK companies who will sell at similar prices, but the crates will be marked with their name and they will be selling direct to your customer given half a chance. Suggest you peddle your own boat, there are no probs, all these people speak good english if you ring them. A