Alycidon

Esse and David Randleson their chief tech guy who has been there for ever are a good genuine company. They do rely on their dealers to drive home the message on MCs but if buying on line (and there is no reason for that as the local dealer is not far out) customers do not get the benefit of that advice or any support if issues occur. A

Felled over a year, lower MC, dont be fooled. bark is pretty well waterproof so unless it has been partly stripped the only way moisture can escape is through the end grain. A few years ago I processed up some larch, been felled 3 years, 4% on the outside end grain, 27% a foot into the length. Admitted this is drier than it would have been fresh felled but 27% will take 6 months after splitting to be ready for use. Thats to get best results out of it. A

Most stove manufacturers say 18%, some 16%, MAXIMUM. Went out to an Esse stove I supplied a couple of weeks ago last night, on delivery guy said he had his own wood supply but I left my usual firewood info package which goes to some length about MCs. His logs were 40% - 45% MC, looks like they had been bought from a local garage. Took some of mine at 12%, cleaned it up and away it went. A

Boilers within almost all boiler stoves are not tested to run at the pressures generated by a condensing boiler. The need to vent excess heat is also crucial. One of my major suppliers is about to launch ( next week) a wood /multifuel cooker that can run on a pressurised system with a condensing boiler and feed heat into a bulk energy store. There are no plans at present to expand this system which as far as I am aware is an industry first to their range of boiler stoves. A

If its anything to do with Yell.com that went bust about a year ago avoid it like the plague. Think it now trades as Hibu. I took out extensive advertising with them some 5 years ago, both in the old Yellow Pages and on line. The promised a lot by way of click throughs and extra calls, they use a different phone number in the adds that automatically clicks through to yours so they know how many incoming calls were made as a direct result of the adds. End of first year I had about 5% of the volume promised, they altered things around and promised vast improvements for year two, things were a few percent better but still way short of promised. I ditched them. A

[ Agreed on the rad, at 6am the heating will kick in but the stove will be pretty well out. A

Been clearing up some blackthorn the wind ripped out last week, hedge has not been cut in 50 years to my knowledge, in a steepish valley bottom, maybe 25 feet tall. Took five hours to cut maybe a cube or two at max of timber out of it, nothing above about 5 inch. Sycamore or Ash in a hedge then yes but blackthorn and most livestock proof hedges are predominantly blackthorn then no. A

Straight into vented firewood bags and then into a dutch barn. A

On the stove front; 6mx5m x say 2.5m to the ceiling, = 75 cu meters to heat, good insulation divide by 16, so around 4.8kw, average divide by 14 so just over 5kw. If my mental maths is about right. Thats heat to room to give you at 21 deg C temp rise if its 1C outside while showing good flames in the firebox. Now you need to work out how much heat to water you need, this depends on the number and size of rads or is it being linked to a thermal store. a 600mm x 1m twin rad will want 2kw for example. Add in heat loss in the pipes, 3 beds, + lounge + kitchen + bathroom + hall, so probably 7 or 8 rads, about 16/18kw to water I would estimate or 20kw if you also want to add DHW. Thats a big stove with a big wood appetite, it will go through probably 12 cubic meters of logs a winter maybe more. So once you have the figures then you need to find a stove of the relevant size, say 5kw + 18kw for example. If you want I can e mail you details of the outputs of my normal boiler stoves, pm me if you wish with your address. If you live in a smoke control area ( some of the larger towns and cities) then that creates another problem but its not impossible. You also need to look at your plumbing, last two I have done also needed extensive plumbing work, if you have a combi boiler ( so a pressured system) I suggest you consult a qualified plumber with experience in the field. I would recommend that you don't but cheap chinese but stay with a well known brand that is actually made in the UK or Western Europe. There are several brands now having their products made in the far east to the detriment of the quality. You need a long service life and replacement parts to be readily available in the future, most chinese have no spares support at all. Others are probably better qualified to advise on dedicated stand alone boilers, I have looked at Centeral Boiler's models, they seem good bits of kit. I know one member here was installing one last summer. A

How local?. A

There is a push within the farming community to bring woods back into management for timber, this will also help their pheasant holding capacity. Any shortfall will be made up from imports. People are buying stoves mainly because they fear energy shortages and they look nicer than a gas boiler. At least with a stove they are in control of their own destiny heat wise. Some people come in with the idea that they are cheaper to run than gas, I steer them to the Nottingham Energy Partnership web site for independent advice but advise that if they don't have their own supply of fuel then there is not a lot of saving to be had. A

Buts thats hardly the same as your suggestion that 22% was the optimum MC, thats just plain wrong in my book, and the FCs book. A

At the end of the day the product will burn acceptably for most people immediately and will be acceptable for my customers by next autumn. If its cheap enough then fine. Ironically there is another thread offering Ash started by premium wood as few days ago with MCs up to 30%. I guess their suppliers have not been up to scratch which for a new company is a shame. I have sourced my own imported kiln dried this winter as an experiment, Birch currently at 12% - 18% externally and down to 7% internal, so that company gets its kilning right, got 16 crates left tonight so timed it about right. A

Undoubtedly right, my own air dried was about 7% in Sept, last bags of it went out about 2 weeks ago at around 14%. Kept in an open barn, roof and partly closed on one side only. If the wood in question was 10% in Dec when the guy said it was kilned no way will it now be as wet as it is unless it floated over the North Sea. A

wrong, look at the FC info. page 2 here. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-woodfuel-woodasfuelguide.pdf/$FILE/eng-woodfuel-woodasfuelguide.pdf The drier it is the less energy is wasted drying moisture out so the higher the heat output. A

It is. I have seen several comments from potential customers of stove/fire ready kiln dried this winter that customers report poor burning. I have found MCs of just over 30% in one lot. No doubt it had be kilned, just not for long enough. A

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eovy4jYVwcA]TMS45 Spaltprofi Premium Sägespaltautomat Brennholzautomat Spaltautomat Firewood Processor - YouTube[/ame] Elec motor seems to have more sawdust on it than I would expect especially as the machine has probably only cut the one log. That would be a concern but a PTO version would not have the issue. A

I also run a Japa 700, decent machine but does not like abuse, log tray tends to bend. Dont put anywhere near the volume of some through it but have only replaced belts so far after about 300 tons. It is though a pain in the backside to service, one main shaft grease nipple is impossible to get at when connected to a tractor. When I replaced the main drive belt set it was an all day job. Other machines are faster especially on bigger timber, but on smaller timber especially it cuts as fast as anything else. Overall it has done a good job for me but as my volumes grow and my time to spend processing does not get any more I will soon need to move up or hire a big processor or buy in ready cut. A

Most people here like Palax, Posch and Dalen. Expensive but good machines., tend to be heavily built. Lesser machines such as Jappa, Hakki etc are fine especially if you use them yourself, not as heavily built as the top 3. Tajfun seem to be offering what looks a decent machine but there are only a handful of people here with them so far. Duun is another to look at. Rotary blade is better able to stand cutting dirty timber, most will cut 100 cube or more before re sharpen, tips are expensive if you cut into steel within a log. Noisier than a chainsaw type. A

In America some products are charged with the best price a cash collected, then increasing prices for deliver, deliver + credit etc. Had a bloke turn up the other week with a 'big van' to collect a cube, had to plonk it onto a pallet and more or less ram it in the back with a teleporter. God knows how you would go on if someone turned up in an X5 or Merc estate. Hand ball them on I guess. A

118 a cube is fine. Thought he was at £60 a cube, A

Nor can I, to old for that game. A

In my book you either take a flyer and buy direct or pay a bit more and buy through an existing uk importer. There are companies out there with English people on their staffs not that that means anything these days. A

Does not even pay for fuel and time delivering unless cost of cord is zero. A