County4x4

What are you going to tow this 6m3 of logs with? Andy

I was about to suggest Broadbent Drives - we used to use them for racing mowers and had good service from them. Treediver has given the link already. Andy

Congratulations mate - to both of you - things will never be quite the same again! Maybe an arbtalk nursery is called for - we've got a Holly - you have a Hazel - who's going to be brave and go for Ginkgo?! All the best, Andy

:biggrin: Quality reply!! Andy PS - Smiles - the rods you mentioned are called "lockfast" rods if you're looking for them

Getting back to this top down lighting thing - I actually remembered to give it a try tonight before I lit the stove. We're using coal at the moment - but only because we got about a tonne for nothing - before you start:001_tt2: I usually light the kindling on top of a few bits of paper and then once it's started to catch, I put a few bits of coal on top and build up a bit of a pile. This usually produces a fair bit of coal smoke until the stuff gets going properly - this stage can last a good few minutes even with the bottom door open to get a real good draught through the grate. Anyway - tonight I built it upside down - layer of coal on the grate, then the usual amount of kindling, and then one bit of a firelighter on top of that. Lit the firelighter and let it be. The stove (Morso squirrel) was putting heat out a lot quicker than usual as there were flames dancing about from the start - and there was hardly any smoke at all, even when the fire had got down to the coal. Conclusions - not a myth after all and gives much better results in terms of quick heat and less smoke (for me in my stove at any rate) than the usual bottom up method. Cheers, Andy

I'm kinda between two camps on this one - as I've swept my own chimneys in the past, and I'm also looking at chimney sweep training at the moment with a view to offering it as a service. For what it's worth, I'm guessing if the question was asked on a chimney sweep forum (if there was one) then the response there would be pretty much the same as if Joe Public posted on here that he had a massive pop in his back garden hanging over his conservatory and he was thinking of hiring a ladder.... A proper chimney sweep has a lot more knowledge than just how to stick rods together - he'll be trained in all sorts of stuff relating to flues and how they work, how to spot any potential problems that could affect the fabric of the building, and in extreme cases, problems that could gas the occupants! He'll also have the correct equipment for sweeping your particular chimney, with different rods and brush types for cast, brick and lined flues, a proper sweeps vacuum (usually over £700) to remove all the soot and dust without blowing it round your house, soot cloths and so on. He may well have camera gear that he can put up your chimney to inspect it. If he uses the wrong gear, and puts a hole through your lovely new stainless steel liner, he'll also have insurance to cover it! He'll probably issue you with a certificate that will stand up in court too if necessary, to say that your flue has been cleaned to the required standards. As always - it's down to the individual at the end of the day, but having started looking into it, there's a lot more to the job than just sticking a brush up a chimney - and for the sake of £30 - £40 - it might be a better, and possibly safer option to get someone in. The superflex rods that slasherscot mentioned are the ones to use with flexible liners btw - Wakefield Brush sell them via ebay cheaper than on their own website, with a free brush and free postage too IIRC. Cheers, Andy

I always used to send overseas stuff via the Post Office- never had any problems. Otherwise, you can get an instant quote and book a collection using interparcel.com as long as you have your package dimensions and weight, and a phone number for the recipient - you can't submit the form without one - I've used them a lot over the last few months for domestic deliveries and they always turn up when they're supposed to. Even the economy 3-5 day service seems to arrive next working day most of the time. They do international deliveries too - mostly using UPS or fedex. Cheers, Andy

Found it: Lighting fires is another problem area. Traditionally, we use paper, with twigs on top, and then we add larger pieces as we go on. 1) First things first; we need to stop using paper. Being mineralised, paper makes thick fluffy ash flakes, and these can obstruct the flow of air through the fire. 2) Build the fire upside down. Put the coal or larger wood at the bottom so that it forms a reasonably solid mass, and will catch everything that falls onto it. (This enables it to catch all the small embers that form from the burning of the kindling, and which would otherwise fall through the bars of the grate and be lost. By using this method, the embers will fall onto the wood/coal and create a hot heart to help the ignition process along.) 3) Then put the large kindling on base, the smaller kindling on top of that, and on the very top place a small fragment of firelighter (I use only a quarter of the firelighter) plus some very small kindling. 4) Light the piece of firelighter and the fire will burn down faster and cleaner than the conventional technique. This method has one stunning advantage: We have all, at one time or another, lit a fire that has failed to catch light. We then have to demolish the fire and rebuild it form scratch. This is possibly the dirtiest job known to man, and usually results in creating a terrible mess, leaving one black to the elbows. Been there, done that and didn't like it. Using the upside down method, if the fire shouldn't catch, then all is simplicity and cleanliness. Simply add a few more small kindling scraps, another quarter of a firelighter, and off we go again. No mess, no fuss, and no dirty hands. THIS REALLY WORKS. Trust me, I'm a chimney sweep.

Half the trouble is that people have no hesitation at all about buying and having a stove installed for well over a grand - but then they go and buy the cheapest wood they can get because "wood should be cheap shouldn't it 'cos it's all over the place" I've also heard stories of people trying to light logs with a match! Not sure what Felix meant though - if it was lighting the fire from the top down, quite a few people swear by that method - there are supposed to be some advantages over bottom up - but I can't remember what they are:001_rolleyes: I'm sure google will find it if you're interested. Andy

A lot of the cheap stoves sld in the UK are cast iron - but imported from China and sold under all sorts of brand names once they arrive. The castings are often poor quality soyou end up with air gaps between them once they're all bolted together. This will make the stove practically impossible to control as it will still end up pulling hard even with all the air controls shut off. There are quality stoves in both iron and steel - but obviously the quality sets you back more. Worth it though in my opinion! Cheers, Andy

"Are Ecofans any good" falls into the same bracket as "Husqvarna or Stihl?" unfortunately. Many people think they're the best thing since sliced bread, and others think they're an expensive gimmick. They work best if you have a bit of a gap around your stove so they can draw cooler air over the fins at the back of the fan blade - they are not supposed to be plonked in the middle of the stove where the surrounding air is baking hot. You should also be able to save a few quid on that ebay price. I think the manufacturers have a list of suppliers on their website - they're made by an outfit called Caframo. Sorry I can't just say yes or no! Andy

My Head Forester once upon a time wouldn't have elm in his house. He reckoned there was an old saying that "Elm hateth and waiteth" - though I don't know if that was more to do with dead ones chucking branches off - maybe someone had one land on them once upon a time? I used to burn tonnes of the stuff though - no ill effects so far! Never heard the elder story - though it's mentioned in the firewood poem - "make a fire of elder tree, death within your house will be" Andy

Yep - nice one mate! Just one thing that crossed my mind - there seemed to be a fair bit of down time and guard lifting. Do you have a lot of bother with jams, logs falling sideways etc? Andy

Not bad at all mate - even at 22% you're probably a good way below what a huge amount of stuff is being sold at. Stuff from some local forecourts etc won't even burn - and others are reporting having to use coal to keep the wood going - stuff like that isn't firewood in my book! I reckon the stuff you have there will be good for your customers and good for your reputation too! Cheers mate, Andy

Is there a difference on the reading if you test a freshly split inside face? Andy

One of the big national companies are selling at £149 for a m3 bag. That includes delivery I think - but even so...... Andy

Thanks Chris - much appreciated! Andy

Hi all, Just read this on another forum from a guy in Bedfordshire: If there are any suppliers of good quality firewood in the area I'll be happy to put you in touch with him. Cheers, Andy

Here you go mate: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/speedknowyourlimits.pdf Andy

Been looking at doing a course myself as it happens and it's not a five minute job by any means. The National Association of Chimney Sweeps run several courses including the NVQ Level 2 in chimney engineering which takes around nine months to complete. The Guild of master sweeps do similar stuff and reckon on a minimum of eight days training - with classroom and on the job training - you're looking at over £1100 to train and join up with them. I guess it's similar to tree work in many ways - looks fairly simple on the face of it, but if you think about it from the point of view that if you get it wrong you could be gassing the poor family, then that puts it in a different light. Proper sweeps will have a wide range of tools and equipment to cover all eventualities - some of which are a looong way from your set of £20 B&Q brushes, and will give proper certification of the job they've done which has legal standing. If the guy turns up in his car with some rods in an old golf bag - you've probably got the wrong guy in.... Recommended sweeping frequency for woodburners is quarterly when the stove is in use (and yearly for most other types of appliance) - I wonder how many people actually have the sweep round that often? Andy

If you're considering a re-map for the Transit, you won't go wrong with Van Tuner - Transit Van Tuning The guy is a member on the Ford Transit forum and comes highly recommended by many of the members on there for the good job he does. Andy

There are two or three importers in the UK - Your First Choice for Russian Trucks and Military Vehicles - UK Russian Trucks is the one I remember without looking for it. I've seen Zils for sale now and again at very reasonable money - like less than £4k. Most of them will run on cross fuel but not sure of the situation regarding getting hold of it. The site mentions garages having to pay to get rid of it, but I'm not so sure that the garages are the ones storing it myself. More likely to be outfits like the AA who come out and drain the car tank onsite and then take the cross fuel away. I would doubt the garage have a responsibility to provide storage for when you muck things up at the pumps myself. We process thousands of litres of the stuff at work - it gets blended into fuel for cement kilns which seems a real waste considering that the majority of it is mostly petrol. Ours comes from a licenced waste disposal company called Safety Kleen, and many of the drums they drop are marked as being from the AA. Cheers, Andy

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTaUy4RWO7E]YouTube - ?????????? ?????????,Karachay loggers[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1gNPEVpmo4]YouTube - ?????????? ?????????, Karachays do the work[/ame] Proper trucks! Andy

Why do you say that out of interest mate? This stuff is burning very clean - isn't even blackening the glass with the air shut right down. Andy

Also I think there may be problems for him claiming to be self employed if the majority of his work is for one customer - ie you. I think the tax people may well see that as being an employee. Had this trouble once upon a time when driving a wagon for a parcels company - they wanted us to be s/e but as all our driving was for them we weren't according to the tax office. Hope you sort it one way or another! Andy