Duffryn

Rather simple then, the main problem strikes me is the direct contact with water in the side walls. AGREED BUT LIMITING DROPS IN BOILER WATER TEMPERATURE AND OBTAINING NO MORE THAN 20 DEGREE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN FLOW AND RETURN CAN MINIMISE THIS ISSUE Also a simple on off switch for the fans isn't sensible, can the thermostat be changed to a programmable one that has a couple of fan speeds?. THIS WOULD BE EASY TO DO AND WOULD BE EASIER TO USE My boiler has primary and secondary fans speeds linked which is daft as you really need more primary air as the wood gets wetter. AGREED BUT THEN THE BOILERS ARE CHEAP AND THIS ADDS COST. Does the air simply enter at the back and then exit up the fire tubes? YES VIA A VARIABLE SEED FAN. I think I would experiment with reducing heat loss to the side walls even if the is reduces the boiler output. YES BUT I KNOW THE ISSUE CAN BE SOLVED WITHOUT DOING THIS AND BOILER OUTPUT IS ALREADY BELOW STATED CAPACITY

Sorry poor description on my part. By Hot burn I mean try and keep the boiler at 80-85 degrees for a good 3-4 hours. I.E don't let the demand take the boiler down below 80 degrees for more than a few minutes. What you need to avoid is the water temperature on the boiler going down to say 60 degrees and then slowly building up again ( this should never be allowed to happen in normal use). This should burn off all the excess tar. Its imperative that you check there is no obstruction to the air tubes and the rear fan. Also check the the flap on the rear blower has not become detached. With the boiler cold check the airflow through each of the vents in the tubes, there should be an equal airflow through each. Yes larch and beech will be fine. I've got a holiday home in Cosheston not far from you so could always call in next time i:m down there. I've PM'd you my phone number so give me a call later, we can cover much more ground in a 5 min call.

The GF boiler is very limited in terms of control. The primary and secondary air are linked ( no separate control), the 70 degrees refers to the water temperature. The boiler control works off a water temperature setting. You set a target of say 80 degrees and the fan kicks in / cuts out when the temperature drops x degrees either side of the target temperature. This is all the control you have over the boiler ! Fine tuning can be accomplished by adding thermostatic controls as you have suggested but I think the first stage in helping Celtic solve the base problem albeit that will mean he needs to refuel every 45 mins.

Pics are a big help. Have you completed a really good clean out :- 1) Tubes at top of the boiler ? 2) Removed and cleaned air tubes at bottom of boiler ? 3) Removed the plate and cleaned the fan area at the rear of the boiler ? I suspect that there is some sort of blockage limiting the amount of air going into the primary and secondary air tubes, check that the plate on the lever at the back of the boiler that controls the volume of air has not become detached) The tar build up could be compounding the ongoing smoke issues and needs to be removed before you stand a chance of getting a clean burn. This can either be done manually by scraping it of ( wearing full mask and protection) or it burning off with a hot burn. As Openspace has said the tar issue / smoke has been caused by a lack of temperature. Your next steps are a really good clean out, a hotter burn and ideally ( just to prove the point) a mixed fuel load ( not just oak). You will get a clean burn after 20 mins but the problem you will face is that you are going to need to reload the boiler every 45 minutes to achieve this and gain anything more than a 50% boiler efficiency. Where about's are you based ?

Here you go .... Tencate Toptex Silage Cover,Wood Chip Cover, Compost Cover and Crop Cover Flexible Lining Products

Yes, but then this would affect temperatures in the kiln so just moves the problem on. We were able to manage the GF boilers temperature by setting the demand placed on it on it and by using the fan speed controller on the boiler itself. We also had controls on our demand so that it did not kick in until the boiler reached 70 degrees to reduce the time the boiler was below temperature after a cold start or luke warm refuel. This was more fine tuning than anything else and wouldn't really help the OP with his problems.

The volume of fuel used is directly related to the output of the boiler so one can not really be stated without quoting the other. Measure the output of the boiler via the RHI meter in a 24 hour period and the fuel used. A tonne of 20% m/c wood delivers on average 4,100 kwh. You will be surprised at the results !!

The tar being referred to is a layer that goes all over the furnace, it will often be tacky and drip when you open the door and the boiler is still hot. Its generally caused by the boiler being at too low a temperature. As others have said the right fuel and a good hot burn (80 degrees for a couple of hours) should clear it. The controls on the GF are very limited but its important to make sure that the flow is at least 80 degrees and the return no lower than 60 degrees. The only way to control this is the fan setting on the boiler for the flow and controlling the amount of heat you draw from the boiler (eg by reducing fan speed on heat exchangers or equivalent) for the return. When the boiler is empty and cold turn the fan on and check that the air tubes in the fire chamber are not blocked (remove and clean them) and that the fan on the rear of the boiler (remove access plate) is not blocked or obstructed. I have spent 100's of hours with GF boilers trying to solve this issue and promise you that if you follow the advice on my previous posts and here your problem will be solved.

I stack 3m high and use a breathable cover, the cover makes a big difference to drying times , especially over the winter. I had two stacks of wood last year ( one covered one not), wood felled at same time. The stack that was covered had 7% lower M/C over six months. The main difference to m/c was on the top half of the stack, the lower half was only marginally dryer.

Ok , try filling the fuel chamber with fuel up to the secondary air tubes, set the fan speed to 7. If you have clear emissions from the flue after the first 15-20 mins then the problem will be the height of the secondary air tubes. I presume your boiler is located outside so there is no restriction on air inflow to the boiler fans ? If so and the boiler still smokes after the test above then the issue will almost certainly be the fuel.

Yes the secondary air tubes are the highest tubes on the left and right hand side. Lifting the tubes themselves will improve boiler performance significantly ( been there , done that ) but will invalidate RHI accreditation. Having said this if the smoke only occurs on some days and not others then there have to others factors contributing. These could be load height, moisture content, heat demand placed on the boiler and potentially wind. What is the boiler being used to heat ?

The secondary air vents are too low on the Gf boiler to provide effective secondary air. The vents need to be above the fuel which then really limits the amount of fuel you can load. I suspect your flue is clear towards the end of the fuel cycle ? Try keeping the fuel below the vents on the sides and stack it up just a tad in the middle. As suggested keeping the fan setting low will help reduce the smoke but it will also reduce heat output.

Went for Carraro TRX7800. Very pleased with it, stacks of power, goes anywhere and can tow up to 8 tonnes. It's also light enough to not sink in on wet ground and the ground clearance gets me over most stumps.

I had a aerial video of the smaller tractor he had before he upgraded to this one

Working in the woods with my Alpine and a women said what a cute diddy tractor I've never seen one that small. I explained that its what you do with it that counts and that size doesn't matter. The this Class 380 arrived in the yard to chip some wood for the boiler. I was wrong size does matter ....

Could you not turn the temp down to say 30-40 degrees and keep fans on very low. You might get an extra 3-4 hours on the last burn of the day ? This would still increase drying time dramatically

Your drying time will be significantly increased by only running in the day time. It will take a couple of hours ( if not longer) for the logs to absorb the heat each time the kiln is switched on. The warming up and cooling down times will be very ineffective drying periods. You could be loosing 50% of your drying time in an 8 hour day.

Ash - Forget Dragon Farm 2000 is your only choice. Flue height might be an issue with Farm 2000 but give them a call. Consider going 200kw and above to to get the 5.5p, they have straw compliant boilers too.

Bags wont work , you need IBC crates or stillages. The bio digester is essentially the same as a boiler. Check whether he is claiming RHI on the heat that you use because the setup will need to be slightly different if he is. You need to check the heat output that the BD will generate and then size your kiln accordingly. As Ash said insulation is key. All you need are 2-4 heat exchanger's ( circa £1k each) cut into one end and vents on the other end of the container of the right size to let the air out. The set up is no different to any other container kiln. The hot water flow and return pipes from the DG are connected in the same way as it would be from the boiler. £4-8K including a "once used" container would do it I can send you some pics of the setup if you want ?

There is absolutely no difference between an air dried 20% m/c log and a Kiln dried 20% log. I think the issue is that in the eyes of the ignorant consumer there is a big difference because they are not comparing like with like. So many ""air dried seasoned logs" sold are actually green, that when the consumer tries kiln dried they notice a big difference and then swear by it. Why are so many logs sold green ? I guess it because it takes a lot of space, cash and time to dry logs by air as so the temptation is obvious. A kiln solves these issues. The real issue here is surely not kiln drying or no kiln drying it is how to stop people being conned by green logs. I don't have the answer for this....

Cheers Mike ! I've got a fair few acres of my own that I am desperate to get on but the Mrs objected to the new "pointless toy" and has had other ideas for my evenings and weekends. Torture !

I've just purchased the 5 tonne version from Riko along with a 71hp Carraro tractor. The crane winch (on remote) is a great bit of kit and really extends the effective reach of the crane, though you need to be careful to put the grab on the floor before using it to pull any sort of weight. Still getting to grips with the kit ( I'm a novice) but very, very happy at this point. Riko after sales care is beyond good !

I placed a large order with Riko which they managed to mess up royally. Now everyone makes mistakes but what has impressed me is how Riko dealt with it. I have not been able to use the kit I purchased for several weeks and Riko have bent over backwards to sort the problem. Yes they created the problem but they have been well and truly on the case solving it without me having to chase. Offering a discount when non was requested, offering to hire in kit to help me out when I didn't request it. They saw the situation from my point of view and are busting a gut to put it right I would have preferred it if they hadn't cocked up my order, but wouldn't hesitate to use them again as a result of how they have handled it Top Marks to Riko ! Very refreshing to see a company putting the customer first and really giving a sh*t.

I've got a 527-55 2011. Got it with 1100 hrs on and put 600 hrs onto it in the last 18 months. Really pleased with the machine, great in small spaces. If you think of getting one be sure to check the main pin that holds the arm on the rear of the machine, a bugger to grease properly and can be very expensive to replace. Go for an Agri version if you can find one. PS If operating in tight spaces is not a concern, seriously consider a 526-55 Agi or 530. They are a lot more machine and a lot more versatile

Looks an awesome bit of kit !!