Duffryn

Yes but only single phase. Would this be slower than hydraulic ?

Hydraulics off a bobcat or telehandler

I'm with you on that one Mike

Thanks for the advice. I've purchased a couple of items from Jim at Riko and as you say the service is top notch. Multech don't have a 2nd tier margin to add on and seem better priced. I like the idea of the extended table. Problem is I only want to buy once. Torn between price, features and a machine that will have full and known support

After breaking my back for four days with an axe the time has come to invest in a vertical splitter ( will run it off hydraulics on telehandler or bobcat) . I want a waist height table - thinking Multech or Riko circa 12 tonne, Anyone had any experience of either ? Or any advice ?

agreed but they will be dry and most can be collected with muck fork and grab

as other have said invest in some pallets underneath the pile - huge increase in airflow for marginal cost and id be surprised if you had any problems

That pallet is in the wrong place to claim RHI it should be on a 45 degree angle

AGREED and so the bigger issue here is the question "is global warming man made or a natural phase that we can do nothing about ? " I'm with the later and dread to think of the billions that have been wasted on a non issue that we can do nothing about. So why do I claim RHI ? Well the answer is I cannot change the stupidity of the situation that made it our best course of action and have paid for it many times over so why not.

My understanding is (and I could be wrong ) that the RHI was designed to help us meet the targets set under the Kyoto treaty. The cost of the RHI scheme was a fraction of the fines we would have to pay if we didn't reach the renewables target. I think there can be very few arguments that the scheme actually helps the environment. However given that the scheme exists those that have opted for it (including me) cannot really be blamed for doing so.

£120K plus for one that works and is genuinely compliant and your right the ROI is not there (if it were not for the RHI income).

Cost of cash tied up in stock drying, ability to react to demand, yard space taken up, ability to charge a premium for kiln dried. If none of these are a concern ( and they could genuinely not be) then no need to kiln dry.

Cost of cash tied up in stock drying, ability to react to demand, yard space taken up, ability to charge a premium for kiln dried. If none of these are a concern ( and they could genuinely well not be) then no need to kiln dry.

Temperature is a key factor but airflow is also very important, as is the time in which the air in the kiln is changed. Stillage design is critical, mesh all round if possible, loose stacked logs and 6" gap between stillages.

I think you will struggle to get 70 degrees in the kiln using a biomass boiler ( most are designed to run efficiently at 70-75 degrees). I loose 20 degrees in temperature from boiler temperature to kiln temperature and a further 5 degrees at the back of the kiln. On my 10ft kiln I can dry Larch to 20% in 1.5 days, most hardwood typically 3 days, Oak 4-5 days. Log size makes a big difference on drying times. My figures are based on no more than 12inch logs. Hope this helps

Agreed drying logs and drying wood for resale require different types of kiln set up. The GF style of kiln would not be suitable for this

whats this all about ?

I purchased a trail cam to catch trespassers and vandals in my wood. Unless you have CCTV warning signs up the footage is hard to use in court and of course the signs encourage people to look for the cameras and then they tend to go missing. I didn't bother with the signs I have found mine a great use for letting me know when someone was there and as I'm only a couple of minutes away I would just drive over and catch them in person.

Yes a 10ft HQ with two 54 kwh heat exchangers.

Really you are limited to the temperature that the boiler is designed to run efficiently at. In my case I run the boiler at 80 degrees and get 60 inside the kiln. I can dry softwood logs in a day and hardwood in 2-3 days. Add a day to these times for big 50cm logs. Pics of my setup. Boiler house, chip store, kiln and storage shed ( under construction)

Sorry I didn't explain that very well. It's the rate at which the moisture ridden air within the container or kiln is changed that is important. The stillages had gaps between them on the side edges, bottom, tops and within the stillage itself with loose stacked logs to allow the moisture ridden air to escape. I don't have the exact figure to hand but it was something like a complete air change every 45 seconds. That is not to say all the heat energy is changed every 45 seconds because the logs retain a lot of that energy. All basic FORCED AIR dried kilns, chip driers etc work on a similar principle.

No you would burn more fuel because more energy would be consumed

Yes it would because the pressure would be reduced on the heat exchangers and they would get rid of more heat. Leaving the doors open would massively reduce the ability of the kiln to dry the logs. The same effect could be achieved leaving the windows open on a house on which RHI heating is claimed. Both would be high risk and if you were caught you would loose your RHI payments. Unless a boiler has been massively over specified most installations will get the tier 1 payment with ease so I could not see why anyone would want to take the risk.

Hey no problem. I'll try and post some more pics tomorrow

I would say you might struggle to make any real difference in five days. To have any real effect you need to use stillages of some sort to maintain airflow ( even vented bags are only half as effective as ibc crates or stillages). You really need to have an insulated near airtight structure so that you can force air through the logs and out through the desired point (the air movement is just as important as the temperature) and you really need to get the temperature as high as possible. I'm obviously not familiar with your building but without modification you might struggle. A cheap way of doing this might be to use kingspan insulation board (put tape on the joints) to build a structure around your stillages inside your building. You could then cut vents in the end to vent the air outside. You will need to use heat exchangers to take the heat from the boiler into the new structure and create the airflow. I guess you could probably set up a 20ft kiln for £2.5K ish using your existing building and boiler. Hope this helps