briquette_seller

Sounds like a lot of double handling with billets

 

It's the same old same old, people with out wood kilns going on

Yes, double handling does occur, and yes its all time and money, but its still cost effective, for me and many other merchants.

You guys will spend a fair bit of time a week/year feeding your boiler, probably, depending on your set up, double handling.

I don't have a problem with kilns, or yourselves for having them.

Iam just voicing my opinion, and telling the you how I operate.

So you have 50 cubic metres cut to 500mm, split big and dried to under 25% in the middle for a customer that wants it in 3-4 weeks? And another 50 cubic metres every month after that for the next 4 months? What about if another customer also asks for the same or similar? Do you stock the same again too?

Yes, that's not a problem.

I have 1m long billets sitting under 20% (most decent merchants will)

Various other lengths and sizes in stock under 20%.

I also have 3m billets sitting (not tested them, but will be around the 25% mark)

Most decent merchants hold a variety of stock.

Simples really.

We also have an advantage because I can dry it in 7 days. Also situations like a customer ringing 2 weeks ago for 50 cubic metres of biomass fuel for his boiler cut to 500mm and dried to under 25% and needed it quick. Processed it and is coming out of the kiln tomorrow. It will be with him by Tuesday. Less than 3 week turn around for 50 cubic metres. It's a massive boost for income in July!! He will be looking for 200-250 cubic metres a year. That's a massive order I wouldn't have if I didn't have a kiln. You can react to things quickly, if you're air drying it you can't. Simple as that

I could of had that out the same day, or next day at worst.

Its called being organised.

Most merchants that take a living from firewood are organised and can react to demand quickly.

My post may have been misinterpreted -

 

I am suggesting that those who kiln dry have an advantage because of the RHI, nothing else. I am not in that catagory

Ok, my bad.

If you are selling a quality product - good or bad - the average customer does not care how it is produced, just look at milk, poultry etc etc etc.

 

Those who kiln dry have a healthy competitive edge at the moment, which has to be accepted.

Those who don't, perhaps need to get better at what they do, to narrow the gap.

WTF?

Your logs are better than mine because you kiln dry, absolute bull!!!

Just because they have been in a kiln for a few days, doesn't make them any better than a fully seasoned air dried log.

20% moisture is 20% moisture, regardless of how it got there.

45 foot ejector trailer.

Remove the back door, and weld in a knife.

Job done.

A very efficient way of transporting firewood, 2 cm crates.

Wholesalers don't want to pay for empty space, and crates are the best way to reduce this.

I have never seen kd softwood.

Doesn't mean its not available, but I doubt if that will be the key to success.

Are you going for it?

Red spruce (Picea rubens)

Its chucking it down here.

Dark, wet and miserable

Really? what was the outcome of this?

Still ongoing.

that must have been a long time ago, today a drone would be much easier.

2013.

can it be seen from the road ,

My neighbours got aerial photographs.

Paid someone to go up in a wee putt putt plane and take pictures of my yard

even if its just waste/scrub land? i.e not an actual agricultural field?

Oh yes.

You need planning permission for everything these days.

Phone Dalkeith

I'm using an l200 with 3 tonne plated trailer and as far as I'm aware I don't need any taco or operating licence?

If you are using it for hire or reward, you need a tacho.

If your carting your own stuff, you don't need a tacho.

Also, i believe, if your unladen weight is under 3.5 tonne, you work to GB domestic rules, not EU rules, and as long as you drive for less than 4 hours a day, no rules apply.

Exemptions to the GB domestic rules

The GB Domestic rules don’t apply if you:

drive for less than 4 hours in any day

drive off-road or on private roads during duty time

drive a vehicle used by the armed forces, police or fire brigade

are dealing with an emergency, eg major disruption to public services or danger to life

As long as your unladen weight doesnt exceed 3.5 tonne, you dont need an OL.

I think...............

I have full A on mine also, but never done any bike test ..............

Nice one.

Awkward arbwaste and old pallets cut up with a chainsaw mostly, 2 pallets gets everything up to 80C and then I should let the chip take over, 'cept I never have enough chip as the hopper is awkward to load, which is why I was interested in a 240V potato/grain elevator.

 

I was scuppered when the boss refused to allow me to put 50mm of insulation under the concrete slab in the workshop and some barrier pipe in the slab so only have a 12kW fan coil unit to dissipate heat.

Large diameter grain augers also work.

The buckles.

Crimps are too unpredictable.

When RHI was first announced I got offered a number of working chip boilers cheap. I ended up buying a 150kW one, not sophisticated nor a particularly good one but it works , gets rid of waste and my main regret is not having a decent heat load for it.

 

I have no moral scruples about accepting RHI but I've avoided the paperwork, have no one to answer to and haven't needed to spend £33k

 

One 500kW Kob which we installed and commissioned for £300k got knocked out for £8k because the secondhand market has collapsed.

What waste do you burn?

Processor waste?