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Rob_the_Sparky

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Everything posted by Rob_the_Sparky

  1. Rob_the_Sparky
    240*13=3120W. However, mains can be nearer 220V so 220*13=2860W. I.e. 3kW or thereabouts is max for a domestic plug.
  2. Rob_the_Sparky
    If they were being thrown away by the builders anyway then I don't see how you are making it any worse.
  3. Rob_the_Sparky
    Lots of processor unfriendly ash sounds great for us non-pros with a chainsaw and axe. Hope it doesn't all just go to biomass, due to volume though I bet it does.
  4. Rob_the_Sparky
    If it is significant, should it not show up in the manufacturer's efficiency values?
  5. Rob_the_Sparky
    Very pretty. For general public use (like me!) do you think it is worth adding some links on processing/seasoning your own timber? Maybe also a link to the book "Norwegian Wood" ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Norwegian-Wood-Non-fiction-Book-Year/dp/0857052551 ). I found this to be a very good book to read on the subject (and quite a good read anyway)
  6. Rob_the_Sparky
    It might be worth asking for arb waste rather than cord wood. I process wood for my own fire with chainsaw and axe, I'd estimate about 5 cube of 9" stacked logs last year. OK you can't be fussy about the type of wood you get but it is much cheaper than cord wood. I contacted local tree surgeons and yes some have their own log businesses so don't get any left overs but not all do. Now on my second year of sourcing logs like this and I get more than I need from a single local chap who does a mixture of landscaping and tree surgery. He drops it off if he is passing on the way home from a job. As a result I get a lot of softwood from back gardens and maybe 1 in 5 loads of something better like Cherry or Eucalyptus. For the price I can not argue though.
  7. Rob_the_Sparky
    Oops, typo - meant to say the open fires should not be lumped together with wood burners.
  8. Rob_the_Sparky
    I've not tried it, but if dry I see no reason the willow won't burn. The arb waste I burn at the moment is mostly softwood that the web would tell you is not good firewood but I have no problem at all burning it.
  9. Rob_the_Sparky
    Thought about keeping the bigger sticks as firewood? 40mm is on the small side but oak and beech are nice on the fire.
  10. Rob_the_Sparky
    They certainly should be lumping burners together with open fires as they are currently due to the huge difference in efficiency. Whether they should promote them though I'm not sure. Wood burners require a little skill to operate, gas and electric require little or no skill. If you push them out on the general public you will also not be able to supply enough wood and eventually will have to worry about particulate emissions (at least in large towns/cities).
  11. Rob_the_Sparky
    There are people out there looking for wood to burn domestically, just going to be tricky to find them. The Leylandi is not the best but free is free and you can still heat the house using it. The Laurel is very nice to burn. I burn arb waste provided by a local tree surgeon/landscape gardener and it a right mixture but mostly softwoods. He can drop off more than I can burn (in exchange for a few bottle of wine) so I'm not in need of more but worth asking around locally. Maybe put something in the local classifieds or similar?
  12. Rob_the_Sparky
    To quote from : http://www.moisturemetersdelmhorst.com/news/blog/4/How-Pin-Meters-Measure-Moisture.html "The most important feature of resistance type meters with insulated pins is that they measure only at the depth pins have been driven and in a line between the non-insulated portion of the pins."
  13. Rob_the_Sparky
    The reason for splitting before measuring is that moisture meters do not penetrate very far into the wood so the outside can be dry and measure as such while the middle is still damp.
  14. Rob_the_Sparky
    When I first had my log burner put in I bought a few nets of logs (in my case from Tesco) as I didn't have anything to burn. Never again, experience same as B&Q. TBH though if you look at the B&Q website the customer reviews tell you the same story. I'm not sure how they sell any, but I guess they must as there are several different types available.
  15. Rob_the_Sparky
    Try posting on the tip sites in this forum
  16. Rob_the_Sparky
    I do the same, process arb waste for home use (chain saw and axe). I sent messages to a few local tree surgeons before finding one that had more wood than he wanted for his own use and if he is passing will drop it off rather than take it home. You have to not be fussy as to what wood you get but it is great way to heat the house and get some exercise. There is also the tip sites part of this web site but I've not ventured into that as I don't have good access and my contact can deliver more than I can burn on my 5kW wood burner anyway.
  17. Rob_the_Sparky
    How about adding it to the tip sites section?
  18. Rob_the_Sparky
    I would have thought it would act as an insulator, certainly the colour will reduce the amount of radiated energy (matt black is best and polished metal the worst at a given temperature). This might be a good thing as it will raise the fire temp but would be concerned about getting heat out into the room. Our house has block partition walls and internal walls so thermal mass is not a problem. I think I would prefer to put some thermal mass near a black stove rather than wrapping it if that was the attraction.
  19. Rob_the_Sparky
    Not sure you will find a pro willing to pay. I get mostly softwood and some hardwood from a local pro for minimal cost. He drops it at my place if he is passing at the end of a job. Stuff that can not be processed easily does not seek to be worth much. I.e. not long straight poles.
  20. Rob_the_Sparky
    If you are lucky you will have someone locally who can use the larger bits for firewood, I.e. someone who just cuts wood in their back garden for their own fire. I'd have the branches for logs if I were local, oak is always welcome, but I'm up near Reading so not much help.
  21. Rob_the_Sparky
    Some interesting stuff in there (just got to the bit about wood humidity versus wood water content). Worth a read.
  22. Rob_the_Sparky
    We put a pitched roof on an existing garage under a TPOed tree as part of our building works. As it was part of a larger set of works planning were involved and we had to show that the work on the garage would not impact on the tree (roots and crown). I suspect that the reaction to such a letter will be that the garage will have to be modified to not damage the tree. It was there first so the new work on the garage should have taken the tree into account.
  23. Rob_the_Sparky
    Note: in "the book" it does refer to softwood as "Kitchen wood" but I didn't take that as meaning it is not as good as other wood but that it was different. For cooking you want a faster burning wood and for heating you want something that you can put on and forget for a while. It is not saying that softwood is bad, just softwood is different. For me though wood that is dry is wood that is dry. My wood is arb waste so I get what I get and it is almost free so I don't complain.
  24. Rob_the_Sparky
    I suspect that if you could find the source data for the studies then the real picture may be found. In the bits of cherry picked data given it is reducing the burn rate but also the fire temperature, no indication is given that there is any improvement in efficiency. If you burn less fuel and you get less heat then I don't see what is gained. I'd guess there is no proof of an efficiency improvement as that would be a key number to use in advertising if it existed. You won't find me buying unless you can show an efficiency improvement. Edit: A search for the papers quoted gets no hits on Google so no way to see what the independent reports in full.
  25. Rob_the_Sparky
    I will always be sceptical until proven otherwise. The independent tests would be interesting to read but there are no links to the complete data from their sites and snippets by a manufacturer can be misleading. The pretty picture at the start rings alarm bells as it shows air coming in from below the fire, which when burning wood on a stove should be minimal.

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