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carbs for arbs

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Everything posted by carbs for arbs

  1. We don't have a chimney pot. The chimney was removed years ago, but the chimney breast remains in the loft. It was capped quite close to the rafters. I didn't go up and see it when they uncapped it to add the twin wall flue to get through the roof. Shame, would have been nice to see it. Cheers
  2. Many thanks for the replies. The void wasn't filled with anything. Not sure why. Can't remember if it just wasn't discussed at the time or whether the fitter had reasons not to. I know access to the top of the opening in the loft is restricted, so that might have been a reason. Anyhow, it is what it is I guess, and I've no intention of adding it retrospectively as I'd have to undo much of the fitter's work. Thinking about it though, from what I remember the space around the flexi flue liner is not all that much at all. It's a narrow space. Perhaps that's why vermiculite wasn't used? Not sure... Cheers
  3. Hi all I've got a wood burner installed in a builder's opening. Single wall flue into a flexible chimney liner. The thin steel closure plate is higher than the lintel in front - i.e. you can't see it when stood in front of the stove. I therefore often wonder how much heat gets "trapped" in that pocket of space behind the lintel, and subsequently escapes through the closure plate into the chimney void. So I've been thinking about insulating above the closure plate using mineral wool and wondered what people think to the idea? I've not come across much info of people doing that. Seems sensible to me but perhaps I'm overlooking something. I did mention it to the chimney sweep when he was last here and he was against the idea. Not sure how much I trusted his opinions though (on that and other things!). One of his concerns was the mineral wool combusting. I told him that in my limited knowledge it's not combustible but he wasn't having any of it! Any thoughts? Many thanks
  4. Is this official - available to read on the internet - info/news? Or on the insider's grapevine?
  5. Hi Sorry to return so soon with another wood stove question... This time it's about multi-fuel (MF) vs wood only (WO) stoves. From the reading I've done, there seems to be mixed opinions on whether a WO stove performs better than a MF stove, when burning wood only. Open Grate. One of our shortlist stoves is the ACR Earlswood III and Astwood II. Both are MF and have grates with permanently open slots. See: The stoves tick a lot of boxes for us, but the grate puts us off. The manufacturer has said that it won't affect performance, so long as there's a good bed of ashes. But logic and the opinions of some on the net would perhaps suggest otherwise. "Hybrid". I used the term "Hybrid" in the title to refer to stoves like the Clearviews and Woodwarm Fireviews (others too I'm sure), which have riddling grates which can be put into a closed position and provide a flat bed. But there's still gaps between the bars so it's not a truly solid bed. And whilst the primary air can be closed (at least I know it can on the Woodwarm), I'm not sure if that totally prevents air getting through. A Woodwarm Fireview Eco is a contender. Wood Only. Another contender is the Dik Geurts Ivar 5. True wood only burner with vermiculite bricks on the bottom. Any thoughts on the three types and how relevant or important the grate/base situation is for wood only, would be most appreciated. And just to add, I've read that a bonus of the MF and Hybrids is that the Primary Air coming in beneath the grate can be very helpful getting the fire going. Yet on the other hand, a WO without the grate and ashpan means a larger firebox. Over to you guys! Many thanks
  6. Thanks for all the additional replies, much appreciated. I think once we've decided on our stove (new thread coming up to help with that), I'll speak to the manufacturers about distances to non-combustibles, risk of plaster cracking, minimum distances for good airflow, etc. And I'll discuss it with the installer as well. I'm hoping we won't have to do anything. But if we do I guess my favoured option would be to fix some thin fire rated board to the walls around the stove, and paint them in the same colour as the walls to help disguise them. If that's not sufficient, then perhaps remove the plaster in the necessary areas, get the walls back to brick/block, and then replaster with Vitcas type stuff *OR* use the thin fire rated board, fixed directly to the brick/block. Thanks again
  7. Just thinking about other options... Aside from the heatshields you can get with some stoves, and the Vitcas type plaster you can apply to the walls instead of gypsum (as described above), is there any type of THIN fireboard which you can add to the plastered wall WITHOUT an airgap? Something I could then paint in to be the same colour as the rest of the room and therefore barely noticeable? If so, what's the thinnest available and does anyone have any info or links please? The only thing of this ilk I'm aware of requires an airgap between it and the wall, but hoping there's other options... Many thanks
  8. Thank you both I will take another look. One installer said that they do not use it and would not recommend because it doesn't work and they have found it to fail just as much as standard plaster. So I'd ruled it out based on that. Just to be clear in case you missed it, this is a plastered brick or block wall, not plasterboard. Unless you were just adding the info about plasterboard, in which case ignore me!
  9. Thanks for confirming @woody paul And thanks for the additional thoughts @Muddy42 .... - I'll check the swing of the door; hadn't thought of that, but suspect (hope!) it will be ok. - We've got a dog and will always have dogs. And we're quite outdoors-y / wellies-in-the-kitchen type people. So we'll try to consider any dirt and mess as "character" - Good points RE moving the stove in the future, and something we can discuss with the installer. The only thing about that is the hearth... It's already going to stick out more into the room than desirable, so we don't want it to be any/too much bigger than it has to be. In which case, that might prevent the stove from being movable in the future. But will definitely bear it in mind. Cheers
  10. Thanks for the helpful replies and insights. @woody paul - that's encouraging to hear, especially as in your case it sounds like it is 100mm all the way around, not just from the back corners. And is that just standard gypsum plaster on brick / block? @GarethM - no, they specifically said from the back corners. So the red lines here: Many thanks
  11. Hi all We're looking to have a wood stove installed. It will go into the corner of a room, at 45 degrees to the walls. Both walls are external, cavity, with plastered block / brick on the inside. One installer has said so long as the two back corners are 100mm minimum from the walls, there won't be a problem with blowing the plaster. But another has said it is best to follow the stove guidelines for distances to combustibles (even though the wall isn't combustible; but to prevent blowing) - which in our case would be 400mm. Quite a difference! Would anyone mind sharing your thoughts on which sounds most realistic? Many thanks
  12. Hi Well, the tree came down back in March but has sat unused since then (on pallets, and poorly covered). I need to get it out of the way soon-ish though, so am back to thinking how best to put it to use. Any tips or techniques on how to allow for movement, shrinkage etc? That's interesting, I wouldn't have thought of that. So thank you for the advice. How best to strip the bark? If you don't mind me asking, what kinds of things do you use it for? Species... Rather stupidly I didn't take any photos specifically while the tree was standing, although I'm sure if I went through old photos I might find something. But I've taken some now which might help identify what type of larch it is? I'll post them below. I'll also have a google to see if I can work it out, if it's not obvious from the photos. Many thanks
  13. I'm not massively familiar with stove installations. But presumably the flexi flue is sealed to rigid flue at the stove, and likewise somewhere near where it exits the roof. With a closure plate installed above the stove, and some kind of closure at the top where the flue exists (or where the cowl is if there's a chimney), and where/how is the cavity being ventilated? I can see that the innards of the flue are ventilated by being open both ends, but the rest of the chimney cavity? I do apologise if I'm missing something obvious!
  14. Hi I was discussing this with someone yesterday and we were both puzzled... It's normal practise to ventilate an unused fireplace/chimney, with a vent brick or grille at the fireplace and some sort of vent at the cowl. Yet if that same space was being used, but with a flue liner going through it, why does the remaining space around the outside of the flue not need to be ventilated? Especially considering the fluctuations of temperature going on inside the space... Could anyone explain? Many thanks
  15. Hi I have a larch in the garden which needs to come down... And I'm in the process of building several wood shelters (along with other outdoor projects I have on the to do list)... I was thinking to use the larch for some of the posts etc, either as is, or splitting the thick parts of the truck to make better sized more useful timbers. What I don't know is whether there are major drawbacks to using green wood for such things. On the one hand, I see these bushcraft types and "Life in the Wild" types building all kinds of things including houses, with the freshly cut wood from trees around them. Yet on the other hand, I know green wood will move a lot as it dries/seasons, and more obviously when you buy wood for such projects it has been kiln dried, treated etc. So if anyone has any info in and around these questions please, I would love to read and learn. Many thanks
  16. Quick update... I was away at work for a few days so unable to do anything. Back now though and did as above. No oil came out of the SP hole when pulling with it removed. And no smoke at all when I fired it up to use. So all's good. Got about 45 minutes mowing in before it started raining heavy. It's quite heavy on the more awkward bits, but manageable and a helluva lot quicker than strimming! Look forward to continuing on the next dry day. Thanks again for all the help. I'll no doubt have some follow up mower questions at some point but will save them for a new thread. Cheers
  17. And lastly a bunch of photos of all the places I've found oil. There was also oil in the groove of the deck. Some show just small amounts of oil. I've uploaded them all to help gauge how minor or bad it could potentially be, and where else might be best to check (if anywhere):
  18. To start with, here's a potentially dodgy looking photo of the creamy oil. I'd say that's maybe around 5% of how much I got out of the filter: And here's the spark plug:
  19. This isn’t a wind up, I promise! I’ve got a hell of a lot of learning to do! I think I’ve been similarly stupid with the “creamy oily filter”. Here’s what happened… When I first checked the filter it was thick with oil. I’m guessing that a lot of the oil that escaped ended up there, and the sponge being a sponge soaked it up. It only turned creamy when I had it in a bucket of soapy water and was trying to clean it up. From what I’ve now read, oil does that in water!! Sorry about that. It’s looking like the machine has been sideways, upside down, etc during transit, which has led to whatever amount of oil was in there getting to places it shouldn’t. It was sent from the Netherlands I think, so has probably been loaded and offloaded several times, and I doubt people have been bothered to keep it the right way up. Not that they would have needed to had it been shipped empty (which it was meant to be). I’ve no idea why there was oil in there. I haven’t put any fuel in yet and tried to start it. I’m concerned that trying to run it with oil in places oil shouldn’t be could cause problems. So I’m now on a mission to see where the oil has got to and to clean it up as needed (if needed). Because of work I've not been able to do as much as I had hoped on it. I've taken the spark plug out and it was clean on the inside but a little dirty on the outside. I've taken the engine cover off to look for signs of oil. And that's about it. The mower is a Sprint 460P and is has B&S 450e engine. It is a push mower, not self-propelled. I don't think it has an oil drain point; you have to drain it from where you put the oil in. I’ll add some photos below. Thanks a million for the help, and for sticking with it even in light of my small engine faux pas! Any advice on what to do next (apart from giving up, as sensible as that might be) most welcomed. Cheers
  20. Thanks. I'll see about getting a new air filter. I've given the existing one a good clean, but the oily creamy goo just kept coming (ooh err etc). It's pretty good now but I'll see about getting one anyway. Where else should I check the machine for oil being were it shouldn't be? In layman's terms please (see first post!!) Thanks again PS - I've amended the title to steer the thread away from my initial idiocy and onto the newer issues...
  21. Yep, and brain tested = cross / ett err (family fortunes noise). Off topic - seeing as the machine strangely had a little oil in it, I thought I would check the air filter... It's clean (looking) but clogged with a thick creamy kind of oily paste. Any ideas?
  22. Note to self...: Read the basic 101 about small engines. I'm blushing as I write this... I had not connected the throttle cable, handle etc, and was trying to move the blade/pull the cord like that. It then suddenly dawned on me what a tw@t I was being! I was going to try to delete the thread, but then thought best to 'fess up. You never know, someone else might be in the same boat one day. Although I'm not sure anyone else would be so stupid!
  23. Hi I bought a new petrol mower and it is DOA. The first strange thing is that it had some oil in, but was meant to be sent empty. I mention that just in case it gives any clues... I haven't put oil or fuel in yet. I gave the pull cord a gentle pull and it only comes out around 10cm. That led me to look beneath the machine and the blade is very stiff. It needs a lot of force to rotate it... What can be wrong? Does it sound fixable? And where do I start in diagnosing / fixing it if so? If anyone knows, I'm sure some of you folk will Many thanks
  24. Just returning to say thanks for all the replies. I'm still mulling it over and using the strimmer in the meantime. Perhaps if any good secondhand options crop up I'll come back to see what you guys think. Cheers
  25. Hi folks I need to get a lawnmower. I've got two "lawns" and a whole load of paths to cut. None of it is particularly flat, and it's not really a lawn as such - more just an area of grass! So no need for it to look like Wembley, no need for stripes, etc Up until not I've been doing it with a strimmer. And I might continue to use the strimmer on the paths. But for the two "lawn" areas it takes ages with a strimmer. What are people's thoughts on old vs new? There are a few old Honda Izys about, and some old Mountfields and Kawasakis and similar. All around the £150-£200 mark. Not knowing much about such things, I'm not sure if I am better off with one of those or getting a brand new budget machine in the same price bracket. Any thoughts from those more in the know? Cheers

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