carbs for arbs

Fantastic responses - thank you all very much! A bit tied up right now, but will respond more fully soon. Until then, thanks again

Hi folks First up, in case anyone hasn't seen it there's an extra 10% off at Screwfix until midnight tonight... So I've been thinking to get a new cordless drill set as my old Ryobis are completely passed it. These two options have really caught my eye and with the additional money off come in at just over £160 which seems a really good price. They're only for home DIY use. https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dck2060l2t-sfgb-18v-3-0ah-li-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-twin-pack/337kv https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-dlx2336s-18v-3-0ah-li-ion-lxt-cordless-twin-pack/896hy Some of the things that my inexperienced eyes have noticed: - DeWalt is brushless, Makita isn't - DeWalt has LED lights on both units, Makita just on the impact driver - Makita has lower torque and speed - Makita possibly has more overall fans, although DeWalt do have a fair share and I have read of people switching from Makita to DeWalt and being happy. Seems more the other way round though. - Both items get great reviews on Screwfix, but the companies get bad reviews on TrustPilot Before I toss a coin to decide, I thought I'd ask the people of the forum your thoughts. Cheers

Also, I was just thinking... I guess there are actually three options actually. A lot of direct air stoves / kits only allow for partial external air and are not room sealed. As such, the options are: - Room vent (or no room vent if 5kW or below) - but either way, air pulled from the house - Wood stove with partial direct air (so pulls air from outside and inside) - Wood stove with full direct air / fully room sealed. Cheers

Hi @Conner and @Alycidon Returned to the forum just now to post a new thread, and realised I hadn't thanked you both for your replies to this one. So a rather belated thank you! Ta

Hi all A bit of background: I live in the Brecon Beacons surrounded by a lot of trees and a stream, all of which I presume lends to the high relative humidity (RH) in my house. It often sits in the 70% region and sometimes even creeps above 80%. In times of high RH, opening the window is counter productive and causes it to rise. We use a dehumidifier when it's at its worse. We have a wood burner in one room, which does not have a direct (external) air feed. It's not been in long, but it does do a good job of reducing the RH. We'll soon be installing a further two wood stoves. I totally see the sense in direct air in as much as it will minimise drafts, and negate the need for a vent which would let copious amounts of cold air into the house... But when it comes to humidity I can't get my head around it. No direct air to the stove means more air changes and air circulation in the house (I think?), which could be looked upon as a good thing. But then again, it also means more air coming from outside, where the humidity is higher, so perhaps it isn't such a good thing. And maybe that's all too basic a way too look at it anyhow. I wondered if anyone out there has a better understanding of the science behind this and could explain which option is best and why, when it comes to humidity? Many thanks

Hi folks I'm in the market for a couple of wood stoves (or multi fuel, but no plans to burn anything other than wood). I'm very drawn to Dowling Stoves, but there aren't a great many reviews out there. And obviously they do things a bit differently than most stoves you see from the better known names. So I wondered if anyone here has one if they'd be happy to share their experiences? Or for that matter, even if you don't have one but have thoughts about them it would be great to hear fro you... Many thanks https://dowlingstoves.com/

No I didn't, but I do now. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply and photo @bilke_user Lovely dog! They're good at getting the best spot aren't they? When the fire wasn't going earlier in the year, ours developed a habit of sitting on the hearth and looking at us as if to say "What are you bloody waiting for - it's cold in 'ere!!" Interesting and re-assuring to hear yours had internal rust even before you'd used it. How has that developed over the years? Has it got progressively worse or settled down? Have you ever treated it in any way? As for the log guard, I'm surprised to hear you've had to change it that frequently. What's been happening to it? Warping, burning through, or ??? Cheers

Yes, sorry, you're right - it does have firebricks, I should have said. They were removed when we were checking and for the photos. Thanks for all the additional replies. All very helpful stuff

Thanks @Gav73 - that's good a re-assuring to hear. And would you say the inside walls have the same level of rust? Can you remember if it rusted up soon after getting it? Cheers

@monkeybusiness - fair play, thanks for sharing your thoughts on it. Didn't realise that RE the baffle plates. Or rather, I knew they needed replacing sometimes but not that often. So presumably the inside walls of your Clearviews have similar amounts of rust? Cheers

Hi Many thanks for all the replies. Interestingly, the guys who sold it to us said it is unusual for it to rust as quickly as it has, and are currently looking into it. I could understand if we'd had it a while, but after a couple of months or so of use I must admit I'm surprised too. And more so, the first two pics were taken after just one fire. It's re-assuring to hear you guys say it's to be expected, but that leaves me a bit confused now. The baffle plate and the worse of the back of the stove seems a bit more than just surface rust and are pitted. See a close up below of the baffle. Does anyone here have a Clearview or Woodwarm, and if so how's yours on the inside for rust? The whole flue/chimney liner was a brand new install (with a cowl too) so we're pretty sure there's no water coming down. Will do a bit of reading on the subject but any views in the meantime would be great. Many thanks

Hi all Had a Woodwarm wood stove installed 1st March this year. A few days after install we noticed some rust on the inside of the firebox. We (regrettably) didn't think too much of it at the time. However, when we went to stop sing for summer, and cleaned it out etc, we saw that the rust had got worse. We're in communications with the company we bought it from, but interested to get people's opinions and thoughts about it in the meantime. We've been burning seasoned ash wood only (no coal etc). There's no rust on the outside of the stove. Here's some photos taken 3 days after install, with flash on so they are quite bright: And these were taken in June: Many thanks

Seeing as it's raining and the weekend, a cheeky bump in case anyone can offer some advice... Cheers

PS - the side of each shelter will have a post at front, middle and back. So I could use the pieces with rot as middle posts so that they are right in the shelter and totally protected from rain.

Hi all Many thanks for the helpful replies and sorry for the late response. I don’t use chainsaws, but managed to get through it with an “in need of attention” 2 and a half foot saw I have. Wasn’t too bad actually. I then used axe heads/wedges and a sledge hammer to split. Following which, I used a machete along the inside face to flatten it out so that the firewood will sit nicely against it. I should end up with 14 “posts” when done. The top section I’ve split into two rather than four – firstly because it was thinner (the original post tapers in), and secondly we wanted a couple of the posts to be more substantial. Visually, the creosote only seemed to have penetrated about a quarter of the way. Perhaps it has got in further to a lesser extent, but the darkness certainly fades around a quarter in. As for rot, there is some in the bottom section but the rest is looking pretty good. Lots of pictures below... - Do you think it is still ok to use the pieces with rot? - Should I look to use a preservative on the inside where there’s less (or no) creosote? Or should they be ok as is? The corrugated roof will overhang these posts by quite a way, so they’ll only ever get rain wet when it’s driving very hard. - I’ll only drive them 20-30cm into the ground. Should I use something special to protect the sections that will be in the ground (again though, they’ll be undercover mostly)? Thanks again

Thanks for the replies. It will be interesting to see how it had survived and what it's like on the inside. I'm going to give splitting a go and will report back once I have, although not too sure when that'll be. Cheers

Hi I need timber for posts for wood shelters. Nothing fancy; it's all quite rough and ready with reclaimed materials where possible. There's an old electricity pole lying in the garden which has probably been there around three years. I was thinking to cut it down into 4 pieces, and then split each of those length ways into four, giving me 16 posts. I think the post has remnants of creosote or some kind of tar stuff on it, but not much and I presume such treatment doesn't penetrate. So when (or if) I do manage to split it, what would be the best type of treatment to use on it? I'll probably drive a section into the ground for stability, and presume that will need a separate or additional treatment due to ground contact. Any recommendations? Obviously being a shelter, the posts will be under cover to a certain extent and should hopefully only get wet in very bad weather. But the longer they last the better. Any suggestions, thoughts or opinions most welcome. Photos below. Cheers

Hi all I'm removing this old stove from the house and would like to know a bit more about it. Has anyone seen one before? Anyone got any idea what model it is, or any other info about? I presume it's just a burner, but it does have a bit of what looks like gadgetry in the bottom section. So not sure if there's more to it... Photos below and more available. Many thanks

Hi Has anyone in these parts got a Tyzack bowsaw? By all accounts they are supposed to be pretty good... I've got a chance to buy one and wondered if I could ask a coupe of questions.... 1. Is there a way to check what condition it is in; anything I need to look out for? 2. Can you tension the blade, or is it one setting only? 3. Is it on par with the modern Bahco Ergo saws, or better, or worsterer? Many thanks

I agree, looks fantastic

PM'd As for this thread, thanks for all the great replies. I've been away a few days, and up to my neck in stuff since back. But I will return to respond properly as soon as I can. Cheers

Just a quick one to say thanks for all the helpful replies and information. I've got lots of saw related questions buzzing in my head but have been away at work for the week and go away again tomorrow morning for the weekend. I just didn't want to leave it any longer before saying thanks to y'all, and will return with a fuller response when time allows next week. Cheers

Hi all Recently had a stove installed. We asked for 904/904 flue liner to be used but I'm not sure it has been and am thinking 904/316 might have been used instead. The data plate just says 904 on it, and the installer doesn't seem to distinguish between the two. I've attached some photos of an offcut that was left... Is it possible to tell from these what type it is? Happy to take more if that would help. Or is there any other way to tell what it is? In the third photo you'll see that there are thinner strips of metal that I've peeled back to illustrate the point. I don't know if that counts as the inner or whether it is an additional layer? But that is definitely thinner than the outer... Cheers

Thanks for all the great and helpful replies. So by the sounds of it it will all end up in the wood stoves then. I do have a few outdoor projects in mind. Not least of all wood shelters to house the firewood! So I wanted to check whether ash was suitable before sawing up the straight useable pieces. As it's not, so be it... I can get other wood for that. In fact, I have a larch to come down and by all accounts larch and cedar (which I'd have to buy) are good choices. I've also been told that sweet chestnut is good too. Perhaps I'll try and plant some for the future - for the wood and the nuts... For long term storage of firewood (ash), is it better to keep the ash in the round and in long lengths? I was planning to process 2-3 years worth, and keep the rest in a forestry commission type set up. Well, not quite on that scale But in pieces of around 4 foot length and stacked and covered. I thought this might slow the seasoning down for when the time came 5-10 years down the line. I'll also be storing it 200 odd metres from the house, so keeping it in larger pieces will make transporting it up to the house easier when the time comes. Any downsides to keep it in 4 foot rounds for several years? And if under cover and ventilated - should that stop it deteriorating too badly? Cheers