carbs for arbs

Well that's a heart warming, faith-in-humans restoring, start to the week! Thanks so much for the replies and especially @gobbypunk for the kindest of offers. Unfortunately I'm in South West Wales / Brecon Beacons. Unfortunate only in so much as it isn't close by; other than that it's lovely here Judging by your name, maybe we could have blasted out some Dead Kennedys while tinkering, but it wasn't to be! Thanks for all the other advice too. It had fuel in it when it came my way and for a while after too. That was probably in there for quite some time. It has been drained since though and is empty now, but I know long term fuel in storage can harm machines. OK, I'll get some Aspen (I've been umming and arring as to whether I should use that in my strimmer), check how to start the chainsaw (what position everything has to be in - I'm that much of a newbie) and then take it from there. I'll call around local shops too. There's one nearby which I took the strimmer to when I inherited that at the same time. They serviced it for £50 odd, only for it to start misbehaving again shortly thereafter. I took it back in and was told it needed a new carb fitted. Would have been handy to have known that from the start, as after the fit I'd spent over £100 and it still wasn't running great. That's what got me to thinking about doing things the right way round with this machine. Thanks again all and have a great week. PS - location updated

Hi all I'm new to chainsaws and chainsawing. In fact, I have't started yet. But in a couple of months or so we've got someone coming to take down some roadside ash trees, and he's allowing me to play apprentice. So I've bought all the safety gear and now need to decide about a chainsaw. I inherited a Husqvarna 350 (2007). I've no idea when it was last used. I've had it over 2 years and never started it, so at least that long and possibly a whole lot more. Being new to all this, I don't want to do anything with it until I know it's safe. So I'm hoping to find someone who can give it a quick look over to see if it just needs a service, or if it will need more. I guess I'm jumping the gun by asking about it as a lot will depend on it's condition. But I wanted to get some initial ideas as to whether people would aim to get it up and running nicely, or to put the money I'd spend on that toward a new chainsaw. Something to bear in mind is Husqvarna said some of the spares may now be obsolete; although he didn't seem certain about this. From the little I've read so far, people seem to rate it as a very decent homeowner chainsaw. If I were to replace, what new unit would be of similar quality? All and any thoughts most appreciated. Cheers

Hi I'm no expert. But we're soon having a stove fitted and so I've been reading a lot about the subject. I totally agree with @openspaceman RE combustibles. An uninsulated flue needs to be three times it's diameter away from any combustible, and perhaps that's why they've done it that way? It's more normal to see an uninsulated flue for a longer run, going into an insulated flue as it gets close to the ceiling. That allows it to pass through the ceiling, wood in the ceiling, etc. safely. On the one hand you lose heat output from the flue, but on the other you gain a flue that heats up quicker and stays nice and hot, which in turn improves draw and stove efficiency. A lot of people insulate their flue liners (in chimneys) for this very reason. What is more concerning though is the overall length of flue. Are you saying the whole thing from stove top to cowl is 6.5 foot? If so that sounds well too short. 4m (or 4.5m; can't remember which) is regarded as a minimum, and I **think** that's in the regs. So unless there's something specific about your stove that allows for a shorter flue (not something I've come across), then that's definitely something to look into. If I've misunderstood you, I'll go grab my coat! Cheers

For the benefit of anyone coming across this in the future, to save you finding it the table mentioned can be found halfway down this page: https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/92256-moisture-content-measurements-logs/page/3/#comments

I was also going to add that I know the meters are not very accurate. But as a novice I don't think it can do any harm using one, so long as I keep the inaccuracy in mind, and also use it wisely (compare with other wood, get a sense of how it reads things relatively, visually inspect the wood and knock two bits together, etc). Cheers

How bizarre! I have a two screen PC set up and was literally looking at the graph on the other screen when your reply came in!

Hi all I'm getting a stove installed in a few weeks... Can't wait! We've got some 3 year old ash and oak that hasn't been chopped yet. It spent it's first 18 months or so in the elements but has since been under a tarp. I'll be getting to it in the next few days but once processed I'll want to check it for moisture content. If it's too high I can buy some logs in for now and use that next year. I ordered one of these as it seemed to get good enough reviews: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003CSNV2Q/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza But I then started reading about "wet basis" vs "dry basis" and I've ended up right confused! Can anyone explain it to me, and especially what I need and what this unit is likely to be. I've asked on Amazon and been told it likely gives measurements on a "dry basis". Many thanks

Hi Just a couple of thoughts... - Are the tiles fitted to a solid floor? If not, what's beneath them? - Will the metal surround be staying and if so what's the depth and width of that? With the stove already installed, there's no-one to satisfy as such and so HETAS and building regs aren't as important. OTOH, for insurance purposes and if you came to sell the house, being compliant may become more of an important factor. That's all based on what I've read rather than any actual experience. Cheers