Muddy42

Do this first. It is quite hard to have a carbon monoxide issue if the flue is lined and clean.

How thick is your recess? You can get as thin as 10mm deep double glazing panes made to measure. These are designed to replace single glazing. Once decorated they look great. Please use linseed oil putty rather than mastic. It looks better and will be more airtight as it expands and contracts in a similar way to wood and glass. Edit: sorry I just saw that you are concerned about them misting up. Modern units are meant to be way better than 1980s double glazing.

Thanks, learn something everyday. I do season wood as full lengths to save double handling logs and avoid having hundreds of IBC cage space. I think the rot is pretty minimal, mostly hardwood.. I also have an eco angus so its a fairly big scale operation.

I've always been told that if the wood is still rock hard and bound together by sap or covered in bark, the inner parts can't dry out, the water simply can't get out. You need to wash out the sap and effectively turn the wood into a bundle of straws. I understand though that a semi rotten wood theoretically has less energy BTUs, but maybe that the price you pay for a clean burn? I guess you could test this - measure the moisture on the outside and then split the log and measure the inside. Really wet logs hiss when you burn them. Isn't it the fact that the wood is wet that makes it burn cooler and dirtier. Maybe a kiln can dry the inside of green logs? i have no experience with kiln dried logs.

Agreed. I believe seasoning wood is a two stage process. First it needs to sit outside, to let rain wash out all the lignin, sap and starts the rotting process, then it needs to dry out. By the end a good sign is if the bark and some of the outside wood is starting to flake off.

I'm not in a smoke controlled zone. I just burn wood now. I hate smokeless coal and even real coal - its something about all the dust the smell, makes me feel a bit sick. I get it that seasoning wood takes space and time but it helps massively.

Sorry. I hit return before finishing the post. What I meant to add is that I think they are going about it the wrong way by focusing on the specifications of the stove/ fire place insert / flue etc. One of my fires is just a brick hole, but with decent wood the emissions are invisible.

When properly seasoned and dried wood is burning, the smoke is invisible from the outside of the house.

Its quite hard to say without a closeup side profile picture, but I'd say the first chain (top three photos) has taken a really big hit to a stone or something similar and has a few bluntened off points. All the teeth need to go back. Get a new file, it helps remove metal faster. A good scrub with petrol wouldn't go amiss either.

It seems stupid now, but I missed the holes in this fuel line when I first checked a chainsaw. Photo below. when I checked again (after rebuilding the carb) I found the signs that this hose was perishing. Its worth really checking these lines, bend the rubber about and really scrutinize it in good light. and pressure test whilst doing so.

Totally agree. As I said in post 3, I think there is something else wrong with the fuel delivery system, that can be masked by opening up the fuel cap or breather valve. Buy the right carb kit, spray carb cleaner and disassemble and replace each side of the carb's diaphragms. I find it safer to clean and tackle each side in turn. Be liberal with the carb cleaner, spray it in everywhere - you can even get tiny bottlebrushes - H/L screws, needle/ regulator arm/ tiny fuel guaze. Check meter height. Pressure test and replace fuel lines and purge lines. Lots of youtube videos on this.

I've used 36' on a 500i and even milled with it. It wasn't ideal, the chain speed kept dropping and the it struggled. I stay away from all modifications. The way I see it, if you want more power, buy a bigger saw where all the parts are stronger (chassis, crank, flywheel, clutch etc.) and designed together for the horsepower of the saw.

Or kill the ivy and resort to the most tried and tested neat surface = grass.

Ivy when growing on the ground can be pretty stubborn. Try and remove as much of the organic matter as possible (grass, leaves, moss) as possible but leave small ivy stumps for the weed killer to act on. I use Rosate but any Glyphosate herbicide will work. I use the strongest recommended mix. I did this last spring as so far so good.

Could there be dirt in the throttle control on the carb or the idle screw, or the butterfly valve etc. Have you tried firing in lots of carb cleaner? You might need to take the carb off to clean and check everything.

All I can say is a lot of small 30cc chainsaws only have one bolt and one bolt will clamp a lot better than the wing nut

….and ear defenders according to Stihl. Yes I have tried an MSA 300. It was OK, but didnt exactly blow the lights out. I can think of lots of things I’d rather spend £700 on. I think I’ll stick to handsaws and petrol for now.

indeed, thanks for your help (and others who posted here).

Ah OK, sorry I have worked on other Huskys where the fuel tank is separate. Have you tried running the saw without a fuel filter to see if the fuel filter is blocked? Its not recommended for long periods, but I have done this for testing. You're going to open up the carb anyway which is where any dirt will end up. Make sure the fuel tank is really clean - neat unleaded is good for this.

inches not feet. Cut me some slack I'm from the metric generation! I think I first used this saw when I was 5 years old.

I am open to the idea that one day electric chainsaws may impress me. However to date I have always felt a sharp triangular 21' bow saw with a new blade is way better. Ideal for path clearing and around the garden. People talk of the advantages of electric saws as light/easy to start and quiet, well a bow saw wins on every count. As others have said, get a petrol chainsaw for firewood, pretty much anything over 35cc. You could get a second hand 135 for £130ish.

How annoying. If it has one, have you checked the spark arrester screen is clean in the muffler? I think it would be helpful for you to disassemble the fuel tank half of the saw completely, to help with the diagnosis and testing. There are plenty of youtube videos if you google "rebuild husqvarna chainsaw" or something. Just take your time, have a large clear bench so you can put each part aside with its screws (or keep the screws in the holes). Once the fuel tank is off you can clean everything in hot soapy water. Then you can connect the hoses back up and submerge it under water. Plug the fuel line and send pressure through the fuel return line and look for bubbles. Buy a new fuel filter, the genuine ones are best. Yes to carb cleaning with carb cleaner. Buy a carb kit compatible with your make of saw. I generally find a partial rebuild is fine. In layman's terms I unscrew each side of the carb in turn and put in new gaskets and diaphragms exactly as they were before. Whilst the carb is exposed, spray everywhere and with carb cleaner and into the holes and passageways. Unscrew each jet in turn (H,L,idle) and spray in there too.

I also would try and measure how much the sprocket is out of line whilst rotating it. Clamp the saw to a table and then use vernier Calipers, or just calipers or you could DIY by clamping down a knitting needle or something pointy that just touches the sprocket.

Right so, I dismantled the saw again to pressure test the crankcase again with a proper mityvac. I tested it every which way, its fine. The only issue was the new decomp valve was leaking again, but I sorted this by cleaning it out and greasing the threads and mating surfaces. I'm going to have to watch that! I started the saw up with 30:1 fuel and cut some firewood last night. The saw needs a bit of tuning but otherwise works great. I've learned a lot an and its very satisfying to know that I can do this. I have a few old sentimental smaller chainsaws which have pretty beaten up and scored pistons. Knowing this always affected my decision making "its an old saw, it might not last much longer no need to replace bar/sprocket etc." Now I know I can fix them if they die.

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