Wood burners

[brand]

Try finding a local joinery shop or timber yard with a pellet maker .
I think Timbmet is fairly local to you .
Basically they use the saw dust produced for the business to make the pellets and then use these to heat the workshop . Fairly carbon neutral despite the rantings above
My local joiner shop sells them for around £100 per pallet , no idea of shipping costs . They are called Timbawood/ Timbalite ( http://timbalite.com/ ) if youre interested in getting a quote .

Never heard of someone selling saw dust. Got a paper block maker (for nothing obviously) which you could use to make them. Mix the saw dust with water and cheap glue (PVA?). Chainsaw chipping I use in the compost bin they rot very quickly. Although I normally mix them in the autumn with apple pulp from cider making, that may make then rot quicker. I also dry them in bucket and put then on the fire they still burn and won't put the fire out. Useful when you have the fire to hot and you have nothing left to take off.
PS paper blocks absolutely useless. Little heat, tons of very fine ash, just about impossible to get to the bin without being covered in it.

 

[brand]

I have a bit of an obsession with rocket stoves, or rocket mass heaters. However I'm not sure how British house insurers would handle the idea! Tell us if you get one, I would be fascinated..

My intentions (when I get round to it) is to build a sort of greenhouse. It will not have a glass roof but a living roof with about 4" of soil. The aim is to stop it getting to hot or to cold and to put a rocket stove in it. Running a pipe a round the greenhouse with either cob or gravel a round it to act as a radiator when the fire goes out. Lighting the fire twice a day is supposed to allow you to grow summer veg all year round?

 

[Ganymede]

[QUOTE 3433316, member: 9609"]here's a vid of it in action
[/QUOTE]
WOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Me likey!

My intentions (when I get round to it) is to build a sort of greenhouse. It will not have a glass roof but a living roof with about 4" of soil. The aim is to stop it getting to hot or to cold and to put a rocket stove in it. Running a pipe a round the greenhouse with either cob or gravel a round it to act as a radiator when the fire goes out. Lighting the fire twice a day is supposed to allow you to grow summer veg all year round?

Now that's a great idea... I'd worry that the soil roof would keep out too much light though...?

 

[brand]

Try using a hairdryer, I use an old one on my barbecue/chiminea outside. (extension lead needed as well)

To light your fire? Wouldn't have thought it got hot enough or are you saying you light the paper then use the hair dryer? I would have to clean the ash out first or the sitting room would be covered.

 

[brand]

WOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Me likey!

Now that's a great idea... I'd worry that the soil roof would keep out too much light though...?

That's the aim. To much sun light to much heat. I read that the smaller the variation in temperature, the better plants like it. Also it will be on the top of hill so lots of sunlight anyway. Just as importantly there can be some very strong winds round here and the weight may save me looking for the greenhouse after a gale.

 

[raleighnut]

To light your fire? Wouldn't have thought it got hot enough or are you saying you light the paper then use the hair dryer? I would have to clean the ash out first or the sitting room would be covered.

no just to create a draught on the kindling instead of kneeling down and blowing on it, but that pipe thingy looks like it'd do the job. I use an old hairdryer to get the OUTDOOR Chimenea/barbecue going properly, the woodburner has a proper chimney that sucks like billyo without even lighting a fire.

 

[raleighnut]

Why not cut out all the mucking about with fire and just warm yourself through with the hairdryer?

Doubt it'd get the sweetcorns or jacket tatties hot enough but I'll give it a go next summer.
BTW its an old Pifco one that the element has gone in but its great for blowing shavings or sawdust off my bench as well (basically its just a fan)

 

[brand]

Why not cut out all the mucking about with fire and just warm yourself through with the hairdryer?

I wouldn't be able to hear the telly!

 

[brand]

Done a pheasant stew with tons of Lentils forgot the vedge but most went in the freezer so can add later.
Curried pheasant next. The game keeper I occasionally beat for is refusing to sell to the game dealers as the price is so low. So need to make sure my panniers are empty after Christmas time to fill them up.
For those who don't know the efficiency of different heating methods based on boiling water.
Gas hob 40%
Microwave 67%
Kettle 80%
Woodburner 100% but only if the woodburner is being used to heat a room. All heat that doesn't heat the water heats the room. Nothing wasted. To sum up you are saving the world!!!!

 

[summerdays]

OK another question on wood burners (the lighting of the fire is becoming quite easy). The room itself gets nice and warm and it spills out into the hall, which is where the only thermostat for our basic heating is. Problem is that means that it thinks the rest of the house is up to temperature and turns off the radiators, so some of the bedrooms are getting cold. We do have radiator thermostats is it a case of trying to adjust those better?

At the moment I just turned the thermostat up higher, but then you have to remember to turn it down when fire isn't on. Are there any other better solutions?

 

[raleighnut]

When the fires lit leave the bedroom doors open so the escaping heat can get to them as well our woodburner does exactly the same but we have to leave all the doors in the house open cos of the moggies. Cats hate closed doors, even if there is nothing on the other side for them they still want to get through them for some walnut brained fecking reason.

 

[brand]

Move your thermostat is the the most obvious solution.
Although a heat mover which is controlled by thermostat is another solution. It basically works in reverse when the room with the burner in reaches a certain temperature the fan starts moving hot air to an adjacent room. Note do not try to extend the distance the fan has to blow the air any significant distance (ducting) It won't work. They are very quite fans.
Another option is a ceiling fan (working in reverse) with the ,room doors open will help push the hot air into other rooms.
A stove top fan may also help move the air into other rooms and help warm the room with the burner in quickly. Go for the one that starts up at the lowest temperature (eco 810). My daughter is getting a eco 800 for Christmas!
Heat mover:
http://m.clasohlson.com/uk/b/Electrical/Heating-and-fans/Heat-movers

 

[welsh dragon]

I'd never start a fire from the top hoping it will go downwards. It just doesn't work. Bottom one looks good

 

[welsh dragon]

[QUOTE 3589630, member: 9609"]The one in yllow tims article appeared to work though (maybe its an Austrailian web page) I still might give it another go, but think I will need a huge amount of much thinner kindling and also much smaller logs. These things need to be tried..[/QUOTE]


Your right. Much thinner and perhaps drier kindling might work. It takes quite a lot to get a fire going properly. Kindling thats just 2 Inches wide or less is what I use. And I make sure I have dry soft wood to put with it.

 

[Ganymede]

Also I think you're using oak logs...? which have a higher burning temperature than other woods as it's so dense etc... (Oak makes poor kindling for this reason) - though your kindling looks like pine offcuts. I would split that kindling though, partly because I'm a bit parsimonious with it and like to make it go a long way, partly because it works better to have at least some thinner bits. Partly because I love axes.