Non-motoring > Wood for heating	Green Issues
Thread Author: Dave	Replies: 60

Thu 6 Dec 12 12:21   Wood for heating - Dave

There's been a few "sub" discussions about this before, but I don't recall a separate topic about it. So here goes: In my large house 120m2 (now my workshop) I have a boiler that feeds radiators, and is really meant for coke or oil, but can also be used less efficiently with wood, which is what I do. It's about 35KW, and installed ca. 1960. I currently light it once a day and get the house up to temperature, then shut it down. With sub zero temperatures outside, the house temperature drop to about 10 deg overnight. My little house (60m2) that I now live in has a wood boiler in the kitchen that also feeds radiators. Installed around 1960, it's about 7kw output. This I try and light twice day, with a really long burn in the evening bringing the house up to 23 or so. For backup at night or if I'm out all day I have a heat pump (A/C in reverse). I burn about 30m3 of wood, all pine and silver birch a year, which costs me about £350/year. It's delivered in March in 3m lengths which I cut and split myself, then just throw it in the wood shedto dry. It's then ready to use after the summer. My wood shed holds about 60m3, so I have an emergency stock of 1 years use. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 12:59   Wood for heating - Falkirk Bairn

I'd get a petrol saw and a wee trailer for about £350 and then find my own wood after storms. With lots of storage you can find, cut after a storm and let it dry.........save you a nice wee bit from year 2 onwards Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 13:06   Wood for heating - Alanovich

Ah, FB. My Caledonian ancestry must have passed that same gene down to me. I live in a heavily tree lined avenue, and I'm often to be seen walking down the avenue with my dog, and an armful of fallen branches and debris for my living room fire place. I usually only light it up once a week at the weekends, but I haven't had to buy a log yet this year. The children love joining me on my wood foraging trips too, I do it all year round so that I can keep a supply of drying and dried wood in the garage. Kindling's another matter, but I'm still getting through some old IKEA furniture, worn out and unloved after years of family abuse. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:22   Wood for heating - Dave

>> I'd get a petrol saw and a wee trailer for about £350 and then find >> my own wood after storms. >> >> With lots of storage you can find, cut after a storm and let it dry.........save >> you a nice wee bit from year 2 onwards >> Ha, that works in theory, but 30m3 is roughly 30 tons of new timber. That's means a lot of storms, and a lot of hauling. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 13:31   Wood for heating - Dog

I prefer to use Taybrite etc. smokeless fuel in my multi-fuel stove, I bank it up and light it about 2.00pm. When I get up at 6.00am it's still a'glowing, so when it gets REALLY cold I shall re-kindle it and keep it a'going all day. 60 bags o' Taybrite cost me £250 at 'Summer' prices, I have used wood over the last 20 years but, to season 30m3 of wood takes up a lot of space and, West Briton has been wet wet wet most of this year so, the moisture content of wood is quite high I've found. I also have a Grant oil boiler and a tank of heating oil but, I only use it for a splash of hot water in the morning, even though I have 8 rads in the cottage. If I strike oil when I'm out digging this weekend, I'd use the oil central heating more often! 13.30pm = 6c outside and 16c inside ... without any heating. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:19   Wood for heating - Bigtee

Silly question time lads.................. Is there any wood that burns hotter than others? Would love a open fire it's possible in this house of 1909 with old coal fire place which can be opened up larger to take a open fire or wood burning stove but the latter is not so nice looking. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:29   Wood for heating - Fenlander

>>>Is there any wood that burns hotter than others? Yes any wood on a woodburner. An open fire will lose 80% of the heat up the chimney... the woodburner only 20%. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:29   Wood for heating - CGNorwich

The denser the wood the more heat it will give out for the same volume. Hard wood are the best - Ash is probably the best of all UK wood to burn along with oak. Probably a lot of Ash available over the next few years. Useful guide: www.stovesonline.co.uk/woodburning_chart.html Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:28   Wood for heating - Crankcase

>> 60 bags o' Taybrite cost me £250 What size bags Dog, out of interest? Just spent £250 on Taybrite last week, and that was for 625kg (25 by 25kg bags) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:34   Wood for heating - sooty123

We've an open fire it does take quite a bit too heat the room up. We use pallet wood probably not as good as forested wood. Dave you must have a big barn for 60 tons of wood! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:49   Wood for heating - Dog

>>What size bags Dog, out of interest?<< Ah! - good question comrade Cc (hehe!) 10/10 for observation BTW. I get the Taybrite from a local bod who bag it up in 20kg bags so the old duffers can manage them :) Being big, strong (and stupid) I carry one in each hand :} Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:06   Wood for heating - Dog

Sorry - I live in a complete dreamworld, probably due to all the pot and acid in the 60's and 70's. 60 bags of Taybrite - 20kg per bag, cost me £450 this year :-)) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:41   Wood for heating - BiggerBadderDave

Pulp all your magazines, papers, junk mail, weetabix boxes and used tissues around the bed. Takes a few days in a bucket of water. There's a little crusher (can't find one on the internet) that wrings out the water from the pulp and makes brick-sized briquettes. Leave them for a few days to dry and store them throughout the year, see if you can really save some cash on wood. I keep meaning to do it but never got around to it. A palette costs about £40 round here, cheaper if you trust the guys who are constantly knocking at the door. A few of the neighbours buy it together in bulk and then spend a day shifting it around on a wheelbarrow. I wouldn't mind wheelbarrowing the neighbour's wife too. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:52   Wood for heating - Dog

>> and used tissues around the bed<< Que es esto? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 19:33   Wood for heating - Roger.

¡¡ Mierda !! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 14:55   Wood for heating - Focusless

>> There's a little crusher (can't find one on the internet) One of these? www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=paper+brick+maker Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 6 Dec 12 at 14:55 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:22   Wood for heating - BiggerBadderDave

Ooh I like this one Focus. tinyurl.com/cnmao9p Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:41   Wood for heating - henry k

>> Ooh I like this one Focus. >> >> tinyurl.com/cnmao9p >> I liked the one man and his dog, honest, down to earth demo on youtube. Stoopid dog! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 18:39   Wood for heating - Duncan

>> >> Ooh I like this one Focus. >> >> >> >> tinyurl.com/cnmao9p >> >> >> I liked the one man and his dog, honest, down to earth demo on youtube. >> Stoopid dog! >> By eck as like! They now how to 'ave fun in t'north! www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdPbWkk-XDI&feature=plcp Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:25   Wood for heating - Cliff Pope

Our sole heating is wood in the Rayburn, for a few radiators, heating the kitchen, hot water, and cooking. Occasional open fires in the sitting room. It's a mixture of our own timber and free supplies of old broken furniture. I bought a new chainsaw with the winter fuel allowance, it's what it's for, isn't it? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:36   Wood for heating - Pat

Can anyone remember when we had proper coal delivered into the coal place. Huge, random shaped lumps, black and shiny. Did anyone else enjoy going out and attacking it with a hammer to get it into fireplace sized lumps? I did, it was always good therapy for frustration and anger...perhaps that's why the world is such an angry place these days. Sorry Dave, just thinking aloud and really didn't mean to hijack your thread. I remember happy hours chopping kindling too, and sharpening the axe with a well worn stone... Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 10:57   Wood for heating - L'escargot

>> Can anyone remember when we had proper coal delivered into the coal place? I do. It was my job to count the number of sacks delivered to make sure we got the amount we paid for. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 11:00   Wood for heating - Clk Sec

>> >> coal place? or coal 'ole... Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 11:02   Wood for heating - L'escargot

>> >> >> coal place? >> >> or coal 'ole... Coal shed. The outside doors in the back yard were kitchen scullery, then toilet, then coal shed. Last edited by: L'escargot on Sun 9 Dec 12 at 11:04 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 11:08   Wood for heating - Bromptonaut

>> >> Can anyone remember when we had proper coal delivered into the coal place? My maternal Gran had concessionary coal as her late husband had worked in the pits. Delivered from a small tipper truck into the yard, a ton or so at a time. Her son, who lived with her, then had to shovel it into the coal shed - a compartment on the end of the wash house. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 15:02   Wood for heating - Manatee

Used to go to Grimethorpe (which must have been the most aptly named pit village ever). On the days the concessionary coal came there was a one ton pile outside every house, and people barrowing it up the path. The road was a slalom course. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 15:42   Wood for heating - helicopter

At work we needed some good pallets for an overseas shipment ... I had a word with our our local Jewsons and they had a corner of their yard stacked high with probably over 100 perfectly good ones which they were glad to see the back of... we took a dozen or so. I posted before about taking a few broken ones as well to leave out for the vagrant camper in the woods who was busily nicking our car park fence for his camp fire last winter. I am sure most builders merchants would happily let you have their broken pallets free of charge to take away if you ask nicely .... Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 16:35   Wood for heating - Pezzer

My FiL has done this for years he also used to make fence panels for people out of them ! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 17:30   Wood for heating - PeterS

I used half a dozen white (euro?) pallets as the basis of my log store! A few more bits of timber, some plywood and some felt finished it off :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 20:06   Wood for heating - BobbyG

I have a wood burning stove in my "den" out the back - one of these www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/barrel-cast-iron-stove Have used it for 2 years and never once paid a single penny for wood. Lots of sources for pallets (I find businesses who receive deliveries on pallets but don't actually send anything back out in pallets are happy to let you get rid of their problem) I have a stock of wood drying and ranges from everything from trees blown over in the wind to last year's Christmas trees! I used to have a contact with a guy who had his own shopfitters business who made counters etc and they seemed to have an endless supply of offcuts which again, were great for kindling. Maybe its just the Scotsman in me but a huge huge satisfaction can come with a wood burning stove when you know the fuel is free! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 6 Dec 12 20:49   Wood for heating - MD

>> I wouldn't mind wheelbarrowing the neighbour's wife too. >> One wheel on my Wagon, and I'm sti........................ Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 14:58   Wood for heating - Dave

I got the house up to 24 yesterday evening, and turned on the heat pump to 20 so it comes on sometime in the night. Woke up this morning and the pump is chundering away, but the house was only 15 deg. Then I saw the outside temp was only -22, so no wonder the pump was struggling. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 15:29   Wood for heating - L'escargot

There are loads of sanctimonious people claiming to be being kind to the environment who are burning wood and sending all manner of pollutants into the atmosphere. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 15:48   Wood for heating - Cliff Pope

>> There are loads of sanctimonious people claiming to be being kind to the environment who >> are burning wood and sending all manner of pollutants into the atmosphere. >> I'm only claiming to be kind to my pocket. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 16:13   Wood for heating - CGNorwich

I think the argument for burning wood is that the process is effectively carbon neutral. Trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air, you burn the trees, carbon dioxide is released , this is taken in by the tree and so the cycle on. Of course this relies on replanting the trees that are burnt Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 16:57   Wood for heating - Dog

>>Of course this relies on replanting the trees that are burnt<< What, Ash trees, like. :} Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 17:31   Wood for heating - Dave

In theory, if the burner is modern and efficient, then it is better for the environment. Here they plant more trees than are being cut down, anyway. But for me it's the only cost effective way to heat the house, and the only way I can afford to do it. Maybe some people get a warm feeling inside about the environmental benefits (if there are any), but I get a warm feeling from denying the power companies and the government huge amounts of tax levied on the back of so called climate change. The government must hate all the wood burners, because not only do they lose those climate change taxes and VAT on top, they also lose the various taxes from the guy that brings the wood and sells it for cash. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Fri 7 Dec 12 18:34   Wood for heating - sajid

There is a wood burning boiler which uses wood pellets, it so efficent that you only empty the ashes twice a year, cost half of the price of oil, its in the mail here the link www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2237944/I-cut-energy-bills-zero--I-rebuild-house-How-slash-energy-costs.html Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 7 Dec 12 19:14   Wood for heating - Dog

>>There is a wood burning boiler which uses wood pellets<< "After much research Mark, 43, an IT consultant, bought a £15,000 Austrian-made boiler fired by wood pellets". :-( Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 09:09   Wood for heating - Dog

I was up to 23.5c yesterday with the multi-fuel stove banked right up to the gills with Taybrite. I lit it at 2.00pm yesterday afternoon, clamped it down to the bare minimum of air inlet, then just left it without touching it at all at all. When I raked it over at 9.00am this morning it was still glowing strong and I could have just bunged some more fuel on it and kept it going but, it's too warm yet outside for that @ 6.2c Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 09:16   Wood for heating - L'escargot

>> The government >> must hate all the wood burners, because not only do they lose those climate change >> taxes and VAT on top, they also lose the various taxes from the guy that >> brings the wood and sells it for cash. >> We hate our neighbours' wood burners because the smell of the smoke they produce gets into our house and the black smuts in the smoke get deposited on our window sills. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 09:23   Wood for heating - Dog

>>We hate our neighbours' wood burners because the smell of the smoke they produce gets into our house<< Blame the wind direction for that. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 09:29   Wood for heating - CGNorwich

"We hate our neighbours' wood burners because the smell of the smoke they produce gets into our house and the black smuts in the smoke get deposited on our window sills." If it is really as bad as you imply you may have a claim in nuisance against your neighbours. A wood burning stove burning dry wood should not emit smoke once hot. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 09:46   Wood for heating - L'escargot

>> "We hate our neighbours' wood burners because the smell of the smoke they produce gets >> into our house and the black smuts in the smoke get deposited on our window >> sills." >> >> If it is really as bad as you imply you may have a claim in >> nuisance against your neighbours. A wood burning stove burning dry wood should not emit smoke >> once hot. >> Our neighbours (both sides) burn scrap pallets, scrap/used fencing material, and any other unwanted wood they can get their hands on. They burn the material on ordinary open fires. They don't have purpose made wood burning stoves. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 09:49   Wood for heating - sooty123

err... hi there neighbour ;) Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 10:06   Wood for heating - sherlock47

>>>Our neighbours (both sides) burn scrap pallets, scrap/used fencing material, and any other unwanted wood they can get their hands on. They burn the material on ordinary open fires. They don't have purpose made wood burning stoves.<<< Sounds as though they may also have scrap cars, white vans, caravans and unwashed children. Licensed site? :) Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 10:42   Wood for heating - L'escargot

>> Sounds as though they may also have scrap cars, white vans, caravans and unwashed children. :-D Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 10:10   Wood for heating - CGNorwich

As I said if the effect of your neighbours activities is such that smoke and fumes enter your house regularly such that life is affected you may well have a claim against them. If you mean that on the odd day you get a whiff of woodsmoke I think you will have to put up with it. If as you say they are burning treated or painted wood on an open fire that is not good and it might be a good idea to have a word with your council. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 10:47   Wood for heating - L'escargot

>> If as you say they are burning treated or painted wood on an open fire >> that is not good and it might be a good idea to have a word >> with your council. >> We have no wish to fall out with our neighbours. Presumably they do what they can afford. We don't live in a smokeless zone. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Sat 8 Dec 12 11:38   Wood for heating - devonite

Our neighbor has been having some work done recently, and the other evening We could smell exotic - smelling wood-smoke (Cedar? Sandalwood?) and it was quite pleasant wafting in through the slightly open window now and then. After a few minutes it was quite strong, so I closed the window, and in doing so I noticed a "glow" in the kitchen. When we investigated it turned out that "She" had left her wooden spoon in the pan whilst it was simmering on the stove, and the handle was on fire!! Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 12:31   Wood for heating - Fullchat

That's funny :)))) Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 8 Dec 12 14:23   Wood for heating - CGNorwich

Ah , no real problem after all. ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 05:46   Wood for heating - Pat

Last week the battery in our smoke alarm started the annoying periodic beep to indicate it needed a new battery just as Ian had gone to work around 3.30am. By 9am it was driving me mad and I knew I couldn't reach it or climb safely to replace the battery. By midday I knew I had to do something and it's situated parallel to the stairs on the dining room ceiling so I managed to lie half way up the stairs, reach through the railings and pull the old battery out, at full stretch....ahhh, peace at last! Not so, it continued to beep happily away. I made a phone call to Ian to ask how it could possible beep when there was no battery in it..I got a short reply telling me he was trying to reverse into Carnevale behind Kings Cross and he'd deal with it when he got home but yes, the smoke alarm must be faulty. I was uneasy not having a working one until the weekend, but didn't have the car at home so ordered one from Amazon and paid extra for next day delivery. Turned the radio off, and played AC/DC loudly until he came home late in the evening. The beeping by then was not constant but went in bouts of about 10 minutes at a time. He had a look at it but had no idea at all how it could continue to beep without a battery in it and quite frankly, was not very sympathetic after a long day at work. We decided to go to bed and live with it until the new one came tomorrow. As I reached to top of the stairs the beeping got louder....and louder. I looked up to the very high ceiling on our landing and saw another smoke alarm......:) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 09:08   Wood for heating - Roger.

The smile of the day! :-) Thanks, Pat! Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 10:02   Wood for heating - Crankcase

Pat is the winner of the much maligned Crankcase Writer's Award of the day for the Best Beautifully Written Anecdote. Last edited by: Crankcase on Sun 9 Dec 12 at 10:02 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 19:35   Wood for heating - VxFan

>> I looked up to the very high ceiling on our landing and saw another smoke alarm......:) Have you been watching the chandelier episode of only Fools and Horses? ;) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 09:53   Wood for heating - Dave

Neighbours?? What are they? It's been a few years since I had any of them. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 10:21   Wood for heating - Fullchat

Bit like the reversing beepers on your lorries Pat, welcome to our world . :)))) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 14:05   Wood for heating - Pat

I just love the reversing bleepers at NHS Bridgend. For us it's a difficult blind side reverse to get on a bay, but while trying to concentrate you have to listen to their puddle jumpers reversing on beside you with the audible warning in WELSH;) I asked one of their drivers what it said once and he didn't know but assured me it was politically correct! Pat Last edited by: pda on Sun 9 Dec 12 at 14:05 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 14:23   Wood for heating - bathtub tom

I can see Pat's obit. Killed by a reversing lorry - she stood behind the wrong one. Her last words 'I'll stand here behind the lorry that's next to the one that's reversing'. ;>) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 9 Dec 12 14:46   Wood for heating - Pat

:) Pat Reply to this message | Report message