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[Robin]

We use smokeless ovoids as a bed in our multifuel burner, with wood on top for the flames.

We only light it in the evenings as it's not our primary heat source, but the small shovel full of the ovoids are still glowing when I go to bed, often 6-8 hours after first lighting the fire!

The ovoids are really long-burning so I'm sure a couple of shovel fulls last thing at night would see you through to the morning, especially if you close the vents a bit.

[mrutty]

Fell all my own wood so not going to impact me. Here's the issue, green wood is fine if you dry it in a suitable store but I've seen people taken kiln dried wood and store it just out the front of the house. I met someone that had an almost air tight log store (need air movement to help fry and prevent rot). All this *&%^$ is written by people that live in towns. In the winter we loose power about every 10 days, gas was quoted as £1/2 Million to fit the main (LPG is lethal so not having that but next door have it) and thats shipped now from around the world and solar/wind is great but everyone locally that has fitted had had to always top up from the grid and coz you have other power sources you get a higher tariff so its made their bills go up. Only solution is drip pan Esse stove (Aga that does hotwater) and a wood burner.

[MrTDiy]

Whilst we are on this OT subject, I have a question. Our log burner is alight all winter (October to May). We use good wood all day and evening. But to keep it in at night we use a coal derived product called Wildfire. So presumably we will be unable to buy this next year.
Is there a good/cheap alternative that will still be for sale, or should I buy 25 tonns of the old stuff this summer.
What do you folk use at night ?

We have an old jotul 6 that heats the house and hot water. I'll bring in a big arm full of logs in the evening and we start it when we get home after work......depending on the temperature there maybe a few logs left which I will throw on for the night and close all the vents. That’s it then....we rely on two duvets and hot water bottles...in the morning we just get going. I guess we wear a lot of jumpers and have a warm dog. .....not that dissimilar to how my grand parents used to do it.

[GlenAnderson]

The “ban” is for house coal, not smokeless fuels. As for “wet” wood, it’s nothing to do with rained on or even waterlogged wood, if the fire’s hot enough it just evaporates off as steam; the issue is wood that hasn’t been cut and the volatiles in the sap allowed to evaporate off. As pointed out, while some woods burn well “green”, the majority need between six and twenty four months stacked to “dry”.

[Rog-from-Bix]

Reading more during the day it isnt as draconian as the 1st article I read, it basically means the entire country runs under the same smoke control conditions as many cities and towns do now.


Plans for a standard for solid fuels with a sulphur content of below 2% and a smoke emission limit of 5g/hour to be applied nationwide also form a part of the consultation – which would extend requirements currently in place in smoke control areas, across the country.

[PTT]

Good evening.

We burn at least 2 cords of locally cut hardwood in our Godin stoves every year.

During the (almost) 20 years we have lived here in rural France we have learned that the best wood to burn is that which has been left exposed to the sun, wind (and the rain) for several years and then brought into the wood store after several rain free days/weeks in the summer.

We have a moisture meter (Amazon £12?) and monitor progress with this.

As many others have posted, burning unseasoned (wet wood) is pointless and I have yet to appreciate the environmental benefits of imported wood pellets (available in every supermarket here) and kiln drying.

We burned full fat coal (illegally) in an open hearth in our home in Bristol for a while and whilst the smell was nostalgic it was pretty awful stuff.

My opinion, for what it is worth.

PTT

[fv1620]

I think this proposal is just for England, not the UK?

[Genem]

^^^ Correct. Scotland is considering a ban in towns and cities.  Given that log-burners are almost universal out here in the rural areas I think a complete ban would be inflammatory...

As others have said, most people using wood-burners regularly are pretty savvy about what they stick in the fire. Most of my log-pile is years old.

 

[w3526602]

Hi,

Doh! I forgotten the manufacturers name.

Whatever, when I was living the "Good Life", there was a domestic "wood burner" that looked like the front end of the "Flying Scotsman" (big round door on the front .. for loadiong half a railway sleeper, or complete bale of straw). Made from stainless steel.

I understood that the benefit of burning wood, was that the pollutants released were "new" ... they had been drifting around in the atmosphere and been sucked up by the relevant tree during the last fifty years or so  ... or in the case pollarding, during the last seven years.

602

[Eve]

My metal chimney cowl came with instructions not to use it with smokeless coal as the smoke would destroy it. Ordinary house coal (the stuff now being banned) was fine.

Is there something nasty and polluting in smokeless coal emissions we are not being told about?

[w3526602]

Hi,

If we don't burn this wet wood ... where do the polutants go?

602

PS. many yonks ago, I was tested to see what I was allergic to ... causing my hay-fever.

Hmmm! Candida Albicans, pollen, sheep wool ..... dry rot...

If you suffer from hay fever, get tested ... painless, though it looks quite impressive.  Injections twice a week, then had to sit with Sister Iris in the DVLA sick bay, swigging coffee and yarning about her days on the "district". The required period was 20 minutes, in case I reacted (anti-political shock) and required an injection of adrenalin. Sister Iris burst into peals of laughter when I asked what a D&C was ... one of my ladies had given that as an answer to my question ... but wouldn't go into detail.

[Scotty38]

As has been said, massive difference between wet wood and seasoned wood. We had a huge conifer type come down in the wind a few years ago and even the farmer didn't want any of it because "it doesn't burn well". Left out in the rain for a couple of years on pallets then undercover but still outside and now it burns brilliantly. Yes it burns more quickly than a decent hardwood but the heat is phenomenal....

[Brotherelmo]

We’re surrounded by a huge Grouse shooting moor, any fine day between November and March and you won’t see the sun for all the smoke, puts my output in three wood burning stoves to shame.

[Wittsend]

So in summary our conclusion on this "ban" is that it will effect nothing and no one - but will mean less clutter in the doorways to the petrol station tills

  <--- not wet wood




Next ....

[oilstain]

We’re surrounded by a huge Grouse shooting moor, any fine day between November and March and you won’t see the sun for all the smoke, puts my output in three wood burning stoves to shame.

Are you saying that we should have a ban on the burning of heather which perhaps we should or am I misunderstanding