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Post by peterboat on Sept 16, 2017 8:54:21 GMT
The wood we axed this June was already dry in the cratch by July. We use a lot of wood here at home, but have never considered a 'moisture meter'. I could consider getting one, though, in case I ever have a bath, you know, just to see if the water is wet enough. Martin, if you have money to burn, why not just use crumpled up banknotes? Wood dry in a month? normally its a year to dry out logs at least
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 9:02:50 GMT
Wood briquettes are good. I noticed in the middle of summer a woodworking company were selling 10 bags of briquettes with approx 15kg per bag, for £1. On eBay. Fact is they have to pay to landfill it. Mid winter I bought some for £3 per 20kg bag but they MUST be stored dry. They had dozens of bags and offered to delivery a van load cheap. I don't have enough room for this but if I could I would certainly use them as they burn beautifully. Not sure if the place (which was in Croydon) are still doing the very cheap offer as obviously in summer there is less demand. £3 for 20kg is good value anyway. I just did a eBay search with "nearest first" filter for "wood briquettes" Just checked and as its now autumn its £1 for one sack. Still very good value if you're close to somewhere which does this. Look at this on eBay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292252343594
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Post by larkboy on Sept 16, 2017 11:47:02 GMT
We burn anthracite and although it took a bit of getting used to we now love it. It burns very hot if you need it to, but best of all, it burns very cleanly...no dirty glass! We did drag out the destructions for the stove (Aarrow Becton Bunny) and followed their advice and it worked, it now stays in without any trouble, it just requires more air than anything else we've burnt. We do also burn a fair bit of wood, as we are lucky enough to have access to free, split, seasoned logs...😀👍
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Post by sandk on Sept 16, 2017 12:42:04 GMT
The wood we axed this June was already dry in the cratch by July. We use a lot of wood here at home, but have never considered a 'moisture meter'. I could consider getting one, though, in case I ever have a bath, you know, just to see if the water is wet enough. Martin, if you have money to burn, why not just use crumpled up banknotes? I can only imagine that the wood you dried in a month had been cut down or stood dead for a very long time. When we had the wood yard we used to season (cut logs) in poly tunnels with open ends to assist with air flow, it still took us at least four months to get wood down to an acceptable mostuire content. Oak, for example would still be over 30% after 4 months. Burning unseasoned wood is more expensive than burning crumpled up banknotes......
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 16, 2017 13:59:24 GMT
"I can only imagine that the wood you dried in a month had been cut down or stood dead for a very long time."
Cut early January long lengths of birch trees which had come down in a storm a few days earlier, kept on roof of boat until June.
When we had the wood yard we used to season (cut logs) in poly tunnels with open ends to assist with air flow, it still took us at least four months to get wood down to an acceptable mostuire content. Oak, for example would still be over 30% after 4 months.
We'd say a year for the wood we cut and axe ourselves at home, under a tarpaulin to keep rain/snow off. Air can flow round them. 6 months probably, but have never really tested it as we always have logs that are over 2 years old.
Burning unseasoned wood is more expensive than burning crumpled up banknotes......
Why? It came for free. Chimney gets scrubbed with nailbrush-on-pole once in a while. Perhaps not economical in time and labour to forage for it and cut it up yourself, but fun, and the logs were really dry after a month stored in a warm cratch. In Sowerby Bridge, at the end of our trip, I walked a mile up the hill towards Ripponden and bought 4 sacks of logs and axed those so we're ready for our October jaunt.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 16, 2017 14:15:58 GMT
January 2017: All gone up the chimney already! (Aug 2017)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 14:30:10 GMT
Phurnicite on both the multifuel stoves one in the boat and one in the cottage. In the woodburner in the cottage we burn woodwork shop offcuts usually mahogany oak and other dry hardwoods even had some black walnut this load.
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Post by sandk on Sept 16, 2017 14:54:59 GMT
January 2017: All gone up the chimney already! (Aug 2017) If it's free wood and you clean the flue regularly burn what you like. If you buy in logs and pay a sweep each year get seasoned wood. That S/B in the pictures is NOT seasoned.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 16, 2017 15:18:36 GMT
"That S/B in the pictures is NOT seasoned."
Well, that's my point. It wasn't in January, but by July it was good enough for us. It didn't sizzle-sizzle-spit-and-sizzle in our stove but did a "Tiger-Tiger-burning-bright, in-the-forests-of-the-night".
I think we shall do it again sometime, it gives a rural rustic satisfaction to cut up one's own firewood, like a professional boat-gypsy.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 20:54:39 GMT
Ok so a few nights on.
When we are burning the excel alone just glowing the stove glass does start to darken up, throw a log on which then starts to flame the glass clears straight away.
How best to keep the glass clear if not burning wood?
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Post by peterboat on Sept 16, 2017 21:14:22 GMT
We burn anthracite and although it took a bit of getting used to we now love it. It burns very hot if you need it to, but best of all, it burns very cleanly...no dirty glass! We did drag out the destructions for the stove (Aarrow Becton Bunny) and followed their advice and it worked, it now stays in without any trouble, it just requires more air than anything else we've burnt. We do also burn a fair bit of wood, as we are lucky enough to have access to free, split, seasoned logs...😀👍 My rayburn was designed for anthracite so its the easiest most controllable fuel for the job, it really likes the good updraft that rayburn designed in anything else we use burns up to fast and wont control well for the oven
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 21:27:05 GMT
How best to keep the glass clear if not burning wood? Trial and error I'm afraid. My stoves all react differently. Worth understanding secondary burn and any 'clearview' design of the stove. Generally I find the glass will blacken when stove is in slumber but a short burst of 'open all vents' sorts it out.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 21:49:47 GMT
How best to keep the glass clear if not burning wood? Trial and error I'm afraid. My stoves all react differently. Worth understanding secondary burn and any 'clearview' design of the stove. Generally I find the glass will blacken when stove is in slumber but a short burst of 'open all vents' sorts it out. Just checked the manual to see what it said and this is a fair summary. Thanks.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 17, 2017 6:13:03 GMT
How best to keep the glass clear if not burning wood? Kitchen towel dabbed in water to make it damp. That's all. A touch of 'cream cleaner' (eg. 'CIF') for perfection. Works for our stove glass. (unless you mean clear all the time, and then I have no solution).
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Post by lollygagger on Sept 17, 2017 7:54:09 GMT
Oven cleaner.👍
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