Eco Wood Furnace

[Mollers]

I need to gen-up on high efficiency domestic wood furnaces to heat our place. I have access to woodland and no longer wish to be held to ransom by Opec.
Anyone have one, know anthing about them, or can reccomend a good Eco forum? Thanks and let the p*** take commence.

[chewy]

I've just ordered a Charnwood stove and my Dad has also fitted one, think its about 76% efficient.
He buys kiln dried logs but if you have access to a forest split the logs and leave them to dry for about 2 years. They burn cleaner and hotter then.
I'm getting a multifuel one so I can also burn peat etc.

We looked at cheaper ones but the quality on the Charnwood is excellent.

He has a decent size room and a gas fire, all the radiators on plus a oil filled heater wouldn't heat the room. The woodburner with a couple of logs on keeps it warm with the door left open.

I think wood burning stoves are the way forward, they burn cleaner than open fires and some can be used in smokeless zones. One web site pointed out that its more environmentally friendly to use the stoves than gas but most council won't admit that the smokeless zones were a bad idea.

Have fun looking.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Mollers

I need to gen-up on high efficiency domestic wood furnaces to heat our place. I have access to woodland and no longer wish to be held to ransom by Opec.
Anyone have one, know anthing about them, or can reccomend a good Eco forum? Thanks and let the p*** take commence.

Well me old China,I've had 'Woodburners' for along time, and went over to the Biggest 'Clearview' they do a few years ago, [15000 btu's if memory serves] mine runs 12 rads.. and all the hot water I need![Basicly ALL upstairs heating]and very easy to run and control.A big pluss of course, is you can also enjoy the real fire!In my last property I had an oil fired furnace which was a pain..and expensive!.. and I'd never go back.
I too own some woodland behind my house but still have to stock up with bought logs from time to time.IF,you CAN get away with a Woodburner you won't beat the 'Clearview',like most things British, not the cheapest but pretty much the best! No P.T.
And if you don't think 15000 btu's is enough for you ,you could do as my neighbour did[who lives in 1.5 million coverted Mill]... Buy two!

[Mollers]

I may have confused things a little. I'm looking at wood fired boilers along these lines. http://www.eco-link.co.uk/biomass_th..._domestic.html

Not woodchip or pellet though, I need to bung split logs in it.

[HUMBER P4VWL]

I agree, Clearview every time, my mate is a tree surgeon and has tried many a burner over the years. He has 4 clearview in each of his rooms. I got one two years ago, awesome. Burns coal, pellets, logs, wood, compressed shavings etc They are really controllable and the air that comes down the glass door means it doesnt smoke up, meaning you can still see the fire. Many cheaper ones wont last that long and the glass smokes up in minutes. Still gives out heat but looks poo.

More expensive than many other brands, but my god, well worth it. You can turn them right down and run logs 24/7. I stick a log on at 10pm then come down at 6.30 and stick another on. The dog doesnt move the whole time!!

PS Get a heat powered fan that sits on the top to blow the hot air across the room and circulate the heat. Most decent shops or canal barge places sell them. The barges are long and shallow so they need to move the heat laterally, unlike a house where it can go vertically and heat upstairs before bed time.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Mollers

I have access to woodland

Translation: The owner forgets to lock the gate?

Originally Posted by Mollers

Thanks and let the p*** take commence.

Yr welcome

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Mollers

I may have confused things a little. I'm looking at wood fired boilers along these lines. http://www.eco-link.co.uk/biomass_th..._domestic.html

Not woodchip or pellet though, I need to bung split logs in it.

I knew exactly what you were talking about as an associate of mine is thinking of doing the same. He has woodland but is also trying to work out the best type of wood to plant and copice so that he has a long term sustainable source of heat. Unfortunately he's no further on than you at selecting the right unit so I can't really be of much help.

no longer wish to be held to ransom by Opec.

steam powered rib and 4x4 then too?

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by HUMBER P4VWL

I agree, Clearview every time, my mate is a tree surgeon and has tried many a burner over the years. He has 4 clearview in each of his rooms. I got one two years ago, awesome. Burns coal, pellets, logs, wood, compressed shavings etc They are really controllable and the air that comes down the glass door means it doesnt smoke up, meaning you can still see the fire. Many cheaper ones wont last that long and the glass smokes up in minutes. Still gives out heat but looks poo.

More expensive than many other brands, but my god, well worth it. You can turn them right down and run logs 24/7. I stick a log on at 10pm then come down at 6.30 and stick another on. The dog doesnt move the whole time!!

PS Get a heat powered fan that sits on the top to blow the hot air across the room and circulate the heat. Most decent shops or canal barge places sell them. The barges are long and shallow so they need to move the heat laterally, unlike a house where it can go vertically and heat upstairs before bed time.

Make you right about the heat powered fan!Had to have one when I saw it! Still cant suss out how that thing works!! But it surely does a job.
Apparently invented by a Canadian liveing in a cabin one long winter...who is now a multi millionaire!!

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by HUMBER P4VWL

..... my mate is a tree surgeon....

I always wanted to be a tree surgeon........








.......but I couldn't stand the sight of sap.

[codprawn]

Woodburners are ONLY viable if the wood is FREE - if you pay for it don't bother!!!

They are a potential environmental disaster - it is NOT good to breathe in all those particulates - ie smoke.

Heat powered fans were prob invented by Hero of Alexandria many moons ago. Some modern ones use the Stirling engine which was invented by Robert Stirling in the 1800s. Others prob use the peltier effect.

I have used a woodburner for years now - it is scary how much wood they consume. I have rigged up an inline fan with tumble drier hose ducting to suck the heat from the kitchen ceiling and spread it around the house. I also use a normal electric desk fan blowing through the kitchen door - makes a hell of a difference.

It is vital the flue runs right through the house to minimise heat loss.

The screw feed systems rely on uniform woodchips - if they are damp then it keeps clogging - I have seen several expensive commercial systems that remain idle because the wood is never dry enough in the UK.

I have a normal woodburner with a back boiler.

If you want something really powerful and pretty automatic look at these.


http://www.centralboiler.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zshmitwMYUI

Some of them are over 500,000 btu - great for heating a swimming pool as well.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by Polwart

steam powered rib and 4x4 then too?

Well, less held to ransom. No real way out of fueling the above, but a £1500 saving on home heating bills helps towards the former.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Woodburners are ONLY viable if the wood is FREE -

Yep, free wood other than a bit of sweat and diesel.

[willk]

More seriously, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. I cut my own timber for open fires and a stove, but wouldn't have enough for central heating purposes - and it's a time consuming process! The lads hereabouts laugh about heating timber - reckon it warms you three times, when you cut and carry it, when you block it and later when you burn it . I spent a day blocking the stuff recently, nice autumnal work. Larch is nice to split and smells of pencil-cases, oak is more reminiscent of a nice Rioja and needs a few more revs on the husky. Coppiced hazel and ash are fantastic to work with and look good in the woodpile, appealing greatly to my OCD.

But if you want a fire that hell would be jealous of, try a 40 year old Canadian maple dance floor - I'm burning my way through a scrapped one, should be done by Christmas.

_______________________

Originally Posted by Mollers

Yep, free wood other than a bit of sweat and diesel.

Ah, you've twigged that then...

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by willk

More seriously, you've got a lot of work ahead of you.

I have about 30tonnes of well seasoned sycamore lying on the ground at home at present. I'm hoping that this will keep me ahead of the game.

I'm also hoping that the efficiency of these latest units, will afford me a little time off from being a lumberjack.

[matt h]

talk about efficiency, is there any way of capturing the rainwater and using it in the bog or something,
last weekend i had a course at the Met office in exeter and they have a 4000 gallon water tank under the building somewhere that captures the rain from the guttering for bogs and tap water,! bloody great idea,

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Mollers

Yep, free wood other than a bit of sweat and diesel.

No sweat and only £5 of diesel - I get ready cut up pallet offcuts - burns really fast but a trailer full lasts me 3 weeks - very rare I need my chainsaw any more.

As to splitting logs I have an electric/hydraulic machine mart log splitter - they are great.

Even better if you have a tractor you can get a tapered spiral screw which you attach to the pto and it will split almost anything - thought about attaching one to the Landies wheel hub - aka Boudicca!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Rypb1dcUE

You can get the screw for about £60

This is the best though - health and safety would love it!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVAAx3mMKY

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by matt h

talk about efficiency, is there any way of capturing the rainwater and using it in the bog or something,
last weekend i had a course at the Met office in exeter and they have a 4000 gallon water tank under the building somewhere that captures the rain from the guttering for bogs and tap water,! bloody great idea,

Yeah, grey water harvesting. It can be used for bogs, washing machine etc.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by codprawn

No sweat and only £5 of diesel - I get ready cut up pallet offcuts - burns really fast but a trailer full lasts me 3 weeks - very rare I need my chainsaw any more.

As to splitting logs I have an electric/hydraulic machine mart log splitter - they are great.

Even better if you have a tractor you can get a tapered spiral screw which you attach to the pto and it will split almost anything -

Yep, F-in-Law has an old Case Tractorial on his hobby farm.

[Erin]

Not what you are looking for I know, but I can also thoroughly recommend the Clearview stoves for anyone out there wanting a fantastic but simple bit of kit.

We've got their smallest model in our living room, and find it too powerful. If it weren't so complicated I'd connect it to the central heating to run parallel with the boiler, but that's major plumbing and safety controls to prevent overheats and boiling rads.

The claim that a log will last an hour is not far wrong. I've never quite managed to keep it going overnight though, but we are on the top of a hill and get too much draw up the flue.

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by codprawn

You can get the screw for about £60..

Have you been down the docks again Cods?