New yard burner

[doobin]

Finally got round to replacing my trusty (but well warped) sawdust burner on Sunday. A jolly morning spent cutting and welding (and wondering how I'd lift it into position as it got progressively heavier!) It's a forwarder rim (so super strong/loads of metal) with a scaffold pipe as an easily replacable bottom vent (this is the bit that will burn out over time, so was important that it was easy to replace). Just over two foot wide and almost three feet tall. Can drop a whole dust extracter bag of sawdust in her. Haven't decided what to do for a top vent, and might also do a rope seal on the 12mm thick top lid (plus some griddle bars on top for my bacon!) Really pleased with it for maybe £50 worth of metal. It's also got a slider in the bottom to remove ash which will make life easier.

 

[V8Druid]

how do you get it going Doob ... drop of kero and a blow lamp up the vent ??????

 

[doobin]

dash of diesel mixed with waste oil and light it at the top. It’s surprising how quickly it starts to draw from the bottom. You look up the tube and it’s glowing but it still looks from the top like a full load of sawdust.

 

[Jimoz]

Used to have one in place I used to work. Could be quite a beast when filled right up occasional chugging and blow the lid off if you mess about with the air. I always found lit really easy if you put a tube down when filling up to the bottom air intake. Pack around it. Pull tube out and light at top

 

[doobin]

Yes

Used to have one in place I used to work. Could be quite a beast when filled right up occasional chugging and blow the lid off if you mess about with the air. I always found lit really easy if you put a tube down when filling up to the bottom air intake. Pack around it. Pull tube out and light at top

Yes we sometimes use that trick but a lot of faff compared to just dumping the bag in and applying blowtorch

 

[V8Druid]

only problem with the sawdust burners is a copious supply of saw dust ??? ... where'd you blag your dust from Doob?

 

[doobin]

Local joinery shop.

 

[Jimoz]

Yeh we were that joiners shop most are happy to get rid. I was selling ours to a farm shop for a quid a bag at a time. We had a long standing thing with a horse lady and we got quality street every Xmas. Didn't bring any one day and we never called her again. She used to cone in saying why haven't you called lol

 

[doobin]

It's taken a bit of getting used to. I originally tried to get it fired up quick and burn quick (plenty of diesel) but this just leads to it needing more air at the top or blowing back

. So added a second vent halfway down the left. The key is to let it get hot then turn it down as it's a huge weight of steel. With sawdust you slope the load so it can draw from the second vent and it's pretty quick then to warm up. Using solid fuel a lot also, as huge lumps can be fed, so burning lots that we would otherwise have thrown on the bonfire.

I've just stuck a scaffold elbow on the bottom and top vents, and cover this with a plate to restrict airflow for now. The procedure with the old burner was to run it hot and quick, with fans on to distribute heat. With this, once it's hot you can turn it right down and the temperature will slowly creep up on its own. It overnights well with a full charge of either timber or sawdust. It's five times the thickness of the old burner, so a learning curve and different way of operation needed, but overall a huge improvement.

The ash tray at the bottom is great- took a full wheelbarrow out today, first time I'd bothered emptying it! I will gas out the bolt circle inside when I get a moment, as it's not needed for strength IMHO and gets in the way somewhat. I'll leave an inch or so all around so it will still have reinforcement.

 

[V8Druid]

FFS !!!!!!

Wood burners: Most polluting fuels to be banned in the home

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51581...BDirnn6iRyZmOvyiMDTLumARb8IZ7GedoN923PenOYg-o

 

[Jimoz]

To be fair unseasoned timber is supposed to be bad. Not that I understand the science

 

[doobin]

Indeed you should only burn dry wood. However the daft thing is that UK ambient moisture is often above the 20% limit they’ve set! Big log merchants on RHI schemes with kilns will be rubbing their hands with glee. If enforced, they will have a monopoly to get paid to burn wood to dry it below 20%, then sell it for a premium only for it to revert to 25-30% depending upon how the customer stores it! What a clusterfuck.
The only bit of common sense is a exemption for large loads of more than 2m3- presumably so knowledgeable customers can buy cheaper and green to self season.

 

[Grahams]

Seems like only five minutes ago putting in a stove was the green option. Carbon neutral and all that s**t as opposed to burning gas to stay warm.
Also, I don't trust the figures. I was listening to a podcast of More or Less some time last year that showed the assumptions behind it were complete bo***x. Just another way to pander to green extremists without effecting people in London who already have to use smokeless fuels.

 

[V8Druid]

Indeed you should only burn dry wood. However the daft thing is that UK ambient moisture is often above the 20% limit they’ve set! Big log merchants on RHI schemes with kilns will be rubbing their hands with glee. If enforced, they will have a monopoly to get paid to burn wood to dry it below 20%, then sell it for a premium only for it to revert to 25-30% depending upon how the customer stores it! What a clusterfuck.
The only bit of common sense is a exemption for large loads of more than 2m3- presumably so knowledgeable customers can buy cheaper and green to self season.

I've got a good 6+ cube drying quietly ATM ..... and what's in't wood shed's as dry as a chip .... turns to talc in the Morso

 

[Grahams]

I've got a good 6+ cube drying quietly ATM ..... and what's in't wood shed's as dry as a chip .... turns to talc in the Morso

You saying it is dry soon won’t be good enough the way things are going. Before you can burn it it will have to have some wally from the council come and inspect it and certify it is the right percentage, obviously at your expense.

 

[V8Druid]

FFS !!!!!!

Wood burners: Most polluting fuels to be banned in the home

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51581...BDirnn6iRyZmOvyiMDTLumARb8IZ7GedoN923PenOYg-o

So, Overall…​

the final version of The Clean Air Strategy was released, leaving in its wake a flurry of news stories claiming our wood burners are going to be banned. This is not the case.

Nobody is going to force you to remove your wood burning stove from your home. However, there are a few main takeaways of the Clean Air Strategy to bear in mind:

• An EcoDesign stove is the best way to enjoy wood burning at home and produces a fraction of the fumes an open fire emits
• From the year 2022, all new stoves being sold in the UK must adhere to low emission levels
• The use of the most unclean fuels, such as coal, will be regulated
• You can still buy unseasoned wood, but it is advised that ready to Burn wood is cleaner and more efficient at powering your stove

so the press had a field day of scare mongering yet again, back then