Anyone use a wood burner?

Well done BigBloke, an actual expert at last on the thread!

We have Clearview (have had three of them) and a Jotul at home but at another house there are two Agas put in by previous owner. I was certainly quite surprised by how poor their build quality seems to be, versus the Clearviews for example. And they don't light as easily either - I had put that down to the flue but may actually be the stove design.
The Aga Little Wenlock is very over engineered, with very little tolerances to allow for expansion and contraction, thus all the internal components are very to prone to warping.
 
The Aga Little Wenlock is very over engineered, with very little tolerances to allow for expansion and contraction, thus all the internal components are very to prone to warping.
Some of the internals went on our Little Wenlock. Worked out cheaper to replace it.
 
The neighbours are revolting.

We burn very dry wood briquettes, almost smoke free, very little soot in the chimney and they burn very hot. Our neighbor burns kiln dried logs and his chimney is nearly always smoking. While our 1000kg of briquettes is over £100 more than his 1000kg of logs we burn at half his rate for what feels like the same warmth.
 
We burn very dry wood briquettes, almost smoke free, very little soot in the chimney and they burn very hot. Our neighbor burns kiln dried logs and his chimney is nearly always smoking. While our 1000kg of briquettes is over £100 more than his 1000kg of logs we burn at half his rate for what feels like the same warmth.
A quote from the article:

Class is often a factor, too. “Wood burning stoves are really very antisocial,” said one Mumsnet user. “But they’re also middle class, so I expect everyone who wants one fitted will find some special reason why their pollution is superior and necessary.”
 
Another black and white report when the topic is very grey. We, and my parents before me, used wood burners so have had wood burners in the family for getting on for 100 years. I intend to continue as normal.
 
Another black and white report when the topic is very grey. We, and my parents before me, used wood burners so have had wood burners in the family for getting on for 100 years. I intend to continue as normal.
They will ban them, along with gas boilers eventually, it is inevitable in cities at least, this is how it starts.
 
And I presume that the concrete used in the casements for wind turbines, the metal refining for the towers and cabling, the polymer composites for the blades, the rare earths for the electric motors, the cobalt for the batteries, the land damage caused by on shore installation, the diesel engines for the service boats for off shore installations none of this is polluting!!
 
And I presume that the concrete used in the casements for wind turbines, the metal refining for the towers and cabling, the polymer composites for the blades, the rare earths for the electric motors, the cobalt for the batteries, the land damage caused by on shore installation, the diesel engines for the service boats for off shore installations none of this is polluting!!
The problem with wood burners is that they emit particles directly into city centres, and the people who live in them. They are now said to be more polluting than cars. So it is an immediate threat to people’s health. So they will almost certainly ban them or maybe regulate them.

This doesn’t make some of the other global warming issues you raised, or the issues directly affecting other countries less of a problem, they are just separate issues, which can be addressed separately.
 
In city centres brake dust and tyre dust are far bigger problems. We live out in the country with very little pollution. Lichen growth is a good measure of pollution - we have loads of it everywhere in spite of my and our neighbors wood stoves.
 
In city centres brake dust and tyre dust are far bigger problems.
Maybe or maybe not. But we do know that:

"38% of UK primary PM emissions come from burning wood and coal in domestic open fires and solid fuel stoves, 12% comes from road transport (e.g. fuel related emissions and tyre and brake wear) and a further 13% comes from solvent use and industrial processes (e.g. steel making, brick making, quarries, construction)." (DEFRA Clean Air Strategy 2018)

Because PM2.5s (the most harmful particulates) are so light they travel many hundreds or even thousands of miles. So even if we live in the country and air pollution is low locally, we can't say our wood stoves aren't contributing to the overall pollution load of the country (incidentally, about a third of UK's PM2.5s come from continental Europe, which shows how far they travel. And I assume it's a two way traffic).
 
Fire lighting tip that i've been trying.

Save up the lint from the clothes dryer, get an egg carton, put
a ball of lint in place of where the eggs were, melt some candle
wax over the lint, break the carton up and i use 2 of them to light
it.
It works a treat.

No good if you have chickens in your garden as you probably won't have
the egg cartons.
 
The other new thing that i've been doing is the opposite
of what i've always done.

Load the woodburner up with the heavy stuff on the bottom
then go a little smaller for the next layer then even smaller wood,
add the egg carton firelighters on top and surround with kindling genga style.

Because the fire begins higher up, it draws easier and once its lit there is no messing
about loading after the kindling has burnt and topping it up.

The burnt wood falls down and the heavy stuff gets warmed up ready
for ignition at the bottom.

I think this has changed my life:D

Would someone be so kind to try this method and confirm
that i haven't lost the plot.
 
The other new thing that i've been doing is the opposite
of what i've always done.

Load the woodburner up with the heavy stuff on the bottom
then go a little smaller for the next layer then even smaller wood,
add the egg carton firelighters on top and surround with kindling genga style.

Because the fire begins higher up, it draws easier and once its lit there is no messing
about loading after the kindling has burnt and topping it up.

The burnt wood falls down and the heavy stuff gets warmed up ready
for ignition at the bottom.

I think this has changed my life:D

Would someone be so kind to try this method and confirm
that i haven't lost the plot.
Are you in lockdown @westfalia ? #concerned
 
The other new thing that i've been doing is the opposite
of what i've always done.

Load the woodburner up with the heavy stuff on the bottom
then go a little smaller for the next layer then even smaller wood,
add the egg carton firelighters on top and surround with kindling genga style.

Because the fire begins higher up, it draws easier and once its lit there is no messing
about loading after the kindling has burnt and topping it up.

The burnt wood falls down and the heavy stuff gets warmed up ready
for ignition at the bottom.

I think this has changed my life:D

Would someone be so kind to try this method and confirm
that i haven't lost the plot.

I ran out of firefighters the other week and got round the issue

1. Go to work van and get blowtorch
2. Return to fire with blowtorch
3. Give it the guns with the blowtorch

It’s worked every time so far
 
We use a Swedish made Contura at home. Its a pity I dont like sleeping in tents, if I did I would get this:

https://winnerwell.us/collections/shop-all-winnerwell®/products/winnerwell-fastfold-titanium-tent-stove
Looking into a Winnerwell myself.
Really nice stuff.

The foldable version is awesome for tracking and offgrid camping and considered it myself, but changed my mind based on some reviews that it is apparently not very stable.

Want to take a 'Nomad View' along on our next trip to Sweden and Norway and use it to cook outdoors, boil tea, roast marsh mellows with the kids and as heat source for the colder evenings.
Since a 'fire' will likely attract other campers it might also bring unexpected companion.

Even looked at a bell-tent style drive away awening from Glawning, but find them a bit to expensive to justify to the misses.
Need to look into a save alternative to still be able to put it in a drive away awening. If you have tips... :)

Already reserved a spot for the heater in a baggage trailer we have in reservation :)
 

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