Energy Bills

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Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
4:55pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,265 posts
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Hanneke
Re seasoning/drying:
Some woods can be burnt green. Welk, only ash really. Most benefit from seasoning. Soft woods at least a year. Hard woods 2-3 years.
You "wet from the rain" logs will dry quite quickly once under cover, provided your log store is very well ventilated.
I stack my wood where I git it in +/- 1.25 metre lengths for a year. Then I move them under my yew tree for another few months, cut and move into log store. So most wood is 2 years old by the time I burn it. The wood from my own coppice is hazel and bird cherry. Quite dense, and alder: very wet! Needs seasoning for 2+ years. Oak I'd leave 3 years before processing and burning.

You can speed up the process by stripping green bark, so moisture evaporates more quickly and/or cutting and splitting. The smaller the log, the quicker it dries.
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
4:56pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,266 posts
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Hanneke
Here you go:

Logs to Burn, Logs to burn, Logs to burn,
Logs to save the coal a turn,
Here's a word to make you wise,
When you hear the woodman's cries.

Never heed his usual tale,
That he has good logs for sale,
But read these lines and really learn,
The proper kind of logs to burn.

Oak logs will warm you well,
If they're old and dry.
Larch logs of pine will smell,
But the sparks will fly.

Beech logs for Christmas time,
Yew logs heat well.
"Scotch" logs it is a crime,
For anyone to sell.
Birch logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all.
Hawthorn logs are good to last,
If you cut them in the fall.

Holly logs will burn like wax,
You should burn them green,
Elm logs like smouldering flax,
No flame to be seen.

Pear logs and apple logs,
They will scent your room,
Cherry logs across the dogs,
Smell like flowers in bloom

But ash logs, all smooth and grey,
Burn them green or old;
Buy up all that come your way,
They're worth their weight in gold.
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
5:02pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,267 posts
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Hanneke
I always had all sorts from pruning jobs... Mixing them up works. Birch is quick to catch fire and burn so great for kindling, as first logs to get heat going, followed by some ash and hazel, then oak. If the oaks starts smouldering, add some more birch to re-kindle and so forth. Holly is full of oils and as such burns quickly and easily. Good for getting a damp bonfire going!
I love hawthorn! It is super dense and burns slow and hot but needs 3-4 years of seasoning...
Alder burns well but again needs 3-4 years to dry out. It grows super fast, so a bit like birch and willow: contains a lot of water which is replaced by air once dry so not very dense. Burns warm though once dry.
The weight difference in freshly cut and seasoned is huge!
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
5:02pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,268 posts
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Hanneke
Right, I take my wood/fire geekery away now 😎
lammo
lammo
Dec 2022
6:48pm, 5 Dec 2022
11,712 posts
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lammo
According to the book, the key for drying logs is ventilation and a breeze rather than warmth apparently
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
6:54pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,285 posts
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Hanneke
Yes, ventilation is key! I have a drafty log store. It is surprising how quickly things dry. I also stack "loose"...
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
6:57pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,286 posts
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Hanneke
Lammo: you will possibly be able to get a Stihl saw that uses the same battery/charger as your other implements, depending what they are...
My petrol saw cuts out the moment you release one of the two levery things you push! I.e. a lip on the handle, when released, turns off the saw...
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
6:59pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,287 posts
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Hanneke
Make sure you operate it on the right setting: NOT on choke ore semi-choke/idle! You push that lever to on, while depressing the thing on the handle. That way, if say you dropped the saw or slipped and fell with it, it will stop.
Beware: a chainsaw chain can do serious damage to your skin even when it is not running!
Hanneke
Hanneke
Dec 2022
7:01pm, 5 Dec 2022
96,288 posts
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Hanneke
https://youtu.be/FshU58nI0Ts
HappyG(rrr)
HappyG(rrr)
Dec 2022
10:02pm, 5 Dec 2022
44,941 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Top log geekery, thanks Hann. I can spot trees in leaf, but would struggle to identify a fallen log! :-) G

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