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Log burner

Also agree about Ash. The best all round wood to burn in my opionion although I mix it with Oak in the winter and some Silver Birch when it’s not so cold.
 
We had an owl in ours once, quite surreal, these two big eyes peering through the glass. Mind you before the stove we also had a big Rook that I found standing on the lid of the LP12! Then there was the time when the missis found three sheep on the landing.
 
MVV said:
We had an owl in ours once, quite surreal, these two big eyes peering through the glass. Mind you before the stove we also had a big Rook that I found standing on the lid of the LP12! Then there was the time when the missis found three sheep on the landing.
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How did those sheep get down the flue? Or were you just experimenting with new ways to replace the chimney sweep?
 
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Tigerjones said:
Agreed. Great book. Lars recommends operating a stove with the maximum air at all times which I tend to do.
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That gives you the most efficient burn, it’s true. You can overheat the stove though if taken to extremes. I keep one of those magnetic stove thermometers on the single wall flue pipe behind the stove (about a foot above the top of the stove), and run the stove at max air until the gauge is well into the normal operating zone, about 200/250 deg C. then throttle it back and try and keep it at about that temperature until it’s ready for a reload, when it should be opened up to max again. The best time to reload is just about when the flames have died back and you have a thick bed of brightly glowing embers

The Scandinavian ceramic batch burn type stoves are designed with lots of extra mass and insulation with complex flues so that you can burn a load of wood at full throttle right through and store enough heat to be released slowly over several hours before burning the next batch. That doesn’t quite work with the more common cast iron type wood burner we are talking about here. If you overheat the fire box, you could damage the stove or start a chimney fire.

But stacking the fire up and trying to make it smoulder through the night with the air vents closed down really is very inefficient, and a recipe for clogging up the flue with tar deposits unless the wood is very well dried out hardwood.
 
The best way to clean the glass is with a damp piece of kitchen towel. Any stubborn areas just dip the damp towel in the ash and this should help clear the glass. No need for any fancy sprays etc.
 
AndrewM said:
If you overheat the fire box, you could damage the stove or start a chimney fire.
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I lit mine once and left it on full whack while I went upstairs and forgot about it. Eventually I realized I could hear odd noises from the flue. I went back down and the draw sounded like a hurricane. I looked into the void above the stove and could see the elbow in the flue glowing red. One of my more memorable brown trouser moments. No after-effects fortunately, just some interesting deposits when the flue was swept (very soon afterwards.)

cctaylor said:
The best way to clean the glass is with a damp piece of kitchen towel. Any stubborn areas just dip the damp towel in the ash and this should help clear the glass. No need for any fancy sprays etc.
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I use one of those scrunched-up steel scourers that look like balls of metal tagliatelli.
 
Clive D said:
I know of three families that have them and yes, they do make a positive difference.

Thus my earlier post....
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Which ones do they have? The Vulcan looks great from a geeky perspective, but I don’t want to spend £100 if it is really just an ornament.
 
cctaylor said:
The best way to clean the glass is with a damp piece of kitchen towel. Any stubborn areas just dip the damp towel in the ash and this should help clear the glass. No need for any fancy sprays etc.
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I use a dab of ceramic hob cleaner from the kitchen on stubborn patches.
 
Yes, stove top fans really do work and have a positive effect in our rooms.
I had a couple that self generate electricity using a thermal electronic generator (Teg) but managed to kill them both by running the fire a little too hot.
Replaced the teg module on one, but managed to get the wrong power output. While it was amusing for a while watching the blades spin like a helicoter on steroids, the main bearing soon gave way.
Then decided to go with a proper sterling engine type. Had wanted one for an age, but they were not a cheap idea..
Went for the 'WarpFive SideWinder' and while it needs to be kept reasonably dust free, it is a delight. Totally noise free, and it just 'works'
As an aside, typical August bank holiday yesterday - log burner lit while watching Star Wars...

https://warpfivefans.com/content/GB/product-overview
 
Sonority said:
Went for the 'WarpFive SideWinder' and while it needs to be kept reasonably dust free, it is a delight. Totally noise free, and it just 'works'
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Wow, that’s quite an investment - about the same as two years’ supply of logs for me!
 
Been a log fire three times over the past week here. Central heating has also been on a couple of times.
 
We have two identical 4K wood stoves. They are both Chesney Milan 4's. They are beyond brilliant. Not cheap but check them out.
 
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