Andrew wrote:

On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 09:52:52 -0000, "Bob Mannix"
wrote:


I still have the A3 fact sheet (4 sides A4) produced by the Forestry
Commission (1985) I could send in exchange for a modest donation to
red cross or medecin sans frontiers to cover postage.

I'll probably be OK thanks, but I'll stick a couple of quid in in exchange
for your words next time I see a collecting box.


That's generosity, if all my postings on usenet were so rewarded......

As I see you are using an open grate watch out for larch and sweet
chestnut in particular, they spit embers into the room, as do a lot of
conifers to some extent.


Mmm. Willow seems a bad spitter as well.



Hardwoods to avoid for poor burning (mostly simply high moisture
content) poplar, willow, elm, holm oak and turkey oak.


I am finding blackthon quite poor unless got up to really high temperatures.



When I started selling firewood I was determined to give good value
for money, so I carefully worked out the likely heating value and
pitched my price to be equivalent to coal. I could never understand
why people continued to buy from other merchants who offered worse
value. It took me a while to realise it was "luxury" being sold and
people bought on the perceived price of "a load". My logs were dry,
many people used coal as the base with logs on to, dry logs burned too
fast and didn't sizzle.



Yes, but things are changing a bit now - around here we use wood fires
as very much serious heat sources, although central heating is available
as well.


I suspect in a centrally heated house the chimney effect of the open
fire evacuates more heat from the house than it contributes.



No, I don't find that. Particularly in my house where underfloor vents
feed the fire directly with icy cold air for burning.

I would say that having the open fire both slightly ventilates the room
and draws out hot steamy air, and adds between 3 and 5Kw to the heating
of the room at full crack.



AJH