Wood pellet stoves

[Timothy Murphy]

Are these a good thing, re global warming? I was in Italy recently, and they seem to be fashionable there. But I haven't seen many in Dublin, where I live.

Any recommendations on make, installation, etc?

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:07:29 +0000 someone who may be Timothy Murphy wrote this:-

Pellets involve energy in converting the wood into pellets, so are not as good as burning wood directly. However,a pellet stove is still better than many of the alternatives and it is amenable to automatic firing.

may have their stoves on the web site soon. However,if you delve into their forums you should find a fair bit of advice on them.

If you get one connect it to a suitably sized thermal store, together with a solar panel. You should then be able to provide heating and hot water all year round from them both.

[mail]

Provided the wood is from a registered renewable source I see no reason why it cannot be consdiered an excellent way forward re regulating CO2 production - if the correlation between CO2 production and global warming is confirmed (which seems likely) - be it a partial or whole correlation.

Personally, I fould Dublin cold as hell, particularly in rooms in New Square before they were tarted up, and were I back in a house in Dublin would spend my money on insulation before a wood burner.

Have you costed out the likely supply of wood there v other sources? If you do go down that path make sure you get a long contract with your supplier as the price is bound to go up as people cotton on Building regs this side of the water are a pita with respect to air supply etc but I imagine its not so bad there

There are some good websites on wood burners to mug up on which gives all the FAQs and the like

If you see him best wishes to Tim Foster prof in Bacteriolgy or the like We were in College in the sixties Chris George

[Timothy Murphy]

I must say Dublin is a lot warmer (in winter) than Cambridge, where I spent my youth. I lived for some years in a beautiful room in college here (in the Rubrics), but with large holes in the window-frames. One year I swapped with an American from California, who could not believe any normal human being could wish to live in such conditions. He thought he was doing me a great favour by giving up my room for me. I had great difficulty undoing his kindness.

I plan to place the stove in a chimney (which rather surprisingly is in the middle of the room, perhaps because the cottage in question was originally the laundry for an orphanage). I don't think people here are as worried about building regulations as in the UK, but they are getting more bureaucratic in that regard.

[Martin Bonner]

Yes. Very. They produce much less CO2 / kW than most other forms of heating.

They are fine as a central heating boiler in the kitchen etc (but you need plenty of room for the fuel store).

They are rather noisy for use as a living room fire (they use an electric fan to force air over the pellets).

[AJH]

Yes

There are three motors producing noise, the feed auger, the blower (if it's a space heater) and the induced draught fan. When we first imported a batch 9 years ago we only intended them for "public" areas, scout huts etc.

Later ones had a kit to place the induced draught fans outside.

A secure supply of reasonably cheap pellets is essential, I wouldn't advise one for the average home but my 10kW(t) one certainly heats the (small) room fast.

They need a lot more attention than a gas fire.

AJH

[Doki]

If you can collect your own it may be worth getting in touch with conservation organisations / contractors. None will be allowed to leave chippings on site (whole point of scrub clearance is to avoid nutrient enrichment) and few are allowed to burn on site due to soil damage and the risk of fire spreading. Natural England were just shoving it in a pile last time I saw it.

Bear in mind that they're not likely to have huge quantities but if you can pick it up yourself it'll most likely be free.

[Dave Liquorice]

We are talking wood pellets not chippings from forestry work.

the scrub clearance I've seen round here recently (roadside) has left behind piles of chippings and the odd little pile of logs that won't go through the chipper. One day I might stop and do some tidying up of my own...

[AJH]

Wanna bet, I just left about 1500 tonnes on site before Xmas.

As Dave said, we were talking about pellets, whose chief advantages over chips are they're free flowing, dense and dry. Having said that they will burn chips but you have to modify the auger and the power is derated. Other fuels are cereal grain in a mix with pellets, cherry pits and olive stones, neither of the latter have I sourced in any amounts.

Sometimes, mainly on heathland or downland restoration, but not always.

One of the firms I work for stockpiles it on site prior to shipping it to a power station but even power stations get fussy about foliage and moisture.

NE will consent to open burning but sometimes require the ash to be removed AND/OR the fire to be supported on a steel sheet. Open burning is still a favoured means of managing heathland but there is a controlled season November till April only and that's what I'll probably be doing next month.

AJH