Curing and splitting wood for burning

[Huge]

AS is hard to diagnose. Not that it matters, since there is no cure.

Bummer. Sorry to hear it.

[The Natural Philosopher]

BIG house.

[Nick Maclaren]

In article , The Natural Philosopher writes: |> Huge wrote: |> > On 2008-01-28, The Natural Philosopher wrote: |> > |> >> A ton of coal or wood is probably not far off 1000 liters of heating oil |> >> in terms of heat output. I can easily get through that in 6 weeks here |> >> if the weather is ultra cold. |> > |> > Jesus, do you live in Siberia and have a prediliction for sauna-like |> > temperatures? 1000 litres of oil lasts us nearly a year. |> > |> BIG house.

Audley End?

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[Huge]

Ditto. 5 bed detached in exposed site.

[Andy Hall]

I came from Nazareth. It was quite warm there.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not that big. We have one like that nearby, and it takes about 10 grand a year to keep it dry, let alone warm.

[The Natural Philosopher]

yeah..we are I guess about 6 bed here, or if divvied up into 'modern' sized rooms, a small hostel!

On top of the hill and with nothing for miles.

[adder1969]

With open fires, unless you've got rads from the fire, they can actually make other rooms colder if there are draughts through the windows. So, a lot depends on the house that they're in, the fireplace and chimney, and how the air supply is provided as to how much fuel is needed. In very old buildings with a fire only downstairs you make the downstairs room warmer and everywhere else colder!

[Charlie Pridham]

I still do ours by hand, I use a grenade rather than a splitting axe as=20 it is done in the barn which has a lowish ceiling, great thing about=20 doing it by hand is you often don't need to light the fire as it warms=20 you up nicely!! Holly is great for burning, Willow is rubbish

--=20 Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall

Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and=20 Lapageria rosea

[Dave Liquorice]

I think he lives, like us, in an old solid stone house. Admitedly we are exposed and at 1,400'. We used to get through about 4,000l year. It's lower now maybe 3,500 or even a bit less since the really drafty windows were replace with double glazing. Daytime temp is 18.5C on the stat going up to 20 for the evening, heating is off over night.

[Charlie Pridham]

in=20

Try a grenade and a lump hammer, things are a bit more under control

--=20 Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall

Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and=20 Lapageria rosea

[Andy Hall]

Hills? East Anglia?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I didn't say mountains!

We are almost - gasp - 200 meters above sea level..or is it 200 feet?

Probably 200 ft.

Norfolk and Suffolk are not fen. They start where the fens end, just about.

They are gently rolling terminal moraines from the ice sheet, covered in sand and clay over a chalk substrate.

The native tribes do not have webbed feet, and undertsand what a tree is.

[Graham Harrison]

Now I'm intrigued. What's the difference between a maul, a bomb and a grenade?

[The Natural Philosopher]

A maul is a wedge on a stick. Like a broad headed axe.

A bomb or grenade is a cast iron wedge thing, ovoid to cruciform in cross section. That needs to be whacked with a hammer.

[Huge]

OK, our house was built in 1977, has cavity wall insulation, double glazing throughout and 1970's standard loft insulation. Just goes to show that insulation is definitely worthwhile doing.

BTW, I've been thinking about adding more loft insulation. Would that be worthwhile?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Nope. Brand new timber framed.

To latest building regs.

However two open fireplaces and underflooor vents to feed em take a lot of heat out when they are not burning.

In las with 6 bed house of similar size, but less well insulated and rick, burn even more. I am getting by on 3500-400 liters a year..they need 4000-5000. Even with open fires as well.

I'd say the house is equivalent to three 'modern' 4 bed houses stuck together.

similar temps here. Except we have given up on the UFH downstairs altogether till Sunvic send a replacement stat, so thats down around

14-15c from heat bleed from the Aga only.

If we live in the kitchen office and bedroom ONLY thats about 1/3rd of the oil burned.

[Sacha]

We get buffeted by winds, though temperatures don't fall horribly low over-winter, usually! But this house is Victorian and every interior wall is solid, keeping the house very warm. The windows, OTOH, are those diamond paned jobs and are not remotely well insulated. We can't use double glazing and it would anyway look hideous. But interlined curtains and those nice solid walls keep us very snug.

[Andy Hall]

probably

Not sure that that's true in parts of Norfolk ;-)

[Andy Hall]

Yes, but you must install at least 2m. Dr. D. says so.