Open fire in a smoke-control area

[Steve Firth]

Because they are too long to fit in the grate?

[docholliday93]

On Thursday, January 24, 2013 8:13:41 PM UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote= :

I suspect that the numbers in most places are too small for them to bother = unless a neighbour gets agitated about it... Around 20 years ago, just after I had moved house, I received a letter from= the council saying that they were considering making my area a smoke contr= ol area, and asking whether I used any fires which couldn't burn smokeless = fuel, as I could possibly get a grant to have them replaced. I naturally re= plied that I did - although I don't use it often my fireplace is really not= well designed for smokeless fuel. I haven't heard anything more from the c= ouncil on the subject, and recent investigations show they didn't go ahead,= so this means when the supply of tuits is finally sufficient I'm going to = have to fund a new fireplace myself. Many people I talk to seem to believe that the area *is* a smoke control ar= ea, so the council have discouraged many people from burning coal and wood = without all the legal bother...

[David.WE.Roberts]

IIRC you are looking for a fuel for an venerable lady to use for the occasional fire with the least hassle.

Try

these are easy to light, burn well and don't leave that much ash. Cheap (if there is a store near you)

At 3 for £10 they show what grabbing buggers B&Q are who charge about £8 per bag.

I use these for a quick fire in our wood burning stove, or as a quick stove warmer before adding other fuel.

Very easy to light (especially with a small piece of fire lighter).

The bag says "Not authorised for use in a smoke control area." but given the ease of use I would go for it :-)

At a minimum you could use these for occasional fires and keep some solid fuel to add to the fire if you want to keep it in longer.

Cheers

Dave R

[Mike Barnes]

David.WE.Roberts :

"CO2 neutral as the emissions caused are the same amount absorbed by the tree during their life cycle." Huh?

The information I was looking for, but couldn't find, is how many kWh per sack.

[Dave Liquorice]

Well apart from not taking into account the energy (and thus the COS2 produced for that) used in manufacture and transport it's more or less correct.

You can cut down and burn trees at the same rate as new trees are growing without really affecting the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. It's when you start burning trees that lived millions of years ago that the CO2 levels start to rise.

[Mike Barnes]

I'd only call it CO2 neutral if they replaced the trees they used with new ones. I see no indication that they're doing that. Perhaps I misunderstand "carbon neutral".

[Dave Liquorice]

No that is a valid point but these "logs" use waste timber and nearly all timber these days is from FSC sources so (in theory) the trees that are cut down are replaced.

[Mike Barnes]

Good point. Perhaps there was a reference to the fact that they use waste timber, which I missed.

[Dave Liquorice]

The first part of the para you quoted:

"Using 100% recycled materials heat logs create a small amount of ash and are CO2 neutral as the emissions caused are the same amount absorbed by the tree during their life cycle."

The para before that:

"Heat logs are one of the most eco-friendly ways to fuel your fire, as they are manufactured using the discarded wood that would otherwise be left to waste."

B-)

[rcolehamilton]

Re Homefire Heat Logs it doesn't mattr what price they are they're more than likely to be rubbish. If any damp gets in the bag at all the "logs" lose their bonding and turn to porridge oats which smoulder for hours without producing any heat. Avoid!

[harryagain]

Well keep them dry! Any wood needs to be dry before burning.

[Martin Brown]

That is true of damp genuine wood as well. Keep them dry!

Not that I am a fan of reconstituted wood. There is more than enough seasoned logs from downed trees where I live. The only snag is you need to mature them for a couple of years until dry enough to burn well.

[David]

Got some water damaged one cheap - they were crumbling - and had no problem burning them when dry.

Very clean burning with very little ash.