Logs, what are these sizes like in "real money"

spinningsheep

Hi, I am considering buying some logs to ready season for the winter from CPL for my open fire, but I am used to buying their nets of logs, and one net usually lasts about 3 nights if mixed with coal, so, if I bought one or even two of their builders dump bags which hold 1m3, how many nets of logs does this equate to? Just so I can work out if its cost effective enough.

Also, whats the difference burn wise between hard and soft wood?

Cardew

spinningsheep wrote: »

Hi, I am considering buying some logs to ready season for the winter from CPL for my open fire, but I am used to buying their nets of logs, and one net usually lasts about 3 nights if mixed with coal, so, if I bought one or even two of their builders dump bags which hold 1m3, how many nets of logs does this equate to? Just so I can work out if its cost effective enough.

Also, whats the difference burn wise between hard and soft wood?

Hard woods give out more heat than soft woods, in that they last longer. If you do a search on the net you can find the calorific value of each type.

1m3 is a fair amount of logs. imagine a box 40 inches long, high and wide.

moo2moo

Work out how big a net bag is and then work out how many net bags you can fit into a 1m cube. At a very vague guess 20 -25 bags give or take a fair bit.

uktyler

Where I am a square meter costs 10 times the price of a net (25 euros vs 2.5 euros) I reckon you get at least 20 bags in a builders bag. You could ask them how much a net weighs, and how much a builders bag weighs to compare.

It might also be worth looking for other suppliers, local papers are good for this.

Igol

I had a look at CPLs logs when I was geting my coat delivery, the 1 tonne bag isnt really that much, you'll have seen them around, full of sand or gravel near building sites. My rough calculation for the worst of winter was that I'd be looking at about a bag a month, more if I wasnt at work.
I decided to stick with the free wood and pallets route.

withabix

spinningsheep wrote: »

builders dump

Now that's something completely different....:rotfl:

Seriously though:

Average timber has a seasoned density of typically 500kg/m3. A dumpy bag will have plenty of air space between the logs, so I would assume maximum 15% voids, giving you 425kg of timber in a dumpy bag.

So, around 43 times the amount of wood in a CPL net, which is stated as being 10kg.

A net for my postcode area is £3.65 for mixed hard/softwood.

A dumpy is £115 for hardwood and £95 for softwood, making an average of £105 for mixed wood.

So, I would estimate that the same quantity of 10kg timber nets as a dumpy bag would cost approx £159. If my estimate of voids %age is high, then the nets decrease in value, conversely if my estimate is low, the nets increase in value.

They make the comparison difficult by advertising the nets by weight and the dumpy bags by volume.

HOWEVER, as they are selling fuel, I would expect that they are obliged to tell you the weight of the dumpy bags if you phone them up - there's probably something in weights and measures regulations that governs this.

Buying two dumpy bags is clearly much better value, as they are 30% cheaper than buying one at a time.

Wood has a typical CV of around 16MJ/kg, coal around 36, fuel oil 46 and natural gas around 39.

If you want to minimise waste and compress and burn your black bag rubbish, that will do about 8 MJ/kg.

owned_by_2_Siamese

Try local suppliers first! we pay £80 for a trailer load delivered - about 4cum - lasts all winter!

Lotus-eater

owned_by_2_Siamese wrote: »

Try local suppliers first! we pay £80 for a trailer load delivered - about 4cum - lasts all winter!

That sounds really cheap, if I want to pay for wood, we are on about double that price, or rather that price for 2 cub M.
Where are you, I find it really depends on area.

owned_by_2_Siamese

Hi - Northumberland - a small village with lots of us on wood burning stoves - so there is quite a market - there are three local (ish) suppliers so there is competition!

RHYSDAD

Chat up local tree surgeons too. Very often they are only to glad to give away the wood they have to clear up. And, freecycle is very good. I got a load of sycamore and ash last Autumn, around 3 ton in weight! For free!!

Chattbucks

withabix wrote: »

Now that's something completely different....:rotfl:

Seriously though:

Average timber has a seasoned density of typically 500kg/m3. A dumpy bag will have plenty of air space between the logs, so I would assume maximum 15% voids, giving you 425kg of timber in a dumpy bag.

So, around 43 times the amount of wood in a CPL net, which is stated as being 10kg.

A net for my postcode area is £3.65 for mixed hard/softwood.

A dumpy is £115 for hardwood and £95 for softwood, making an average of £105 for mixed wood.

So, I would estimate that the same quantity of 10kg timber nets as a dumpy bag would cost approx £159. If my estimate of voids %age is high, then the nets decrease in value, conversely if my estimate is low, the nets increase in value.

They make the comparison difficult by advertising the nets by weight and the dumpy bags by volume.

HOWEVER, as they are selling fuel, I would expect that they are obliged to tell you the weight of the dumpy bags if you phone them up - there's probably something in weights and measures regulations that governs this.

Buying two dumpy bags is clearly much better value, as they are 30% cheaper than buying one at a time.

Wood has a typical CV of around 16MJ/kg, coal around 36, fuel oil 46 and natural gas around 39.

If you want to minimise waste and compress and burn your black bag rubbish, that will do about 8 MJ/kg.

:money::money::money::money:

I don't think there is any thiink in the weights and measutes act for logs - conversely i think the opposite is true - they have to sell by volume and selling by weight is banned to protect the consumer.

I/ found a guide on facebook - search for Logs2U and look at the notes section about buying logs by weight. I'd post a link, but the forum won't allow me to as i'm a new member. If ound it very useful. It appears that many of teh cheap providers of logs sell by weight and you end up buying a bag of water! Nice work if you can get it!