Is your heating ON or OFF?

Justamum

lostinrates wrote: »

I think it MIGHT be the weather and humidity outside that's impacting on the interior.

The outside temperature affects our hot water too. We thought it was the boiler at first, but it's been checked over and over, then one of the plumbers explained that once the water temperature gets colder it takes more effort for the boiler to heat up the water, so in order to have hot water we have to hardly turn the taps on so that the water has time to heat up. It's a bit annoying, especially the trial and error before we worked out how to have a hot shower in winter!

Beki

well we lit the burner yesterday at 2.30 and went through 2 bags of logs - we didn't put any more on the fire after 7.30. so 2.5hrs per bag of logs roughly. the fire didn't go out completely until about 10pm though. we had all the vents closed, except one which was a quarter open to keep the air going to the fire.

the logs have gone down this year from last year and are now only £2.40 a bag so if you take 1/4 bag of kindling into account (also £2.40 a bag), and half a pack of firelighters (90p box) it works out at roughly £5.85 for the afternoon and evening. if the logs were bigger we probably wouldn't use as many too.

a bit of a bonus as i thought it was going to cost us much more than that

shegar

Beki wrote: »

well we lit the burner yesterday at 2.30 and went through 2 bags of logs - we didn't put any more on the fire after 7.30. so 2.5hrs per bag of logs roughly. the fire didn't go out completely until about 10pm though. we had all the vents closed, except one which was a quarter open to keep the air going to the fire.

the logs have gone down this year from last year and are now only £2.40 a bag so if you take 1/4 bag of kindling into account (also £2.40 a bag), and half a pack of firelighters (90p box) it works out at roughly £5.85 for the afternoon and evening. if the logs were bigger we probably wouldn't use as many too.

a bit of a bonus as i thought it was going to cost us much more than that

Well thats still nearly £42 per week for 5 hours heat per day......wonder what it would cost if you lit the burner at 8 in the morn til 7,30 of a evening , well in fact it would cost £84 per week ........:eek: it the dearest way to buy logs by the bag .....

BitterAndTwisted

Where on earth are you buying your wood from and in what quantities? That sounds like a heck of a price for just one evening's heat. Plus, if you have kindling why do you need half a pack of firelighters?

lostinrates

Been playing with my woodburner today, trying to get to grips with it as had a day when had to stay in the house. It took five small logs to get it well started. Then I chucked three on while monitoring vents. I'd say I got a better rate today but lost count at log number five AFTER getting started this morning.

Those that add two or three during a whole evening...do you start with woodburner very full? A the embers get low I'm scared there won't be enough heat to get new logs going. e.. now, on there are some small embers, not much tbh, two logs about half burned through and a plank piece almost all burned through. The bottom most vent is completely closed (and has been since it got going) the other vent is closed all but a half turn...if I turn it lower the fire doesn't look at all happy. I'm itching to throw another on now, but I'm guessing I should be waiting.


The cats are loving it being on, and are curled up in front of it.

I don't use any firelighters, and nothing like 1/4 bag kindling! I'm following the advice given on alink to a youtube video linked for me my Suki,

shegar

lostinrates wrote: »

Been playing with my woodburner today, trying to get to grips with it as had a day when had to stay in the house. It took five small logs to get it well started. Then I chucked three on while monitoring vents. I'd say I got a better rate today but lost count at log number five AFTER getting started this morning.

Those that add two or three during a whole evening...do you start with woodburner very full? A the embers get low I'm scared there won't be enough heat to get new logs going. e.. now, on there are some small embers, not much tbh, two logs about half burned through and a plank piece almost all burned through. The bottom most vent is completely closed (and has been since it got going) the other vent is closed all but a half turn...if I turn it lower the fire doesn't look at all happy. I'm itching to throw another on now, but I'm guessing I should be waiting.


The cats are loving it being on, and are curled up in front of it.

I don't use any firelighters, and nothing like 1/4 bag kindling! I'm following the advice given on alink to a youtube video linked for me my Suki,

It dont sound as if you have much of a base on your grate, and thats why it looks as if its about to go out when the last log burns out, I use to use a shovel of coal every now and again to keep a good base in.... or call it red embers .! same thing.....

If your only burning wood dont poke it otherwise the guts of the fire will lay in the ashpan...:eek:....I agree with what you say you can keep on chucking logs on , they burn them like my grand children eat sweets.....:eek:as you know you only need good dry handful of sticks (kindling) to get it going......keep warm..:)

v8monkeyboy

LiR - when we/I start off the log burner, I start with a large amount of kindling to give a good 2" base of embers. Only when the kindling has reduced to hot embers do I then put on the logs, and when they've burnt down to very hot embers do I then put new logs on. Until the kindling has burnt down to embers and the first logs have got going my air vents are fully open. Only when they're going do I then turn the air vents right down.

I tend to start with a good thick layer of ash and leftover charcoal from the last fire in the bottom which stops the new embers from falling through the grate. I did this too when I had an open coal fire.

I hope this helps.

Tracy x

lostinrates

v8monkeyboy wrote: »

LiR - when we/I start off the log burner, I start with a large amount of kindling to give a good 2" base of embers. Only when the kindling has reduced to hot embers do I then put on the logs, and when they've burnt down to very hot embers do I then put new logs on. Until the kindling has burnt down to embers and the first logs have got going my air vents are fully open. Only when they're going do I then turn the air vents right down.

I tend to start with a good thick layer of ash and leftover charcoal from the last fire in the bottom which stops the new embers from falling through the grate. I did this too when I had an open coal fire.

I hope this helps.

Tracy x

Thank you all for all this help:o: I yearn to be a frugal woodburner user!

Yes I have very little ash bed, as have barely used the thing!

OK, but my kindling burns to nothing very, very quickly! I really would have to use quarter of a bag to get embers for any length f time, but I'm finding the method suki linked too gets my burner lit well, and that man said a minute before adding small logs (yes I count to sixty before checking it now:o) then small logs,(as the man did I put quite a few in then) for ten mins then the bigger logs, but most of mine aren't that big and when they take I turn vents down.

I don't poke it at all because I don't have any tools yet so its not that I'm doing wrong!

Is it just use to build up the ash bed that will slow down rate of logs then?

v8monkeyboy

LiR - I would use the 1/4 bag of kindling to start it; that's what I do and it's never failed. That's how I was taught to build a log burner fire by my grandad and dad who heated an enormous house in Denmark in winter during the oil crisis in the 70s.

Yes, having a good bed of ash will increase the logevity of your logs, and to get that, it's just a simple case of use. As I recall, and it's 10 years since we installed ours, we went through logs pretty quickly for the first week as it was a clean, pristine stove, ot the ratty old thing we have now :rotfl:

Hope this helps, but if I can help any more, feel free to give me a shout

T xx

lostinrates

v8monkeyboy wrote: »

Hope this helps, but if I can help any more, feel free to give me a shout

T xx

It does. Thank you very, very much. You have been very kind and patient!