Preparing for Winter V

MingVase

Country sitting on about a million tons of bloody coal and we'll all be freezing our asses off huddled round a candle under a flowerpot. Magic.

Si_Clist

C_J said:

The place we bought our stove from definitely told us we wouldn’t be able to get a multifuel stove (our original choice) for much longer because they were being outlawed. Ordinary house coal is already unavailable (replaced by those briquette things), and if you live within one of the clean air zones you can’t burn green wood, it has to be kiln dried. But there was definitely something about new multifuel stoves being banned, as Primrose noted upthread.

I note what you say, C_J, but I think your supplier is wrong.  See  https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/21/government-takes-bold-action-to-cut-pollution-from-household-burning/

As you will see from that, ordinary house coal is certainly still available and will be until February 2023, and there's nothing in the legislation that I can see which says wood burned in clean air zones has to be kiln dried.

ETA - Got to say that IMO this whole kiln-dried logs thing is a complete and utter farce.  There's a firm round here advertising kiln-dried logs with "moisture content no more than 25%".  The ordinary properly-seasoned ones we got in this morning are currently reading 18-20%, they'll sit in our logshed for at least another year, and they needed neither energy to dry them nor shipping in from Canada! 

Si_Clist

MingVase said:

Country sitting on about a million tons of bloody coal and we'll all be freezing our asses off huddled round a candle under a flowerpot. Magic.

But MIng, it'll save the planet ...

apparently.

MingVase

Well it wont save us cos we'll all be dead of pneumonia!

maryb

I emailed my log supplier last year when I first heard about the restrictions and this is the answer I got

"our logs are indeed seasoned and we will continue to check them with the moisture meter and ensure they are less than 20%.

 

We are looking into a ‘ready to burn’ scheme also from  Woodsure, a new woodfuel accreditation scheme. Also, however, there is an exception allowing the sale of ‘wet’ logs if bought in quantities over 2 cubic metres. Not that we supply you wet wood, but would be covered from both angles!"

Sylvan

Si_Clist said:

Ref double glazing, it's easy to take it for granted that it's working properly, but don't forget there's a reason why most sealed units are guaranteed for 10 years.  Ours are all 13 years old now.  One's already been re-glazed because the seals failed, and now two more windows have gone.  Can't justify the cost of having the glazing replaced at present though because they're both in rooms which are hardly used during the winter, so the doors to them are kept closed and the curatins drawn.

How do you know whether the seals have failed?

Primrose

You normally  get condensation moisture appearing between the two panes of glass when the seals have failed.   Our double glazed windows were fitted  about forty years ago and still seem to be intact thankfully.  Replacing them would be immensely costly.

pollyanna_26

Sylvan said:

Si_Clist said:

Ref double glazing, it's easy to take it for granted that it's working properly, but don't forget there's a reason why most sealed units are guaranteed for 10 years.  Ours are all 13 years old now.  One's already been re-glazed because the seals failed, and now two more windows have gone.  Can't justify the cost of having the glazing replaced at present though because they're both in rooms which are hardly used during the winter, so the doors to them are kept closed and the curatins drawn.

How do you know whether the seals have failed?

You'll probably see moisture between the panes and the room will feel cooler.

polly

-taff

Actually, replacing blown units is not that costly. As long as the entire window doesn't need replacing and that's a minimum of 500 quid, a unit might cost 70 or so.

Si_Clist

-taff said:

Actually, replacing blown units is not that costly. As long as the entire window doesn't need replacing and that's a minimum of 500 quid, a unit might cost 70 or so.

If only!  In this neck of the woods, the cheapest quote I've found for a single DG unit 38" x 40" supply and fit is £184 incl VAT.