Wood Burner and Accessories Advice Needed Please.

[SoloSaysHALLOMummieshowyouWEEN]

I'm hoping to get a wood burning stove soon and was wondering how other people split their logs etc and store them. Do you have an electric splitter or a manual one? or an axe? or any other brilliant and easy wood cutting/splitting solutions that you'd share? also any other advice you would impart onto me as a wood burning novice please :)
Thank you!!

[IDismyname]

You need to work out how big a stove you need to start with. Depends on the room or rooms that you're heating. They all come with KW ratings. Not sure how you work it out, but can't be that hard.

Our best stove is a Clearview one. Very little maintenance and the door never gets dirty.

We have a small wood at the back of the house which provides nearly all our own wood for burning. We have 3 stoves. DH and DS usually go and cut the wood with a chain saw and then they split it manually. We have a log store round the back of the house. It's probably about 18 - 20' long and 4' high.

[SoloSaysHALLOMummieshowyouWEEN]

Thank you :)
I have worked out that I need a small one (about 4kw), but I'd like to get a bigger one to let the heat travel through the house a bit. I would like to be able to sit my kettle on it to keep hot water going for tea. Quite like the Broseley Serano 7 SE.

[AnnOnymity]

We use a chainsaw. Wood chopped this year is stored in an outside wood store for a year to dry out and then moved to an indoor woodshed nearer the house.

[WottaMess]

Are you going to be creating your own wood or buying? We have to buy ours (jealous of wood at the back ) and so don't have that much splitting to do. We have a large and a small axe for those bits which arrive just too big to fit in the Rayburn. We do have a chainsaw as we sometimes by planking sides and cut them down ourselves. Cheaper.

[SoloSaysHALLOMummieshowyouWEEN]

I am collecting wood from people giving it away ~ currently a large quantity of oak which was cut two years ago! I am so excited that it's silly! . It has been stored inside and therefore has dried inside in large whole and half rounds (some massive! goodness knows how old this tree was). I am going to be cutting down my own leylandii soon, but i understand this isn't great to burn through a chimney or liner. I will cut it up and dry it for a long time (several years) before I try it and then I reckon it'll be only in very small quantities.

Ann what do you house the wood in when it's outside?

WottaMess my friends 'accost' men in the street that are cutting trees down, pay them a small amount and take it away! much cheaper!! they also get offcuts for kindling from the local wood merchants for nothing. It's always worth asking.

[specialsubject]

getting free wood works in the south east, good luck with it in areas where more people have log burners.

remember you need a lined chimney, an annual sweep (£50 or less so not a big one) and of course, dry airy space to store lots fo wood.

[lemisscared]

If you go over 5kw in size you need a huge vent in the wall that needs to be permanently open! So don't go too big.

Am very about the free wood, especially that its seasoned! if we have to split our wood then DP cuts it with an axe

To be honest, we struggle to find wood that we pay for, let alone for free and we are in the south east.

[SoloSaysHALLOMummieshowyouWEEN]

Yes, I am in the south east. Yes, I will be very vigilant about the annual sweep. The whole thing will be installed by a professional with a liner.

I know about the vent, but that will have to be ok too. Safety first. But I do think a 7kw would be a good output.

Thank you :)

[lemisscared]

I know a good fitter

[AnnOnymity]

Re: housing the wood outside - it is piled up against the wall of an old stable (open fronted so open to the elements).

[WottaMess]

Careful of going too big on kW or you won't want to be in the same room!

Yeah, we are SW and everyone has log burners. No free wood here unless you own it.

Burn wood from the start of the alphabet - ash, beech, birch... Oak would be better mixed with other wood and you're right to be nervous of spruce. The glass like resin is a sod to get off if you coat your chimney with it and it spits like a spitty thing. Well well seasoned and again mixed with other better wood is the way to go.

[Madcats]

SW here. We get our logs delivered annually (twice/year if stupidly cold). we've bought from the same wood for 10+ years and his logs are definitely becoming more "stove-friendly". I'll burn old fruit trees from Freegle but we won't touch evergreens.

It sounds as if you have already acquired plenty of wood. Your logs will need to be fairly dry. We have a big area to heat (and big stove) so we bought a wood store eventually. In the interim, keep the logs a few cm off the ground and try to keep the top covered (preferably roofed). Do not cover the whole woodpile; you need the air to circulate to dry out the wood. Once winter kicks in, if your logs are a bit wet it is worth bringing a box into the house to warm up/dry out (resist the urge to stack them NEXT to the stove)

It is hard work splitting with an axe, but I am not sure that you are going to need that much wood for a 4Kw stove.

Have you had a sweep check your chimney? My gut feel is that a leylandi is a potential insurance claim in the making (I'd ask the sweep).

[SoloSaysHALLOMummieshowyouWEEN]

* Diligent, not vigilant!

Thanks all for your advice and keep it coming please.

I think I'm going to make a wood store. Keep it off the round and the top covered over. The wood I now have is very dry, so will (should) be fine; I just need to cover it up as above really.

Lemisscared :) you can let me know about the fitter if you like!

Wotta I haven't got the Leylandii cut down yet, so I think my initial fuel for the coming winter will be oak only.

I'm really excited and can't wait to sort my stove out now!!

[Ruralbliss]

We have our own wood and previously have relied on DH's chainsaw skills and an axe to split for seasoning. We have just purchased the incredible 10t Manual Hydraulic log splitter from Amazon and have marvelled at our 6 year old splitting logs and also me with high heels on. Requires no electricity. Definitely worth getting and quite a compact machine too.

[SanityClause]

Best piece of advice I can give is this.

Get a hatch put on the outside of your chimney breast, so you can sweep it from there. All the mess stays outside of the house.

[SoloCatherineWheelsOnAllPosts]

Ruralbliss that sounds great; will investigate! don't think I'd need a 10t one though!

Sanity I'm assuming that I'd need the chimney would have to be on an outside wall for that. Unfortunately, I am semi detached and unable to do that.

[SoloCatherineWheelsOnAllPosts]

Ruralbliss would you be able to link for me please?

[Ruralbliss]

Here it is. Unbelievably good.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00EAOVJL6/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?qid=1414881874&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[SoloCatherineWheelsOnAllPosts]

Thank you!

I was looking at This One your thoughts? it's a bit cheaper than your one, but I'd pay a bit extra for quality.