Timber and sustainability

[mrgrimsdale]

Revising web site. Just discovered a page I wrote some years ago which was unlinked and invisible. owdman.co.uk/joinery/sust.html
I'm going to revise it with additions. In the meantime I thought it'd make a good topic for kicking about.
Any comments welcome.
cheers
Jacob.

[Keith]

Really excellent piece which I found myself nodding like some demented donkey whilst reading it.

The problem with a timber house is that it is unlikely to have the same sort of resale value as a brick built one, shame really, as timber houses have a lot going for them.

The only omission was, no mention of the many and varied uses of

MDF



Keith

[paulchapman]

All good stuff, Jacob

There have been some excellent examples of timber houses on Grand Designs. The one I found most impressive was the one built by the bloke who lived and worked in the New Forest. It took a long time but he eventually got permission to build it. He used wood from the forest and straw bales for insulation. Made a cracking job of it.

Cheers

Paul

[stevep]

The Woodman's Cottage - Sussex www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/sussex-the-woodman-s-cottage-08-06-11_p_1.html
There have been a few oak frame houses featured as well - www.carpenteroakandwoodland.com/residential/timber-framed-homes/grand-designs-oak-timber-frame-homes-houses-barns-england-scotland

[paulchapman]

Thanks for that, Steve - didn't realise there was a piece about it on the net. Good to see it again.

Cheers

Paul

[smudger]

Just as an aside - I've just spent some time cutting up an old wardrobe that No1 son had dumped in my loft, as well as collecting up various other bits of unwanted timber to take to the dump. In France, I would burn it in the stove, and it would keep me warm for 2 evenings at least. 1 palette = 1 warm house!

Is there any possible way that in the UK we could move to wood burning heating, or would we all choke to death in 21st century smogs?

[Keith]

I have a Clearview stove which is rated as one of the best. It even has double glazed doors and there is little smoke once the fire gets up to temperature. On the other hand my neighbour has a relatively cheap stove and that produces a noxious smelly smoke which swirls around our garden

[nickw]

Keith,

Surely the point of a stove is to let heat out. Why does it have double glazing?

[Keith]

Nov 12, 2008 11:54:33 GMT nickw said:

Keith,

Surely the point of a stove is to let heat out. Why does it have double glazing?

I asked them exactly the same question.

It seems it is all to do with keeping the air within the stove as hot as possible. It has an air wash that runs over the doors, if the doors were single glazed they would cool the air that is used for combustion. Seems to work anyway. It is miles more efficient than our previous stove, a Lagunza.

[mrspanton]

As regards heating, I think as a nation we are too soft, we expect to be bathed in hot dry air everywhere we go even in shops-I hate it when heaters blast you in the face as you walk in a shop door. Hospitals are disgustingly hot as well. In years gone by they advertised gas and electric on telly like it was an endless supply, and to increase demand. Whats wrong with 1/ extra vest 2/ extra fleece or sweater?
Any way I have a franco belge woodburner, its rated at 90%+ efficiency, in fact you could use it in a smoke free zone it gives off so little fumes. The secondary combustion works like a dream, it burns blue/purple like meths, especially with ash hawthorn or oak (my fuels of choice) I get mine from a local nature reserve when they do coppicing and thinning each year, £40 a full genuine (non metric) cord. It uses less than a cubic foot of wood a day, and basically keeps the house comfortable. We have good insulations, and the huge chimney breast acts like an upstairs radiator.
Keith your neighbor has likley one or all of the following happening 1/ Tarred up flue 2/ trying to use wet wood (ie not dry to 20% moisture content or better 3/ Uninsulated flue=>condensation=>faster build up of tar 4/Poor quality draw caused by a leaking flue-these can cause a lethal house fire if the hot gases reach a rafter or thatch. Ask my neighbor their house totally went up last christmas and a leaking woodburner flue was the cause 5/ Trying to burn resinous wood (ie softwood such as pallets) 6/ Using an old gas fire flue as a woodburning flue-cheapo and stupid . 7/ Firebox not airtight-ideally air should enter only through the adjustable vents, not gaps in doors etc. Wet wood is the most likely. If you buy firewood ask what is the M/C of your logs? 9 out of 10 sellers will be evasive and not care to answer because the stuff they are palming off as "seasoned quality logs"was in fact cut only last week LOL!!