Logs vs Woodchip.

[Cab-over Pete]

Aye-up,

We have a wood burner in the kitchen we are very pleased with. It heats the ground and first floor of the house and we never put a radiator on anywhere except in the loft.

What I’m less pleased with is the amount and the cost of logs we use! I suppose you can’t have everything.

I’m wondering if a coarse woodchip would do the job of logs in the wood burner and, if so, how would it work out cost wise?

I’m not looking to go into mass vs efficiency calculations if I’m honest. It all makes my brain hurt. I’m a bit more of the opinion if anybody else does it I’ll just rock up at the nearest woodchip producers and get a grain trailer full to give it a go.

Plus, whilst trying to get lorries into fields during periods of wet weather it will be handy stuff to have around and throw into a gateway to help with traction if it doesn’t work out any use in the house.

Ta in advance.

Cheers, Pete

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Chip has to be dried, easy enough.

Most chip is a mix of branches, leaves and more woody bits. Thats probably the stuff you would get your hands on.

To burn chip u need a lot of air flow, it may work but it’s hard to get enough heat and flame to burn the off the secondary gases in a batch fed system to get what you need. Give it a go though!

 

[Exfarmer]

Be careful of cheap chip. a friend bought a load off a dodgy supplier and it was full of stone. it completely screwed his automatic feed.
I suspect in your household that would not be an issue, after looking at your wife's new dryer

 

[renewablejohn]

Be very careful. Burning woodchip in a stove that is not designed to burn woodchip can be very dangerous. Because of the large surface area of chip you can get a build up of gas which explodes. On our old EFEL woodstove the cast iron lid resting on the top of the stove would jump up every time the gas ignited blasting hot fumes into the room.

 

[Exfarmer]

Be very careful. Burning woodchip in a stove that is not designed to burn woodchip can be very dangerous. Because of the large surface area of chip you can get a build up of gas which explodes. On our old EFEL woodstove the cast iron lid resting on the top of the stove would jump up every time the gas ignited blasting hot fumes into the room.

sure a resourceful guy like Pete would be piping the gas off to use somewhere

 

[Cab-over Pete]

We don’t want that!!

I was thinking maybe mixing chip and logs. The cost of logs isn’t huge but if I can save a couple of hundred per year it’s worth doing I think.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

sure a resourceful guy like Pete would be piping the gas off to use somewhere

I’ll see what Kev thinks!

 

[Doing it for the kids]

You need a flame at all times to burn the gases, logs may work to help this. as ever @renewablejohn makes a valid point

 

[Ukjay]

I would first look at the cost I am paying for the logs, then do a due diligence scope of alternative suppliers. Reason being - logs can be sourced from anywhere now, so bulk deliveries (if you have means to store) - negates shipping costs to a large degree, and woodchip is often a mix of shrubs etc....

Just a suggestion Pete, could you not find someone to go in with for buying logs to get a bulk delivery split?

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I bought a grain trailer load back in February. Worked out at £70/m cubed.

 

[Ukjay]

I bought a grain trailer load back in February. Worked out at £70/m cubed.

What size was your grain trailer Pete (Apologies - I aint no farmer, as you will probably know by now)?

 

[Ukjay]

Although not indicative of All prices across the country (and the Moisture Levels), this gives an example of what is on offer - and for me, wood pellet may be better option for you Pete, as the Calorific Value is better, so although the up front cost may be higher (depending on the order qty), the heat output would be greater imho:

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I was looking at that chart last week and it seemed the pellets were most economical.

I might look into a local producer

 

[Giles1]

Be very careful. Burning woodchip in a stove that is not designed to burn woodchip can be very dangerous. Because of the large surface area of chip you can get a build up of gas which explodes. On our old EFEL woodstove the cast iron lid resting on the top of the stove would jump up every time the gas ignited blasting hot fumes into the room.

Screw the lid down,ensure the door is shut tight,you'll save a fortune on chimney sweeping and the rooks will likely not be too keen to rebuild a nest once it's been scattered across the yard a few times.

 

[Giles1]

Be very careful. Burning woodchip in a stove that is not designed to burn woodchip can be very dangerous. Because of the large surface area of chip you can get a build up of gas which explodes. On our old EFEL woodstove the cast iron lid resting on the top of the stove would jump up every time the gas ignited blasting hot fumes into the room.

On a slightly more serious note,would pellets be likely to produce a similar gassing problem?

 

[renewablejohn]

On a slightly more serious note,would pellets be likely to produce a similar gassing problem?

Exactly the same problem you also have the same problem with sawdust. I actually use this feature to produce gas from wood whilst producing torrefied wood.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

If I bought some chip then, probably best to just scatter it about on the logs rather than replace the logs altogether?

 

[renewablejohn]

If I bought some chip then, probably best to just scatter it about on the logs rather than replace the logs altogether?

You can get a conversion kits that allow you to do dual fuel safely ie log/chip or log/pellet. Does depend on what model stove you have to start with.

 

[A1an]

Ive never seen anyone get 4100kwh out of 20% wood chip.

 

[Henarar]

get a artic lorry load of cordwood/offcuts dropped off and cut it up yourself if you have room to store it, mate of mine does this and recons its works out well against cutting down, fetching, sawing up and drying wood he is given

me I just get a hedge laid or trim up some trees, do to jobs at once but then we have loads of wood on this place