an alternative fuel for wood burning stoves

[sardine]

I've got a shed load of these heavy cardboard tubes carpet comes on, they burn hot, and are not bad for free. Keeping me warm and a kettle boiling tonight.

 

[julianf]

Theyre very ash'y though.

We pack them with sawdust / glycerol mix to make 'logs' which burn for about as long as a genuine log, but with more heat output.

If you want to give it a go, you need sawdust, and glycerol. If you want the glycerol, id be able to find someone close to you who would be glad to give you some. (biodiesel makers are generally trying to get rid of it!)

 

[sardine]

Do you press the filling under pressure, or just stuff it in ?

 

[steviec_lj]

Be interested in the sources of Glycerol, can't say I've come across anyone making their own BioDiesel around here...

 

[brightspark]

a farmer up the road from us makes his own

 

[julianf]

Do you press the filling under pressure, or just stuff it in ?

I can burn the rayburn by just shoveling in the mix, without any tube, but, with the log burner, i need the tubes.
I just ram it in, either by hand, or using a sledge hammer upside down. I get, is it 12 foot, tubes, and cut them into 3rds. I fill them, and then and then cut them again.

I got sick of making them though (we only have solid fuel heaters here) so this year ive mostly been burning pallets. Which are also effort, but just different.


My plan, however, is to make an extruder. I was gifted the cylinder and worm drive from an industrial meat grider (think sausage machine) - it has about a 5" bore though (it was off a 15hp machine) and i want to make a die etc. and use that.

 

[julianf]

Be interested in the sources of Glycerol, can't say I've come across anyone making their own BioDiesel around here...

pm me your postcode, and ill find someone for you.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I can burn the rayburn by just shoveling in the mix, without any tube, but, with the log burner, i need the tubes.
I just ram it in, either by hand, or using a sledge hammer upside down. I get, is it 12 foot, tubes, and cut them into 3rds. I fill them, and then and then cut them again.

I got sick of making them though (we only have solid fuel heaters here) so this year ive mostly been burning pallets. Which are also effort, but just different.


My plan, however, is to make an extruder. I was gifted the cylinder and worm drive from an industrial meat grider (think sausage machine) - it has about a 5" bore though (it was off a 15hp machine) and i want to make a die etc. and use that.

Blimey, that would be seriously heavy duty sausages! I burn extruded sawdust at work. There is a woodyard nearby who use all their sawdust for making briquettes, they burn well but very quickly as they're not that dense. Hotmax on the other hand is far denser and lasts a bit longer, though it is more expensive.

 

[julianf]

Proper extruded briquetts use high pressure to, as i understand it, use the lignin in the wood to bind it.

Im not planning on doing that - the glycerol makes the sawdust 'clump' if you squeeze it lightly, so all im really trying to do is form the units tight enough that they maintain form on the fire (surface area / air flow)

The card tube thing works fine, but its just effort - if i can automate things that would be better.

I made 200lts of mix last night. A skuttle full on the rayburn will bring the 300ltr thermal store to boiling point.

I dont have heat leaks installed at the moment, but, last winter, when we were using the stove for heating, as well as just DHW, it would not be uncommon at all for me to open the hotplate lids and find a big 'smear' of cherry red across the cast.


For those of you interested, you do need a lot of sawdust though - we pick it up in dumpy bags. If you scrimp on the sawdust, it all goes very wrong very quickly - burns badly, smokes, soots up everything, creates hard 'clinker' like ask that you have to chissel out, turns to liquid in the firebox, and leaks out the door, etc.etc.

Enough sawdust and there are none of those issues, but, really, dont be mean with the sawdust, as you really wont like it!

 

[Kent]

You know you can burn allsorts and make many things to be burnt. Fact remains that you only get out what you put in either in time or in cold hard cash fuel wise. I have contacts from when I did biomass from whom I can buy no end of fuels from and also more in the Bench joinery trade as I also spent a considerable amount of my time in fitted furniture, kitchens and windows / conservatories - I don't! Reason is IMO you cannot better a good smokeless coal regards VFM driving out to collect wood / paper based fuels is just not worth the time and diesel 1/4- 1/2 ton plus of smokeless is though and only costs about £60-120 respectively and takes only 2 hrs to fetch, pay and put away (its a 20 mile trip each way for me). for storage space against log fuels or worse its a no contest in its favour and bagged up it isn't that moisture / rain fussy unlike logs and certainly compressed fuels
The only other thing I burn besides smokeless is my own logs cut for management purposes and seasoned for years not weeks, still bought in or cut without secondary management needs its not worth my time. To be fair even with proper air flow control you need to keep on top of a log fire, let alone a cardboard one- nod off or get into a good book etc. and its a re-light job
Why make life hard? when it can be so easy!

 

[julianf]

Personally, i make biodiesel - so i have glycerol that has to be dealt with one way or another.

And, yes, as above, its bother, but, at the same time, it allows use to have a stupidly warm house in the depths of winter, without any concern as to financial cost.

Could i earn the enough to replace the heat in the time it takes me to sort the fuel - maybe.

I am also, however, interested in the environmental considerations - the only fossil or nuclear fuel that we buy in (as in for electricity we only give money to companies that use no nuclear or fossil - i know the grid electrons come from all over) is the methanol used in the process. All of our other transport / heating / etc.etc. comes from renewables.

Indeed, this laptop will be off some wind or hyro somwhere (or at least the electrons being sucked out of the grid are being replaced by wind or hyrdo that our bill pays for)

But, yes, if you want to pay for cheap energy, as i mentioned on another thread only yesterday (or the day before) then coal is the cheapest.

 

[pedrobedro]

Some of us just collect wood because we like playing with chainsaws though

 

[julianthegypsy]

Some of us just collect wood because we like playing with chainsaws though

Dear God I love the sound of a chainsaw, irresistable!

 

[sardine]

I can get waste engine oil, I have a drip pot burner half fabricated, maybe I'll finish it by next year ?

 

[SmartWerks]

I seen a guy who realised how much free fuel comes through the letterbox without any effort. He then put his address on as many mailing lists possible. The amount of junk mail that he received which he soaked and pressed into briquettes and fuelled his burner. Not exactly good for the environment but it is free fuel.

 

[Kent]

Personally, i make biodiesel - so i have glycerol that has to be dealt with one way or another.

And, yes, as above, its bother, but, at the same time, it allows use to have a stupidly warm house in the depths of winter, without any concern as to financial cost.

Could i earn the enough to replace the heat in the time it takes me to sort the fuel - maybe.

I am also, however, interested in the environmental considerations - the only fossil or nuclear fuel that we buy in (as in for electricity we only give money to companies that use no nuclear or fossil - i know the grid electrons come from all over) is the methanol used in the process. All of our other transport / heating / etc.etc. comes from renewables.

Indeed, this laptop will be off some wind or hyro somwhere (or at least the electrons being sucked out of the grid are being replaced by wind or hyrdo that our bill pays for)

But, yes, if you want to pay for cheap energy, as i mentioned on another thread only yesterday (or the day before) then coal is the cheapest.

I had that view when I went into biomass but then I quickly learnt the truth. Biomass now gets imported and has environmental implications in itself- meanwhile here in little England we make an effort while China commissions more massive coal power plants to generate its electric and India put more ancient high emission trucks on the road, Africa etc.
still I applaud your individual efforts

 

[julianf]

I had that view when I went into biomass but then I quickly learnt the truth. Biomass now gets imported and has environmental implications in itself- meanwhile here in little England we make an effort while China commissions more massive coal power plants to generate its electric and India put more ancient high emission trucks on the road, Africa etc.
still I applaud your individual efforts

As an example, Ive been vegetarian since i was 11 - so im well past believing that im going to change the world!

You just have to do whatever gives your mind peace.