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Show us yer house and house-related meddlings

i'd really like a wood burner in the fireplace which doesn't work, but it's kind of a huge job and not something i could do almost any of by myself (new flue liner and installing immensely heavy iron thing). I do have a functioning open fire in the other room (wind direction allowing) so it would just be a luxury.
 
oh yeah that reminds me.
I have two very ugly old tv aerials attached to the roof of my pretty house, like spikey metal claw / rakes at odd angles. I don't use them or need them at all, no idea when they last worked or what for. Can i just remove them or is that in some way dangerous / stupid? (can reach from flat roof).
 
But it would mean you won't ever pay for heating as I reckon you'd be able to find enough logs for nothing. The above fireplace has a back boiler to heat water that heats the house and gets used for bath or shower. Solar panels make loads of electricity and the meter runs backwards most of the time.
 
i'd really like a wood burner in the fireplace which doesn't work, but it's kind of a huge job and not something i could do almost any of by myself (new flue liner and installing immensely heavy iron thing). I do have a functioning open fire in the other room (wind direction allowing) so it would just be a luxury.
You also can't do it yourself because it has to be signed off by a registered fitter.

If you want to get it done then, from my experience, the whole job would be something between £3k and £7k depending on what log burner you go for and how complex the installation is. There are plenty of log burner specialists that can do it for you.
 
But it would mean you won't ever pay for heating as I reckon you'd be able to find enough logs for nothing. The above fireplace has a back boiler to heat water that heats the house and gets used for bath or shower. Solar panels make loads of electricity and the meter runs backwards most of the time.
Yeah, my neighbours do that, use the back boiler for all their heating & water. their house is cold and damp as hell though. He spends half his time collecting wood and worrying about getting caught by the rangers, not really my thing.
 
You can't cheat thermodynamics. If you are using your wood burner to heat up cold water then there is less heat energy available for warming your space. Which is fine so long as you have installed the right system and it is powerful enough for the job, but this is often not the case.
 
You also can't do it yourself because it has to be signed off by a registered fitter.

If you want to get it done then, from my experience, the whole job would be something between £3k and £7k depending on what log burner you go for and how complex the installation is. There are plenty of log burner specialists that can do it for you.
Yep. I did get a quote last year, was about 2k for the work i think, plus the burner. Plenty of other things need doing so it's not going to happen anytime soon i don't think.
 
Isn’t there a campaign to ban wood burners because of the environmental impact? Or maybe that was just in towns and cities.
 
Isn’t there a campaign to ban wood burners because of the environmental impact? Or maybe that was just in towns and cities.
Yes. They emit an astonishing amount of pollution, I think it’s only very recently people figured out how many of the bad particles in the air are from wood fires. I don’t know if they travel far.
 
Yes. They emit an astonishing amount of pollution, I think it’s only very recently people figured out how many of the bad particles in the air are from wood fires. I don’t know if they travel far.
Particle pollution is less of an issue if you live effectively alone in the woods, though. It’s still got to be better for climate change to burn the wood from your local trees than fossil fuels
 
Particle pollution is less of an issue if you live effectively alone in the woods, though. It’s still got to be better for climate change to burn the wood from your local trees than fossil fuels

I also think that its wet wood that is banned?
Burning properly dried wood is not a huge problem.

I think....
 
I struggle with the vogue for kiln-dried wood - what is powering the kiln that’s drying them? I forage wood all year round and most dog-walks yield anything from a handful of twigs to a sack full of branches. There’s several years of wood stacked under the hedge, ready to be moved in turn to crates in the shed, then indoors. It’s plenty dry by the time I burn it.

All the firebricks have disintegrated on my Rayburn Rembrandt, I could just replace them but I’d love a stove with a flat top for pot-warming, and a door to keep the heat in overnight. Guessing still £3k upwards, the hearth will want sprucing up too.
 

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Wood burners are for idiots. There are so many better options. Ok an open fire for the sake of it every now and then is a different matter.... but consistently burning wood etc is inefficient and also selfish/irresponsible.

Im going to do some painting in the place ive moved into. First time in years. Exciting. :cool: Im realllly skint so im using my parents old paint from a few years ago. If I stir it a lot, should be ok right?
 
Wood burners are for idiots. There are so many better options. Ok an open fire for the sake of it every now and then is a different matter.... but consistently burning wood etc is inefficient and also selfish/irresponsible.
What if your only options are burning wood or burning oil?
 
.... but consistently burning wood etc is inefficient and also selfish/irresponsible.
Why?
My wood burner is something like 70+% efficient and is the only boiler stove DEFRA approved for use in smokeless areas even when burning wood.
 
And did you then buy the special spanner? I may have a job for you.
Yes I did.

I now recall that the special spanner is actually for a larger type of backnut than the type discussed in the posts above, but I am unable to deny that I have an appropriate spanner for either type.
 
strung out you need to change the plastic cartridge inside your mixer tap. You live in SW in a hard water area right? It's probably just worn out. I wouldn't bother changing the tap unless you have to.

Turn off the water at the stop cock before taking the tap apart though. I guess you know this!

If you want to unscrew the base then def you need a socket. I would spray it with some wd40 and leave it for a bit first, too.
That video was really useful, thanks!

Managed to undo some of the tap to get to the cartridge, but can't undo the final bit securing the cartridge, and can't figure out what tool I need to do it. It's too big for my adjustable wrench and the cartridge also looks slightly different to the replacement one I have 🤔

50766545-1C3E-4F50-8C94-27C9D150F9E2.jpeg
 
What if your only options are burning wood or burning oil?
Thats me that is, Oil fired central heating (kerosene oil delivered to a big plastic tank outside) or sit by the fire or plug in electric heaters i suppose but thats a crap idea. I am interested in the heat pumps and reading about it but its a very big deal.
 
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