Feedback/Recommendation for Eco/heat log type briquettes for a stove

Swimmy · 01-08-2014 9:25pm #1

Hi all,

I'm looking for some feedback on ecologs. Any brand that folks recommend? It's for a wood burning stove. My experience has been mixed. I bought hardwood logs many years ago which were fantastic but are no longer available.

My experience with megatherm logs was terrible! Blazing and huge expansion in the stove! The Bord na mona wood briquettes just blaze ...

I've been looking at Blazers ... Any feedback on these?

Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated!

Thanks.

HeidiHeidi · 01-08-2014 9:31pm

I use Eco Brikety ones. I think they're Slovenian/Slovakian/somewhere over there. I only know of one place that sells them (can PM details, not sure if I'm allowed name suppliers on here).

They're bloody brilliant! Really heavy and dense, and when the stove is up and running one (or even half a one) will burn for an hour no problem. They do swell up, so I usually split them in half (I have a small freestanding stove) and lob that in.

Couldn't recommend them highly enough. I've tried various other "ordinary" ones (from the same supplier, from Lidl/Aldi, from supermarkets) and now just use them to get the stove started up - basically as firelighters.

Swimmy · 02-08-2014 12:06pm

Any other feedback,

650gs · 03-08-2014 1:02pm

Just buy some dried hard wood its readily available

An Ri rua · 24-08-2014 9:21pm

No comparison between dried hard wood and wood briquettes. None whatsoever.

Well dried wood, unless kiln-dried could be still up to 20% sap. Wood briquettes can go down to 5% moisture. e.g. www.UKHeatlogs.co.uk as stocked by Aldi before. Absolutely phenomenal heat and I was using them in an open fire (I burned 50 x 10KG boxes last winter).

I found the logs stocked by Lidl last year (Irish-sourced) to push out less heat and to not like being poked or agitated at all.

The Prima briquettes also have a good reputation and I will be buying 2 pallets very shortly. Free delivery.

I have burned VERY seasoned oak , beech etc, (3 years air-dried in an open shed) and there is no comparison between wood briquettes and hardwood, unless kiln-dried.

Woodies had these at 2 for a fiver collected or delivered until after Christmas last year. Made from rice husk. Stunning amounts of heat but A LOT of ash. A LOT

Compare wood to Eko Logs

650gs · 24-08-2014 10:20pm

An Ri rua wrote: »

No comparison between dried hard wood and wood briquettes. None whatsoever.

Well dried wood, unless kiln-dried could be still up to 20% sap. Wood briquettes can go down to 5% moisture. e.g. www.UKHeatlogs.co.uk as stocked by Aldi before. Absolutely phenomenal heat and I was using them in an open fire (I burned 50 x 10KG boxes last winter).

I found the logs stocked by Lidl last year (Irish-sourced) to push out less heat and to not like being poked or agitated at all.

The Prima briquettes also have a good reputation and I will be buying 2 pallets very shortly. Free delivery.

I have burned VERY seasoned oak , beech etc, (3 years air-dried in an open shed) and there is no comparison between wood briquettes and hardwood, unless kiln-dried.

Woodies had these at 2 for a fiver collected or delivered until after Christmas last year. Made from rice husk. Stunning amounts of heat but A LOT of ash. A LOT

Compare wood to Eko Logs

No comparision whats so ever cost wise

cosmowillie53 · 25-08-2014 11:08pm

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I use Eco Brikety ones. I think they're Slovenian/Slovakian/somewhere over there. I only know of one place that sells them (can PM details, not sure if I'm allowed name suppliers on here).

They're bloody brilliant! Really heavy and dense, and when the stove is up and running one (or even half a one) will burn for an hour no problem. They do swell up, so I usually split them in half (I have a small freestanding stove) and lob that in.

Couldn't recommend them highly enough. I've tried various other "ordinary" ones (from the same supplier, from Lidl/Aldi, from supermarkets) and now just use them to get the stove started up - basically as firelighters.

These sound like they are the business .
Hopefully you can name supplier and we can all have a warm winter.
Thanks

HeidiHeidi · 25-08-2014 11:16pm

cosmowillie53 wrote: »

These sound like they are the business .
Hopefully you can name supplier and we can all have a warm winter.
Thanks

They are!

Unfortunately I found out the other day that they're not available any more from my last-winter source (the shop who supplied and fitted my stove) - for the moment anyway.

I'm told that their supplier will supply a half-ton pallet (50 packs) - I have yet to contact them to see what price they'd do for this - but it's a very attractive prospect in principle, as it'd basically be me sorted for the winter.

However, I found out the hard way last winter that you have to keep these things ABSOLUTELY dry. I have no inside storage, so am busy trying to figure out how I might seal a pallet-load of packs of logs outside.

Any answers to that one on a postcard, please

In the meantime, if I get details of a reliable supplier, I'll happily pass them on to whoever wants them.

cosmowillie53 · 26-08-2014 12:24am

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

They are!

Unfortunately I found out the other day that they're not available any more from my last-winter source (the shop who supplied and fitted my stove) - for the moment anyway.

I'm told that their supplier will supply a half-ton pallet (50 packs) - I have yet to contact them to see what price they'd do for this - but it's a very attractive prospect in principle, as it'd basically be me sorted for the winter.

However, I found out the hard way last winter that you have to keep these things ABSOLUTELY dry. I have no inside storage, so am busy trying to figure out how I might seal a pallet-load of packs of logs outside.

Any answers to that one on a postcard, please

In the meantime, if I get details of a reliable supplier, I'll happily pass them on to whoever wants them.

Thanks,
Maybe you could try (buy) a plastic coal bunker. I have one which I use to store coal,briquettes, logs etc.

Back to the eco logs. How many logs would you use in an evening in your stove for reasonable heat. I want to get an idea how much I would need for the winter.
Thanks

HeidiHeidi · 26-08-2014 10:37am

cosmowillie53 wrote: »

Thanks,
Maybe you could try (buy) a plastic coal bunker. I have one which I use to store coal,briquettes, logs etc.

Back to the eco logs. How many logs would you use in an evening in your stove for reasonable heat. I want to get an idea how much I would need for the winter.
Thanks

Space is my issue - I live near the city centre and my back "garden" is tiny! However I will be investigating those very things in the next few days and see if I can squeeze one in somewhere. The idea of just one delivery for the season is very attractive indeed!

As for how many logs in an evening - absolute maximum three, sometimes only 2. If I light the fire at teatime I'll use one (plus a few bits of paper and sticks to get it going) to get the stove to heat up - takes abut 45 minutes. Once there's a good glow going, I turn it right down and lob in half a log at a time - that would burn/glow for an hour easily. If I see the cheaper less dense logs on sale in Lidl/Aldi/Woodies or wherever, I use them as the fire lighters and save the good ones for the actual fire. I also have briquettes in a box and might use one or two of them as they'll burn through quicker.

(Mine is a 6KW Inis Airc, heats a fairly big room (originally two) with high ceiling, don't know if I'd said that already.)

cosmowillie53 · 26-08-2014 11:41am

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Space is my issue - I live near the city centre and my back "garden" is tiny! However I will be investigating those very things in the next few days and see if I can squeeze one in somewhere. The idea of just one delivery for the season is very attractive indeed!

As for how many logs in an evening - absolute maximum three, sometimes only 2. If I light the fire at teatime I'll use one (plus a few bits of paper and sticks to get it going) to get the stove to heat up - takes abut 45 minutes. Once there's a good glow going, I turn it right down and lob in half a log at a time - that would burn/glow for an hour easily. If I see the cheaper less dense logs on sale in Lidl/Aldi/Woodies or wherever, I use them as the fire lighters and save the good ones for the actual fire. I also have briquettes in a box and might use one or two of them as they'll burn through quicker.

(Mine is a 6KW Inis Airc, heats a fairly big room (originally two) with high ceiling, don't know if I'd said that already.)

I have looked them up on line and the come in all shapes/sizes. I saw one with a straight back which will stand tight against a wall so that would save space.
What you describe for your usage would suit me aswell. They would be used in a small(ish) well insulated cottage with low ceilings.
Thanks for all the info .

fearghalcotter · 27-08-2014 12:33pm

This is actually my first ever post! So firstly, I should state that I work for a company currently looking into supplying wood briquettes/pellets. I am NOT selling anything, I am just sharing my experiences, thoughts and research about choosing what is right for you.

Where are they from:
Some people may wish to support the local economy by buying Irish, others may not care. Some people may want to make sure the wood is sourced from a secure source, others may not care. From my research, there are not many Irish manufactured wood briquettes, unless stated "made in Ireland" the likelihood is they come from either Eastern Europe or Asia, so if Irish made is what your after, they are not so easy to find. There are some Irish briquette makers that aren't making themselves aware to the greater public.

We have been looking at sourcing both Irish made and imports, however some research has pointed towards SOME (many are perfect) of the imports lacking consistency, i.e. first delivery the quality would be good but decline slowly. We have a number of suppliers we are currently in contact with, but have no ties to anyone yet so if someone wishes to get an unbiased list of various makes from various suppliers feel free to contact me. Another issue which may be faced with buying imported briquettes is the company may have changed to a cheaper supplier but are still selling under the same brand.

Stacking:
For stacking purposes, RUF and Pini Kay type briquettes have flat faces making them easy to stack, if you are worried about your storage area, most briquettes come in plastic covering so try and aim for these, even in bulk buying. Alternatively, round type briquettes which are properly packaged will also give for ease of stacking.

Expansion:
The vast majority of condensed wood briquettes expand, however this is only an issue if you overfill your appliance! Briquettes with centre holes offer the least expansion and some claim to offer no expansion whatsoever, I have personally not tested these as of yet so cannot verify these claims.

Considerations:
The main consideration for people buying a briquette is how much heat will be generated. From the packaging I have seen so far, many do not provide the heat output (Calorific Value) per unit weight on the product itself, so you may have to contact the supplier/manufacturer about this, some people have their own preference as to what heat units they typically deal with such as BTUs, MJ/Kg etc.

Advice:
Peoples opinions will vary from product to product, some will tell you a certain product is crap while others will swear by it. The best thing to do is to find a few suppliers of different kinds of briquettes to your area, find the relative information (i.e. heat output and price) and try a small pack of each (probably ~ €3.50+ per pack (cheapest I have seen for a single pack), pack sizes vary but typically ~10Kg). When your happy with one particular brand, buying in bulk (If you have the space) will be more economical and handier.

An Ri rua · 03-09-2014 5:29pm

650gs wrote: »

No comparision whats so ever cost wise

Thes heat logs are cheaper than most kiln dried wood I've seen. Could you provide some links please to cheaper kiln-dried wood please than 355 per tonne delivered. And that would be as convenient to stack and store; even inside a dwelling? That's what I did with UK heat Logs purchased through Aldi last year. And Eko rice husk logs purchased through Woodies.

Maybe you are talking about kiln-dried wood and, if so, you are getting closer to the 5% moisture of these compressed wood waste logs. But if you are talking about a tonne of air-dried logs, you are buying 20% water. If you are buying non-seasoned wood (and they all have varying seasoning times and calorific values) then you could be looking at higher than 30%. Good luck with that .........

Folks, simply read the websites I have provided and you will see that you are buying a PRODUCT, well-defined in terms of heat output / moisture content and wood source. Unless you are buying from a top-notch wood supplier, you're not going to get even close to that level of accuracy. Simple as.

An Ri rua · 18-02-2015 10:38pm

Having burned a pallet and a half of Prima's wood briquettes, I can safely say that they are the best wood briquette I have come across so far.

They're slightly dirty to handle but boy do they burn! And they don't expand. Unlike Megatherm / Lidl/ UK heat Logs etc.
www.ecofuelbriquettes.com. In addition, their customer service and delivery process is 1st class.

I'm burning through 10 packs of Megatherm (via Telfords.ie) and will report back opinions shortly.

fearghalcotter · 19-02-2015 9:16am

An Ri rua, which brand of wood briquette did you get off Prima?

An Ri rua · 27-08-2015 8:01pm

fearghalcotter wrote: »

An Ri rua, which brand of wood briquette did you get off Prima?

Rocket Blaze. Excellent product.

But I'm taking a delivery of 2 tonnes of Megatherm tomorrow, as at 2.90 a pack, I can't ignore it. Rocket Blaze is fantastic, but too dear even when factoring in the slight premium in energy output (20Mj versus 18.5 for Megatherm).

TTTT · 27-08-2015 11:59pm

Where are you getting Megatherm for that price please?

An Ri rua · 19-09-2015 9:36pm

TTTT wrote: »

Where are you getting Megatherm for that price please?

Telfords, Portlaoise or Mountrath. www.telfords.ie

redoctober · 12-11-2016 1:26pm

An Ri rua wrote: »

Rocket Blaze. Excellent product.

But I'm taking a delivery of 2 tonnes of Megatherm tomorrow, as at 2.90 a pack, I can't ignore it. Rocket Blaze is fantastic, but too dear even when factoring in the slight premium in energy output (20Mj versus 18.5 for Megatherm).

Hi there. Interesting to read your posts. I've just tried some megatherm logs. Good heat. Find I'm using nearly a pack a night though. My stove is not great. It really needs to be up to the max to warm the room. Anyway just wondering how the rocket blaze compares price and heat wise. For instance how many of the rocket blaze would you burn compared to the megatherm? Thanks.

cubix · 13-09-2017 11:37pm

Anyone come across good deals re these logs. Had a look at sites and Megatherm with shipping to Meath is very similar to ecologs with free shipping both for pallet full. Megatherm possibly better value, while slightly more but comes with more

budhabob · 15-09-2017 10:05am

Would also be very interested. The best logs ive come across were supplied by the stove supplier (O'Rourkes in Glasson, Westmeath - link to product below) and were by far the best. We broke them in half as half a log was sufficient for over an hour. They were also the heaviest wood looks that Ive come across.

Any suppliers of similar in Dublin?

https://www.myfire.ie/shop/

TTTT · 15-09-2017 7:30pm

http://www.bioglow.ie/

BizTalker · 21-09-2017 9:39am

Rocket blaze wood briquettes from Prima Ecofuels do the job for me, extremely hot and heat my rads very fast, https://www.ecologs.ie

Feedback/Recommendation for Eco/heat log type briquettes for a stove

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