Strogs straw logs

ISOT

Wondering if anyone has any info on these :
http://www.strogs.ie/Product.html

compresses straw logs - I used a lot of compressed sawdust logs last winter and found them good but a little expensive (€4.50 per pack of 6).
These are less than €3 euro a pack but I am not sure if I am comparing like with like, There was a item on these on "higher ground" this evening but I did not see it.

rooferPete

Hi,

Strogs are an interesting product, made from locally grown straw that is compressed to the shape of a log.

Very similar in many ways to the compressed saw dust type that you have been using.

Worth a try, I understand Spar will be stocking them.

.

homer911

I saw the programme and was quite impressed - very entrepreneurial!

On thing I thought they should have done was to scientifically evaluate the heat output from these things compared to other products (therms?) Then would then have been able to establish a more meaningful price point and show comparative cost per therm

zzap64

Are they available in any Spars yet? Was up in Dublin last weekend and popped into a couple of Spars but didn't find any

About to install my stove so want to find some of these to burn, but don't want a pallet of the things (which seems to be the only delivery option available on the site)

jaylynch1111

There was a program on rte a few weeks ago about them, Very interesting:rolleyes:

badolepuddytat

Their website has the calorific value on it.
Calorific Value: 16.5 to 17.5 MJ/Kg

17 MJ is about 4.72kWh (almost the same as dry timber), I think each log is 1kg and there are 5 logs.

1 pack is 23.6kWh; €2.75 a pack, I think

it works out as ~11.6 c/kWh. I think coal is about 6c

Wood pellets~4c/kWh; oil~5c/kWh; gas is cheaper.

for a complete, accurate comparison: http://www.sei.ie/Publications/Statistics_Publications/Fuel_Cost_Comparison/

I would still buy them. they are worth the difference to not be polluting the planet. sometimes being green costs more.

zzap64

Has anybody seem them in the wild yet though? (i.e. in a shop to buy)

stoblerone

homer911 wrote: »

I saw the programme and was quite impressed - very entrepreneurial!

On thing I thought they should have done was to scientifically evaluate the heat output from these things compared to other products (therms?) Then would then have been able to establish a more meaningful price point and show comparative cost per therm

I too saw the show on RTE. It was brill. The guy (can't recall his name) certainly had a very clever idea.

I bought a couple of packs this evening but made the mistake of putting too many into the fireplace. In a nutshell the place nearly lit up. I think what happens is that the strog expands when it catches fire. We had a few bits fall out of the fireplace.

The product does say that not to put many into the fireplace, so make sure you don't do what I did.

Other than that they are a great idea and there is great heat from them, and as a bonus they are Carbon neutral, so they should not be subject to the impending Carbon tax!!!! I hope

Sorted

My other half came across these today in a Spar in Dublin but didn't pick them up cos they were heavy and he had other stuff to carry. If they're carbon neutral AND Irish AND good value it's definitely one to try

zzap64

I did find some a couple of weeks ago.

I have to say I was a bit disappointment on the first go. They didn't burn that well and left a pile of log shaped ash!

I have been much more impressed with the sawdust logs and blocks I have tried.

I will try them again, since I like the idea so much and according to the latest Spar ad, are down to €2 a pack at the moment.

RedPlanet

Yeah i've used a few bales.
There'll alright. Burn thru a bit quick.
But i'd get them again i suppose.
Bought them at that petrol station right next to the M50 when heading from Templeogue to Tallaght...

quentingargan

Hmmm. Built our house out of straw. I hope they don't burn too fast...

On a more serious note though, I am often baffled about the need to introduce biofuels and to create rape seed diesel, or celulosic biofuel. Yes, we should do it, but if diesel is currently being burned to heat houses, surely it makes sense to continue to use diesel in cars, and use straw to heat houses rather than try to find a way to turn straw into diesel?

We should be researching all ways of weaning ourselves off fossil fuels. But I am sometimes bemused by suggestions that we should grow sugar to produce ethanol at the same time as someone else up the road is getting their third fill of diesel this year pumped into their central heating tank

JonnyBlackrock

I bought a packet of Strogs the other day and found them to be absolutely useless.
First of all, they hardly give off any heat.
Secondly, they're too long to lie in the fireplace so have to stand up.
Thirdly, when they burn (I put two in the fireplace) they expand and unravel. Because they were standing up a great big lump fell out and burnt a hole in the carpet.
Fourthly, they left a mountain of ash.
I won't be buying them again.
The moral of the story is that just because Duncan the Pixie recommends something on the telly doesn't mean it's good. He'd recommend anything that fits in with his agenda.

sculptor

I dont know much about the strogs but i know the wood briquettes (and pellets) vary a lot in quality. The thing to watch for is the moisture content which can vary from 40% to 5% which means you could be paying 35% extra for water with an equivilant heat loss and extra ash.

RedPlanet

JonnyBlackrock wrote: »

I bought a packet of Strogs the other day and found them to be absolutely useless.
First of all, they hardly give off any heat.
Secondly, they're too long to lie in the fireplace so have to stand up.
Thirdly, when they burn (I put two in the fireplace) they expand and unravel. Because they were standing up a great big lump fell out and burnt a hole in the carpet.
Fourthly, they left a mountain of ash.
I won't be buying them again.
The moral of the story is that just because Duncan the Pixie recommends something on the telly doesn't mean it's good. He'd recommend anything that fits in with his agenda.

JonnyBlackrock why didn't u just break them in half?
They are like, super easy to halve.

In my experience the ash left over visually looked like a lot, but when i actually cleaned out the fire, it was mostly air, as the ash in my bucket was reasonably small, and of a lesser quantity than briquettes.

ISOT

JonnyBlackrock wrote: »

I bought a packet of Strogs the other day and found them to be absolutely useless.
First of all, they hardly give off any heat.
Secondly, they're too long to lie in the fireplace so have to stand up.
Thirdly, when they burn (I put two in the fireplace) they expand and unravel. Because they were standing up a great big lump fell out and burnt a hole in the carpet.
Fourthly, they left a mountain of ash.
I won't be buying them again.
The moral of the story is that just because Duncan the Pixie recommends something on the telly doesn't mean it's good. He'd recommend anything that fits in with his agenda.

I finally got my hands on two bales to try them out in the stove (down to 2euro a bale).
First off they are not very good to burn alone, i mixed them with compressed wood logs and did not put much in at a time.
I do think that they give of decent heat but you nearly have to have the ash door (at the bottom of the stove open) to get a decent burn on them.
The compressed wood logs on the other hand will stew away nicely with the door closed and the dampers locked up.
Their is also a lot more (fine) ash with the strogs than with the wood versions. (the wood seems to burn away almost completely).
I would not rule out getting them again but it they would have to be burned with something else.
Also, they are very cheap at 2 euro for the amount you get. (Nulife wood logs that I use are 4.50 for six)
It might be a good idea if the manufacturer experimented with trying to make them 50% wood and 50% straw( if that is technically possible )this should take down the cost and help with the Burn rate.

gollem_1975

I used these in 2009 and was fairly underwhelmed.

I didn't notice any expansion or particularly great flame or heat coming from them ( similar experience to the person who said all they got was log shaped ash )

tonight I lit a spar firelog and as it caught fire I put a strog resting in front of it.

I left the room for about 10 minutes and when I walked by the door of the room I could hear the fire - half thinking jeepers I hope the couch didn't catch fire.

went into the room to note that the flames in the fire were shooting up the chimney from the strog.

it looked as if someone else had thrown another strog into the fire.

the strog had expanded to twice its size( i'm not exagerrating ) and because of the size of the fireplace it had formed an s-shape. therefore danger of it falling out of the fire ( I use a fireguard )

just thought I would share the experience ( got 5 of them in Spar for €2 )

bladespin

Bought a large pack (24) over Christmas, thought they'd be THE thing to fight off the unusually cold weather, wow was I wrogn, they're pretty weak, they didn't seem to produce much heat, worse again they even tried to burn my house down - expanded after they were placed on the open fire and fell from the grate, luclily we hadn't left the room.

Cunsiderthis

We tried them too and, to our horror, found they expand and kept pushing down the grate in a small fireplace in a small room. They reminded us of elephant droppings when they expanded and twisted, and it really could have been very dangerous. Certainly we were not at all impressed.

Since then we bought some which look quite similar, but made of wood, in Supervalue, and the heat they produce is far superior and they don't expand and move about like the straw ones.

I imagine in a log burner the straw ones would be fine as they are contained, but in an open grate we'd not have them again.

kleefarr

I know this is quite an oldish thread, but we got a pack of five of these in Aldis today. €2.99 for pack of 5.

Just tried one on our open fire and we are less than happy with the result.
Had the fire going already with compressed briquettes. A pack of these briquettes usually last us a night. 6 packs @ €20.

The strog we have just tried burned out a lot faster than we thought it would and has left a load of ash behind, which has subsequently more or less killed the nice fire we had going.

I have had to clear out some of the ash and built the fire back up again with a few briquettes and some good old fashioned coal.

Marks 3/10

finnegan2010

Tried these last year didnt like them, got some locally for 3 quid decided to give them a whirl again.

Plus Points.. Clean

Negatives
Not much heat
Leave a pile of ASH nearly the same size as the strog
The flame is tiny so if you like that nice log fire flame and crackle you wont be getting it with these.
They are not for me

bladespin

Slightly off topic, has anyone tried wood pellets/briquettes in an open fire? Seen them in a few local shops and wondered.

DanRocksOn

I tried them yesterday having seen them in LIDL.
I have a reasonbaly big stove (10Kw) and had it hot before I popped the lots in.
Burned very well and cleanly, good heat and got about 2 hours.
For €3, not too bad.
Would use them for backup not for main fuel.

Stovepipe

Hi all,
I had the same experience with Strogs. Very slow to actually catch light, expanded and went S-shaped and would snuff out the fire if given the chance. I found the only way to get them to burn properly was to stand them upright and use other fuels, such as BNM briquettes or smokeless coal to assist them.I won't use them again, as the ash volume was a pain to clean out afterwards.
regards
Stovepipe

Agri contractor

I heard with alot of straw logs the problem is that they are not hollow in the middle.