Winter Supplies...

DonnchaMc

With winter coming in im sure every1 is starting to stock up on supplies etc.. Im just wondering how much is needed for 2people n 2dogs (the babys hahaha)

Thanks.

fenris

Start by looking at your actual weekly / monthly shopping.

Divide that list into perishables and non-perishables.

Stock up on the non-perishables and figure out what perishables you can swap out in a pinch. Try it out now rather than waiting and finding out that powdered milk is not nice in tea or some other item gives you the trots!

Don't forget that most store cupboard items need water to make them useful.

Make a menu plan for different situations e.g. in the house but no water, in the house no power, in the house no food in the shops, in the house no money etc., realistically if you lose power you will be using up your freezer stock first with a minimal impact on your non-perishables, followed by a transition to more basic foods so the plan should take this into account.


Dogs - an extra big bag of dried food and lots of water, my two (Irish Setter and Lab cross) go through a 15kg bag every 3.5 -4 weeks, although they would make a serious attempt to go through it in an afternoon it they were allowed!.

DonnchaMc

cool thanks. New to living away from home and we moved to the country to boot so dont wanna get caught out and forget something id normally have taken for granted

Grizzly 45

If you got transport make sure you have Winter tyres on it.That was one of the major problems of people in the snow over the last two years here.
Everyone was fffin and blinding out their German cars,which handle worse conditions in Germany almost every year no bother,because of the proper tyres for the conditions on them.If you have really bad snow,[like maybe Donegal I guess]...Invest in a set of snow chains.That should get you mobile in the most dire of situations.

Unless we get a really bad blizzard or month of it.I'd suggest about two weeks extra groceries /hard supplies and an extra 2 bags of doggie food.
Its not Alaska or Canada where it might lock down for 4 months plus.Yet!!.:eek:
Water,well if you have a fire,you can melt the snow.
Staying warm should be the 1st pirority after water,you can live for 3weeks without food.That means nothing at all bar your fat reserves.So I doubt that we will be reverting to chomping down on our nearest and dearest just yet this winter here.:)

H.O.T.A.S.

Another thing to look out for are a pair of Ice Cleats. They are like ice tyres but for shoes, small spiked rubber slip ons that fit over your shoes. You can guarantee they'll be snapped up if it's anything like last year. They are very useful for anyone that has to traverse iced up pavements or for any elderly relatives, where a fall could mean a broken hip. Dunnes are currently selling them in their stores that have a home wear/clothing department, think they are €15.

For a more beefed up alternative check out YakTrax Pro Hikers



They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

Tabnabs

The Irish Weather Online website has put up their winter weather forecast. Available here http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/atmosphere/cold/iwo-winter-2011-12-forecast-for-ireland/41524.html

TL/DR? January we should get snow (especially in the east)

krissovo

For your Car:

Preparation - A good service (oils, fluids, brakes check etc), Winter Tires or snow chains/socks (highly recommend winter ties for rural areas)

Always in your car - Shovel, Sleeping bag(s), Water, Food for 48hrs (cereal bars, chocolate, meat sticks etc, luxury item self heating can of food or two).

For your home:

Preparation - Insulate your water supply at the stop cocks and water tank (if in attic or outside), fill up your heating oil, bulk storage of timber/coal for fires

Water - minimum of 5ltrs of water per day per person for minimum of 2 weeks (I have a 1000ltr tank always topped up by the main and recycled). If using dried food increase to 8 for both human and dog). Store this in water containers

Heat - Do you have a secondary source of heat that does not rely on electricity/oil like a open fire/stove? If not I would have provision for a gas canister stove or similar.

Food - Food storage in Winter is quite easy, if you lose electricity then just put everything outside in a secured container. Always have a few weeks of food like tins, dried and cereals. Particular food I stock up on are frozen breads rolls, milk powder, sugar, coffee.

Cooking - If your stove is electric then get a camping stove as backup, if you have a stove can you cook with this?

Wimbago

H.O.T.A.S. wrote: »

Another thing to look out for are a pair of Ice Cleats.

They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

Irish Times had a 'deals' magazine the other day and you could order a pair for €12 (and a bizarre set for high heels too ). Unsure what day the mag was out unfortunately

H.O.T.A.S.

Wimbago wrote: »

Irish Times had a 'deals' magazine the other day and you could order a pair for €12 (and a bizarre set for high heels too ). Unsure what day the mag was out unfortunately

If they were for the Hike Pro's then thats a great deal! Seen some ones designed for high heels, makes you wonder!

meathstevie

H.O.T.A.S. wrote: »

Another thing to look out for are a pair of Ice Cleats. They are like ice tyres but for shoes, small spiked rubber slip ons that fit over your shoes. You can guarantee they'll be snapped up if it's anything like last year. They are very useful for anyone that has to traverse iced up pavements or for any elderly relatives, where a fall could mean a broken hip. Dunnes are currently selling them in their stores that have a home wear/clothing department, think they are €15.

For a more beefed up alternative check out YakTrax Pro Hikers



They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

Have the YakTrax myself, brilliant piece of kit. It's nearly like walking under normal conditions over frozen snow and ice.

Come to think of it, the likes of a pair of runners spikes would be a good alternative solution as well but with the distinct disadvantage that you can't wear a decent pair of socks in them.

slowburner

DonnchaMc wrote: »

With winter coming in im sure every1 is starting to stock up on supplies etc.. Im just wondering how much is needed for 2people n 2dogs (the babys hahaha)

Thanks.

Water - lots of it. I've become a mad thing hoarding those 5 litre water bottles in anticipation of the winter water supply being cut off, which is inevitable. Life is pure hell without it
How I'm going to store the bottled water without it freezing is another question.

fodda

slowburner wrote: »

Water - lots of it. I've become a mad thing hoarding those 5 litre water bottles in anticipation of the winter water supply being cut off, which is inevitable. Life is pure hell without it
How I'm going to store the bottled water without it freezing is another question.

Straw bales:)

slowburner

Brilliant!

fodda

Send the cheque for 1000.00 euro to
Fodda
Boards.ie Lunatic Asylum
Dub98:)

slowburner

It's in the post.

kildare.17hmr

The last 3 years my estate has gone without water for 1-2 weeks at a time during the winter, they drop the pressure and the water cant make it up the hill to our estate:rolleyes: have a load of 25 liter drums that keep us going and usuually drag the wheelie bin to the tanker and fill it up and use that water to keep the toilet going!

Grizzly 45

Why not just get one of those big cage tanks and connect it into your downpipe from the gutter and collect free rainwater before the freeze.Or if you are short of space and are neat,bury it as a subeterrainian water tank? Again a pretty simple job if you think about it.[Bar the digging]
Pump it out with a 12v drill pump or a siphon hose,and use the 20 litre cans for drinking water.??

Note,make sure you bitch&moan alot about the water rates next year,in the fact that if you are going to have to pay for this generally non food grade vital life necessity.You should least expect it to come out of your tap when you turn it on! IOW get their act together and sort out the pressure on your estate.

eth0

before I couldn't give a fook if the water was gone for a couple days but now i'll be roaring the head off at them if its gone for 2 seconds. and i'll be expecting them to keep the house in good condition too since we'll be paying them for the yearly privilege of owning a house you already paid someone else for

Judgement Day

I managed quite well in the last freeze - living right in the centre of Enniscorthy town - but I still had to make the odd sortie to the shops/pub. I will be buying the Yaktrax myself for those hilly but essential journeys. I have a large list of essentials which I am gradually ticking off, covering everything from matches, water containers, dry food - even the government suggested disposable barbecues - through to flour/sugar/batteries etc.etc. The hard thing is to keep away from the emergency supplies when I can't be bothered going to the shops. I shall be quite disappointed if we don't get some serious snow now.

slowburner

Judgement Day wrote: »

I managed quite well in the last freeze - living right in the centre of Enniscorthy town - but I still had to make the odd sortie to the shops/pub. I will be buying the Yaktrax myself for those hilly but essential journeys. I have a large list of essentials which I am gradually ticking off, covering everything from matches, water containers, dry food - even the government suggested disposable barbecues - through to flour/sugar/batteries etc.etc. The hard thing is to keep away from the emergency supplies when I can't be bothered going to the shops. I shall be quite disappointed if we don't get some serious snow now.

What's this about barbies?
Serious snow won't be here until January, according to the weather forum :pac::pac:

eth0

slowburner wrote: »

What's this about barbies?
Serious snow won't be here until January, according to the weather forum :pac::pac:

I can't wait for the snow. Everything looks so nice then and tis so quiet, great for going for a stroll or cycling on the roads with no traffic on them

I have to feel sorry for the poor feckers that are so caught up in their boring routine that they expect the government to clean it up for them as soon as it appears. Yer life would have to be fairly sh/te if you can't even enjoy a few days of snow

slowburner

eth0 wrote: »

I can't wait for the snow. Everything looks so nice then and tis so quiet, great for going for a stroll or cycling on the roads with no traffic on them

I have to feel sorry for the poor feckers that are so caught up in their boring routine that they expect the government to clean it up for them as soon as it appears. Yer life would have to be fairly sh/te if you can't even enjoy a few days of snow

A few days are fun - a few weeks gets boring and bloody expensive.:pac::pac:

lorrscann

Just got my oil tank filled

eth0

slowburner wrote: »

A few days are fun - a few weeks gets boring and bloody expensive.:pac::pac:

How does it get expensive? Didn't get bored of it last year when we had all the snow nor did I find it any more expensive than usual

actually cheaper cause if it wasn't for the snow I'd be out buying things

Grizzly 45

slowburner wrote: »

What's this about barbies?
Serious snow won't be here until January, according to the weather forum :pac::pac:

Our govts great idea for us to keep warm and fed when the great blizzards of 24 hours strike us here.:rolleyes::rolleyes:
Proably also a indirect solution they hope to the housing and dole crisis.In which people manage to burn down their properties,by lighting one of these things in the front room,or dying of carbon monoxide poisioning from the fumes trying to keep warm by huddling around this thing.:rolleyes:

About as helpful as well most suggestions by the Irish gubmint!!

Just on a point of silly Irish govt plans to "help" in a disaster.
Who has still got the original 1960/70 Irish nuke survival book?
The 1980s CD version? And their 2001 anti radiation tablets??:D:D

eth0

The ould iodine tablets must be around somehwere methinks..

Feck I'd never think of having a barbequeue in the middle of winter. Tis not that bloody hard to stock up a week or two worth of food that doesn't require much heating. The government loves to make a big deal out of thse things for some reason

fodda

Barbies are a perfect tool for heating water and cooking food but not inside the house........In garage or shed with door open.

eth0

Meself I prefer a 1-burner gas cooker that sits directly on top of the gas drum (proper big yellow gas drums not the campingaz stuff).

Have one or two at home but I can't find them anywhere on the internet. Absolutely fecking brilliant yokes. I can't find any that are a self contained unit and doesn't require a separate regulator. This yoke has the regulator just below it, they havn't been banned by any chance have they due to some possible freak accident that might occur?

Sticky_Fingers

eth0 wrote: »

The ould iodine tablets must be around somehwere methinks..

Feck I'd never think of having a barbequeue in the middle of winter. Tis not that bloody hard to stock up a week or two worth of food that doesn't require much heating. The government loves to make a big deal out of thse things for some reason

Well to be fair to them there are a whole lot of idiots out there that need to be told and then retold this stuff so hopefully it sinks in. I remember Joe Duffy being alive to the sound of whining last winter from people who were complaining about having no water because like 70,000 other homes they left the taps running to prevent freezing thus depleting the reservoirs. What is worse though is that this water was just wasted and went straight down the drain :mad:.

Slick50

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

....bury it as a subeterrainian water tank? Again a pretty simple job if you think about it.[Bar the digging]
Pump it out with a 12v drill pump or a siphon hose,and use the 20 litre cans for drinking water.??

Where can I get one of them subterranean siphon hoses ?

eth0

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

Well to be fair to them there are a whole lot of idiots out there that need to be told and then retold this stuff so hopefully it sinks in. I remember Joe Duffy being alive to the sound of whining last winter from people who were complaining about having no water because like 70,000 other homes they left the taps running to prevent freezing thus depleting the reservoirs. What is worse though is that this water was just wasted and went straight down the drain :mad:.

They'll keep doing it in the hope that everyone else won't. Even when the meters come in they'll pay for it rather than take the chance

Grizzly 45

Slick50 wrote: »

Where can I get one of them subterranean siphon hoses ?

A siphon hose is any hose that you use to syphon liquid from a higher vessel to a lower,just use gravity and your sucking power to get t over the hump and it free flows the liquid.
As in this case the tank is going to be underground you need to lift it up to fill your containers.If there is power and you are lazy a electric DIY drill with a little pump available on the net or your local DIY shop will do the job nicely. Or if you want ,put the lid close enoudg to the surface and simply open it and dunk in a bucket and fill your containers.
Check out instructables.com.Water harvesting section.A load of ideas there.

eth0

Where would I get some cheap water tanks I could dig in? or even some barrels for above the ground.

Paying 220 euros for a water butt isn't likely to pay off in the next 10 years..

Grizzly 45

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

Well to be fair to them there are a whole lot of idiots out there that need to be told and then retold this stuff so hopefully it sinks in. I remember Joe Duffy being alive to the sound of whining last winter from people who were complaining about having no water because like 70,000 other homes they left the taps running to prevent freezing thus depleting the reservoirs. What is worse though is that this water was just wasted and went straight down the drain :mad:.

Devil and the deep blue sea situation.As our pipes were never properly lagged or buried properly by cowboy builders and developers out to make a huge buck in the Celtic Tiger.[At minimum ALL piping should be at least 3ft underground,and thats not enough in some cases.I put in central heating from an outside water stove and buried it 3ft down.In the snow,I had a nice free snow patch in an exact line of the buried and lagged hot water pipes.:mad:]
A lot of people had the unenviable choice of not letting the taps run and no water and then have burst lines,or letting it run,maybe have no water,and hope of no burst lines,or worst cases both happening.:(

Logically no one will leave a tap running if there is a better option ,so if somone does know it tell us..
This isnt a consumer fault it is a major system fault of shoddy planning laws piss poor maintence nationwide of water distribution and forethought of future needs and good old simple gombeenism greed!!
Our water system by EU standards is 3rd world.

Berlin for example where water costs alot.[appx 600 euros plus PA per household]
The drinking water is water recycled out of three major sewer works and fish farms!!!Yet wherever it comes out of your tap it is FOOD grade water.IOW there is no need ever to buy a bottle of water in a shop.It also keeps coming out of your tap,even if the temp goes down to minus 20!!!
Not to mind you are graunteed a 1bar pressure at all times

Guess what we will get here ??A big bill, and liquid sewage full of flouride,and intermittent pressure that will stop once the thermometer goes below minus one! Who will pay for that"service"??
We cant even drink the stuff here without a health hazard.I put in a four stage filter for drinking water,and you should see the filters after 5/6months from free Irish water.:eek::eek:
I'll gladly pay for it when it is drinkable,comes on with a proper pressure and when it doesnt freeze up.

Grizzly 45

eth0 wrote: »

Where would I get some cheap water tanks I could dig in? or even some barrels for above the ground.

Paying 220 euros for a water butt isn't likely to pay off in the next 10 years..

Go to donedeal.ie and type in barrells.
Guy has an ad there for them @10 euros a pop!:)

eth0

There is a huge difference in the quality of the water in this country. Back home I couldn't ask for better but here in Donegal it tastes like sh/te. I had to buy a brita filter to make it drinkable and after that it still not great.

I'd prefer if they didn't spend so much money on throwing ould chlorine and stuff into the water and just told everyone to install their own filter for drinking water, etc. Probably around .1% or less of all tap water is actually consumed by humans so why bother treating every drop? the whole system seems very inefficient

slowburner

eth0 wrote: »

Where would I get some cheap water tanks I could dig in? or even some barrels for above the ground.

Paying 220 euros for a water butt isn't likely to pay off in the next 10 years..

What about those 5 L bottles of water - that's what I've been hoarding :pac:

eth0

slowburner wrote: »

What about those 5 L bottles of water - that's what I've been hoarding :pac:

Wouldn't bother with anything that small, this would be for watering the garden and hopefully other stuff too like the jacks if I could get that system sorted.

kildare.17hmr

got the chimney cleaned this morning, fire lit, finally, and chainsaw sharpened. 2 days of cuttin down trees next weekend should have a good stock of logs for the winter! Mate of mines da bought land which was 60+ acres of forestry, about 10 left and we can cut down as much as we like!! Happy days

fodda

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

got the chimney cleaned this morning, fire lit, finally, and chainsaw sharpened. 2 days of cuttin down trees next weekend should have a good stock of logs for the winter! Mate of mines da bought land which was 60+ acres of forestry, about 10 left and we can cut down as much as we like!! Happy days

This is survival and self-sufficiency.

Have the trees been replanted or coppiced?

How are you drying the timber?

How are you burning the logs in an open fire or stove/boiler?

kildare.17hmr

fodda wrote: »

This is survival and self-sufficiency.

Have the trees been replanted or coppiced?

How are you drying the timber?

How are you burning the logs in an open fire or stove/boiler?

he is clearing the forestry for horses and cattle and to build a house so no they Wont be replanted. They will be stacked in my garage to dry and will be burned in an open fire

fodda

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

he is clearing the forestry for horses and cattle and to build a house so no they Wont be replanted. They will be stacked in my garage to dry and will be burned in an open fire

OK ....An open fire is only ever a maximum of 15% efficient no matter what size it is because it can only mainly heat by radiant heat as the rest has to go up the chimney in the form of gases (smoke).

This means that it is 85% inefficient or for example every 1000.00 euros worth of fuel you burn on it.....850.00 euros just goes up the chimney or in your case for every 10 days you worked cutting trees and logs you wasted 8.5 days of your life to heat the sky.

Get a stove which should be at least 60% efficient and the rest you can work out yourself.:)

eth0

Don't think its quite as bad as 15 but a decent stove should get you close to or above 80%. Now the ones i have at home are not the best type so probably struggle to get 50

fodda

eth0 wrote: »

Don't think its quite as bad as 15 but a decent stove should get you close to or above 80%. Now the ones i have at home are not the best type so probably struggle to get 50

Yes so i am told! And most modern stoves should do at least 50-60% and not because the heat is just coming from the body but because the wood fuel is burnt more efficiently,

In fact if you want to do it properly which you should if you are trying to be self-sufficient..you should drop a stainless liner down the chimney and insulate it. Also your logs should be dried to 20% minimum.

eth0

How long till they're dry to 20%?

fodda

Depending what trees they are but air dried will take 12 months to 2 years as long as they do not get rained on.

If you have a kiln you can do it in weeks or a polytunnel maybe 6 months+.

If you do not dry them below 20% you will line your chimney with sticky tar and the fire will never reach a high enough temperature to burn efficiently as you are producing a lot of steam which lowers the temp of the fire.

It's here,,,,,,,, http://www.grow-your-own.ie/woodburning.html

slowburner

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

got the chimney cleaned this morning, fire lit, finally, and chainsaw sharpened. 2 days of cuttin down trees next weekend should have a good stock of logs for the winter! Mate of mines da bought land which was 60+ acres of forestry, about 10 left and we can cut down as much as we like!! Happy days

Happy days indeed to have 10 acres of forestry to log.
But, you might be better off cutting and storing them under cover this year and burning them next year. If you start burning logs from standing trees that you cut next weekend they will have a huge moisture content and this will result in a build up of creosote in your chimney flue - possibly leading to a chimney fire. Apart from that, they'll give out next to no heat.

What kind of trees are they? If they are Ash then you might get away with it.
If they are your average tree in forestry in Ireland (Sitka Spruce) - be patient and look forward to being extra toasty next year. :pac:

Sparks

H.O.T.A.S. wrote: »

For a more beefed up alternative check out YakTrax Pro Hikers

They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

They're okay.
These are better (same manufacturer, next model up from the hiker):



You can actually run on ice with them (yes, I tried). They do have a habit of destroying floors though, so you have to take them off it you're going indoors, so maybe not the best for a shopping trip, but for stomping about in six inches of snow and ice, excellent. And of course, don't forget your gaiters as well.

Mind you, the current long-term forecasts all say this winter will be much milder than last winter, if not milder than normal, so we probably won't see enough snow to put them on


But, just in case, did everyone remember to buy a snowshovel?

slowburner

Sparks wrote: »

......Mind you, the current long-term forecasts all say this winter will be much milder than last winter, if not milder than normal, so we probably won't see enough snow to put them on
But, just in case, did everyone remember to buy a snowshovel?

Looks like it's going to be warmer than the past two alright but it doesn't look as if we'll be without snow. And there's no mention of the extreme low temperatures of the past two winters.

As is now becoming clearer on reliable time frame global forecast models, late October could be a lot colder than the past three weeks have been. That colder trend may fade out for part of early NOVEMBER with another mild spell, but colder weather with some snow may then return in the second half of November. In general this is not expected to be as dramatic as last year, and the severe cold is not expected to continue through most of DECEMBER; instead, there may be roughly equal spells of mild and cold weather with possibly a rather stormy theme and a wide variety of daily weather types that will include some strong winds, some heavy rainfalls and some snow or ice. The output for the Christmas to New Year period suggests a milder interval after some rather cold days about a week before Christmas.

JANUARY may be "the" month of the winter as our model forecast suggests some much colder than average weather through most of the month. The details may include a few brief milder turns which could involve snow to rain type breakdowns, but there are indications of cold spells with northeast or east winds that are often associated with snow in eastern counties, and in particular around Meath and Dublin. as well as Wicklow. The lunar components suggest that the week starting around 8th January could become stormy and cold enough for snow to be dominant by then, although the south could remain in more mixed precipitation. The greatest depth of cold, suggesting higher pressure building up from the east, should come a little after mid-January. More snow seems likely in the period that has delivered in some recent winters, around end of January and first few days of February.

The output then suggests a steady warming trend to produce a rather mild FEBRUARY once that early cold and snow comes and goes, and that scenario suggests some risk of flooding with the thaw and melt. Otherwise February may become a rather settled and almost early spring-like month with some of the model temperature output well above normal.

MARCH looks rather chilly especially towards the end, and could involve a minor return to winter or near winter conditions, so in terms of a seasonal "overview" the dominant theme might be variable but a colder winter than many in the "modern" period, perhaps a winter more typical of the colder climate periods of the past, but either not as extreme as last year, or if everything comes together just right (or wrong, depending on your point of view), a January that may remind us of the December of last winter, with some previews of that in mid-December. Wishing to remain a bit conservative, the monthly temperature forecasts relative to normal are set as:

NOV -1 deg (variable but trending cold)
DEC 0 deg (on balance normal but variable, stormy)
JAN -2 deg (cold, and potentially colder to -4 deg, depending on snow cover)
FEB +2 deg (after a cold start, mild to very mild)
MAR -1 deg (mild to start but becoming rather cool later)

Extract from M.T.Cranium's winter 2011/12 forecast
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056419308

On a slightly different matter. Last year before the snow came and the winter before that, we experienced a really nasty form of weather which affected everyone who lives on a steep hill (most folk around here). What happened was that we got drizzle during the day and then severe frost at night. This went on for about two weeks. During the days, the combination of drizzle and a slight thaw and then the night time freezing produced an absolutely impassable surface consisting of thick ice with a thin layer of water on top. If I never see that again I'll be happy.
Anyway, in the absence of crampon like things a heavy woolen sock worn over your shoes provides fantastic grip on really slippy frozen surfaces.

Grizzly 45

If it hasnt happened by the 2nd week in Jan,it's pretty much over IMHO.
The last two years being an abberation,as the last time we had such severe winters was in the 1962 /64 time period. [So cold the Shannon froze at Athlunkard Bridge and pepole could skate on it]

Wood drying.
If it is Ash and even Sycamore,it can be burned either seasoned or green[as its fit for a Queen as the old saying goes].You can stack wood outside and get it down to 20% +/- by stacking it properly on an east/west wall with prefably an over hang,but if not somthing just to keep the rain off the top layer is fine.No need and of no benefit to completly enclose the entire pile either.You will get mildew and rot.Air has to circulate freely around the timber.Also you need to keep it off the ground.So some small bricks and a few saffolding planks to stack it on helps. Stack your wood bark down.It grips better,and have the pile somwhat out at the base from the wall,with your biggest unchoppable bits as the base and your light stuff towards the top.The distance you discover by trial and error,if your pile stays up,you did it right.If it doesnt,you didnt.;)The last line of the stack on top lay them bark UP.It works as a rain sheild,which you lay like shingles on a roof.
If you need dry timber in a hurry keep an eye out for dead elm trees in our countryside.They will burn extremly well,as they are air dried and you will be doing any surviving elms a favour as the dead elms are harbours for dutch elm disease,which is a bug/spore that is windborne.Ask any local farmer who has a few of these on his property,and they will be only too happy to let you cut them down.
Thats IF you do know how to kill a large tree properly!!:eek: If not stick to small stuff and learn how to read a tree in where it might potentialy fall and how to make a wide V cut in the right direction.

kildare.17hmr

fodda wrote: »

OK ....An open fire is only ever a maximum of 15% efficient no matter what size it is because it can only mainly heat by radiant heat as the rest has to go up the chimney in the form of gases (smoke).

This means that it is 85% inefficient or for example every 1000.00 euros worth of fuel you burn on it.....850.00 euros just goes up the chimney or in your case for every 10 days you worked cutting trees and logs you wasted 8.5 days of your life to heat the sky.

Get a stove which should be at least 60% efficient and the rest you can work out yourself.:)

I didnt know that

Id love to get a stove, we had one in sweeden which was the heating for the house, warmest house iv lived in even through their winters:eek: Im in a rented house atm so not really an option, there actually used to be one in the house before i moved in:( but its gone along with the boiler that went with it.

As for the work of cutting down the trees, id do it anyway even if it was not comin to my house, ill have the rifle and shotgun with me and you can be sure there will be a few shots let off during the day so its a day im lookin forward to:)