Kiln Dried Hardwood - South Dublin/North Wicklow

cormie

Hi,
I'm looking for a reliable supplier of kiln dried hardwood (small logs for an inset stove) in the South Dublin/North Wicklow region.

I don't have the space to buy in bulk so would be happy to collect myself.

I want a moisture content below 20% and I'd have enough space for maybe 100kg of logs. Hardwood preferable. Would also be interested in buying some kindling if they supply also.

Any recommendations appreciated

finnharpsboy

buying mine from a place around the corner from me in Bluebell
3 bags for €10 hardwood dont know what the moisture content is but they burn nicely

JuliusCaesar

cormie wrote: »

Hi,
I'm looking for a reliable supplier of kiln dried hardwood (small logs for an inset stove) in the South Dublin/North Wicklow region.

I don't have the space to buy in bulk so would be happy to collect myself.

I want a moisture content below 20% and I'd have enough space for maybe 100kg of logs. Hardwood preferable. Would also be interested in buying some kindling if they supply also.

Any recommendations appreciated

Me too! Needs to have the low moisture content for the stove - any higher and problems will occur with the flue. Can't buy an entire pallet, but might be able to go half/quarter pallet. If all else fails, I'll go halves with you Cormie.

cormie

Could do that alright! Hopefully there's somewhere local to just go and pick up a few bags for a reasonable price!

cormie

Found these 3. Prices all seem around the same per kg.

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/heating/3802802
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/otherhouse/3947783
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/heating/3593136

cormie

That hotlogs company seem to sell in smaller packs too available from a few retail outlets (http://www.hotlogs.ie/retailer-list), a few very close to me which is handy, but €8 for 11kg is a bit on the pricey side considering the ones below are €6 for 15kg. I'm not sure if the quality is similar though..

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/heating/3593136

Just rang Dermot from the link above and he doesn't do the 15kg bags anymore but does 10kg for €4.30. The company is called heat co stoves. He also does pallets of 700kg for €270. It's Kiln dried beech and ash imported from the Ukraine. Collection in Rathfarnham only at present. 700kg of the €4.30 bags would cost €301 so not too bad buying the smaller packs. 700kg of the 11kg hot logs packs would cost €505.90 so quite a difference there.

Hotlogs do 1.2m3 Bulk Bag for €250 including FREE Delivery Nationwide but I haven't a clue how much this would weigh.

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/heating/3802802 do half a cubic meter bag for €100. Again, haven't a clue how much this would be but going by cubic meters, works out a little cheaper than hotlogs at €250 for 1.25m3 as opposed to 1.2 but no mention of delivery so hotlogs could work out much better in that case. The hotlogs definitely seem to be high quality so I wonder how the others would compare..

Teeley

finnharpsboy wrote: »

buying mine from a place around the corner from me in Bluebell
3 bags for €10 hardwood dont know what the moisture content is but they burn nicely

Thats a good price! Where exactly in Bluebell..please?

finnharpsboy

a place called ABS building supplies have a copy of there leaflet that came in the door if you want to have a look

cormie

Does it say anything about air dried/kiln dried on that leaflet? Any idea of the weight? Have done a little bit of reading and it seems moisture content is very important, especially with a stove, so I want to keep below 20%.

Is that ABS in JFK industrial estate? I used to do a lot of decking deliveries from there and they were always good value from what I know.

I bought 35kg of hardwood for 11eur yesterday but it seems to have been just cut, very difficult to burn, especially in a stove so I won't be buying them again.

John_Rambo

logs.ie do seasoned wood.

Better to have homegrown air dried wood, not kiln dried, no energy has been wasted on what should be an energy free fuel.

finnharpsboy

no it was just a basic fuel leaflet for coal briqutes and logs nothing about moisture content or anything. when i picked up a couple of bags of them they said they keep them indoors in the stores and are kiln dried. im not sure of the weight maybe somewhere between 10-15 kg bags.

they also have them advertised on adverts

cormie

Looks like there's a load more sellers on adverts.ie too actually. Not sure what the best deal/best logs are now.

John_Rambo, what moisture content would air drying give? I read it wouldn't give less than 25 when for stoves it's recommended not to use above 20.

finnharpsboy

im sure if you drop into them they might throw you a sample thats what i did
think they might be closed til new year though

John_Rambo

cormie wrote: »

John_Rambo, what moisture content would air drying give? I read it wouldn't give less than 25 when for stoves it's recommended not to use above 20.

I honestly don't know Cormie. They burn in my stove no problem, it's an insert stove.

The first lot I got wasn't great, I said it to them and the second lot were drier.

finnharpsboy

i use mine in an open fire so in fairness i cant offer an opinion on how they would burn in a stove but the ones i got were burning in a stove in the suppliers shop and the stove was literally boiling

cormie

The open fire would deal with them much better than a stove would. I threw two coal nuggets into my stove and they were still visible after about 7 hours of use. The hardwood I tried yesterday didn't take well at all so want to be sure I'm getting good stuff that is best for the stove and chimney and heat.

Air vs Kiln probably isn't too big a difference as long as it's been aired properly and for long enough.

finnharpsboy

as i say they were burning them up there themselves to show stove users the quality of them but as ive no stove i didnt really pay much attention, the stove was piping hot to the touch though.

ive contacted them through this website to before so they might be able to tell you more

cormie

Thanks for that Will keep them in mind. There's a few good value looking deals on adverts too!

finnharpsboy

yeah i keep an eye on adverts in case i come across a bargain but i tend to just stick with them, there local and not as dear as the coalman

Qualitymark

Cormie, if you're looking for kiln dried, I've got it two places - ash in Meath and Beech in Galway. The delivery charges are high, but if you're buying a large amount it's worth it.

You'll need to keep it under cover so it doesn't just sop up the damp and get wet again.

It's also good to get a moisture meter (they sell these on Amazon, and you can get cheaper but perfectly good Chinese versions on ebay). My first two loads of wood (not kiln-dried, but supposedly seasoned) were from a Tipperary man; the first load was very dry and good, but the second was something like 35% moisture; when I complained he said he'd replace it, but the replacement showed up the same moisture, so I told him not to bother, kept what I had and never bought from him again.

cormie

Thanks for that. Any chance of a link for a cheapo moisture meter from eBay that you might recommend? Wouldn't have a clue what to look for myself

Maybe something like this? http://dx.com/p/digital-wood-moisture-meter-1-x-9v-81812

Cheap and good ratings.

I wonder wood the hotlogs pack easily soak moisture back up if they weren't stored properly in the shop too.

Qualitymark

Yeah, here's one from a UK seller too (not sure what the postage is on either) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-Moisture-Meter-Wood-Timber-Damp-Detector-Tester-/250749826789?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item3a61dab6e5

What make and model is your inset stove, by the way, out of curiosity? Are you finding it good?

Edit: I tried hotlogs, but didn't like them because they put so much ash into the air; asthmatic here, so part of the point of a closed stove is the relative lack of ash and particulates floating around.

cormie

That's interesting, that's one of the reasons I wanted to go with a stove too, for allergy reasons and to reduce the amount of dust particles in the room. I don't think wood ash would be as bad as coal ash though? There's a big thread on my stove here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056825252 well worth the read of the whole thing as there's a lot of great info.

What logs or fuel do you find best for your asthma so?

cormie

I ended up buying 13 10kg bags off Dermot who I mentioned in post 6 above today. I got 13 bags for €50. The leaflet in the bag said "average 7/8kg" which I asked him about and he said they used to do 7/8kg bags. I weighted a few when I got home and was happy to see they were a little over 10kg each.

I asked about the moisture too and he got out a stanley moisture reader, stuck it into a log and showed me it reading 16/17% so was happy with that too.

Have one burning now and it's a world of difference compared to the wet logs.

Will see how I get on anyway.

By the way, I tried "sprogs" I think they were called from Tesco, which are log type cylinders made from what smells like hay, but they are pretty bad. Don't give much heat, create loads of ash and don't last long either. The eco logs I bought in TJ Hanleys were a lot better I think.

Gave some old coal and the wet hardwood I had to my mam and I'll be burning wood only from now on I think.

Qualitymark

By the way, there are often stove-related threads in the Heating and Plumbing forum, if you need any expert advice in the future - some of the people posting there are sweeps and installers, I think.

cormie

Yeah, I was getting great advice in the thread I started on stoves from a few, extremely helpful!

The supplier I went to has a stove store too and I think the place is called stoveco, it must be new because there's another shop in the Google Street view link here:

http://goo.gl/maps/fIUQE

I did read up about not burning softwood so will be keeping to hardwood and just using a little softwood kindling to get the fire going.

Big difference burning the logs compared to the other stuff. I've all the air inlets closed and there's still a nice low flame off it and good heat and seems like it will last much longer.

JuliusCaesar

cormie wrote: »

I ended up buying 13 10kg bags off Dermot who I mentioned in post 6 above today. I got 13 bags for €50. The leaflet in the bag said "average 7/8kg" which I asked him about and he said they used to do 7/8kg bags. I weighted a few when I got home and was happy to see they were a little over 10kg each.

Thanks! Will try him myself.

k123456

I bought 13 bags as well, good dry logs, however i find them a little small, which means they burn quickly, it's just a personal thing, but I prefer bigger , longer burning logs

JuliusCaesar

Only offering 12 bags for E50 now. Oh well, still a bargain.

cormie

Was at the Deansgrange NCT centre yesterday and noticed a big shed of solid fuel from http://www.green-house.ie/ next door. I went over for a look and they said they get kiln dried hardwood logs, less than 15% moisture and a 12/13kg bag would be €6.50 I think. They also had 100% hardwood "eco" logs which were a mix between beech and another hardwood but the guy was saying they were very good and would last ages and only gave 1% ash. These were 6.50 each or 10 packs for 60eur. There were about 10 logs in a pack. I forget the brand name but has anyone any experience of using these against regular hardwood logs and how they compare? The ones I got from tesco smelled like hay and were pretty bad, didn't give off any heat at all. The ones I got with the stove, I think they were called flamers, were better than the tesco ones, I wonder if these 100% hardwood ones would be even better still? He said they were a best seller and recommended them over the hardwood logs...

cormie

I got a 10kg pack of the Maxitherm eco brix here: http://www.heatcoireland.co.uk/product-information

I think that's the same company, they have heatcoireland.eu on the pack. I got them at that green house place linked to above and they were 6.50 per 10kg. The guy said they perform better than hardwood logs but I'll have to see.

Also, the ones I have are 100% hardwood oak AND ash.

Maxitherm - Eco friendly heating for environmentalists
-Maxitherm are 100% hardwood oak firelogs
-High performance slow burning less then 1% ash, the finest value!
-CO2 Neutral - heat your home without harming the environment.
-Easily stored in a dry place, using minimal space compared with other less eco-friendly fuels.
-Suitable for wood stoves and open fires, they do not spark or crackle.
-Good for barbecues and chimineas
-Ignite quickly
-To reduce length of logs, press them onto a hard tapered object
-It does not cost the earth to save the planet!