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Post by darkling on Oct 24, 2022 13:40:52 GMT
It normally flows forwards onto the lawn, but I'll have to double check next time it rains heavily and I'm in the house. I was thinking it might be that because in the photos it looks like the back of the log store isn’t raised very much, maybe it has settled a bit because of all the weight. Well noticed! The bottom slat of wood on the side had actually slipped down a bit (it wasn't even nailed into place) and the same on the other side too. I've just pushed them back up into place. I'll have to nail them into place. Looks like this weekend is going to be mainly log store maintenance. |
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Post by Danno on Oct 24, 2022 13:49:17 GMT
Shit. I need a log store. I don't even have a fire and feel like I now need a log store. |
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Post by henroben on Oct 24, 2022 14:13:43 GMT
Yes it's hard to say what's causing it. Could be rain bouncing up from the slabs, but then isn't this a problem for all log stores with an open front on hard ground? I emptied my butt (hehe) at the weekend because it was full and I suspect it was overflowing onto the slabs, but then the ground has been soaked with water for the last week straight due to heavy rain, so I doubt it contributed much. There is some soil to the side, but it doesn't come into contact with the wood store, even though it looks like it does in the pics. I might dig that soil back a bit anyway. I'll have to wait for a dry day and remove the logs then, like I suspected, but I don't see how I can prevent it from happening again. I don't really know what mistake I've made. It's rain bouncing up from the pavement, which depending how heavy the rain is, can bounce up surprisingly far! There's also the fact that you've absolutely stuffed that store full of logs - so they're very, very close to the front of it. You could just lean a plank of wood or something up along the front of it as short term solution - that'd stop most of the rain hitting the logs. Or you could extend the roof out a bit to the front, just to give a bit more shelter. I suspect that if there was 15 - 20 cm gap between the front of the logs and the front of the store, they wouldn't be getting so wet. If you've got a hatchet you could split one of those damp logs and see how far the moisture has soaked in, my guess is probably not very far tbh, and even if so, water evaporates out of a seasoned log a lot quicker than the sap does, so it won't take that long to dry out again. |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 24, 2022 14:23:07 GMT
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nexus6
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 24, 2022 14:28:28 GMT
Oh fuck aye. Hence the drive to appropriate other structures or use scrap wood. I had a 500 quid timber order for a project in the garden. There was enough left over to build my 3m (but not very tall) log store. Saved at least £200 on buying one. |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 24, 2022 14:32:28 GMT
Fucking hell, one of the houses I used to rent in this village had railway sleepers in that I made use of. I should have taken them with me. Tits.
There's a few local guys that could give me a hand if I bought the materials I guess. I mean, as long as it's solid and has air flow, that's the majority of requirements isn't it?
It'll look shit though. All my DIY tends to look naff.
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Post by Dougs on Oct 24, 2022 14:33:52 GMT
Wood is eye-wateringly expensive these days.
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Post by quadfather on Oct 24, 2022 14:41:44 GMT
It's ridiculous isn't it. I can't find anything under 170 that's half decent.
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Post by darkling on Oct 24, 2022 14:43:23 GMT
Yes it's hard to say what's causing it. Could be rain bouncing up from the slabs, but then isn't this a problem for all log stores with an open front on hard ground? I emptied my butt (hehe) at the weekend because it was full and I suspect it was overflowing onto the slabs, but then the ground has been soaked with water for the last week straight due to heavy rain, so I doubt it contributed much. There is some soil to the side, but it doesn't come into contact with the wood store, even though it looks like it does in the pics. I might dig that soil back a bit anyway. I'll have to wait for a dry day and remove the logs then, like I suspected, but I don't see how I can prevent it from happening again. I don't really know what mistake I've made. It's rain bouncing up from the pavement, which depending how heavy the rain is, can bounce up surprisingly far! There's also the fact that you've absolutely stuffed that store full of logs - so they're very, very close to the front of it. You could just lean a plank of wood or something up along the front of it as short term solution - that'd stop most of the rain hitting the logs. Or you could extend the roof out a bit to the front, just to give a bit more shelter. I suspect that if there was 15 - 20 cm gap between the front of the logs and the front of the store, they wouldn't be getting so wet. If you've got a hatchet you could split one of those damp logs and see how far the moisture has soaked in, my guess is probably not very far tbh, and even if so, water evaporates out of a seasoned log a lot quicker than the sap does, so it won't take that long to dry out again. Thanks for the feedback... That's 2 votes for water splashing up at the logs, so I'm going to assume that's the cause for now. This problem did start after a solid day of very heavy rain, but not after the persistent light rain and drizzle the week before. Also, you've reached the same conclusion as me on the log placement. They're far too near the front of the store, so if I do nothing else I'm going to re-stack them further back into the store. I've got a splitter axe, but I closely investigated the damp logs earlier, and it only seems to be surface moisture thankfully. Strangely, a few of the logs in the damp area are completely dry and unaffected. |
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Post by darkling on Oct 24, 2022 14:49:47 GMT
It's ridiculous isn't it. I can't find anything under 170 that's half decent. I'd avoid rutlandcountygardenfurniture.co.uk where I bought mine from. It cost £250 and I'm not very impressed with the quality of the wood, and parts of it weren't even assembled correctly. That said, I don't know where else I'd recommend. I looked everywhere and they all seemed much of a muchness, so I just went for one that looked good. Wilko and B&M sell them, if you want a super cheap one, but they're probably not good quality... but then none of them are! My neighbour made his himself, loosely based on mine, but then he had access to very cheap / free wood. |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 24, 2022 14:55:06 GMT
Yeah, that's the conclusion I'm coming to - going to have to take the plunge one way or another. I mean, they all look shite - just gotta get lucky somehow!
The village I live in is very rural, lots of countryside - I'll enquire about in the local pub and see what's what. Hopefully find something.
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richardiox
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Post by richardiox on Oct 24, 2022 14:55:41 GMT
It's ridiculous isn't it. I can't find anything under 170 that's half decent. I'd avoid rutlandcountygardenfurniture.co.uk where I bought mine from. It cost £250 and I'm not very impressed with the quality of the wood, and parts of it weren't even assembled correctly. That said, I don't know where else I'd recommend. I looked everywhere and they all seemed much of a muchness, so I just went for one that looked good. Wilko and B&M sell them, if you want a super cheap one, but they're probably not good quality... but then none of them are! My neighbour made his himself, loosely based on mine, but then he had access to very cheap / free wood. I never ceased to be amazed by how shit quality most things are in general. You really do need to spend big. Even mid priced stuff seems shite and badly made. |
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Post by darkling on Oct 24, 2022 15:21:14 GMT
I'd avoid rutlandcountygardenfurniture.co.uk where I bought mine from. It cost £250 and I'm not very impressed with the quality of the wood, and parts of it weren't even assembled correctly. That said, I don't know where else I'd recommend. I looked everywhere and they all seemed much of a muchness, so I just went for one that looked good. Wilko and B&M sell them, if you want a super cheap one, but they're probably not good quality... but then none of them are! My neighbour made his himself, loosely based on mine, but then he had access to very cheap / free wood. I never ceased to be amazed by how shit quality most things are in general. You really do need to spend big. Even mid priced stuff seems shite and badly made. 100% agree. Everything I've bought recently has been absolute garbage quality. Even if you take the "cost isn't an issue" approach, you can still end up with something badly made, only you've spent a fortune on it... and then you have an additional customer services farce on your hands to sort it out. I just want to buy quality, but that simply doesn't seem possible anymore. Retailers just want to sell tat in large quantity, then sort out the PR and refunds later, knowing that the majority of customers won't want to completely disassemble / repackage items and ship them back at huge expense for a refund. |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 24, 2022 15:30:13 GMT
It's ridiculous isn't it. I can't find anything under 170 that's half decent. Yeah, people still seem to think wood grows on trees these days. They have no idea. What surprises me is the lack of quality, even though it's multiple hundreds of pounds. I mean, it's 4 fucking fence posts with some slats ffs. |
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Post by Blackmarsh63 on Oct 24, 2022 15:56:42 GMT
... now there's an idea .
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Fake_Blood
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Post by Fake_Blood on Oct 24, 2022 16:24:21 GMT
Seems like the ultimate diy starter project, as in no one will care if you fuck up, it just needs to not collapse and have a roof.
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Post by Dougs on Oct 24, 2022 19:18:41 GMT
Yeah, I made a half-arsed one out of an old palate. It kinda worked but fell apart as I ran out of wood for the roof and the random bit of felt like I had was rotten.
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Post by darkling on Oct 25, 2022 13:17:45 GMT
After waking up early, I decided to just get up and unload my log store before work, remove the damp logs, remove some leaves and debris from underneath, let the empty store dry a bit, and then I stacked it again during my lunch hour. The logs are now stacked further back into the store, instead of being in contact with the front of the frame, so hopefully that'll mitigate any rain splashback, as well as allow better air circulation at the front (the slats underneath are now exposed). I also tried to make sure there was a lot more space between logs to encourage airflow, and to stop any damp logs transferring their water to other logs so easily. I might shove one of my spare log sacks into the bottom of the store, just to shield the bottom logs from any rain splashback.    I've left any logs I suspected of being damp or mouldy drying in the sun. Water had actually penetrated fairly deep into some of them, so glad I removed them. I don't know what to do with them later on. I don't have any outdoor areas with any cover, so I'll probably have to bring them into my kitchen to dry and risk any mould.  |
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Oct 25, 2022 13:20:36 GMT
Looking good, mate.
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nexus6
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 25, 2022 13:32:08 GMT
That's a great task done by lunchtime!
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Post by henroben on Oct 25, 2022 13:40:51 GMT
Looks a lot better. I wouldn't worry too much about the damp logs, they'll most likely dry out before you need to burn them - water evaporates out of wood much faster than sap does.
Even if they're still a little damp it doesn't matter that much - just make sure you chuck em' on a fire that's already going strong and any water left in them will soon boil off from the heat of the fire!
I've burnt logs in the past that have not only been damp, but actually frozen and all has been fine. Just don't make a habit of doing it ;-)
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Post by darkling on Oct 25, 2022 13:41:16 GMT
nexus6 That's what I thought, if I don't say so myself  I'm more shocked than anyone. It's very unlike me to be so proactive.
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Post by quadfather on Oct 25, 2022 13:41:31 GMT
Fuck it, I'm going to make one
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Post by darkling on Oct 25, 2022 13:46:24 GMT
quadfather See if you can source some wood over the next few days, and it'll be the perfect weekend task. After tomorrow afternoon, it doesn't look like we're getting any rain for a while, at least not here in Yorkshire.
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Post by darkling on Oct 25, 2022 13:49:09 GMT
Looks a lot better. I wouldn't worry too much about the damp logs, they'll most likely dry out before you need to burn them - water evaporates out of wood much faster than sap does. Even if they're still a little damp it doesn't matter that much - just make sure you chuck em' on a fire that's already going strong and any water left in them will soon boil off from the heat of the fire! I've burnt logs in the past that have not only been damp, but actually frozen and all has been fine. Just don't make a habit of doing it ;-) Wow, burning frozen logs is a bit 'out there' but good to know it's possible! I'll probably just bring them indoors later so they're dryish before burning them next month, on a well-established fire, of course. |
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Post by henroben on Oct 25, 2022 13:57:11 GMT
Looks a lot better. I wouldn't worry too much about the damp logs, they'll most likely dry out before you need to burn them - water evaporates out of wood much faster than sap does. Even if they're still a little damp it doesn't matter that much - just make sure you chuck em' on a fire that's already going strong and any water left in them will soon boil off from the heat of the fire! I've burnt logs in the past that have not only been damp, but actually frozen and all has been fine. Just don't make a habit of doing it ;-) Wow, burning frozen logs is a bit 'out there' but good to know it's possible! I'll probably just bring them indoors later so they're dryish before burning them next month, on a well-established fire, of course. All you're really doing is reducing the heat output of the fire, as some of that heat has to go into drying the wood before it'll burn. So as long as the fire is established enough that it won't put it out, it's fine. Obviously it's not great for your chimney / log burner to have a load of steam going through it all the time, but for the occasional log it's not really going to be a problem. The frozen logs were what happens when you misjudge how much wood you need for the winter and an unexpected cold snap forces you out to forage for what you can find... |
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Post by grey_matters on Oct 26, 2022 15:50:01 GMT
What's the thinking on burning building lumber? Outside only? I've a mountain of offcuts from our renovation, seems a waste to not get some kind of primal/pyromaniac joy out of them.
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nexus6
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 26, 2022 15:53:54 GMT
What's the thinking on burning building lumber? Outside only? I've a mountain of offcuts from our renovation, seems a waste to not get some kind of primal/pyromaniac joy out of them. Don't burn anything that's treated, would be my rule. And I wouldn't burn anything untreated in my stove as it's not hardwood and can often be Pine which we know is not good for the flue. So yeah I haven't added anything to this - outside only! And even then, burning building waste is illegal in many parts. Environmental Health could be set on you |
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Post by grey_matters on Oct 26, 2022 15:59:24 GMT
What's the thinking on burning building lumber? Outside only? I've a mountain of offcuts from our renovation, seems a waste to not get some kind of primal/pyromaniac joy out of them. Don't burn anything that's treated, would be my rule. And I wouldn't burn anything untreated in my stove as it's not hardwood and can often be Pine which we know is not good for the flue. So yeah I haven't added anything to this - outside only! And even then, burning building waste is illegal in many parts. Environmental Health could be set on you I think its untreated, I'll confirm with builder. And check our laws regarding building waste! Thanks. |
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Oct 26, 2022 16:27:04 GMT
Per the pics and posts on the previous page, we get loads of clean, untreated wood from our carpenter neighbour and more from his sons who are builders.
Some stuff they give us isn't up to standard (dirty, treated, otherwise dubious) and that gets chucked or repurposed - pallets are great for building garden stuff, but not for burning - but the rest is fine and it all burns nicely. As long as you have your chimney swept regularly (yearly) it should be fine. I asked the sweep and he said our residue was normal and the flue was fine.
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I'm more shocked than anyone. It's very unlike me to be so proactive.