Bushcraft and homesteading skills in WW3
- Thread starter HorseGuy
- Start date
-
BushMoot: Come along to the amazing Summer Moot 31st July - 5th August (extended Moot : 27th July - 8th August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Today on Radio 4 they claimed there was another push to ban log stoves and rolled out somebody to expound on how harnful it all was, but as usual didn't have anybody on to argue to the contrary or the benefits thereof. Typical BBC bias these days.
Out here in the boonies the way life should work and how it does is two wholly different ways.
I can imagine there's easier people to victimise.
I can imagine there's easier people to victimise.
They seem to wheel out the wood burner ban every year, the last time I seriously looked into it the ban was based on a government study they eventually admitted was seriously flawed.
Now, having lived in suburbia there is a problem with people burning wet wood on open fires, stoves, bonfires etc but there's laws to tackle this that aren't really used. If there's a problem it would be good if the councils actually did something meaningful.
I can foresee yet more legislation that is ignored by virtually everyone apart from the most law abiding. A bit like the woodsure scheme which no one around here seems to abide by.
A simple question for the powers that be is how are many of us to heat our houses during the ever increasing lengthy power cuts.
Now, having lived in suburbia there is a problem with people burning wet wood on open fires, stoves, bonfires etc but there's laws to tackle this that aren't really used. If there's a problem it would be good if the councils actually did something meaningful.
I can foresee yet more legislation that is ignored by virtually everyone apart from the most law abiding. A bit like the woodsure scheme which no one around here seems to abide by.
A simple question for the powers that be is how are many of us to heat our houses during the ever increasing lengthy power cuts.
While we do have the odd power cut, our house is heated by gas. Never had a gas supply issue. Ever.
But you'd need a wood burner installed already, before a power cut for that to apply anyway.
My workshop is heated by a wood burner though... So if worst comes to the worst, I'd go in there with a lantern and fire it up.
When we had a gas boiler power cuts stopped it working. We were also without gas at one time for several weeks as they replaced all the gas pipes in the area. There's been gas outages in Devon recently and several suggestions people should be using heat pumps to avoid the outages, ignoring the fact the area lost it's power a year or two before.
Ah, we don't have a boiler. Immersion heater for hot water. Gas cooker and fire. We have no central heating. (old house) So the gas supply is always available. Water can be heated on the hob.
And where there is a genuine need for wood burners there's often no mains gas. I don't know if an LPG tank needs electricity, I know oil boilers do? Personally I'm not keen of large tanks of fuel, especially oil which can leak into the environment.
Wood seems more sensible to me, but I do live one the edge of my own woodland.
Wood seems more sensible to me, but I do live one the edge of my own woodland.
Well, the large tank of heating oil will run my generator when the power goes down 
But, yes, with our own woodland, we would be daft not to have a log burner. But the heating is only part of the story - a fire makes a house a home!
But, yes, with our own woodland, we would be daft not to have a log burner. But the heating is only part of the story - a fire makes a house a home!
Its a formal Govt consultation, just launched recently. Proposals are for ever higher particulate emissions standards and other restrictions. The last consultation and outcome was not that long ago, clearly it did not satisfy some powerful forces, who, enraged at not getting their way have forced thru another one. I've just received notification from HETAS, but it will not affect existing installations.
Bottom line is that whoever this is, they live in towns/cities and do not care about folk in more rural areas. They also do not have a good grasp of realities, political or practical., but have huge power to force change (irrespective of political party note).
The UK is now dependent upon imported gas, which is a fragile supply line. Mainly US LNG shipped from the States, the rest via a cross channel gas pipeline from the EU. ( Having largely weaned ourselves off Russian gas and oil.)
In the entirely possible event of political instability, the UK has very limited gas stocks. Should this instability also affect the interconnector electricity supply, I presume the gas would go to the uk gas fuel power stations as the first priority, in case the sun did'nt shine and the wind died.
Bottom line is that whoever this is, they live in towns/cities and do not care about folk in more rural areas. They also do not have a good grasp of realities, political or practical., but have huge power to force change (irrespective of political party note).
The UK is now dependent upon imported gas, which is a fragile supply line. Mainly US LNG shipped from the States, the rest via a cross channel gas pipeline from the EU. ( Having largely weaned ourselves off Russian gas and oil.)
In the entirely possible event of political instability, the UK has very limited gas stocks. Should this instability also affect the interconnector electricity supply, I presume the gas would go to the uk gas fuel power stations as the first priority, in case the sun did'nt shine and the wind died.
I understand the drive to ban log stoves, I can remember coal fired England, there are sound health reasons you do not want them as your main heating source in suburbia, however freezing to death with no electricity or gas is not exactly healthy either is it?
Yes, but the folk who suffer from smoke will probably be asthmatic kids, and those who die from cold elderly? We know what the BBC are like.
My Mother experienced the London Smogs which she told me about. I dont think going back to those days would be good.
My Mother experienced the London Smogs which she told me about. I dont think going back to those days would be good.
I have wondered about this more than a few times.
When we lived in the US, we had gas central heating. But it was forced air: the gas furnace heated air that was pushed by fans through ducting into each room. No electricity, fans can't push the air around, so no heating.
Here, we have oil-fired central heating: the oil burner heats water that circulates through pipes to radiators. I've not investigated, yet, but I wonder if the water moves by convection or the if circulation relies on an electric pump.
And for those people who have never suffered a gas supply problem...
In early December 2022 a water main in Stannington burst and somehow more than 2 million litres of water found its way into the gas main. Water flooded out of gas appliances in people's homes ruining furnishings and appliances, and many households were without gas for two weeks..
2022 Sheffield gas supply outage - Wikipedia
Last edited:
The Smogs were lethal and were why smokeless fuel and Zones were created, and quite rightly too. Nice though they are, open fires are hopelessly inefficient and create quite a lot of pollution. So whilst needs must for some, a stove is far and away better. Modern stoves are very efficient and given the right fuel and operation are low polluters.
Electric and gas are lower emissions at point of burning simply because all of their pollution is created elsewhere in somebody else's backyard./place. Shipping LNG and oil into the UK using very dirty ships fuel oil completely destroys any green argument. Ditto Drax wood pellets from Canada.
Given that there is no perfect solution, the answer is to use less by being very careful, well insulated and super efficient..as any bushcrafter who's collected and prepped their own wood knows.
Electric and gas are lower emissions at point of burning simply because all of their pollution is created elsewhere in somebody else's backyard./place. Shipping LNG and oil into the UK using very dirty ships fuel oil completely destroys any green argument. Ditto Drax wood pellets from Canada.
Given that there is no perfect solution, the answer is to use less by being very careful, well insulated and super efficient..as any bushcrafter who's collected and prepped their own wood knows.
Unfortunately true, nice historical architecture and insulation make uncomfortable bedfellows.Sadly, well-insulated and a 450 year old crook barn do not go together
THE reason I still have OFCH and twin tanks.Well, the large tank of heating oil will run my generator when the power goes down
Similar threads
