Briquette Maker

ger · Briquette Maker

Does anyone use these?? We are looking at getting a stove fitted and I have a lot of paper waste with crafting and though this would be a great idea to use the scraps, but i just wanted to check your thoughts on how good/bad they are

monkey nuts

Thanks for the reminder ger. I bought one last year and completely forgot about it :oops: I will have to have a go at making some now

ger

LOL No probs!! I was wondering if you get a lot of smoke and heat off them, I have a grumpy neighbour who alway complaines when I burn wood so if these blocks gave off a lot of smoke he would do his nut!

Meg in the Mountains

We have one and it took DH a very long time to make any brickettes. So much so that he only used it once! I really should give it another try. Can't remember how successful the outcome was, sorry.

Tell your neighbour to get a life.

pete_inthehills

hmm....our friends had one. They said that they had to get the paper moist before making the brickettes and then they had to wait for them to dry before burning them. It seemed to take ages for them to dry, although if you had an open shed that let the wind through, but kept the rain off, I'd guess that they'd dry better. If you burn them when they are still damp, you get a lot of smoke. A lot.

From what they were saying, it seems like a good idea, but in practise wasn't.

pete

ger

Yeah it did say you have to soke it over night in water but you could add cardboard & those mailers you get through the door.

It does seem like a lot of work and you need a lot of space for drying, I think I'll have to think a bit more on it before buying

Meg I know what you mean, he's quite laughable!! I am opening a shop in my back garden & because his house is on in the lane where my customers will be walking up and down(not past his house mind) he has complained to the environmental health that our chimney was putting suit over his car(wich was parked in his garage on the day in question!) the chiney has been used approx 20 times and with smokeless fuel and that I am going to give his cancel with my toxic fumes!!!

Meg in the Mountains

Ger ~> good luck with your shop!

Never mind your neighbour, some people always have to have something to complain about.

Yes, pete is right about soaking the paper. And they did indeed take a long time to dry. Not to mention the state of DH's hands when he had finished the task.

Smooth Hound

i used to make briquettes, but just used four pieces of wood and a couple of bricks on top, you can also add a small bit of dross in with it, makes them burn better, and a nice3 bit of smoke for the neighbour

Be it for me to stick my nose in but, he really has no right to complain about your smoke and is really over stepping the mark, if you are not in a smokeless zone then you can burn coal , or wood day and night if you7 want to, and if you are in a smokeless zone then as long as its smokeless coal, then you can burn as much of that as you want as well, the man is a bully by the sounds of it, I hate bullies

baldowrie

newspaper are the best to use and make them in summer

Julie

Have you asked your local authority if there are any restrictions in your area as to what you can burn in your fires etc.?
If they give you the all clear, you can tell him to move house if he doesn't like it!! What a miserable intolerant git.

kimmie

personally i would get a metal bin for fires...and light one in my garden! then when he comes to complain...tell him he finally has something to complain about!!
doesnt some people realise that life is short!..he obviously doesnt

ger

LOL Thanx guys for our support, for a while there he was getting me down as I fear he will hamper the shop!! Wehad the environmental office out for a visit and he was really understanding and withour saying it knew how unreasonable the guy was being. As to smokeless zone we're not in one but becuse our chimny is in a low building and smoke can be a pain if the wind blows the wrong way we've been burning smokeless

some people are never happy I guess
This has only started since we out planning permission in for the shop, I'm hoping when we get it in writing he doesn't apeal as i think can

never mind time will tell!

Smooth Hound

I think youll find he has already had his chance to put in any objections alreadyy, if he has any then hes missed his chance i would think.

kimmie

if he does then we will campagne we need your shop!! dont think he would take us all on lol....could always give him food parcels laced with a duretic hehehe(natural one of course)

ger

Smooth Hound

well he cant, and by the sounds of it , it wouldnt do any good at all

Fia

Your neighbour prefers the invisible but far nastier fumes from coke than the natural life-affirming waft of woodsmoke in the air? Where is his soul? There's probably hidden agenda re the shop and I would recommend keeping your good relations with your cooncillor to work this out. My thoughts go with you.

I clicked on this thread to read through and possibly add my tuppence to the paper briquettes - so here's my story:

A friend in London had one, and when she came to stay for 3 days we arranged she'd bring it, so I could stock up. The day before she arrived the paper was ripped and soaked in the bath. We spent much of her visit squeezing, piling and drying them by the stove. My house was like a laundry - condensation streaming despite open windows. The night before she left we had emptied the bath so we could at last get clean ourselves...more condensation...
However, once dry they are fabulous for getting a stove going from embers in the morning or when you've been out for ages. The lesson we did learn is if you use a briquette maker to incorporate it into your daily routine, rather than try and do it in a batch!

Hope that helps

wildgarlic

I suggested to our local papershop that they made some of these rather than PAY to have their waste newspapers recycled. I said that they could enlist the help of some of the local kids who could sell the briquettes to the folk in the village - lots with open fires/woodburners. They looked at me as if I had two heads. I thought it was a good idea

When they don't sell a paper, the logo is cut from the front page....the rest is binned. We collected quite a few from them when our dog was a puppy.