Winter.

[PreppingPingu]

Just added some different clothes to the bag I carry in the boot of my car in prep for the cooler weather, checked I have enough instant hand warmers in there and thought about getting my car serviced in the autumn so it'll be winter ready. I tend to service it before the bad weather hits so it gives me time to fix anything that needs fixing and fork out for new tyres if needed in stages.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Just added some different clothes to the bag I carry in the boot of my car in prep for the cooler weather, checked I have enough instant hand warmers in there and thought about getting my car serviced in the autumn so it'll be winter ready. I tend to service it before the bad weather hits so it gives me time to fix anything that needs fixing and fork out for new tyres if needed in stages.

If your running for new tyres look into "all season" at the very least ones with the M+S marking ideally the three mountain peaks and snow flake
https://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/w ... e-m-s-mark



Eg

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop ... p=R-281221


This year's best of test from ADAC (German AA)

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/20 ... e-Test.htm

[Outdoorsy]

We’ve just had the gas fire taken out and replaced with a multi fuel stove in preparation for the winter. I’m desperate to get it fired up but it’s not yet cold enough in the evenings
I’m toying with the idea of briquettes instead of logs but it doesn’t have quite the same appeal. Has anyone used them? I think they’re meant to be cheaper to buy and burn hotter than logs.

[peejay]

I'm itching to get a solid fuel burner installed - we have two fireplaces, both with crappy old (condemned so of no use nor ornament) gas fires. One of these days I'll get a quote with a flue & see what the sticker-shock is like....

[pseudonym]

We’ve just had the gas fire taken out and replaced with a multi fuel stove in preparation for the winter. I’m desperate to get it fired up but it’s not yet cold enough in the evenings
I’m toying with the idea of briquettes instead of logs but it doesn’t have quite the same appeal. Has anyone used them? I think they’re meant to be cheaper to buy and burn hotter than logs.

Stick with proper wood. I never got on with the briquettes or the anthracite coal in mine.

[jansman]

If you have not had a fire yet, make sure you ‘ease’ your stove in with small fires to ‘ cure’ the cast iron. Burn too hot too quick, you could crack your stove.

[grenfell]

We’ve just had the gas fire taken out and replaced with a multi fuel stove in preparation for the winter. I’m desperate to get it fired up but it’s not yet cold enough in the evenings
I’m toying with the idea of briquettes instead of logs but it doesn’t have quite the same appeal. Has anyone used them? I think they’re meant to be cheaper to buy and burn hotter than logs.

Stick with proper wood. I never got on with the briquettes or the anthracite coal in mine.

Can't say I've ever used the briquettes either but then I have access to timber , both green and joinery offcuts free via work. If I were in a position of having to buy the wood then I too would probably be seriously considering briquettes if they are cheaper than logs. Sad fact that if having to buy fuel for a stove it's going to be more expensive than the gas. Start keeping an eye on skips for waste timber although steer away from treated and painted stuff and join freecycle as that will often have offers off firewood although again check that the "firewood" isn't chopped down conifers which isn't the best stuff to feed the stoves with. Pallets are now largely untreated and as far as I can glean anything that isn't a Euro pallet certainly won't be as they are considered practically disposable. Steer clear off the blue painted chep and GKN ones , firstly because of the paint and secondly because they are owned by someone else and there have been instances where they have been awkward about people using their pallets.
Get a decent handsaw/ bowsaw for cutting the logs up . Power saws too of course but there's always the possibility that there's no power or petrol for those tools and having a good old fashioned manual saw means you'll always be able to cut up wood for the fire.

[jansman]

Totally agree with pseudonym and grenfell.If you have to buy wood, " cough,cough! "then another heat source would be cheaper.I have petrol chainsaw,electric and bowsaws.A proper maul is far better than an axe too.And a few splitting wedges help too.And a lump hammer.

[Medusa]

We spent all last Saturday chopping wood again so the shed is full, the garden storage box is full, the old coal bunker is full and we have filled a taut bag full and covered it with a tarp so the garden looks less like pallet city! Made good headway this year but I still want to chop more as its easy to motor through when there are two stoves going. SO and I have a bit of a production line going, he chops the pallets up with the chainsaw and I put everything through the chop saw. I have been promised an electric chainsaw for Christmas as I really don't get on with the petrol ones. Ordered some more of those flamer style firelighters which were awesome last year. I buy basic candles every month with my shop and batteries when they are on offer and have put a battery charger and re-chargeables on my wish list plus a vacuum sealer. Almost out of calor gas for the barbeque and big camping stove so need to stock up on that oh and bought a new torch which needs picking up from the PO tomorrow. Both the wood stoves need a bit of a service, new rope around the doors etc so ordered that too.

[Deeps]

Nice one Medusa, like anything there are rechargeable batteries and rechargeable batteries. It depends what you're looking to achieve, I've mixed some high end ones (eneloops) for instant use with some cheaper ones that don't hold their charge as well (but are a LOT cheaper) that I can look to charge longer term with solar or whatever. I've also got a mix of chargers,some are USB powered so I can have a bit of flexibility. Lots of cheap options in the regular places.