Fire wood Winter heat

[Jamesey1981]

Your liver is pretty good at getting rid of cyanide, it's found naturally in various things that we have evolved to eat over the years.

There's a bit more information in this video https://youtu.be/bWNpO5vvhpk he actually drinks some cyanide solution.
If you're at all interested in science I would suggest having a look over that YouTube channel, it's one of my favourites.

[peejay]

Is it generally expensive to get a new flue fitted? I've been considering getting a burner of some kind to replace the (disconnected) old gas fires we have in two rooms of the house but I know the inside of the chimneys are pretty rotten as we get brick-dust coming down whenever we get a bird in the chimney though unsurprising for 110yo property.

We're in small a mid-terrace victorian jobbie.

My house is 140 years old, chimneys were rotten so liner was the best option.

Having recently installed all this kit I can tell you what it cost me, my flu liner was the best money could buy with a 25 year guarantee, also it was capable of handling a multi fuel stove. my chimney was 15.5 meters so liner was a little more expensive than it would be on a normal house ..... £1,300, think I paid £450 for the stove, £300 for french antique oak beams to make a fire surround, flagstones for the hearth were £250 including cutting to size.

all in £2,300

Many thanks for that breakdown. I may well see if I can get any kind of free initial survey to give me an idea of whether a flue would be needed or not...

[grenfell]

Elder gives off cyanide too.I burn trimmings from my trees and burn them regularly.If your flue draws properly( and hot) its fine.Far better than car fumes at 3 foot.All combustion is toxic.

True , and apple pips contain cyanide and almonds contain cyanide and so on.
I don't burn treated timber , that is timber treated with various poisons as a domestic fire doesn't get hot enough to prevent the formation of dioxins . It needs to be a forced air furnace to destroy those although I forget the actual temperature needed but it's something around 800-900*C . Useful having a father who was a furnace controller at times.

[ukpreppergrrl]

My house is 140 years old, chimneys were rotten so liner was the best option.

Having recently installed all this kit I can tell you what it cost me, my flu liner was the best money could buy with a 25 year guarantee, also it was capable of handling a multi fuel stove. my chimney was 15.5 meters so liner was a little more expensive than it would be on a normal house ..... £1,300, think I paid £450 for the stove, £300 for french antique oak beams to make a fire surround, flagstones for the hearth were £250 including cutting to size.

all in £2,300

Yup that's the ball park I'm expecting to pay. Though my stove will probably be more expensive as I have to get a DEFRA approved jobbie as I live in London. My 104 year old house will need a liner in the chimney. I'm getting it not for saving money, the rest of the house will still be on the gas boiler, more for: a) because it's pretty; b) I actually really like chopping firewood (though I've never HAD to do it because my life depended on it!), it gives me great satisfaction; c) because it makes me feel like I have other options should the gas/leccy fail for any reason. I could save a great deal of money and just get an LPG heater to have as a backup heat source, but I thought I'd go the whole hog this winter

[7 lives]

We had a second wood burner installed in the lounge,having found the one in the kitchen fabulous especially during power cuts in winter. We also live in a terraced cottage in a row of 12 and successfully fed the entire row from cooking on the wood burner during a 2day power cut.Both the chimneys had liners put in 2years ago.Although at home most of time rarely need to put gas central heating on the house is cosy with just the stoves lit.

[Deeps]

We had a second wood burner installed in the lounge,having found the one in the kitchen fabulous especially during power cuts in winter. We also live in a terraced cottage in a row of 12 and successfully fed the entire row from cooking on the wood burner during a 2day power cut.Both the chimneys had liners put in 2years ago.Although at home most of time rarely need to put gas central heating on the house is cosy with just the stoves lit.

That's got to win you some brownie points with the neighbours. Well done.