Ideas on storing glogs.

[Julian]

I really need to get my glog manufacturing sorted out ... primarily making in bulk in the summer when the weather is good and storing for the winter.

From limited experience, if stored for long periods, glycerine drains out with the potential for making a mess.  Half the problem could be that I'm making them too wet, but they seem to burn extremely well in this condition.

Unfortunately I don't have out  buildings or sheds to spare but could make a lean-to/car port arrangement in which to store them.  most space efficient method will be to stack them horizontally, all same normal logs.

Thoughts to date include sealing in plastic shrink wrap (which would have the advantage of retaining any glycerine that didn't soak into the sawdust).  Not too environmentally sound, although it would only be a tiny bit of plastic burnt at around 650+°C.

Or chop up an IBC to make a sort of pigeon hole which could be tilted backwards to catch the glycerine which could then be drained off via a hole and bung arrangement.

There must be better ways.

[julesandtash]

The most important bit would be to keep them dry.
Glycerol is hygroscopic (hence why glyc washing works) so will soak up any water that gets near the logs.

I store them in a one of those big plastic garden storage boxes (which we got for free) and seems to work well.
Using very fine sawdust I dont find any glycerol leaks out even though there is around 1 litre of glyc per glog

[julianf]

As Jules says, i think, possibly, finer sawdust (if you can get it) would be your answer.

If theyre leaking in storage, surely youre burner is becoming 'klinker'd' up?

But, if youre otherwise happy, i too would suggest some sort of lidded bunker.  At the end of the season, you could chuck in sawdust, and dig out the base, reddy for reloading?


As a side note -

How are you measuring the fire temperature?  (just wondering if you have a way i have not thought of?)

[Julian]

No clinker, but if the glogs are well soaked I can get a build up of "something" on the steel base.  This prises up quite easily with a poker when cold and very easily when warm.

Temperature is an estimate, but the fact that nails and screws in my "urban" logs are glowing a bright red/orange is a fair indication.  I'd have thought an IR gun type devise would give a true reading through the opened the door.

Out of interest I've measured the faces of the stove on several occasions after it's been running for a while with the flue damper closed (ie about a 3mm gap around a 6" diameter) using a surface thermocouple and a Fluke meter ... the sides (fitted with refectory slabs internally) run at about 180°C, the top about 230°C and the glass has been in excess of 300°C ... scary.  In this mild weather it's heating the whole house, just on convection, to the point of being too hot ... I've only run the heating a handful of times this year, best investment I've made in ages.  Need now to investigate fitting the back boiler.

[photoman290]

how about dipping them in candle wax?  that will keep them dry and add to the burning properties. you could add a peice of string to the glog as you press it and use that to dip them in the wax. did i tell you i have a supply of old candle wax? 

[Julian]

Theoretically a great idea, but I recon it would take several dips and a hell of a lot of wax!

[julianf]

Julian,

I have one of those IR thermometer things.  Unless you spend >£100 on one, they max out at 560c (which is why i was interested in your methods)

I also have one of those magnetic things on the flue.

I also... have a thermocouple that im intending on installing in the flue itself, to monitor exit gas temperatures.  But i have not done this yet.

Normally, i like to keep the hot plate at arround 400-450c.  The surface temp on an oil fired aga's boiling plate should be (according to aga) 330c, however, i find that its easier to keep the unit stable at this higher temperature.

This keeps the hot oven at about 600f (a bit over 300c - you just take a bit off the cooking time).

And, besides, who wants to wait for a kettle to boil? ; )

[Head Womble]

To get steel to glow bright red/orange takes around 800°C, so it may be hotter than you think.

[julianf]

To me, however, it seems as if the temperatures are low.

We often take the hotplate up to > 500c, and there is no glow.

[Julian]

Going on the colours on that chart, I'd say around 700+°C.

The lower temperature colours are not very bright.  Have you tried looking in the pitch dark with your eyes accustomed to the dark (can take several minutes).

At the other end of the spectrum have you ever looked directly at white hot molten iron?  You can do it for long!