Bosky F30

[elisabeth]

We've just installed the Bosky F30, woodburner with oven, but we can't get oven to go over 150 degrees in accordance with instruction manual. Can anyone help please?

[John Headstrong]

what sort of wood are you burning ?

the quality of wood is important, you need dry wood, felled at least 3 yrs before hand.

[elisabeth]

Yes, we have good wood (we have always used woodburners here and used to seeking out good suppliers. I can't remember what sort this is though, might be hornbeam and oak; it's 3 yrs old. bone dry, right size and is burning beautifully, though there is a bit of a buildup of tar. The radiators and the stove top are piping hot and water temp reading 100.

[elisabeth]

Hi John
On overnight reflection , and the fire going out, you may be right, which is a shock to the system as we have 15 cubic metres of wood to use up! It was probably good enough for our jotul and Godin, but we've replaced with the Bosky and I notice the instructions about wood quality are much stricter than the other makes. Now we have to find a solution as we can't afford another wood delivery, not do we have the space.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

As a last resort, you might try adding some charcoal to the fire. Not ideal in that you'd need to buy the charcoal, but if you've already got the wood it would be cheaper than replacing your stock.

[John Headstrong]

I agree with riff raff, a friend of mine has just bought loads of charcoal from a supermarket for his little burner in his shed. it was end of season so was £1 a bag.

also, try getting some very dry wood to mix in, pallets are quick burning and free, also any old furniture and such will help get the heat up.

[elisabeth]

Thank you for the suggestion. We will try mixing different woods as we can now identify the 2 sorts by colour. And maybe charcoal, though that sounds frighteningly expensive. I think that we also need some guidance from someone who has a Bosky as there are so many dials and air vents and so on that I 'm sure we are also not using it to its best effect. The good news is that we did have slow roast lamb for lunch that too 12 hours to cook and it was truly wonderful- serendipity!

[The Riff-Raff Element]

You only really need charcoal when you're "superheating." We have a Godin and when we first had it bought wood that really wasn't cutting the mustard so we used to add a litre or two of charcoal to get the oven up to bread making temperature (which I always claim to be 210°C). I suppose in that winter we got through seven or eight 40l sacks at about €8 per sack (we learned our lesson and bought the better quality lumpwood stuff which came, as it happens, from the Dordogne).

Saw mill offcuts are often a good bet: we have a load of tropical hardwood (properly managed forests - I checked) cubes which burn incredibly well as part of a mix for about €40 per tonne. They're about 10cm cubes and similar; a pain to stack, but outstanding value. I'll admit to have had a little twinge about burning stuff that had travelled halfway round the world, but I reasoned it was here anyway and it was a case of waste not want not.

If you don't mind the associated moral bankrupcy ( - I jest) then there is always coal. You should be able to find someone selling by the bag in the Pages Jaunes.

I love what happens to food in a woodburning oven

[elisabeth]

Bonjour voisine (well near enough anyway),
Thank you for all those brill ideas about wood. We will take it all on board and see what happens.
Yes, food in the wood burner tastes a lot better...I think smugness and economy add to the flavour too!
Our fire goes out at night despite following all instructions so we now have to work out all the knobs and dials to get the right amount of air in without burning too quickly or strangling it. Sometimes I wish for an electric switch for heating! We have a Jotul woodburner on the first floor salon, and replaced our Godin woodburner down in the basement kitchen with the Bosky as everyone said it was so good. I'm sure it is but has a complicated personality!

[boboff]

My Gran has an old Rayburn. She keeps bits of wood to one side for "browning the roast potatoes" etc.
You can get a wood moisture meter for less than £20, I got one from Amazon. At least that way you can check the different woods to get an understanding of what readings you are getting, and how that equates to temp of burn.
I do not think it is time cut, but how well the wood is stored that counts. Dry and well ventilated is quickest. You just need to get that reading down. As someone who has sold wood, you can not believe them when they say it's been down for three years. Stored inside a shed or barn, the readings after a long summer won't change much in the next 2 and a half years.
The other thing is ventilation and adequate seals, I am sure the unit if new is fine, but it is really worth going over the joints in the flu with fire cement and then heat resistant mastic stuff which is flexible. Follow this on all joins up to the chimney plate, and especially around the plate. Opening a window can often help a draw especially as you say you are in a basement ( again if you have had it professionally installed in the UK then they would have made you put in vents etc, but not sure about France)
The other thing I have found is that wood definately burns best when it is on a bed of ash rather than on a rattler grill thing. I know this makes emptying impossible if its going all the time, but I have found that by burning on the ash you actually need to empty the ash about 1/10 as often, so a weekly cool down and clean could actually suffice. This helps enourmously with keeping it in as well, as ofen a poke in the morning gets us all warm...................................

This is only my advice, I could be wrong, I frequently am, but if one thing helps then it's all been worth it!

Sounds lovely though, wish I had one! ( I can't justify spending the money on a cooker when I have one already)

[elisabeth]

Hi
Thank you so much for all that information, It is difficult trusting wood suppliers, we have discarded 3 who either delivered wet new wood or short changed us. This one came recommended by several others, and the wood burns beautifully in the Jotul. Our basement is only a basement in that the back wall is half underground level; it is large, has big double doors, window, and a small window which we will open to try the ventilation. The wood tester sounds interesting.
I'd better not add a smilie!

[boboff]

Please do, I really don't mind.

Moisture meter is interesting, I love gadgets, I got a multi meter last Christmas, I haven't a clue how to use it, but I wanted one!

[elisabeth]

There you are! Very apt I think - wishfully thinking! Our Jotul is performing so well with the wood and the Bosky isn't so we continue with our search for the final solution.