Burn seasoned hardwood. Oak, ash, beech or birch, dried to under 20% moisture. That’s the whole answer — dry wood is the difference between a clean, warm fire and a smoky one that clogs your chimney up.
Dry wood is the whole job
Green or wet wood doesn’t burn properly. It smoulders, throws out smoke instead of heat, and leaves tar inside your chimney. That tar is the stuff that catches fire.
Burn wood that’s been seasoned for a year or more, or kiln-dried. If it’s got the “Ready to Burn” mark on the bag, it’s under 20% moisture and good to go. It lights easier, burns hotter and makes far less mess in the chimney.
Hardwood vs softwood
Hardwoods — oak, ash, beech, birch — burn slower and hotter. That’s what you want for a proper fire on a cold evening.
Softwoods like pine and spruce catch quick but burn fast and can spit. Fine for getting the fire going, but not much else. Fill the stove with it and you’ll wonder where it all went an hour later.
What not to burn
Steer clear of anything painted, varnished or treated. Old skirting, fence panels, MDF, chipboard — it all gives off nasty fumes and clogs the flue.
Coal in a wood-only stove is a no. And household rubbish never goes in a fire, however tempting it is to get rid of it.
How to tell if your wood’s dry
A moisture meter is the sure way — you want under 20%. No meter? Knock two logs together. Dry wood gives a sharp clack, wet wood a dull thud. Cracks in the ends of the log and a lighter weight are good signs too.
Storing it right
Keep it off the ground, cover the top and let the air get round it. A log burner that’s fed properly-seasoned wood runs cleaner and needs sweeping far less often. A log store with open sides is ideal, and stack it loose so it can carry on drying.
If your stove’s smoking, or you’ve not had the chimney swept in a while, give us a shout. We cover Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
01622 278160 or 07383670335 — or email info@everwarmfires.co.uk