Sales of stoves continue to increase month on month as the UK public look for ways to reduce their heating bills. Whether you are the proud owner of a shiny new stove, or you’re thinking to install one, there are a few things that you need to know to really get the most out of that heat generator in the fireplace.

Most important only burn fully matured timber.

 This is the most fundamental thing to get right when you’re burning wood. It might be surprising, but green wood is around 45% water. That means that for every kg of green wood you add to the fire, you’re effectively adding around 500ml (a pint) of water. This means that you will need to make sure that your fuel has been dried properly. Read more

Things you need to think about when selecting a wood burner.

When you enter the store you will see lots of lovely looking options, now is the time to be prepared. Do your research and list down your requirements, then seek the advice of a fully qualified HETAS fitter who will point you in the right direction.

Do you want to burn wood only or multi-fuel?

A dedicated wood burner can be the most efficient so It’s worth considering if you’re never going to want to burn other fuels.

This issue is one you will need to spend time on, ask yourself if you will ever want to burn other fuels, such as pellets? Get the opinion of the fitter as they will be able to inform you of the plus’s and minus’s, thus ensuring you make the correct choice.

Air wash

If you want to see the flames, which no doubt you do, the stove needs a window that stays clean. So you want an Air wash model. This pulls air into the stove that blows across the glass so when it’s working right the soot and tar doesn’t reach the glass.

Clean burning

Yes please no doubt!! Of course, the cleaner the better. “clean burning” is a marketing term it is not a quantifiable standard. It refers to a system where additional air is introduced to the gasses above the fire, allowing more combustion. This burns off more of the gasses that would have gone up the chimney. So it should give a higher heat output for the same amount of wood.

Help required?

If you would like help choosing or fitting a new wood burner please do make contact and one of our fully qualified HETAS registered engineers will be happy to help.