The right fuel for your stove
Stove owners often make mistakes when selecting wood to be burnt in their living room pride and joy. If you have paid out good money for your new stove plus having it fitted you will want to get the best results.
If you burn softwood as opposed to hardwood the heat you will achieve can be up to 50% less. Burning softwood can be expensive in the long run and your burner will not be working to its full capacity.
If you are contemplating installing a new wood burner do check in your area wood suppliers and what timber they normally supply.
The best logs are
Oak – Very dense, long burning, minimum drying 18 months 5*
Maple – Hot burner, long-lasting, efficient, minimum drying 18 months 5*
Cherry – Medium hot burner, good starter log, minimum drying 18 months 4*
Birch – Quick burner, good starter log, minimum drying 18 months 3*
Pine – Starter log, quick drying, 2*
Most important: Only ever use dried fully seasoned chopped wood logs with a moisture content of less than 20%. Always check with your supplier when the wood was cut and how long has it been drying: This should be a minimum of 18months.
Using damp wood will…
- Be very hard and very slow to start.
- Be difficult to keep going or to keep burning well.
- Produce a very low heat output.
- Make the glass and firebricks dirty.
- Create excessive and rapid creosote build-up in the flue system and chimney.
- Creates a fire hazard due to a blocked chimney.
Can we help?
If you would like assistance with your new or existing stove, please make contact and one of our registered fitters will be happy to assist.
