When it comes to heating your home, few options are as visually appealing as an open fire or a wood burning stove. However, whilst many people put a lot of thought into the design of fireplace or stove that would look best in their home, the question of which fuel to use and how best to use it is often overlooked. If you’re considering an open fire or wood stove, the following advice should help you build an efficient, smoke-free fire.
Hard wood which has been dried makes the best fuel for a real fire. Split hard wood, dried for a couple of years, will produce an excellent fire. Splitting allows air in to dry the wood. Alternatively, you can use kiln-dried logs. Be sure not to put whole logs on your fire however, as these can contain moisture which can produce a lot of smoke whilst burning less effectively.
It’s best to buy firewood from a specialist supplier, as this will be correctly dried and seasoned. Whilst bags of logs are available for sale from various outlets including garages and supermarkets, these can often contain wood which is wet and so produces a large quantity of smoke when burnt. The logs are often a mix of hard and soft wood too; Again, this soft wood will burn out quickly and can cause problems with your fireplace and chimney.
Only hard wood should be burnt. Soft wood, such as pine, contains a large quantity of resin and will only burn for a short period. If your fire has glass doors, soft wood will blacken the glass extremely quickly, as well as blocking the chimney.
Many people think that a home fire is a great way to get rid of old pieces of wood which they have lying around, such as from home improvements. You should avoid this however, as this wood will have been treated with chemicals which, when burnt, can damage your fireplace whilst producing large quantities of smoke.
To build the most efficient fire, follow these Do’s and Don’ts;
- DO use hard wood such as Elm, Oak, Apple or Silver Birch.
- DON’T use soft wood, as this is less efficient
- DO use wood which has been seasoned and split
- DON’T use wood which has been treated with chemicals (such as paint or creosote)
- DO use clean newspaper and dry kindling or firelighters to get the fire going.
In addition, if you have a wood stove, refuel sufficiently on the mound of charcoal on the fire’s base.
When the fire is out and it is safe to do so, remove the ashes and place them in a metal container which can be covered. This should then be kept outside. You can even scatter them on your garden.
One last issue to take into account is that the efficiency of your fire will depend on its type. Open fires are not very effective at heating rooms; They can burn through around six logs each night and achieve at best around 20% efficiency. A closed wood burning stove on the other hand can produce a great deal more heat, with efficiency rates of around 80-95%.
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