Wood Burning Stoves F.A.Q's.

Importance of burning dry wood

 

With years of experience in wood burning stoves, boiler stoves and cast iron stoves we can not emphasise enough the importance of burning dry seasoned wood. Below are some of the effects and symptoms of poor stove performance related to wet fire wood.

• Difficulty in fire lighting and keeping a good fire
• Short burn periods
• Rapid build up of tar in the chimney. This Is made worse if a liner was installed due to the decrease in chimney diameter
• Excessive fuel Consumption
• Smoky fires with small dull flames.
• Dirty black glass
• The smell of smoke in the house

Burning wet wood is a costly mistake and can result in the corking of chimney liner. If a liner is corked it will have to be replaced. I have seen this happen in under 6 months after purchase in some cases.

 

Seasoning wood is not just a matter of cutting your wood and throwing it into a pile. Dry wood is the result of specific actions you take. A commercial wood supplier may claim to have wood "cut last summer", or "two years old" and so on, but, if the wood has been heaped in a field or just recently split, it will prevent your heater from performing to its potential.So make sure your supplier is actually supplying you with dry seasoned wood.

 

Here are  5 simple steps to producing the best dry wood in my opinion:

 

1. Cut wood to required length for your stove or fireplace.
2. Split it to the right size.
3. Preferably pile in a single row facing the sun and wind.
4. Leave the wood to dry for at least 6 months (Hard would can take longer).
5. Cut, split and stack the wood in the early spring and let it stand in the sun and wind all summer.

In my opinion this is the best way to achieve dry seasoned wood.

 

Karl Thompson
Stove World Uk ltd
01635299955