What wood do I need to buy for my woodburning stove?

[Tremping]

New accommodation has a woodburning stove. What sort of wood do I need to purchase? Where do people usually purchase it from? All advice welcome

Seasoned or kiln-dried wood from a reputable supplier. Ash wood is good, but really you want a mixture.

Something like this,
http://www.sussexlogs.co.uk/

(Not those bags from a garage!)

Note, I'm not associated with either.

Has the chimney been swept?

You need one of those little fans that sit on top. Some air circulation improves its efficiency immensely.

Dry as possible, less than 20% moisture. Get a small moisture meter so you can test.

I used to get joinery offcuts from local businesses. Super dry and tidy.

I wouldn't use it unless desperate, they are awful for air quality and the worst affected will be your own house.

So I'd buy any old wood to put inside as decoration and use cleaner heating.

A fan for on top of the burner, kindling, firelighters and fireproof gloves.

I use heat logs rather than actual logs. They burn longer and hotter than proper logs, work out cheaper most of the time and are significantly easier to store.

@Cluckycluck I'm keen to try heat logs this winter, are there any you would recommend?

As other have said make sure its.seasoned. You need a moisture testing device with little prongs that go into the wood. Test each log before you use it. If it’s too wet then a week or so in the log basket in a centrally heated house will often dry it out (or I put mine into the aga but obviously don’t do that in a normal oven). Make sure it isn’t scrap wood like pallets or anything that might have been treated. Hardwood is better than softwood. Stuff like pine has high resin content and can spit plus it clogs up your chimney. Make sure you have both logs and kindling and plenty of scrap paper/card to get the fire going. We have a stick bin outside the back door for this. Smaller logs are better than larger logs for getting it going but once it’s really going it is helpful to have some larger ones.

get the chimney swept before you start to use it or you could have a chimney fire or a house full of smoke.

I buy kiln dried wood in big bags I store in the garage. So I'd don't bother testing it as reputable suppliers will have made sure it's ok...(I hope). Don't burn any old thing.

Get the chimney swept first. Heat logs are cleaner and lighter if you aren't using it much.

pine can cause stuff to collect on the inside of the chimney so ash, oak are best but any deciduous. You need to start storing now in a dry place for next winter.

Briquettes are so much easier than wood to burn. They also burn hotter and cleaner.

I get pallets delivered. But TBH we only use ours when it's really cold as it's a faff and they are a pollution nightmare. I can manage inside the house but the smoke outside sets off my asthma.

As others have said, they are a pollution nightmare so please use it sparingly. If its a modern house then it should be insulated and heated well enough that the log burner isn't needed for heating.

We've got an open fire in an old, draughty house with single glazing etc. We try to use it as little as possible.

I've found coffee logs - made from used coffee grounds - really good and also briquettes. If you use real wood it must be properly seasoned. It's illegal to use unseasoned wood.

Kiln dried, definitely. And very dry kindling. Natural firelighters are good too. Getting a good start (which is infinitely easier with dry fuel) is key to minimising smoke.

www.mumsforlungs.org/our-campaigns/wood-burning

Most woods are fine, as long as they haven't been treated. You want split logs rather than waste wood.

Buy a moisture meter and check that your logs are 20% moisture or less. And check with your landlord when the chimney was last swept. Ideally every year, but at least every two years or it could invalidate your house insurance.

A million years ago when on wood patrol when on guide camp we looked for beech, birch, oak and ash to take back to camp for our cooking fire. The 4 types burned well.

You want a hardwood really (eg ash) and a low moisture content.
If you are energetic you could buy the logs in the round and use a log splitter to build your heap. They are best built 6 months + before you start using them really.
Make sure that the log is the right size for your burner. We have sometimes elf inflicted situation where our logs are too long for the burner which then involves a quantity of swearing.
Chimney needs to be swept.
Get a CO2 monitor just in case.
In my opinion those fan things that you can get for the top of the log burner are a complete waste of space/time, though I understand others may think they are great.
Take some time learning how to light it and that you have the right grate in the bottom for wood.
My OH lights ours from the bottom, I light it from the middle.

You need kiln dried hardwood from a reputable supplier for your logs and softwood kindling. You can usually order the kindling with your logs. Softwood logs burn too quickly so they are false economy. Order from a reputable source and they will deliver, usually in a huge builders bag for the logs. Buying this way you will not need to check the moisture content.

As above, it's best to go to a reputable supplier (even B&Q at a pinch). Since 2021 it has been illegal to sell wood to be used in a wood burning stove that has not been either air dried or kiln dried.

If you're using it every evening during the winter then one of those large builder's bags will likely last a couple of months.

Where I live, 1 cubic metre typically costs us about £170 with kindling and firelighters extra

I use kiln dried oak and ash but any seasoned wood is fine. I buy in bulk from Logs Direct. They deliver in dumpy bags.

@Another2Cats You can continue using any wood as long as the wood is <20% moisture. You definitely don’t need to use kiln dried wood.

@Bankholidayhelp said: "sometimes elf inflicted situation"

Those pesky elves get everywhere 😂

Google the stove you have, you might have a multifuel in which case you can also add smokeless fuel/ecoal which will stay warmer for longer. I usually add 6-8 pieces each evening which means the stove is warm till morning and makes it easier to relight. Also don't empty the ashes completely when cleaning it, a bed of ash is needed for the fire to go well. I only remove ashes when they start spilling out. Riddle the ash bed (ie stab it with your poker) before laying your next fire to break up any solid bits and improve air flow.
You might have one or two levers at the bottom of the stove, these control airflow. You want them out for maximum air when lighting, then when the fire has taken after about five or ten mins you push then in. Play with that until you get the sweet spot for your stove, you don't want a hot bright fire, you want a rolling burn, more orange than yellow. Get a stove thermometer for the top of the stove.
If it's a modern stove it'll meet clean burning regulations. If it's older then it probably won't.
I'd get it swept and checked before using.

The ashes can go on your flower beds, good for the soil. Mine go in a tin bucket till cold then go in the garden.

Oh and you can get nice firelighters from Amazon that are made of wood shavings.