Expert chimney sweeping advice

Wood-burning stoves are a fantastic way to keep your home warm and cozy, but using them correctly is crucial for safety, efficiency, and reducing environmental impact. Follow these essential tips to get the most out of your stove while keeping your home and family safe.

Do	Don’t
Bring your stove to operating temperature quickly and try to maintain it.	Close off the air to “slumber” the fuel for long periods or overnight.
Use dry wood with 10-20% moisture content.	Use large logs; aim for logs 4–6 inches (100–150mm) in diameter.
Stick to the manufacturer’s recommended fuels.	Burn wood or coal on open fires in Smoke Control Areas.
Sweep your chimney regularly—a professional sweep can provide valuable advice.	Allow smoke to escape from the chimney top unless you’ve just lit or refueled the fire.
Store and stack your logs in a well-ventilated area.	Don’t buy a stove which is too big (too powerful) for the room. You’ll get too hot and be likely to shut the air controls too much. The burning temperature will drop, fuel is wasted and pollution increased
Use tools like a thermometer, moisture meter, and stove fan to improve efficiency, save money, and reduce pollution.	Attempt to fit or alter any part of your solid fuel system yourself; it’s easy to make costly mistakes.
Install a Carbon Monoxide alarm for safety—it’s essential, no matter how well your fire burns.	Mix smokeless fuel and wood; this reduces the efficiency of both fuels.
If your stove is older, inefficient, or too powerful for your room, consider upgrading to a modern, efficient model for cleaner burning and cost savings.	Burn plastic waste or treated wood—it smells bad and releases toxic chemicals.

Carbon Monoxide is a silent Killer! Annually in the UK, over 200 people are killed or become
seriously ill due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

The symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
are similar too and often confused with the flu. The symptoms include Headaches, Stomach
Pains, Drowsiness, Nausea, Dizziness and General Lethargy.

We strongly recommend that a carbon monoxide alarm be installed.

Stack logs so the air can get to them. If you cut and split your logs, try to do it when the wood is fresh cut (sometimes called green), as it’s much easier on you and your tools.

Once split, you have significantly increased the surface area of each piece, and it will dry much faster.  Logs need to be properly stacked, not heaped in a pile. The best situation is a well-ventilated log store with open sides and a roof. 

If your logs are the right size and properly stored, you should be able to achieve a moisture content of 20% or less in 6 to 12 months. Beware of the word seasoned; it means nothing in reality. The only important consideration is the moisture content.

A moisture meter is a handy tool. Aim for 20% moisture or less. However, for optimum burning, do not allow the moisture content to fall below 11%.  To test the moisture content of any log, split it first and then test the split surface. 

Can I burn pine/conifer/willow/poplar, or softwood on my wood burner?

Yes, of course, you can, as long as it’s dry and you meet any local regulations (smokeless zones, etc.). You may have heard that some types of wood cause tar or sap problems in chimneys, but that’s not true. 

ALL wood needs to be burned at a high enough temperature to burn off the volatile gases from the resins and tars in all wood types.

Softwood tends to be less dense, so you might need considerably more softwood to get the same heat output. A kilo of softwood will give about the same heat energy as a kilo of hardwood, but it will take up more space in your store because it’s less dense. Pine and conifer are not suitable for open fires as they tend to spit and spark.

It’s essential to use dry wood. It should contain 20% moisture or less. Logs should not be too large – 5 inches wide (125mm) will give the best result. Using large logs to make the fire last longer reduces the burning temperature.

This wastes the unburned fuel gasses up the chimney and causes unnecessary air pollution. Log size is important as it dictates the all-important surface area to volume ratio, which in turn dictates the rate at which the flammable gasses are vapourised from the surface of the wood. This surface area/volume ratio is why a big log burns with less flame and why kindling burns furiously.

• Apple – Burns slowly with a small flame and pleasant scent.
• Ash – Considered the best for stoves/wood burners. Steady flame, High heat.
• Beech – Burns similar to Ash.
• Birch – Produces a strong heat output. Burns quite quickly.
• Hawthorn – Traditional Firewood. Slow burning. Good heat output.
• Oak – High-density firewood. Small flame. High heat.
• Thorn – A steady flame. Strong heat output. Low smoke.
• Horse Chestnut – Best in stoves/wood burners. Can spit. Burns hot.

Hardwood is best in your stove as it burns more slowly. Softwood’s density is around half that of hardwood, which results in it burning twice as fast, meaning you will need twice as much.

Dry wood is always best!

• No matter what type of wood you choose, it must be dried (seasoned) before you burn it.
• Unseasoned wood wastes much energy while burning, removing water from the log and producing steam. This will cause your chimney to tar up!
• Fresh-cut wood can contain 65% – 95% moisture.
• You can dry your wood in a wood store or buy seasoned logs from your supplier. Your wood should contain no more than 20% moisture.

If you have a multifuel stove, you can use solid fuel and wood. A multifuel stove’s grate has rigid bars or a shaker (riddling) system.

The gaps in the grate allow air from below through to the fire. Ensure the grate is kept clean and the ash pan is emptied regularly; this will keep the air flowing and prevent the grate from becoming too hot and distorting. Burning wood and solid fuel at the same time is not recommended.

Burning solid fuel produces sulphur, and wood can contain high moisture. Together, the two can make sulphuric acid, which can quickly cause damage to chimney linings. Also, wood burns best with a top air supply and solid fuel with a bottom air supply.

If you are unhappy with the performance of your stove, please contact us.

• Wood burns at its best on a bed of ash approx. 25mm deep. In a wood only stove leave the residual ash at this depth in the bottom of the fire box. In a multifuel stove let the ash build up until the grate is covered.
• Wood needs an ample air supply from above. When lighting the fire, open both the top and bottom air vents. This will help the fire to start. 
• Use plenty of small kindling/sticks or suitable firelighters to establish the fire quickly. Slightly larger logs should go on top. Use wood with a moisture content of 20% or less. Look for the Ready to Burn logo when purchasing bags of fuel.
• Light the fire and close the door.
• Allow a reasonable time to burn, approximately 10 to 15 minutes (basically, flames should fill the box without being sucked up the chimney). It will take at least this long to bring the stove to a suitable operating temperature.
• Now refuel with larger logs and allow a few minutes to establish. Full-size logs should be added only when the smaller logs are burning.
• When the stove is up to a good operating temperature, close down the bottom air vent (primary control) and then use the top air vent (secondary control) to control the stove. This will also help keep the glass clean (Air Wash).
• The temperature will continue to rise once the primary air control has been closed. A flue pipe thermometer will help you know when you have reached the best temperature. If you are using a thermometer, aim for the middle of the best operation range or check the manufacturer’s instructions. 
• Once you reach the optimum temperature, you can reduce the amount of air using the secondary control. Reducing this air will slow the burn rate, but it is vital not to close it off too much. The box should always contain a reasonable amount of flame, and the stove glass should be clear.
• Once the stove has been running at optimum temperature for around 15 minutes, you can check if you have set the controls correctly by looking at the top of your chimney. If you see smoke, there is not enough air in the stove. Open the secondary control up a little, allow the fire to build for a few minutes and have another look. Once there is no smoke, you’ve got it right. Please contact us for further advice if you cannot achieve a satisfactory fire.