FAQ

Many people purchase a wood burning stove as they believe that not only will it be efficient but economic to run too. There is no doubt there are savings to be made but these savings will only be apparent if you are buying and burning the right wood. We believe the right wood is hardwood. Softwood is cheaper but burns much faster compared with hardwood which will burn at least a third longer but isn’t a third more expensive. For us it’s a no brainer, both woods burn as hot as each other but hardwood burns a third longer, decision made, burn hardwood!!

Firewood is sold by volume, not by weight. It is done this way because all woods have different densities so it is far more accurate. Confusingly firewood is often marketed for sale in tonne bags. This doesn’t mean that you will be buying a tonne of wood. The confusion is caused by unscrupulous firewood producers selling their wood in tonne bags and leading people to believe that is what they are in fact receiving. Although these bags will hold a tonne of sand or a tonne of stone it would take roughly three of these bags to produce a tonne of wood.

As you become more experienced in running your wood burning stove it will soon become apparent without even lighting the wood as to it’s quality. When wood is ready there will be several indicators. If the wood feels extremely heavy, is cold and and thuds when two pieces knock together the chances are it isn’t seasoned. Dry and seasoned wood has a bright, almost metallic ring to it when struck against another piece of the same wood. It feels dry and is lighter however the fail safe method is to invest in a digital moisture meter. For around £10 this will accurately measure the moisture content of your firewood giving you a percentage on the readout.

It’s simple, the lower the moisture content the better the firewood will burn. A moisture content of less than 24% is very good, less than 20% is excellent. We at Hurstead Hardwood Logs aim for less than 20% on all our firewood.

This is easily answered with one word – outside, but to elaborate firewood doesn’t store well in damp outhouses, cellars and indeed any other place that is poorly ventilated and worst of all kept in bags. Whether the bags are small plastic bags or huge builders bags the outcome will be the same. When firewood is kept bagged up it will start to go mouldy and have a fusty smell, grow fungus and then rot. Logs are best stored raised off the ground on a small stillage or pallet stacked neatly with the top two layers of wood laid bark up. Bark is a natural waterproof and fireproof membrane. Even better store your logs in a Hurstead Hardwood Logs bespoke logstore, we can build them to any style, size or specification, just ask.

Yes by all means, but not until it is fully seasoned. Seasoning is the maturing process in which the moisture level is reduced by a combination of time, heat and ventilation. The major drawback with burning green timber (this is the name for unseasoned timber) is the possibility of chimney fire. When you burn wet wood it uses more energy trying to drive off the moisture than actually producing heat, so it produces a poor flame and a lot of damp smoke. In this smoke are particles of creosote and other chemicals which as they cool going up the chimney cling to the lining of the flue, which in turn attracts other particles which cling to each other in the form of soot and in the case of softwood resins form tarry deposits which are highly flammable hence the danger of chimney fires. Signs that you are burning wet wood are obvious, it is difficult to light, produces excess smoke, the glass on the stove doors will go black and discoloured very quickly and the obvious signs of water bubbling out of the ends of the logs. Always burn dry, well seasoned timber. We are not in the business of scaremongering, we are in the business of producing top quality dry and safe firewood.