Things to consider when buying logs.
Burning wood fuel on your stove can be cheaper and kinder to the environment than burning other solid fuels, but what things should you consider when buying logs?
Moisture Content.
Dry, well seasoned wood burns far better than wet wood which is also known as green wood. Wet wood is much harder to light and burns far less efficiently than dry timber. Wet or green logs will make the fire smoulder which creates lots of tar and smoke which are corrosive and can potentially damage the inside of the stove and the lining of the flue increasing the risk of a chimney fire. Wet logs will also blacken the glass even in stoves that have a built in airwash to help keep the glass clean. When trying to burn wet wood the fires energy has to boil off the water before it can produce any heat. Well seasoned dry logs can have twice the heating value of green logs. You can buy logs that have been seasoned or kiln dried or you can season them yourself using a log store. Dry in a well aired space for one to two summers keeping the rain off during winter. Timber shows some signs when seasoned such as surface cracks and bark that falls off easily but to be sure you can purchase a moisture metre. Tip: Calibrate the moisture metre using a freshly split surface to give the best reading.
Density of timber.
When purchasing logs you will have a choice between softwood and hardwood or in some cases mixed. The difference is that Hardwood tends to be denser than a softwood. This means that a tonne of hardwood should take less space than a tonne of softwood. The denser the wood the longer it will burn for so generally burning hardwood logs means you will load the fire less. Hardwood logs are typically priced higher than softwood logs.
Contamination:
Burning contaminated wood (wood treated with paint or preservatives such as pallets, window frames, fence posts) can produce harmful gasses which may effect your health and is likely to damage your flue and chimney.
Seasoned logs and wood fuel logs for sale at North Wales Stoves, collect from our showroom in Betws Yn Rhos, Abergele. email northwalesstovesltd@gmail.com or call us on 01745 822344 for more information.
