Best fuel for wood burner.....

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

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So i'm sure this is on a lot of people's radars but outside of a good hardwood like dried and seasoned oak, what are people burning on their stoves/burners at home to keep yourselves toast and warm this winter and how much are you paying for said fuels?

A friend put me onto anthracite yesterday which i'm keen to try as I want stuff that burns longer than wood atm and anthracite looks to be a good measure, so just trying to find a local supplier.

I've also been targeted by Lekto on IG with ads for their eco-logs which apparently burn for 8 hours and are marketed as being able to keep your stove/burner going over night, i'm not convinced on them tbh but wondering if anyone on here has tried them? Similarly are there any other long-burning fuels which are worth trying?
 
First thing to say is that if it is a wood burner you can't use anything except wood. If it is a multi-fuel burner then you can use anthracite.

www.directstoves.com

Wood Burning Stoves vs Multi Fuel Stoves - Which Should You Choose?

Should you buy a wood burning stove or a multi fuel stove? This article tells you everything you need to know to make the right choice for you & your home.
www.directstoves.com www.directstoves.com
 
gailjon said:
First thing to say is that if it is a wood burner you can't use anything except wood. If it is a multi-fuel burner then you can use anthracite.

www.directstoves.com

Wood Burning Stoves vs Multi Fuel Stoves - Which Should You Choose?

Should you buy a wood burning stove or a multi fuel stove? This article tells you everything you need to know to make the right choice for you & your home.
www.directstoves.com www.directstoves.com
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Apologies yes, my burner isnt just a wood burner its a multi-fuel stove so can use other fuels.
 
Wood? I'm going through a collection of stuff that got knocked over during last years storm, and things I've dismantled while working on the house. A few old wardrobes, beams etc.

I'm not sure if paying for commercial wood/products is a cost effective way to heat a house.
 
I burn a mix of hard and softwood, i buy it by the pickup truck load from a local guy and it's semi seasoned and i season it myself for another 12 months usually before i burn it.

I pay £120 for a pickup load which lasts quite a long time, not quite a whole season but fairly close i think depending how much we use the stove.
 
Avoid burning any wood with a moisture content above 15% as you risk creosote build up in the chimney. Wood moisture meters can be had for £20.

If you are burning resinous wood such as pine or spruce, mix it with regular hardwoods for a clean burn.

Properly seasoned wood should have sat for a year AFTER being cut and split, giving it a grey colour. Any wood that isn’t grey, isn’t seasoned.

Have an indoor wood rack that holds the next day’s firewood so it can warm up and shed any moisture build up through outdoor storage.

Those fireplace vacuums are great, but unless you have an outside space and an airline to blow the filter out, ensure you have one with washable foam filters and not the paper automotive ones.
 
200sols said:
Someone like that lives near by brother burning any old rubbish and it stinks.
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Doesn't live down south does he? I'm pretty sure the wrapping paper will be going in there in a few weeks time. :p

I've only got a couple of neighbours and we're relatively well spaced out - I'm mostly surrounded by farmland.

I've got a route all wood comes through. Most has been sitting outdoors in the overflow storage, then it comes into the garage into a big box for a while, then into the utility room boxes, and then finally into a basket next to the fire. So it's all had a good amount of time to dry out before being lit.
 
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i live near forest areas, the council pay people to cut dangerous trees ( near road / paths / walks ) and i literally find bits of cut tree all over the place.

i take them home chop them into smaller bits and leave them to season for a long time, it takes years so you have to plan well ahead.

i have several tons of it in my garden
 
In the past I have burnt anything that would burn including chicken carcass.
I had access to a unending supply of kitchen worktops -cupboards etc and i can say they really put out some heat.
The only thing I never put on stove was telegraph or electric poles and railway sleepers -to much creosote and tar.

For the last 13 yrs it's been dry logs only simply because our woodburner is vey small at 4.5kw so it just hasn't got the burning capacity for rubbish stuff.
Yes I know -pollution -pollution. :rolleyes:
 
Bug One said:
Doesn't live down south does he? I'm pretty sure the wrapping paper will be going in there in a few weeks time. :p

I've only got a couple of neighbours and we're relatively well spaced out - I'm mostly surrounded by farmland.

I've got a route all wood comes through. Most has been sitting outdoors in the overflow storage, then it comes into the garage into a big box for a while, then into the utility room boxes, and then finally into a basket next to the fire. So it's all had a good amount of time to dry out before being lit.
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Yes but its not rural and its meant to be a smoke control area. Burning wood is fine if you've dried it yourself but bits of old furniture, pallets etc all with glues and preservatives in them just stink when burning, you can always tell if someone is burning dried wood or any old crap they can find.
 
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For me initial outlay of getting the burner going is expensive from kindling, must be something better out there? I've used packaging wood for that chopped up, but running low now. Gonna get an axe soon and just try some chopped up logs.

I get an hour from a log at about 50p. That was a flat bed van's worth of hard kiln dried at £235. I have a small 5kw stove.

Having the space to store and air seasoned logs is probably the best thing you can do for wood alone. I guess with multi fuel you have to experiment with what works best for you.

Burning old pallets is all well and good if you have the space and time to chop up and keep refilling the stove as it'll burn so quick.
 
I've used old pallets for kindling, i never liked burning them or any other wood that's been treated or exposed to oil if i can get away with it as i don't want to gum up the chimney.

Otherwise kindling can be the most expensive bit, if i've not got any unwanted/offcuts of untreated wood in the garage i buy ours now from our local hardware shop as they're loads cheaper than B&Q or petrol stations.
 
All our kindling is from our garden. When we prune plants / trees, anything useful goes into the wood store and then eventually into the garage. We've either got to cut it up to go on the compost heap or green recycling bin, so might as cut it to the right length for kindling. Goes up a treat with some scrunched up newspaper, no need for firelighters.
 
I did a bit of a test today to have the burner on most of the day whilst I was home and I went through a fair amount of logs/chunks. Probably about 8-10 cuts of various size Ash in total which I started at around 9.30am and ive just left the last piece to burn to ash about 30 mins ago. If I did that every day i'd say the £50 bag of wood we bought yesterday would be done with in less than a week which doesn't seem very economical really :cry:

A friend recommended a local place that sells anthracite which i'm going to get a few bags and give a try as he says it burns way longer and hotter than any woods he's bought.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
I did a bit of a test today to have the burner on most of the day whilst I was home and I went through a fair amount of logs/chunks. Probably about 8-10 cuts of various size Ash in total which I started at around 9.30am and ive just left the last piece to burn to ash about 30 mins ago. If I did that every day i'd say the £50 bag of wood we bought yesterday would be done with in less than a week which doesn't seem very economical really :cry:

A friend recommended a local place that sells anthracite which i'm going to get a few bags and give a try as he says it burns way longer and hotter than any woods he's bought.
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We use anthracite, just a bed of it for long burn time/background heat, then add a log when more heat is needed. (Birch)
 
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