Buying firewood in bulk is cheaper than buying in smaller quantities, so if you have a large, easily accessible log store, this may be your best option. If not, simply make sure you are wise in the what firewood you do buy. It needs to be suitable and safe for use in your wood burner or open fire. It also needs to be able to not give off too much smoke as this can also pose some potential health risks. Recently harvested (green) wood is heavy due to its high moisture content. If you are buying green firewood, plan to let it season (dry out). It is not recommended to simply just go and start burning it.
So many people sell kiln dried firewood after all. From discount stores to garden centres, even supermarkets. It’s very expensive to buy it though from these places and it is better to get a company who specialises in logs and firewood as a means for getting a firewood delivery undertaken. Though you may pay more in one hit, it will work better in the long-term. It takes a long time to season firewood naturally – up to three years. Be careful when buying your logs and make sure you get a full understanding of the quality. Also, make sure you can burn it from the offset.
It is key you buy the correct logs for burning
As we’ve alluded to above, it’s really important that you buy the right type of firewood to burn in your log burner. Whilst it may be tempting to use scrap wood or wood you find lying around in the forest, there are a range of safety, legal and economic reasons why you should resist this temptation.
The right logs will mean less chimney maintenance
Related to the above point, burning poorly seasoned (or completely unseasoned) firewood will require you to have your chimney inspected and swept more often. This is because of the likelihood that your chimney will be accumulating creosote. So, the ‘saving’ you may make from burning unseasoned wood, will ultimately be offset by higher chimney maintenance costs. To put it another way, burn properly seasoned firewood and you won’t have as much chimney maintenance to carry out.
Hardwood v softwood
Many people say you should not burn softwood as it smokes, tends to spit, burns too quickly and can tar up the chimney. Once again if you buy kiln dried logs or have the best way to season firewood in a dry and airy store and can dry to a moisture content below 25%, then you will not have any of the above problems. These only arise when the wood is not sufficiently dry. Softwood (Spruce, Pine, Larch, Douglas Fir etc) will have the same energy content per kilogram as hardwoods (Oak, Ash, Beech, Alder, Birch etc), however being far less dense, you will need up to twice as many logs (or volume) to achieve the same heat output. We only use British hardwood logs as we presently regard them as providing the best value for money.
Good firewood will also be easy to burn in a pizza oven or on a chimenea
Buying logs for wood burning stoves, multi-fuel burners, firewood stoves, and open fires can seem complicated. It ca be a bit of a minefield. For many of us our fireplace or log stove is one of the the most attractive features of our home. We want the best firewood your money can buy. Until now, kiln dried logs have not always been readily available. Also, no one really knew the benefits of burning Kiln Dried Logs. This is also why they are some of the most popular logs you can now buy and very much the logs of choice nowadays.
We all know there is nothing worse than ordering firewood that is tipped from a trailer. It is also poor when finding on delivery that you have wet high moisture content wood which does not burn well. The most significant factors which affect how long logs burn for and the amount of heat they will generate are the moisture content and the wood density. An easy way to ensure this never happens is to find a source of Kiln Dried Logs for sale that are premium quality every time. We believe this is for sure the way when you buy / purchase Kiln Dried Ash, Oak and Birch Logs.
Basically the less moisture there is in your logs the less water needs to be boiled away through steam. This is all before heat can be generated. This is what which makes Kiln Dried logs the perfect fuel for wood burning stoves. Because Ash and Oak are more dense than other hardwoods they burn for much longer. We recommend Ash, Oak and Birch Kiln Dried Logs every time. Logs kiln dried to 20% or lower usually generate over twice the heat than seasoned or partially seasoned logs do. Plus over time burning wet logs may cause significant damage to your stove and flue lining. It can make them inefficient as wood burning logs, that’s why we recommend Kiln Dried logs. They are so much better than buying logs half dried.
Useful info in case you are new to log burning
If you’re new to wood burning and aren’t sure how much you’ll need, it entirely depends upon how you intend to use your stove. For evening and weekend use, we would recommend starting with our smaller crate, barrow bags or bulk bags. But only you know how often you light your fire. So the amount you will use be vary greatly from user to user. Always remember, with Kiln Dried Logs you don’t usually need as many as you would with regular logs. This is as they burn much hotter and should get your fire started much quicker.
If you intend on using your log stove more frequently and as your main heat source, we recommend buying our larger crate or our heat logs. But to be honest, there is no definitive guide as to how many logs you will use per season. This is as there are so many different factors to take into account. This spans from the size of your stove. Also consider the size of the room you are heating and ambient warmth of your room. You also need to consider the insulation of your room. Also, consider how hot you want your stove to be and how long you have your stove on for.
Overall
When burning logs it is vital to make sure that your wood is dry. For seasoned logs this is usually reached by at least one year of dry storage, the recommended is two years so it is simpler to buy Kiln Dried logs to ensure low moisture content as the drying process is much better. If wood has a moisture content of more than 25% the wood burns poorly and it also pollutes the environment due to gases emitted during burning.
The burning of poorly dried wood can lead to sooting of the chimney. The water, sulfur and tar emitted may penetrate a stone fireplace. It can also cause stains and odours, so buying Kiln Dried logs helps prevent this process. Just simply take your time and make sure you simply buy the correct logs. Do so as a means to making sure you are able to burn logs in a most risk free manner. Also, don’t just buy your logs on price.
