Advice on fuels for stoves, logs, coal, reduce chimney fires in Dublin Wicklow

I'm currently researching stockists of wood that I have personally verified the source, storage, moisture and quality of the wood so you don't have to.

David in Bellmont, Killruddery, Bray. Co. Wicklow 086 273 0558

Loads of 2 cubic meters of hardwoods comprising mainly of Oak and Beech.

I have independently been testing this wood and have found it to have no higher than 20% moisture content.

This wood comes mainly from windblown trees and has consistently been of a high standard.

The Right Fuel - Choosing the right fuel for your heating appliance ensures excellent performance and economic usage. From an open fire, heating a single room, to a boiler providing central heating for an entire house, there is a solid fuel system and a fuel designed to meet your needs. The comprehensive range of heating appliances currently available has been developed to allow you to gain the full benefit from solid fuel.

Logs

The most common form of wood fuel at the moment is logs. These will usually come from local sources but it is important to ensure the logs are dry and well seasoned (around 20% moisture content).

Burning wet or unseasoned wood is less efficient and can cause harmful build up of deposits in the chimney over a very short time. Thick coatings of creosote or resinous material can cause chimney fires, or prevent the chimney functioning properly. This can allow harmful fumes to escape into the dwelling. I have a state of the art moisture meter that I can use to tell you what moisture content is in your wood.

Efficient burning is achieved by setting the appliance to burn fast after stoking. This will ensure that all the gases are fully burned. Only set to slow burn when all wood has been reduced to charcoal and ash.

Newly added wood set to burn slowly creates smoke and creosote in the chimney. The stove should not be banked up with logs for overnight burning. A bright fire which has turned the wood into charcoal should be left with the day’s ash, no secondary air and minimal primary air.

If you buy logs which have not been seasoned, you should store them under cover but open to allow free air circulation for at least a year.

See guide below.

Bring the fuel into the house a few days before you want to use it to get it as dry as possible.

Wood from different trees has different heat values. The table below provides a useful comparison. Wood fuel has typically less than half the calorific value of coal and smokeless fuel, so you must be prepared to use a greater volume of wood to heat your home or room, unless you use both wood and mineral solid fuel. If you buy wood by volume you will receive more kilowatt hours (kWh) of heat from a cubic metre (m3) of hardwood than softwood (at the same moisture content)

The logs and wood are usually sold in “nets” or by lorry load, so take care to check the amount you can expect to get for your money. Fresh felled wood weights about one tonne per solid cubic meter but will lose up to half its weight when it becomes fully air dried, so find out for how long the wood has been seasoned before delivery.

(A moisture meter will give an indication of this)

If you burn wood, you should have your chimney swept at least twice a year. Do not burn any painted or treated wood. Treated or painted wood will emit chemicals which are potentially damaging to health and the environment. These will go up the chimney into the air and also into the ash pan. This also applies to MDF and chipboard.

Wood and the Environment

Wood fuel described as being from a “sustainable” source is obtained from the thinning and management of woodland. This activity can be of benefit to the environment, creating more light and open spaces and potentially increasing biodiversity in the woodland.

	Weight per m3 in Kg	Gross heat value kw/kg (btu/lb)	% moisture when green	Seasoning times in summers
Ash	674	4.1 (6,350)	35	1
Beech	690	4.3 (6,700)	45	1-2
Birch	662	4.1 (6,350)	45	1
Elm	540	3.6 (,600)	60	2-3
Oak	770	4.5 (7,000)	50	2-3
Poplar	465	2.6 (4,100)	65	1
Pine/Fir	410	2.6 (4,100)	60	1

Carbon emissions

Wood fuel can be very near to being carbon neutral. It absorbs as much carbon dioxide in its growth as it releases when it is burnt. For this reason, the installation of wood fuel appliances is currently treated more favourably in the Building Regulations.
Typical household carbon emissions when using different fuels

Electricity	128kg
Coal	126kg
Oil	88kg
Gas	67kg
Coal/Wood 50 %	58kg
Wood	0kg

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