What Wood Should I Burn on my Wood Burning Stove?

A wood burning stove brings warmth and cosiness to a home, but in order to keep your stove working efficiently you do need to give some consideration to the fuel that you use.  Wood is a sustainable renewable energy source which is virtually carbon neutral.  Combine this fuel with a Ecodesign stove and you have a highly efficient form of heating and a reduced reliance on energy utilities.

Wood Burning Top Tips?

Like anything there are always some do's and don'ts when it comes to making sure you get the most out of your stove and to ensure you use it safely, keeping the glass clean and reducing the build up of soot in your chimney.

• use only seasoned wood or kiln dried wood  & kindling (available from West Country Stoves showroom) with a moisture content of less than 20 %. The less moisture content, the better heat output and the glass will stay cleaner!
• never use wet or green/unseasoned wood - it can quickly result in the build-up of soot in your chimney/flue which is a fire hazard.
• never use any magazines or glued/painted wood eg. MDF, chipboard, building off cuts or wood with rot resistant treatments. These contain chemicals that can cause damage to flues and chimney liners.
• never place your wood against the side of your wood burner to dry out.  Each year there are house fires caused by wood stacked too close to wood burning stoves.

Which Wood is Best?

The wood you use in your stove is the key to providing efficient heat output, keeping the glass clean and reducing the build up of soot in your chimney. So what is there to choose from?

Softwoods - these are conifer or evergreen trees, which grow fast and are less dense, such as conifers and evergreen trees.

Hardwoods - these are the broad leaf, deciduous trees which grow slower and are therefore a lot denser, such as oak, beech and birch.

The hardwoods tend to be better for burning due to the density of the wood you get more output from the equivalent sized pile of softwood.

If you have access to freshly felled trees then make sure that they are seasoned for a suitable period of time to allow the moisture content to drop below 20 % (freshly felled trees have a moisture content of about 50 % ).  The less moisture content, the better heat output and your glass will stay cleaner.

Our List of the Best Wood to Burn

• Apple - Whilst this wood needs to be seasoned well it has a pleasant smell and doesn't spit
• Ash - Often considered to be one of the King's of firewood!  It is easy to split and burns at a steady rate.
• Beech - Needs to be seasoned really well due to a high water content but then burns well.
• Birch - It is a great firewood but does burn quickly so can be good to mix with other slower burning logs.
• Hawthorn - A good firewood that burns well - just watch out for those thorns!
• Hazel - A good firewood, that burns well once seasoned.
• Holly - Another good firewood.
• Hornbeam - Good firewood that burns well.
• Oak - One of the best.  It is dense and needs to be seasoned well but will give great heat and is slow burning.
• Pear - A good firewood that has a pleasant smell too.
• Rowan - Good firewood that burns well.
• Sycamore - Another good firewood that burns well.

Lastly, if you have any questions about what wood to burn, please contact us or pop into our showroom in Aveton Gifford.

Hope to see you soon!