We bought a bag of kiln dried softwood. Most of the pieces are triangular and 2-3 inches each side so burn pretty well. Unfortunately some are almost 6″ per side and hard to burn. Now normally of course I would set to them with my maul and divide them into smaller pieces but that’s in storage. I’m having some success burning them on a good bed of embers and medium draft. Anybody got any suggestions?

I find that once you get the fire hot with a good deep layer of red embers completely covering the floor, even the biggest logs will burn well. A good bed of embers is the key.

I had a very hot curry for dinner yesterday, and this thread title sums up my toilet experience this morning 💥🔥

Or buy a cheap axe to tide you over ’til you get your maul back? It wouldn’t need to be anything special to split logs that size.

Ate you sure they are properly dry?

Oh yes.

We brought four large boxes of kiln-dried birch with us but we are reluctant to burn that here because it burns so nicely that we’d rather keep it for after moving. It’s so well dried that it actually smells cooked.

I had a very hot curry for dinner yesterday, and this thread title sums up my toilet experience this morning

I too thought this was a Curry / bog roll in the fridge thread.

I find that once you get the fire hot with a good deep layer of red embers completely covering the floor, even the biggest logs will burn well. A good bed of embers is the key.

100% this.

I suggest the solution is to buy a decent fire. Any dry log that fits in my stove burns fine. I can’t get my head around the idea that a log that fits wouldn’t burn.

This is a Charnwood stove that’s recessed into the fireplace. I have to go and mess with it every ten minutes to keep it going.

2-3″ logs are barely bigger than kindling. The bigger ones will obvs take longer to dry -and time is money in a kiln.
Sounds like they dried the smaller pieces and pulled the lot out.

If they were dry they should burn.

I have a small 5kw stove and it burns any size log I manage to wedge in it. 30cm long x 20 x 20 no bother no matter what the type of wood. Unless it is not properly dry. Some of the soft wood I have had has taken longer to season than the birch. I can only think that the large pieces ate just not properly seasoned.

I’m agree with the opinions that if it fits in the stove it should burn unless it is a high moisture content.

Kiln drying could leave you with an outside that smells toasted but an inside that still is moist. Kiln dried logs are also a poor idea environmentally, goes against using a short cycle carbon fuel source.

Solution – build a wood shed and season your own wood, and perhaps buy a better stove suitable for wood where the heart doesn’t fall out of the fire.

Solution – build a wood shed and season your own wood, and perhaps buy a better stove suitable for wood where the heart doesn’t fall out of the fire.

The OP is in temporary accomodation and I’m sure he’ll be on the case when he moves to the new place – but for now it really does seem like the bigger wood is just wet.

Its not kiln dried that much is clear.

Or your shutting down the vents too soon and too far. The fire should burn them no issue

I’ll just leave this here:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/nov/11/keep-the-home-fires-burning-dont-even-think-about-it

(Please don’t take offence – I am playing Devil’s advocate and would dearly love to have an open fire.)

The fire should rip through softwood. Open the vents right up and create an inferno. A roaring fire is enjoyable

If the birch burns well chuck some of that on and enjoy the satisfaction of a nice bright flame.

You can always get some well seasoned hardwood once your new place is set up. The replenish your stocks.

Got a drill handy?

When I’ve had to burn big chunky rounds that I CBA (knotty) to split I’ve drilled a hole through the middle to let some air flow.

Another one here who thought this was about a Curry calamity

If it’s dry it’ll burn but big always burns slower, and one log on it’s own is often difficult. Hot stove, air open, or a smaller piece to keep the big bite company and it will burn well… If it’s dry. Big bits dry slower so will come out the kiln at a higher moisture content. It might be dry and smell cooked on the outside, but it might be a bit wetter than ideal in the middle.

Just heat and air flow, you’ve got a mass of fuel with limited surface area, fire triangle innit?

In desperate times, prop something smaller underneath to make some air underneath and the door open a little.

I’ll just leave this here:

I tend to agree…. But a properly run stove is many miles removed from an open fire.

Not likely a stove issue, more probable that the chimney has poor draw.

The bloomin stove smokes like hell into the room when I open it so yes, perhaps the chimney doesn’t draw well.