What logs for a log burner?

Having never had or used one before I’ll be using a wood burner and gas central heating to stay warm this winter.

The wood burner is a 5kw MrFires Firecracker in large, so accepts logs up to 300mm long and briquettes and was installed in February this year with a lined flue.

I’d like to think I’ll use it in the evening when home from work for a few hours and at the weekends for longer. It’s in a tiny, period, cottage so will hopefully heat the whole place through.

It seems the type of wood I burn is reminiscent of asking for what tyres to use on here!!!

Via Google I’ve settled on birch for easy burning,it’s of heat & flames and found this supplier online:

https://www.uklogsdirect.co.uk/kiln-dried-logs-c1/kiln-dried-birch-logs-c4/kiln-dried-birch-logs-half-crate-p3

Anything else I need to consider, any recommendations of online timber suppliers, advice???

Ta

Birch burns nicely for us, but if we had central heating we’d use that rather than waste money on a stove and buying in logs…

PS: is it a nonsense to buy kiln dried logs and store them outside in wood store?

It’s in a rental property and may have the advantage of adding dry air to a house built into a hillside.

Whatever’s free.

Everything and anything. If it’s properly dry and the flue draw is adequate it’ll burn. Some stoves with “double combustion” burn stuff like pine better, Jotul for example. The trick is to burn fast and hot so you don’t cack up the stove and flue and pollute more than necessary. Hard woods will burn in pretty much anything.

For the few times a year I use ours I’ve switched over to heat logs. Cheaper, more consistent, bugger all ash produced.

Properly seasoned dry ones from a local log supplier if buying now. If you have access to free wood, get it in now, cut, split and season for next year. Ash, birch, oak, most hardwoods are fine. Softwoods fine too mostly. Kiln dried seems pointless though. There must be a local supplier near you?

Whatever is dry, local and (if possible) free

Good advice from @Yak above. I would like barn dried or traditionally seasoned logs but they are very difficult to get round us now as the supplier can’t keep up with demand. Last two loads, which are 3cubic metres each have been oak, beech and a small amount of birch, kiln dried and £470 delivered. Price has stabilised now after a few years of constant rises but I’ve just finished a second log store to make sure I’ve got enough for winter. There is sometimes low availability round peak holiday home usage at Christmas/new year so don’t leave it too late to order, making a good relationship with your local supplier is a good idea too!

Nothing heats a tiny period cottage. You merely stand in the way of the heat as it tries to escape.

you’ll need your head looking at if you buy those logs linked at 225 for a half crate.

Thats damn near petrol station forecourt prices.

i order mine from local tree surgeon in the summer.

he delivered last week – 3 cube – 2 cube soft 1 cube hard wood  for 290 dropped beside my log store

I’ve been using mostly sycamore and beech and they’ve been great.

Gathered in April/May and put in the woodshed until I start using it in about November they are plenty dry enough, I know people say a year but it seems to work for me. Still loads of storm damage round here to clean up after Arwen, and some more recent ones, so it’s been down a while before I get to it, which helps.

My local woodyard is £185 for a cubic meter of loose seasoned hardwood, their prices go up from there. Probably reflects regional differences in price and that everyone has a wood burner around here.

have a look and see who’s taking out all the die-back afflicted Ash in the area – it’s one of the only species you can burn almost green as the moisture content is super low. Literally only a few weeks dry storage and it’s good to go. It also burns **** hot, and pretty clean. We had to have an ash taken out a few years ago and still got enough for 2 stoves this winter, and there’s now another tree that needs to come out which is bigger than the last one, so will be good for a couple of years. I just have the tree surgeons rin the stick up and ive then got punishment splitting to do for a few months which helps me to feel a bit better about mysefl if I’ve been lazy!

My favourite is cherry as it smells amazing. Ash, beech and oak are great. Anything dry (below 20% internal moisture content) will burn. Get a moisture meter and check any wood deliveries you get BEFORE they unload. I’ve refused deliveries before as the sellers were trying to pull a fast one.

Controversial but bear with me.

B&Q bags of kiln dried hardwood c£25 each bag (coal sack size).  Proper kiln dried not the rubbish from garage forecourts.

we sometimes buy this for convenience or if run out. As bulk tonne bags of kiln dried hardwood from local supplier £200-£220 each the B &Q prices not too bad in comparison.

If can, plan ahead and buy cheaper and season yourself. But min 12 month seasoning time IMO.

Free wood burns hotter. Science fact

…and every heat-treated pallet that comes my way is soon grabbed!

I hate it when summer goes, but I do like the log-store management in the colder months. 🙂

What’s wrong with using the central heating?

Most of them are sized for nominal insulation levels and nominal weather.

Most of them are sized for nominal insulation levels and nominal weather.

Heating engineers tend to over size boilers and radiators, IME.

ransos
Free Member
What’s wrong with using the central heating?

Nothing, I will use it, most likely in the mornings. But, I have a wood burner, something I’ve never had before and I’d like to give it a try.
Plus, I live on my own and don’t have a TV so staring at the flames whilst talking to my rubber tree will hopefully keep me sane through the long winter months.

Did you used to do surgery? On girls in the eigh-eeee-teees?

I found gravity always won.

I’ve just had to chop up a 65′ ash tree that fell down on Friday (co-incidentally the same day I did a chainsaw course). Ash doesn’t need as much seasoning as other woods, and can be burned nearly straight off the tree (but burns a little better when its dried out properly).

Got to figure out how to split the damn stuff now – the lower section is ~50cm rounds and strong as owt.

if you’re in sussex gimme a shout 🙂

Got to figure out how to split the damn stuff now – the lower section is ~50cm rounds and strong as owt.

Splitting axe/maul, and maybe a wedge or two – but at 50cm a splitting axe will eat it up as freshly felled without a wedge. Splitting axe very not the same as a felling axe btw ;o)

What’s wrong with using the central heating?

You can always tell the ones on here with no log stove and would probably want one

I love watching the dancing flames as the tertiary air ignites any unburnt gases from the primary burn for a complete clean burn

Splitting axe/maul, and maybe a wedge or two – but at 50cm a splitting axe will eat it up as freshly felled without a wedge. Splitting axe very not the same as a felling axe btw ;o)

I’ve had a go with our maul. It just bounces off the thing when I aim for the middle (it works fine on ~30 cm rounds). Watching a couple of vids it seems like I might have more luck starting from one edge and working in..

What’s wrong with using the central heating?I

Is kerosene more or less  sustainable ? 

It seems the type of wood I burn is reminiscent of asking for what tyres to use on here!!!

Exactly, and, similarly, despite all the bollocks talked about it, it doesn’t really matter that much.

@5lab I’m in Brighton and could do with a bit of Ash if you want to sell me some. My usual supplier of local barn dried has given up doing logs.

If the rounds are too thick, aim to start by splitting off bits round the edge rather than aiming right down the middle. Once a bit is taken off the outside it’s much easier. Watch for the maul bouncing off sideways though.

With big rounds, I’ve found it better landing the splitting axe near the edge rather than smack in the middle. Can still be across the middle of the log, but going near the edge you’re propagating a split in one direction, not from both sides of the axe head.

Wood grenade splitting wedge if that fails.

Knarly bit with branch unions – chainsaw as last resort.

Looking forward to stove season. I do enjoy the destressing time after work lighting the stove and flame watching.

As others have said, properly seasoned hardwood logs from a local supplier are best. Kiln dried is a waste of money and energy as the logs will gradually return to the moisture content of air dried if stored outside. There are differences in hardwoods (birch easy to get going, oak is a slow burn) but try not to overthink it. Anything seasoned will be fine. Softwood in small quantities in a log burner will also be fine.

I supply mixed hardwood logs so if you’re near Cardiff, give me a shout.

@myti the logs are just the other side of the south down from you in Clayton. Happy to sell some but they won’t be split (there are some smaller logs that don’t need splitting tbh). Drop me a PM.

Ta to everyone else for the splitting tips – are grenade wedges worse in any way than “2 dimensional” wedges? I’m not super accurate with an axe, and thinking if I want to split along a line, I might get better results with a couple of wedges and a sledge.

thinking if I want to split along a line, I might get better results with a couple of wedges and a sledge.

It’s splitting wood not a fashion show. There’s no need to “split along a line”

Grenades work fine. But I find if the maul doesn’t work the grenade just gets planted.

7t log splitter rarely struggles though

For the OP dry is the key thing, almost any species will burn well in a stove with good flue. Mix of softwood and hardwood is good as the softwood will get everything up to temperature quicker.

@5lab work the edges of big rings to make them like a 50p and then start breaking into the heartwood. Ash generally splits easy fresh or seasoned. Cut out any branch unions for an easy life and keep them to one side for long burns.

Wood grenades are only good for blunting chains as you try and remove them.
If a maul can’t break it, cut it in half.

You can always tell the ones on here with no log stove and would probably want one

I used to, before I was aware of their health impacts.

Ta, I’ll give it another go with the maul, aiming for the edges. This is (a small part of) what I have at the moment..

7t log splitter rarely struggles though

+1, we have a 5t one from forest-master, great bit of kit, if a little over kill for most.