The Government has finally put a stop to the sale of polluting fuels such as wet, unseasoned wood and house coal. This fantastic news means that more stoves and fires across the UK will be burnt the way they should, with correct fuels such as good quality dry wood or authorised smokeless mineral fuels.
We are delighted to see the government stop the sale of poor quality wet wood and house coal in favour of cleaner alternatives. The burning of these polluting fuels has long been something we and other manufacturers have strived to prevent in our own environmentally designed products.
As an industry leader in the design and manufacturing of advanced Ecodesign Ready stoves and fires, it is extremely important that our products are only burnt with good quality wood or smokeless mineral fuels. Wet wood creates tar and other substances that will block chimneys and blackens the glass of stoves and glass-fronted fires. Similarly, so-called ‘house coal’ is a dirty fuel that burns at temperatures that will damage a modern stove or fire.
Dry wood is defined as wood with a moisture content below 20%. Unlike wet or green wood that has not had time to season, dry wood burns with high efficiency. Less heat energy is lost burning away moisture, which means more heat for your home and minimal smoke emissions. Dry wood is readily available to purchase for your stove or fire.
Always purchase logs from a supplier bearing the Woodsure Ready to Burn logo. Their seasoned or kiln-dried wood has been tested to have a moisture content of 20% or lower, so you can be certain the logs you are buying are immediately ready to burn.
Gathering your own wood can be a very cost-effective way to heat your home, but it is important you season logs before burning them. Seasoning can take up to two years to allow most of the moisture in the wood to evaporate. You can easily check your logs are ready to burn with a moisture meter. Once the moisture content is at 20% or lower, your gathered firewood will provide a high-efficiency heat source for your home.
If you have a multi-fuel stove or fire, you can burn mineral fuels as well as wood. However, it is important to only burn authorised smokeless mineral fuels, which produce minimal smoke and have a sulphur content below 2%. For a full list of government-approved smokeless mineral fuels, please see the DEFRA list.
Visit your local retailer to see Stovax’s wood burning and multi-fuel Ecodesign stoves burning. They will also be able to advise you on how to minimise stove emissions along with the best fuels to burn.
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Posted by Dan on May 12, 2021
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Amazing article. Very informative thank you for sharing.