I've heard that it is important to get seasoned wood what does this mean?
 Growing trees contain a lot of water - in most cases, so much water that they are difficult to burn without drying the wood first. Seasoning is the traditional process of stacking felled wood so that it dries out. Wood felled during one winter should be seasoned over the following summer and burnt the next winter. If possible, two years' seasoning is best.
A reputable wood fuel supplier will only sell you seasoned logs, unless you specifically ask for green wood which you plan to season yourself. Wet chips are difficult to dry and store and require special combustion equipment, so chips are usually sold dry (below 35% moisture content).
Is one kind of wood a better fuel than another?
 If you took two equal weights of wood from different kinds of tree, and both were equally dry, then both would be worth the same as fuel. The main difference between different types of wood, for example oak and pine, is that some are denser than others. In other words, a given size log of oak will weigh more and therefore contain more fuel energy than the same size log of pine. You would notice this because you would have to put about one third as many again pine logs on the fire to get the same heat output as the oak.
Some trees produce naturally much drier wood than others, for example freshly felled ash is only about one third water, whereas fresh poplar is not far off two-thirds water. Fresh ash can be burnt on a fire without seasoning, however the poplar would require at least one year's seasoning.
How should I store my wood fuel?
 Wood should preferably be stored under cover in an airy place. A lean-to on the side of the house or an outbuilding is ideal. Totally enclosed stores will slow the drying of the wood.
Wood stored in the open will dry quickly when it's sunny, but will gain moisture during the winter. If at all possible, up to one week's supply should be stored indoors near to (but not right up against!) the wood burner. This allows a bit more useful drying to occur.
What's the best way to burn Wood?
Wood burns best when it is given plenty of air and allowed to draw freely. Filling a stove With logs and damping it down stops the 'volatiles' from burning, generating a lot of smoke and tar. This wastes fuel, causes pollution and damages the chimney.
It is best to allow a fresh charge of logs to burn freely until they almost turn to charcoal, and then 'damp 'the fire down by reducing the air supply. Charcoal burns well like this, and the fire will tick over for many hours.
Larger log burning systems where radiators are used to spread the heat throughout the building will benefit greatly from the use of a hot-water storage or accumulator tank. This allows the logs to be burnt fast and efficiently, then stores the fuel energy as hot water for use after the fire has died down or even hours after it has gone out, such as the next morning.
Automatic wood chip and pellet systems burn the fuel very efficiently in a small, fierce fire. Provided the fuel store is kept topped up, they will operate very much like an oil or gas boiler.
How much wood will I use?
This depends on the size of the building, how hot you want it, and for how many hours a day it needs to be heated. The figures below give a guide to expect wood fuel use.
Residential premises tend to have greater fuel requirements due to the need for longer heating periods and the substantial consumption of hot water, Schools have short occupancy periods and have holiday at the coldest times of the year. If in doubt, particularly for larger sites, professional guidance should be sought to determine required boiler size and predicted fuel usage at an early stage.
By kind permission of British Bio Gen |
