What wood gives off the best heat? - Wood in order of Heat content per Kg

Wood in order of . . .

Heat content per Kg

Wood Species	Heat Content kWh/kg	Density kg/m3	% of Moisture when green	Years to season
Oak	4.5	770	50	2-3
Beech	4.3	690	45	1-2
Ash	4.1	674	35	1
Birch	4.1	662	45	1
Elm	3.6	540	60	2-3
Poplar	2.6	465	65	1
Pine/fir	2.6	410	60	1

Above you will find a table that shows oak has the best heat output per kg but it also takes the longest time to season taking up to 3 years to fully season.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Woodwork Off-cuts - Bournemouth Chimney Sweep Advise

Off-cuts to burn:

Joinery off-cuts should be clean, have no nails and must not be treated or painted in any way.

Woodwork off-cuts - chimney sweep advise

It's worth noting “tanalised” timber contains arsenic and should not be burnt.

Wood not to burn:

Plywood, chipboard and MDF should not be burnt because they contain adhesives and chemical binders which negatively affect the surface of your flue.

Overview:

Do not burn checklist:

If any below gets ticked, then do not burn.

• Nails
• Glue
• Treated
• Paint
• Plywood
• Chipboard
• MDF

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Wood Types - Poole Chimney Sweep Advise Dorset

Common wood available:

Alder, Apple, Ash, Beech, Birch, Blackthorn, Elm, Eucalyptus, Hawthorn, Hazel, Holly, Hornbeam, Maple, Oak, Pear, Rowan, Sycamore, Cherry,

Spitting wood for stoves:

Cedar, Douglas Fir, Horse Chestnut, Larch, Plane, Sweet Chestnut, Willow.

Softwoods are more likely to spit due to the pockets of moisture and sap within the wood. The risk will be reduced by effective seasoning the wood below a 20% moisture level.

Poisonous wood

Wood to keep clear of:

Laburnum and Yew are poisonous [do not use in cookers], although Yew does give off a good heat in stoves.

Elder – Produces a thick acrid smoke.

Lime – A low quality fuel.

Pine – Can form oily soot.

Poplar – Produces a lot of dark smoke

Spruce – A low quality fuel

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Softwood vs Hardwood - Bournemouth Chimney Sweep Advise

Hardwood is denser than softwood and contains a higher amount of energy per log. The heat content of softwood is around half the amount of hardwood.

Softwood vs Hardwood

Typical heat content

Hardwood: 2300kWh/m3

Softwood: 1300kWh/m3

Generally speaking, it would take around double the amount of softwood to attain the same heat output as hardwood. The frequency of refuelling and the amount of logs required to gain the heat will also be a lot higher.

So what's the benefit of softwood?

It tends to set alight a lot more easily than hardwood and burns quicker because of its resin content. This provides better immediate heat therefore is good for

kindling and initial burning.

Overview:

Use Softwood for kindling and once the fire has started keep the fire going using Hardwood.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!