There is currently a lot of controversy regarding wood burners being banded around through the media and groups that are trying to make our world a much more environmentally safe place to live for now and the future which is and should be at the heart of everyone’s conscience.
There are always going to be two sides to a story, but currently there is NO BAN on using Wood Burners in the UK.
We can all help the planet and stay warm by ensuring we follow these few steps.
Firstly take a look at the Burnright Website. This is full of information to help with using aplliances correctly and where you can and can’t use them and what fuel you can use on your appliance including burning in smokeless zones.
ALWAYS USE SEASONED WOOD WITH A MOISTURE CONTENT
OF LESS THAN 20%
This can be checked with a moisture meter available online or in a hardware shop.
It is now illegal to sell unseasoned wood if it is advertised as seasoned.
It would be advised to source wood from a supplier that is ‘READY TO BURN’ registered or possibly buy kiln dried wood if you are unsure whether the supplier is legitimately selling seasoned wood.
If possible, keep your wood stored in a purpose-built wood store which is covered and allows air to pass through the sides and front.
ALWAYS BURN YOUR STOVE TO AN OPTIMUM TEMPERATURE
BETWEEN 200°C AND 300°C
This can be achieved by using a stove thermometer as a guide which can be purchased online or from us on your annual sweep.
DON’T ALLOW YOUR STOVE TO SLUMBER THROUGH THE DAY OR NIGHT
The fuel will not combust properly which will cause it to smoke and tar the chimney if using wood or worse still if using smokeless coal will cause sulphur to form on the flue, mix with condensation and create sulphuric acid which eats into the flue liner, giving the liner a very much lower life expectancy.
LEARN HOW TO USE YOUR WOOD BURNER CORRECTLY!
Many people quite often do not know how to use their wood burner properly. Using the right vents to introduce air into the appliance so that it burns to the optimum temperature is so important when burning fuel and impacts heavily on the environment if not carried out correctly. If you are unsure (as there are many different types of vents on different appliances) then please ask us or find out online or from a friend.
A very simple observation to find out if you are doing it right and using the right air vents is:-
If the stove window is going black when burning, the chances are either the wood is damp or unseasoned, or you are using the wrong air vents. Most wood burners have a vent above the window which washes the window with air. This not only introduces air to the wood in the fire box, but it keeps the window a lot cleaner. This vent is the accelerator of the stove although it is called the secondary air vent. The primary vent is usually the one on the bottom of the stove door and is mainly used to introduce air when lighting the fire. The stove will still burn wood even if this is closed. If however, you have a multi fuel burner then the bottom vent will be needed to introduce air under the smokeless coal you are burning as coal needs air underneath to help control the burn.
Some stoves have a leaver that controls both primary and secondary air vents at the same time.
There is now quite often a third air vent or tertiary air vent which introduces air to the rear of the stove usually via a line of holes across the rear fire brick. This vent can be controlled on some stoves, but others are factory set. The idea of this vent is to introduce air to the stove to further burn gasses off once the stove reaches a certain temperature.