All wood burns, but not all woods burn the identical. Some burn hotter, slower, and cleaner than Other people. Some smoke a great deal, and some have many sap or resin that clogs your chimney speedily. The most effective different types of firewood for the Wooden stove or fireplace burn very hot and comparatively steadily, generating extra warmth and, normally, burning additional totally. These woods are usually hardwoods, for instance hickory or ash, instead of softwoods, for example pine and cedar.
Hardwood Firewood
Hardwoods which include maple, oak, ash, birch, and many fruit trees are the very best burning woods that provides you with a hotter and extended melt away time. These woods have the the very least pitch and sap and are usually cleaner to handle. Nevertheless, hardwoods are typically more expensive than softwoods and are more vulnerable to leave clinkers, a tough and stony residue, during the leftover ash.
If you're burning birch firewood, be aware of the thick interior brown bark known as the phloem. This bark retains plenty of moisture and can prevent the Wooden from drying evenly.1 As a result, it is best To combine birch with One more sort of hardwood to get a cleaner melt away and less smoke. Smoke results in a buildup of creosote, that is a byproduct of Wooden combustion consisting largely of tar that typically leads to chimney fires.two
Softwood Firewood
Softwood is The most affordable type of Wooden you can buy. Fir is your best option, but other softwoods consist of pine, balsam, spruce, cedar, tamarack, alder, and poplar. Softwoods usually burn off faster and depart finer ash when compared with hardwoods.three Additionally they is usually messy to deal with, especially pine, spruce, and balsam, because they induce creosote to construct up additional rapidly as part of your chimney.
Evaluating Firewood by Heat Vitality
Distinctive firewoods may be categorized by the quantity of warmth Electrical power they produce for each twine of Wooden. The best firewoods supply the heat-Electricity equal of two hundred to 250 gallons of gasoline oil.four These include the following:
Apple
Beech (American)
Birch (Yellow)
Hickory (Shagbark)
Ironwood
Maple (Sugar)
Red oak
White ash
White oak
The next class of heat Vitality would be the equal of one hundred fifty to 200 gallons of fuel for every wire of firewood. These woods involve:
Birch (White)
Cherry (Black)
Douglas fir
Elm (American)
Maple (Pink and Silver)
Tamarack
In the bottom warmth-Strength group, Every single twine of wood produces concerning the exact same warmth as one hundred to one hundred fifty gallons of fuel oil:
Alder (Pink)
Aspen
Cedar (Purple)
καυσόξυλα τιμες ΝΕΑ ΙΩΝΙΑ Cottonwood
Hemlock
Pine (Lodgepole and White)
Redwood
Spruce (Sitka)
Ensure that Your Wood Is Dry
You need to by no means melt away "environmentally friendly," or insufficiently dried, wood as it provides a lot less heat and more smoke (and, finally, creosote) than adequately dried, or seasoned, wood. For good storage, it is best to stack your wood for successful air circulation, lined at the top only, and ensure it's thoroughly dry ahead of burning. A great general guideline would be to rotate your firewood, as in burning the more mature dryer Wooden very first, to stay away from wood rot and waste.
Wooden ought to have a moisture information of significantly less that twenty p.c for burning. Together with the humidity over 20 per cent, Wooden is difficult to start out and burns improperly and inefficiently, making abnormal quantities of h2o vapor, smoke, and harmful air.five
Woods to Avoid
Salvaged firewood or other scraps can save you a lot of cash On the subject of heating your home with wood. But you'll find specified Wooden solutions and various items that you should steer clear of for well being and safety causes. Several of these will create hazardous fumes indoors, as well as chimney emissions that would be an environmental issue.six Some also pose added pitfalls to the stove metals or can produce a hazardous buildup of creosote in your chimney.
For your protection it is best to constantly stay away from burning:
Painted or varnished Wooden, trim, or other Wooden by-items
Stress-treated lumber
Driftwood
Engineered sheet products, for example plywood, particleboard, and MDF
Hardboard or other compressed paper products6
Should you are afflicted by allergy symptoms, some woods, Specially aromatic cedar, should also be applied with caution.
Wood Burning Safety Recommendations
Use care and customary perception In relation to feeding your Wooden stove. Though you are doing require some paper to start out your stove, only use sufficient to have the fireplace going. Abnormal usage of starter paper will just add on the creosote buildup.five
Burning Dry Firewood Will save Funds and Enhances Air Quality. State of Vermont Agency of Normal Means, 2021.
Safety, needless to say, is A serious issue when functioning any Wooden-burning equipment. Always comply with all suggested clearances and defend flooring that has a fireplace-resistant ground pad. You should definitely have an active carbon monoxide alarm in the area and that the home is provided with Operating smoke alarms.