simonmarkellis

Right then, as the winter will soon be upon us I've like many others have got to start sorting out my wood burner. Have just been through the local rag in search on a company to supply and have just noticed you can order more than one type of wood. I presume this entails wood that burns at different rates and for some perhaps gives of a different sort of smell whilst burning, but need I be concerned about what wood I burn or would those with wood burners suggest a mixed load?

danny.f

Sorry mate-of no use to you-just wanted to post a reply.

pixi-dust

puriri is very good as it burns slowly and gives of a huge amount of heat.
Gum is ok. We burn anything that is kicking around the farm! If you're getting wood delivered ask if it's seasoned - it will burn longer and better if it is. Oh and check its dry!

simonmarkellis

Thanks for that!!!

simonmarkellis

Shows you care! Thanks mate...

dreamfish

and that hedgehogs and squirrels and other sundry wildlife have left...

i recall my nan having a trail of soot across her living room when a ball of fire shot out and scampered into the kitchen

Maz

I had a wood-burning stove in the house I rented in France. Used to buy my wood in early summer and store it under cover (not under a tarp, but if you don't have cover, tarp is certainly better than nothing), outside. I used to buy mine early so I could buy it still slightly damp. That way it was a damn sight cheaper. And it had plenty of time to dry out before winter.

Can't help with type of wood, sorry! I just remember having great fun chopping it all.

Browner_

Macrocarpa burns well.

Ideally, you need to get your wood in a year in advance of when you use it, and store it so its dry and ready to burn. Otherwise, you dont know what you are gonna get -recently cut wood may not burn very well.

Maz

And why not? Good for the muscles. It was through necessity, anyway, otherwise it wouldn't have fitted in the opening in the top of the burner.

Good to see you, Yotty. Not on MSN tonight, but ping me another time, OK? Need to catch up.

jueinnz

Yer ther is a difference you appartenly are better off getting a mix because one type starts a fire well and one lot burns for a long time can't rember what they called but this will bump this up and i will ask OH

dlmckay

Apparently you can only burn softwood in some woodburners. Mine doesn't specify, so I burn anything... Gum burns hot, pine burns quick. Big lumps burn slower than small bits. It's like being a Girl Guide all over again

Buy now and store - we bought late in the season and the wood we got was wet. :-(

pixi-dust

You'll also get really fast at lighting it. When we first got here I used to faff about for ages getting it to light. But after a wee while you can do it in your sleep, in about a minute!

BEVS

We have bought one cord of gum and half a cord of douglas fir. $330

We use dry flax leaves , pine cones & some douglas fir chopped into kindling to start the fire.
Then move onto douglas fir split logs to get a good blaze. Once we have the heat stoked up in the fire box we use the gum logs and keep the flue & door shut. Makes for a long , hot ,slow burn & uses less wood.

Any wood you collect yourself should be seasoned over the year to dry. Don't burn 'green' wood . Green wood is unseasoned wood. You'll get a smoky fire and a build up of creosote in your flue. Not good for your wood burner.

HTH

jueinnz

Tea tree is the one that burns really hot and well, but is a bugger to catch so you need somthing else to catch it.

lardyl

or for you/your home *if* you get a flue/chimney fire which can happen with gummed up flues.

Not sure what the recommendations are about sweeping here but in UK it was suggested as an annual event for solid fuel fires/stoves by the Sweeps Association (NACS or something like that) - but then they would say that.........

THinking out loud - frequency would depend upon how well your burner was working, where the flue runs/its orientation and how much unseasoned/gummy stuff you burned.

I'd be interested in finding out more about chimney/flue sweeping.

Anyone with any info?
TIA