The Wood Burning Stove and Open Coal Fire Thread

Hardwoods just give you more bang for your buck - burn longer and hotter than soft woods. There's nothing inherently wrong with burning pine etc. just means you have to put more logs in more often.

One of the issues with pine and some other softwoods is that they can spit a lot, which isn't an issue in a stove, but can be a nasty surprise in an open fire...

Some varieties of pine can certainly contain more pitch, but I don't think they necessarily create more creosote.

I think the main issue is that pine can be quite sappy and take longer to dry out than you might expect, so it could create a bit more creosote than a different wood due to a higher moisture content. But as far as I'm aware, the main cause of creosote build up is not running your stove at the correct temperature - if it's too low you'll get a smoky sulky fire and it's that smoke that'll be full of creosote and, of course, not cleaning your chimney. Generally speaking a hot fire is a clean fire.

This is just my rough rule of thumb, but I've found soft woods are good for getting a wood fire started - as they tend to catch and burn quickly and hot, giving you a good bed of embers quickly, and for chucking on a coal fire when you want a bit extra warmth or the pleasure of watching a log burn.

Hardwoods in my experience are better for an actual wood fire / stove as they burn hotter and longer, so you don't have to keep loading it with more logs all the time!

For the most part wood is wood, so burn what you can get - with obvious exceptions like laburnum which is of course poisonous.

I think it's already been said, but a stove pipe thermometer is invaluable when you're getting used to the temperatures.

Our old one even said "Creosote!" on it where it was getting into the cold zone. Tbh, it broke and I haven't replaced it yet.

Unfortunately restacking my logs a little further back into the store hasn't done the trick and they're still getting wet. They're as far back as I can possibly stack them, and I even stacked the shorter logs at the bottom to ensure this.

I used this morning's rainshower to assess a few things, and because of my store's short roof overhang, it does seem that water is dripping down directly at the front of the store and splashing back into the store somehow, as some of the lower logs had water on them, despite it being a short, gentle rainshower. Whether this is off the paving slabs or the lip of the store itself is unclear.

Fortunately, I have a stack of spare roof slates, so I placed a few of them along the bottom of the store to shield the lower logs. Hopefully this'll solve the issue for now. I think a proper solution would be to increase the roof overhang and put the store up on bricks, but I can't face emptying the store again, but maybe I'll do it in a few months when the store is emptier, if there's any dry weather.

dogbot Yes that might be an idea, although it'd be a fair bit of work to source a decent tarp of the correct size, then somehow attach it well enough to withstand any strong winds. I'm also a bit apprehensive about introducing plastic sheets in case the logs sweat, but if I only cover the bottom half that might not be an issue.

I think the slate tiles will do a good enough job for now. I'm still wondering how my neighbour's log store isn't subject to any issues. I think it must be because it's half as tall, as well as sitting on a raised bit of astroturf, so no splashback. Some of his logs are literally hanging out the front of the store, beyond the roof overhang, yet still appear to be bone dry. Baffling.

It will be a mix of issues, but the main one will be the fact your log store is on a hard surface - rain drops will splash more when hitting paving, as well as a surface water developing after a while, which will also increase the splashing. Your neighbour's store being located on astroturf will certainly help dissipate the energy from the rain drops hitting, as well as blocking some of what splash there is.

I wouldn't worry too much about using plastic sheets etc - most issues with sweating / damp etc. caused by sheeting are from when seasoning green logs, or you've got water ingress & wet logs. If your logs are dry to start with you shouldn't get any issues.

But is does sound like the issue is splashback so the tiles should help, and I'd imagine that moving the logs back has helped reduce the amount of water hitting the logs, if not actually stopped it.

Yeah I totally agree with your assessment. These paving slabs mean that my store's going to be sitting in water most of the winter, with water splashing everywhere. The picture of my log store on the website even shows it on hard ground, and I imagine most people would put in on a paved area, so I've just got to conclude it's badly designed.

On the upside, the tiles worked well. At lunchtime, I checked the logs that got a bit wet this morning and they were completely dry again. I think they'll be an adequate solution until I can extend the roof overhang and ultimately prop it up on bricks.

nexus6 I highly suspect my neighbour of being in allegiance with Satan and all his little wizards, possibly even going as far as piss-based antics under cover of darkness. At the very least he's erected an unholy forcefield around his log store.

On wood types, I've always found oak a little difficult to burn. It tends to start strong, but then smoulder and go out unless you add further wood to the fire, in my experience. I much prefer birch. It burns very well, but not too fast.

Yeah I'd imagine that works well, with the earth absorbing the water. I just never assumed water bouncing off paving slabs would ever be an issue. I'm surprised more people haven't reported this same issue online with their log stores.

I was actually looking at prevailing wind direction the other day, which I believe is from the south west in the UK. My log store faces south, so it gets the sun (this was advised online) and it's sheltered by a fence and a tree immediately to the west, the but to be honest it's in the only place I've got room for it in my garden.

I'm a little worried about driving rain from the south if the wind gets up.

Can anyone recommend any black heat resistant paint?

The paint on the removable retaining bars at the front of my stove has started to flake off, and it looks a bit shit. I haven't hit the bars with tools or logs or anything. The paint is visibly cracked and flaking, probably due to the heat.

Quite annoyed because it's a brand new stove and I've only used it twice.

I've read some reviews for paint available at Screwfix and Amazon, but the negative reviews suggest the paint is useless.

technoish Yes you're right, but I thought it might just be quicker and easier to rectify the issue myself.

The stove fitter also supplied the stove, so I've sent him an email asking if he can rectify the issue.

Yes I saw a YouTube video about how to fire a brand new stove and I did exactly what it said for a steel-bodied stove.

For the first firing, start with a small fire with a small amount of fuel for a couple of hours at low temperature. Then next time do a larger second firing for at least 3 hours to cure the paint. I was wondering if my second firing was maybe a bit too much, but I've been fairly careful.

I haven't bashed the bars with logs or tools. You can visible see the paint is cracked and flaking on the retaining bars.

The rest of the stove paint seems fine. I actually messaged a YouTuber with the same stove who said he has the exact same issue with the bars. The installer - who also supplied the stove - has kindly agreed to come over next week and give it a spray with some paint.

Oh, I didn't realise it was a steel one, I presumed it'd be a cast iron one, which tend to need a more gentle curing / seasoning process.

Perhaps the bars are a bit thin and they flex when heating up? That might explain the paint flaking. Or maybe they just did a bad job with the initial painting? If they sprayed it, it's entirely possible there's less paint on the bars due to their shape?

What do people with open fires use to block it when not in use?

I was looking at ordering a chimney sheep, just need to make sure I get the right size, and that it's not too messy and there's somewhere to store it when the fire is being used.

Meant to do this ages ago but the current situation with energy bills has made it more pertinent.