What kind of wood should you not burn in a fireplace?
What kind of wood SHOULD NOT be burned in the fireplace? Don't burn driftwood in your fireplace. Driftwood is loaded with salt, and the chlorine in salt mixes with wood compounds during burning to release a toxic chemical, one that's been linked to cancer. Don't burn treated, painted, or sealed wood in your fireplace.
So, while any kind of hardwood is the best wood to burn, you may choose a certain type for its accessibility, smell or heat content. The most common types of hardwood used for indoor fireplaces are oak, ash, hickory, birch and various fruitwoods.
According to fireplace, hearth, and chimney supplier Northline Express, sugar maple, ash, red oak, beech, birch, hickory, pecan and apple are among the hardwoods with the highest heat values.
Softwoods like fir, pine and cedar make more smoke, and therefore more creosote.
When it comes to fire-resistant wood, the king is Ipe wood, of course. As we've said before they don't call it ironwood for nothing. If you have been through a fire and are in the process of rebuilding there are many solid reasons to consider using Ipe wood as siding, decking and fencing.
For the serious fire lover, you may want to invest in hardwoods like madrone, live oak, ash, hickory, walnut and fruit trees like apple or cherry. Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you'll need to let them season more than a year.
- Cardboard / Paper. Firstly, we have one perhaps everyone is guilty of. ...
- Plastic. For similar reasons to cardboard, burning plastic is a bad idea. ...
- Pressurised Cans. This is hopefully not news to you. ...
- Rubbish. ...
- Treated or unseasoned wood.
- Know the What Type of Wood You're Using. The type of wood you use matters. ...
- Prepare During the Right Time of Year. ...
- Cut, Split, & Size Your Wood Correctly. ...
- Keep It Outdoors. ...
- Correctly Stack the Wood. ...
- Properly Cover Your Firewood.
There is another version of this myth involving potato peels instead, and, like with oranges, burning them in the fireplace has no cleaning effect on your chimney whatsoever. Freshly cut wood has high moisture levels. This means they produce more smoke when burned.
Oak Is the Most Common
In the United States, oak is probably the most common type of firewood. Regardless of where you live, you can probably find full cords, face cords and half cords of oak firewood available for sale.
Why is pine not good firewood?
Pine Wood. Pine, a softwood, is resinous. That means when burned, it emits a lot of soot that adds dangerous creosote to your chimney walls. It also burns more quickly than hardwood, so it's less efficient, though it can be used as kindling.
On top of that, hardwoods such as ash, oak, birch, or beech are generally the best wood for burning and are recommended over softwoods like pine. This is because hardwoods typically produce more energy per log and ensure a high to moderate heat output for a longer period of time.
Poisons. Watch out for any wood covered with vines. Burning poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, or pretty much anything else with "poison" in the name releases the irritant oil urushiol into the smoke.
Creosote can be destroyed by treatment with chlorine, either sodium hypochlorite, or calcium hypochlorite solutions. The phenol ring is essentially opened, and the molecule is then subject to normal digestion and normal respiration.
Barrettine Creosolve Creosote Substitute; Formally Known As Creocote; Light (LT) Barrettine CreoSolve® is a lower hazard alternative to traditional Creosote and some other Creosote replacement wood treatments.
Class C fires are often one of the most difficult types of fire to actually extinguish – it is quite rare for a fire extinguisher to extinguish all the flames of a gas fire – making it incredibly important to try and avoid a Class C fire as far as possible.
In order to burn all night, you will need to make sure there is enough oxygen in your wood burning heater. Open the air inlets on your wood burning heater, to the maximum intake, for 10 - 30 minutes. Once your large logs have formed a black ash around the bark, slowly begin to close the air inlet.
Softwood. Softwoods, such as spruce and red cedar wood, are less dense than hardwoods like elm, oak, and beech wood. Because of this lower density level, softwoods burn more quickly than hardwoods.
Paper Products
If you've been piling up newspapers, magazines, junk mail, gift-wrapping paper, cereal boxes, or old cardboard to light fires in your fireplace, you're making a mistake. Any type of paper with colored print will release toxic gasses when burned, putting your family's health at risk.
Wood burned inside the home should always be dry and seasoned for at least 6-12 months. Wood burns most efficiently when the moisture content is at 20% or less. Damp wood burns at a cooler temperature, resulting in incomplete combustion, more smoke, and dangerous creosote build-up in the chimney (a fire hazard).
How long should wood sit before you burn it?
It can take 3-12 months or longer to season firewood. On average, it usually takes around 6-months to dry out the cut-firewood that you purchased from a store or supplier. Depending on the original timber's moisture content, it can take more or less time to season.
- Color. Color fades over time. ...
- Shape. Splitting wood speeds up the drying process. ...
- Weight. As wood dries, it loses its moisture content and becomes lighter. ...
- Hardness. Drying wood becomes lighter, making it easier to split or dent. ...
- Bark. ...
- Cracking. ...
- Sound. ...
- Smell.
Hardwoods like oaks, beech, hickory and ash are among the best woods to use as firewood. They last a long time, although they may be harder to ignite than softwoods. If you're cooking foods over a fire, try using maple, cherry or other fruitwoods to add flavor.
Birch makes excellent firewood for burning on a wood burner, stove or in an open fire. This wood produces a good heat, although it burns relatively quickly, so in a fire, it's best to use it in a mix of slower-burning woods, such as elm or oak.
Hardwoods are best known for being considered the superior firewood when comparing them to softwoods because they are much denser. The density of the wood creates a long-lasting and hot fire without smoke or sparks.
It comes down to two factors: density and water content. The denser and drier the firewood, the better it will burn and the more heat it can produce. Because of its density and its comparatively low levels of sap or pitch, hardwoods generally make for better firewood than softwoods.
Topping the list of most expensive woods in the world is Bocote, a flowering plant from the borage family that is mostly found in Mexico, Central and South America. Initially a yellow/brown shade, this wood darkens over time. It has a fragrant smell and is usually used for furniture and flooring.
Driftwood
While this type of wood may look attractive, it's definitely not a good performer in home fires. Driftwood is likely to have come from the sea and is therefore likely to contain chlorine content. Chlorine comes from the absorption of salt and, when burned, will give off chemicals and toxins.
When timber is heated within the flames of a fire, the grains of the timber are fused even tighter together, resulting in a stronger, more durable board. If the timber is left within the fire for too long however, this will begin to deteriorate the condition of the timber, resulting in burning, scorches and cracks.
Ash is a hardwood, along with cherry, oak, walnut, and maple. In contrast, some of the common softwoods found in woodworking include pine, fir, and cedar.
How can you tell if wood is hard or soft?
Hardwoods typically have very broad leaves (think of maple and oak leaves). Softwoods have cones and needles. Hardwoods and softwoods also differ on a microscopic level. For instance, hardwoods have pores whereas softwoods don't.