What is the best type of wood you have used with your stove?

[Stubby]

46 minutes ago, BillQ said:

 I notice that poplar has only been mentioned once, however I have lots that have matured among other trees and grown tall and are now toppling (yay!) and I quite like it, left a couple of days in rounds it cracks enough for you to know where to start splitting. The bark comes off easily enough on the larger lumps which helps dry out even more, six months and its 7% but picks up if the air is very moist. The bark cut into 1-2" strips and dried makes good kindling too.

Downside is it isn't a hot burner or last long but it's free and plentiful here and it only has to power a 5kw Arada so happy days !

Yep I have burnt it and its fine . just have to use a bit more of it for a given output . It is as you say like blotting paper once seasoned so must be kept dry . Dave , a bloke on here ( don't see him much now , " skyhuck " ) said he once boiled his central heating with poplar .

[Steven P]

To the thread header:

On 10/01/2025 at 08:36, BillQ said:

it's free and plentiful here

 

That always makes the best firewood!

 

 

"Boiled his central heating" - the hottest fire I've had this season was with 'fresh' (standing dead wood felled about 2 months ago) - softwood so constantly feeding the fire, it threw out some heat... but had to stand on the stove to keep feeding it. Beech I've got on now will burn an hour or so but the fire isn't nearly that hot. Cannot remember if the day I got the stove glowing red whether it was wood or coal in the days I only had softwoods (Spruce I think)

[Rob_the_Sparky]

For the fast burning woods, try leaving it in bigger chunks when you split it.  That way there is less surface area so it burns more slowly.  I.e. lasts longer and does not get so stupid hot.

[Peasgood]

That's all very well but then the missus can't light it. 

(I'm sure your response to that would be well meaning but it would be a waste of breath, believe me I have tried)

[Stubby]

9 hours ago, Rob_the_Sparky said:

For the fast burning woods, try leaving it in bigger chunks when you split it.  That way there is less surface area so it burns more slowly.  I.e. lasts longer and does not get so stupid hot.

I agree the bigger the lump the slower it burns ( in relative terms for a given species ) but a bigger lump has more surface area than a smaller lump , surely . 

[Alan Smith]

He really means surface area to volume ratio. Like elephants vs shrews and metabolic rates!

[Stubby]

3 minutes ago, Alan Smith said:

He really means surface area to volume ratio. Like elephants vs shrews and metabolic rates!

 

 

Well why didn't he say so then ! 😁

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Because I'm crap sometimes

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Just now, Rob_the_Sparky said:

Because I'm crap sometimes

I was also thinking same amount of wood in one big piece versus two smaller ones but again didn't say that either!  I.e. put just one big lump on rather than two smaller ones...